News

Jamieson’s run succeeds (July 19)
Victorian middle-distance runner Sarah Jamieson has won the Women's 1500 metres at the 25th Meeting de Atletismo in Madrid.
Running a solid time of 4:05.23, Jamieson beat Ukrainian Iryna Lishchynska in a close race. Lishchynska is currently ranked third in the world over 1500 metres, so this was an impressive win for Sarah who is currently ranked seventh.
Australia's strong international pole vault form continued with Commonwealth Champion Kym Howe and silver medallist Tatiana Grigorieva capping off an exciting meet when they both jumped 4.51 metres to finish first and second respectively in the Women's Pole Vault.
In other results, Clinton Hill ran a respectable 45.70 to finish seventh overall in the Men's 400 metres. Youcef Abdi finished third in his 1500 metre race with a time of 3:41.45, narrowly missing a place in the top ten.
On Wednesday, four Australian athletes will take to the track in Liege, Belgium including former World Cross Country Champion Benita Johnson in the 5000m. Joinng her in the race will be Eloise Wellings, who has been in career best form, whilst Craig Mottram will run the 3000m and Nick Bromley the 800m.
Source: Athletics Australia

Mitchell second at Golden League (July 10)
Victoria Mitchell has placed second in the 3000m steeplechase last weekend at the Gaz de France Golden League meeting, six points behind leader Jeruto Kiptum from Kenya.
Fellow Australia Tatiana Grigorieva finshed fifth in the pole vault, clearing 4.51m.
The 100m sprint ended in victory for American Marion Jones, who is back into the competition after several months of turmoil. Jones performed a time of 10.93 ahead of Sherone Simpson (Jamaica) and her compatriot Torri Edwards.
Golden League website

Jones returns to the track (May 10)
Former Olympic sprinter Marion Jones is competing again at the age of 30. Her most recent event was a race in Mexico in 2005, in which she finished fourth.
The USA resident will be contesting another Mexican race, at Moneterrey on June 11.
Jones won five medals at the Sydney Olympics, including three gold.
USA Track & Field bio

Brailey claims Stawell Gift (April 18)
From the annual Easter Stawell Gift sprints in Victoria: Long Jetty's Samantha Brailey claimed the Women's Gift over the new distance of 120m. Events over the previous 17 years had been held over 100m and the change was accompanied by a boost in prizemoney to $10,000 -- $6500 for the winner.
Stawell Gift website

Pittman in the headlines – again (April 4)
Headline-prone Jana Pittman is back in the news, over the controversial appeal by the Australian team in the Commonwealth Games 4x400m relay, which saw the winning British four denied gold on a technicality. Their place was taken by the Australians.
Pittman has offered to hand her gold medal for the event over to the Brits, some of whom have suggested this is a convenient peace offering -- ahead of Pittman’s upcoming stay the UK -- rather than a sincere gesture.
Meanwhile Pittman has said she did not agree with the Australian appeal, triggered by team-mate Tamsyn Lewis. The latter has said she wants nothing more to do with Pittman.
Reports: Sydney Morning Herald (pictured), ABC Sport

Upset win for relay (Mar 25)
In a night of upsets, Australia has won gold in both the Men's and Women's 4x400m Relays at the Commonwelath Games in Melbourne. Jana Pittman put the Australian women in front on the first lap, with Jamaica soon after pushing forward to take a clear lead of more than five metres.
But gold slipped from the Jamaicans' hands during the baton exchange between Novlene Williams and Shellene Williams. The team admirably continued to finish fourth. England crossed the line first, but was later disqualified for running outside their lane - giving the gold medal to Australia, with a winning time of 3:28.66. "I'm not complaining about the way we won," said Australian runner Tamsyn Lewis."Relays have rules, and rules are rules.
"I was just trying to chase the girl in front of me. There was a lot of rough stuff happening ahead of me."
In the final results, India won the silver medal and Nigeria the bronze. Jamaica finished fourth, Papua New Guinea, fifth and South Africa was also disqualified. Sierra Leone, whose Games team has seen several members abscond, did not start.

Plus…
Isabella Ochichi of Kenya has delivered a magnificent run to win the Women’s 5000m Final, crossing the line with a time of 14 minutes 57.84 seconds, ahead of England’s Joanne Pavey.
Lucy Wangui Kabuu of Kenya finished in third place, adding a bronze medal to the gold she won in the Women’s 10,000m Final.
Ochichi led the race from early on, with compatriots Wangui Kabuu and Ines Chenonge keeping pace. Eloise Wellings and Sarah Jameison of Australia, Pavey and Tanzania’s Zakia Mrisho stuck with the group.
Mrisho, who recorded a strong qualifying time, made a surprise drop-back with around seven laps to go. Pavey made her first push at the ten-minute mark to move into third place and then moved shoulder-to-shoulder with Ochichi.
As the competitors passed the 400m mark, Ochichi stretched ahead and Pavey moved into clear second position.
Wellings and Jamieson both gave brave final pushes but Wangui Kabuu held on for third.

