27 September 2016

Trell Kimmons Accepts 2-year Sanction for Anti-Doping Rule Violation

By usada.org

USADA announced today that Trell Kimmons, of Coldwater, Miss., an athlete in the sport of track & field, has tested positive for a prohibited substance and accepted a two-year sanction for his violation. Kimmons, 31, tested positive for the prohibited substance 1,3-dimethylbutylamine as a result of an in-competition urine sample he provided on March 12, 2016, at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Indoor Championships in Portland, Ore. This substance is in the class of Simulants and is prohibited in-competition under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policies, a....

10 September 2016

Julian Forte Goes Sub-20 seconds in Brussels

Category : Diamond League

By O'Neil A Reid

Finally a breakthrough, the clock registered 19.97 seconds. This was a lifetime best, his first sub-20 seconds in the 200m. Julian Forte had won a closely contested 200m battle in the Brussels Diamond League on Friday. Forte, the 23 year old Jamaican sprinter, narrowly defeated Great Britain‘s Adam Gemili who also posted identical time of 19.97 seconds with the Netherland’s Martina Churandy finishing in third in 19.98 seconds. Gemili's time of 19.97 seconds was also a lifetime best.. By virtue of his 19.97 Brussels performance, Forte became the latest Jamaican to join the likes of Usain Bolt (19.19), Yohan Blake (19.26) among others to go sub-20 seconds in the 200m. Forte is trained by coach Stephen Francis at the MVP Track Club in Kingston, Jamaica. His 19.97 seconds performance was a satisfying end to the 2016 season marred by ups and downs. Missed Opportunities After leading his Jamaican 4x100m relay team to victory ....

8 September 2016

Bernard Lagat Retires

Category : Professional

By O'Neil A. Reid

Legendary distance runner Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat, this week, announced his retirement from the sport of track and field. Lagat, the Kenyan-born American, retires at the youthful age of 41. Lagat is the American record-holder in the 1500m (3:26.34) and the mile run indoors (3:47.28) as well as the 1500m, 3000m, and 500m outdoors. He is also the Kenyan record holder in the 1500m. Over his illustrious career that spanned over 20 years, Lagat has won numerous global titles including two world titles and three world indoor titles. Perhaps the only blemish on his distinguished career was his failure to be crowned Olympic champion. He has, however, earned two Olympic medals: one bronze at the 2000 Sydney Games and a silver at the 2004 Athens Games. Lagat had a fantastic final season, when at the age of 41, he made his fifth Olympic team by winning the 5000m at the 2016 USA Olympic Trials. To the very end, Lagat ran creditably well to finished 5th overall i....

7 September 2016

Rio Reflections: Cedenio's record, Ashton dominates, Final medal table

Category : Olympics

By O'Neil A Reid

Twenty year-old Machel Cedenio of Trinidad and Tobago finished 4th in the men’s 400m finals in a national record time of 44.01 seconds to erase the 24 year old record of 44.21 seconds set by Ian Morris back in Barcelona in 1992. Cedenio, the 2014 IAAF world junior champion in the 400m, is one of the rising stars in this event. He has shown consistent improvements in the 400m from 48.12 seconds in 2010 to his current lifetime best time of 44.01 seconds in 2016. Based on his Rio performance, Cedenio seems poised to join the sub-44 seconds club. Ashton Eaton While Usain Bolt is undoubtedly the fastest man on the planet, the title of most versatile male athlete goes to decathlon winner American Ashton Eaton. Ashton successfully defended his Olympic title by scoring 8893 points over two days of grueling events to take the title ahead of France’s Kevin Mayer (8834 points) with Canada’s Dami....

6 September 2016

Rio Reflections: Centrowitz leads U.S. long distance runners

Category : Olympics

By O'Neil A Reid

Matthew Centrowitz won the men’s 1500m title in 3:50.00 and become the first American to win this event since 1908, when Mel Sheppard accomplished that feat. Centrowitz finished ahead of Algeria’s Taoufik Makhloufi (3:50.11) with Australia’s Nick Willis (3:50.24) taking the bronze. This was a major accomplishment for the 26 year-old Centrowitz who finished 4th in this event at the London 2012 Olympics. Centrowitz had a great 2016 season highlighted by winning the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in February and later becoming the U.S. 1500m (3:34.09) national champion at the U.S.A. Olympics Trials back on July 10. American Clayton Murphy choose the biggest stage of his young career to run a personal time of 1:42.93 to take the bronze medal in the men’s 800m finals. The 20 year old Murphy finished behind world-record holder David Rudisha (1.42.15) and Algeria’s Taoufik Makhloufi (1:42.61). ....