Plus…
Australian Kym Howe has set a Commonwealth Record of 4.62m to take gold in the Women's Pole Vault.
Howe's result, exceeding her personal best by one centimetre, was a convincing win over compatriot and silver medallist Tatiana Grigorieva, by 27 centimetres. Grigorieva couldn't get near her personal best of 4.56m set in 2001.
"I just can't even think right now, my head is so full of excitement I can't even remember the jump," said Howe.
Canada's Stephanie McCann took bronze, sharing the 4.25m mark with equal fourth placed Dana Ellis and Roslinda Samsu of Malaysia, and Australia's Victoria Parnov. McCann was awarded the bronze medal on a count back.
Samsu's result eclipsed her former personal best by five centimetres.
In minor placings, England's Kate Dennison vaulted 4.15m for seventh, a height matched by Melina Hamilton of New Zealand and Canada's Kelsie Hendry. England's Elizabeth Spain reached 4.00 metres for 11th, as did Zeo Brown of Northern Ireland who finished in 12th position.
Source: Commonwealth Games

Simpson's big day out (Mar 24)
Sherone Simpson has lifted Jamaica to second place on the Athletics medal tally, with a golden finish to the Women's 200m Final. Jamaica has 16 medals in Track and Field, including the Women’s 200m gold, which was won by Sherone Simpson in 22.59 seconds. Simpson took the lead from the start, but was soon joined by Campbell as together the pair raced away from the field.
Simpson recorded a time of 22.59 seconds, leading her teammate Veronica Campbell and South African Geraldine Pillay. The latter found a surge of strength in the final stretch of the race to break free from the pack and take the bronze medal in 22.92 seconds. "I'm just happy that I could come here, I'm happy with my performance," said Simpson, after the race.

Plus…
In front of a roaring crowd of 82,000 sports fans, Australia’s Jana Pittman claimed the title of Women’s 400m Hurdles gold medallist, setting a new Games record time of 53.82 seconds.
Favourite from the outset, Pittman had a strong lead running out of the final bend and finished metres ahead of second placed Natasha Danvers Smith of England.
Scotland’s Lee McConnell ran third, to take the bronze medal in 55.25.
"This has been the most amazing experience of my life," an exuberant Pittman stated after the race.
Source: Commonwealth Games

New shot-put record at Games (Mar 23)
New Zealand's Valerie Vili has thrown a Games Record distance of 19.66m with her second attempt to win the gold medal in the Women's Shot Put at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Vili, the silver medallist from the Manchester Games, was the pre-competition favourite with a Personal Best 73cm further than that of the next best competitor - Gui Zhang of Singapore.
The Manchester gold medallist, Nigeria's Vivian Chukweumeka, could not match Vili and had to settle for the silver medal, after throwing 18.25m on her second attempt. Trinidad & Tobago's Cleopatra Borel-Brown took the bronze medal with a best throw of 17.87m. Borel-Brown recently finished eighth in the Shot Put at the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Indoor Championships in Russia.
Vili is coached by Kristen Hellier, a former New Zealand javelin record holder and Commonwealth Games silver medallist. "I'm bloody happy. You never know you’ve won until the end of the competition," said a delighted Vili.

Plus…
The Women’s Heptathlon wrapped up with a race to the 800m finish line, as England’s Kelly Sotherton took the gold medal with a combined total of 6396 points. Silver went to Australia’s Kylie Wheeler, who gave the final sprint a gallant effort and finished with 6298 points – a personal best. Another personal best was recorded by England’s Jessica Ennis as she scooped bronze, with a score of 6,269.
In the Javelin Throw performance, the penultimate event for the women, Sotherton secured her lead with 721 points. The star for this discipline was New Zealand’s Rebecca Wardell who delighted the crowd with two huge throws, recording a personal best of 48.48m in the First Round. She finished in seventh place overall. Wheeler, Ennis and South African Janice Josephs, who finished fifth overall, all recorded personal best distances in the Javelin.
Source: Commonwealth Games

Saville leads Oz walk-over (Mar 20)
From the Comonwealth Games: A determined Jane Saville had led the women's 20km walking race from the early stages and won in a time that bettered her gold-winning performance in Manchester by four minutes. Her final time was 1:32.46, which becomes the new Games record.
Jane Saville won the 10km Walk in Kuala Lumpur and the 20km Walk in Manchester, but is often remembered for being disqualified from the Walk at the Sydney Olympics when she led with only 200m remaining.
Jane's sister, Natalie Saville, took out the silver medal with a time of 1:33.33, also beating the Games record set by sister Jane in Manchester. They join Cycling sisters Anna and Kerry Meares as the second pair of Australian sisters to take out gold and silver in the same event at these Games.
In her first Commonwealth Games appearance, Australia’s Cheryl Webb won the bronze medal with a time of 1:36.03.
The South African competitors, who were well positioned throughout the race, finished behind the Australian pack, with Nicolene Cronje taking fourth place and Suzanne Erasmus fifth.
India’s Deepmala L Devi finished sixth, with the English pair of Johanna Jackson and Niobe Menendez finishing seventh and eighth.
Carel Bosamon, part of the support team for the South African walkers, was interviewed at the scene. “I think Suzanne Erasmus came last in her last competition. She’s now fifth, that’s great,” he said.
When asked about Australia’s dominance of the race, Carel said “These are their home games, they’ve got to this position on merit and maybe we can learn something from them."
South African runner Charne Rademeyer was also at the Walk, supporting her team mates. Charne finished 15th in yesterday’s Women’s Marathon. “The people of Melbourne have been brilliant. The Athletes Village is terrific and the atmosphere at the MCG is unlike anything I have ever experienced”, Charne said. Sri Lanka’s Geetha Gallage who started the race hard and went to an initial lead in the first lap, withdrew from the event after 12km, apparently suffering from exhaustion.
Games site

Weightlifting records soar on day 2 (Mar 18)
From the Commonwealth Games site: Australia’s Danni Miatke smashed the existing Games record set in Manchester to claim the gold medal in the final of the Women’s 50m Butterfly with a time of 26.43 seconds.
The Games record of the Women’s 100m Freestyle was broken twice – first by Australia’s Alice Mills in heat four, only to be broken again by Jodie Henry in the following heat.
South Africa’s Natalie Du Toit broke her own world record in winning gold in the Women’s 50m Elite Athletes with a Disability (EAD) Freestyle.
At the Weightlifting, the Commonwealth Games record in the Women’s 58kg class was broken a total of five times. Taking out the silver medal, Papua New Guinea’s Dika Loa Toua set a new Games record with a lift of 103kg in the Clean and Jerk. This was then broken twice by Canada’s Maryse Turcotte who finished the day with a lift of 108kgs. Maryse Turcotte set a new Games record with a total score of 188kg's – earning her the gold medal.
Record crowds flocked to the various Festival Melbourne 2006 live sites. Last night at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl the crowd showed their support of the performance of South Africa diva Miriam Makeba with thunderous applause and a standing ovation.
More records are predicted to fall today, on Day Three of competition.
In the pool Australia’s Jodie Henry and Alice Mills will be swimming off in the final of the Women’s 100m Freestyle and Leisl Jones will be aiming for gold in the Women’s 200m Breaststroke.
A total of nine gold medals are up for grabs today in the pool.
Australia’s cycling Meares sisters will be back in action as competition continues at the velodrome.
Medals will also be awarded in the both the Men’s and Women’s Individual Gymnastics, and medals up for grabs in the shooting and weightlifting.
Games story

Swimmers dominate day 1 Games (Mar 17)
The first day of competition, watched by approximately 110,000 sports mad fans, saw new Commonwealth Games records set in both Swimming and Cycling. A total of 10 gold medals were awarded, with Australia early leaders on the medal tally.
Australia won a total of 12 medals in four sports – three gold, five silver and four bronze. Stephanie Rice smashed the Games record in Swimming with gold in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley and on the Cycling track Anna Meares claimed the Games record from her sister Kerry. Anna is now the holder of both the Commonwealth and world records. Also at the Cycling, Ben Kersten claimed gold in the Men’s Individual Pursuit.
Games story

Walker takes the flag (Mar 13)
Veteran race walker Jane Saville is set to be the face of Australia’s Commonwealth Games efforts after being crowned Team Flag Bearer for the highly-anticipated Opening Ceremony.
The Manchester gold medallist was a popular choice for the honour, after her heartbreaking disqualification in the 20km Walk at the Sydney Olympics.
It's seen as recognition of Saville's outstanding track and field record, the pinnacle of which was being crowned number one female race walker in 2004. (Story & pic: Commonwealth Games)