5 September 2016

Rio Reflections: The U.S. dominates the 4x400m relays

Category : Olympics

By O'Neil A Reid

The U.S. men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams both took Olympic gold in Rio, despite failing to win the individual 400m title. South African Wayde Van Niekerk took the men’s 400m in a world record time of 43.03 seconds with the Bahamian Shaunae Miller (49.55) taking the women’s title. However, the U.S. is very deep in the 400m. On the men’s side, the quartet of Arman Hall, Tony McQuay, Gil Roberts and LaShawn Merritt ran a controlled race to claim victory and stop the clock at (2:57.30) ahead of Jamaica (2:58.16) and Bahamas (2:58.49). This was a satisfying victory for the U.S. men who took the silver behind the Bahamian at the 2012 London Games. The U.S. men’s relay had taken gold at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. The U.S. women’s 4x400m relay team is equally deep and the quarter of Courtney Okolo, Natasha Hastings, Phyllis Francis and Allyson Felix took the title in a season-best time of 3:19.06 ahead of Jamaica (3:2....

5 September 2016

Rio Reflections: Sprint queen Elaine Thompson takes sprint-double title

Category : Olympics

By O'Neil A Reid

With a population of just under 3.0 million, Jamaica had produced many great track athletes, including Herb McKenley, Arthur Wint, Donald Quarrie, Merlene Ottey, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt. At the Rio Olympics, a lot was expected of Usain Bolt and he delivered three gold medals in the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relays. The trend continued with the emergence of sprinter Elaine Thompson who captured the women’s 100m and 200m titles in 10.71 and 21.78 seconds respectively. Fraser-Pryce and Thompson are both coached by Stephen Francis at MVP Track Club in Kingston, Jamaica. Fraser-Pryce's 2016 season was plagued by a toe injury which significantly hampered her training and preparation for Rio. She did however finish third behind Thompson in a season-best time of 10.86 seconds. What more can you ask of Fraser-Pryce? Thompson, who ran a lifetime best time of 10.70 seconds (+0.3mps) in the 100m at the 2016 Jamaican National Championship i....

4 September 2016

Rio Reflections: Shaunae Miller dives to victory in the women’s 400m

Category : Olympics

By O'Neil A Reid

The Rio women’s 400m finals event was a hotly contested affair involving the much-anticipated showdown between the American Allyson Felix and the Bahamian Shaunae Miller. Miller took the title in a personal best time of 49.44 seconds ahead of Felix (49.51), with Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson (49.85) taking the bronze medal. However, it was the manner in which Miller won the title that had Felix’s fans up in arms and Miller’s fans in admiration. As Miller approached the finish line she dived across the line to claim the victory. Miller fell and laid on the track for several minutes before she gained her composure. The internet and social media were all over this story, with some fans saying that Miller cheated when she dived across the line and that she should have been disqualified. Other fans called from a change in the rules that athletes should not be allowed to claim victory by diving across the finish-line. H....

3 September 2016

Rio Reflections: Van Niekerk 400m World Record Performance

Category : Olympics

By O'Neil A Reid

For close to 17 years, the men’s 400m world record of 43.18 seconds set by American Michael Johnson in August 1999 seemed unbreakable. Many track fans wondered if this record would ever be broken. Over the years, Americans Quincy Watts (43.50), Jeremy Wariner (43.45) and LaShawn Merritt (43.65) seem to be the heir apparent to continue the U.S. stranglehold on the men’s 400m world record. After all, since 1968 the 400m world record was held by Americans Lee Evans (43.68- October 18, 1968), Butch Reynolds (43.29- August 17, 1988) and Michael Johnson (43.18 – August 26, 1999). Over the last few decades, with the exception of Grenada’s Kirani James, the U.S. had continued its dominance in the men’s 400m as evidence by its deep 4x400m relay pool. But at the 2016 Rio Olympics, a 24 year old South African named Wayne Van Niekerk changed everything. Van Niekerk showed up in Rio and had one of the most memorable performances when h....

2 September 2016

2016 Olympic Recap: Bolt claims triple-triple

Category : Olympics

By O'Neil A Reid

On the eve of the 2016 Rio Olympics, there were doubts about the health and fitness of the fastest man on the planet, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt. After all, he had an injury-plagued 2016 season, highlighted by his withdrawal from the Jamaican National Trial back on July 1. Bolt, who turned 30 years old on August 21, was perceived by his rivals to be vulnerable and the Olympics were a great opportunity to dethrone the sprint king. Heading into Rio, Bolt had won a combined 6 gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and was on the verge of pursuing an unprecedented triple-triple or 9 gold medals. The 6’5” Trelawny-born and Glen Mills-coached athlete would not be denied. Bolt retained his 100m title by coming from behind to beat American Justin Gatlin (9.89) and Canadian Andre De Grasse (9.91). Bolt winning time of 9.81 seconds (+0.2mps) was significantly slower than his personal best and world record time of 9.58 seconds. Next for Bolt was th....

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