IAAF indoor champs fire up (Mar 9)
The IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championship fires up tomorrow, in Moscow. Running from March 10 to 12, it offers 7 events for women at the Olimpiyskiy Sport Palace Complex
60m While the host team has shown that it is ready to dominate the proceedings on the track when competition gets underway Friday morning, the soft spots on the roster are in the short dash and hurdles.
In the 60m flat, co-world season leader Mariya Bolikova, who sped to a 7.04 clocking in Samara in early February, hasn’t repeated that form since sustaining a slight injury in a fall the following week. Since then, attention has shifted across the Atlantic where U.S champion Me’Lisa Barber has displayed remarkable consistency on the domestic circuit. The 25-year-old, also the national champion outdoors last year at 100m, has run 7.10 or better on five occasions, topped by her 7.05 personal best to capture the U.S title. Perrenial force Christine Arron of France, has produced three sub 7.10 performances, topped by a national record 7.06. As she did in her run up to the World title outdoors, Lauryn Williams (USA) has steadily improved throughout the winter, and should be considered a threat for the title as well.
400m In Budapest, Natalya Nazarova became the second two-time winner in the 400m, and in Moscow she’ll be a solid favourite to become the first three-time champion. The only runner to dip under 50 seconds this season (49.98), her stiffest competition looks to be compatriot Olesya Krasnomovets (50.04), who finished second to Nazarova two years ago in Budapest and three weeks ago at the national championships in Moscow. In an event dominated by Russians this year, the next fastest is the largely untested Vania Stambolova of Bulgaria, who clocked a national record 50.58 to win in Pireás last month. Despite a modest – by world list standards – 51.28 best this season, American Sanya Richards could pose the biggest threat to the Russian juggernaut. Last year’s fastest outdoors and IAAF World Ranked #1, Richards will arrive in Moscow with fresh legs, having just one outing thus far this season.
A 4x400m Relay will also be contested in Moscow, an event in which a Russian squad set a new World record earlier this year - 3:23.37* (28 Jan).
800m Four women have dipped under two minutes this season; not surprisingly, all are Russian. World leader Olga Kotlyarova (1:57.51) and Natalya Tsyganova (1:59.18) were ultimately chosen to try to put an end to six-time winner Maria Mutola’s win streak at three. With just two outings under her belt this season, Mutola showed in Gent (2:00.81) that she is taking her title defence very seriously. When doubts about her form surfaced in Budapest two years ago, Mutola dispelled them quickly with a first round 1:57.72. Will she play a similar psychological card this weekend? With silver medals in her collection from the 2004 Olympics and 2005 World Championships - and an indoor gold in the 1500 from 2001 - Hasna Benhassi of Morocco is a powerful big meet performer, and could very well steal the thunder.
1500m Yelena Soboleva stunned the athletics world with her remarkable 3:58.28 World record* at the Russian national championships last month. Now she’ll have to prove to the world that her performance wasn’t a fluke. With a 1:58.53 in the 800 to her credit, along with PBs in the 1000 (2:32.40) and 2000 (5:40.75) this season and a fourth place showing at last summer’s World championships, the 23-year-old has at the very least shown that she’s well prepared to take centre stage in Moscow.
Lost in the hoopla behind Soboleva’s win was the 4:01.26 runner-up performance by Yuliya Chizhenko, propelling her to the number six spot all-time. The biggest threat to the Russian duo comes in the tiny frame of Bahraini Maryam Yusuf Jamal, the breakout star of 2005, who produced a 4:01.82 clocking last month in her indoor debut. Romanian Corina Dumbravean and Alesya Turava of Belarus have raced well this winter, and should be in the podium tussle as well.
3000m The biggest surprise to emerge from the Russian championships came in the 3000m, where Liliya Shobukhova (8:27.86) and Olesya Syreva (8:29.00) both dipped under* the previous World record set by 2003 World champion Berhane Adere. Can the pair produce another similar outing to dispense with the efforts of defending champion Meseret Defar? The 22-year-old Ethiopian, while not quite as fast, has produced a sterling season of her own. With a pair of sub 8:31 performances this winter – only three others, including the Russian pair, have ever bettered that barrier - Defar, who also finished third in 2003, should still be considered the favorite. Another to watch is Mariem Alaoui Selsouli (8:41.67) of Morocco.
60mH A finalist in the previous three editions, Jamaican Lacena Golding-Clarke will arrive in the Russian capital as the world fastest this season, after a 7.83 personal best in Leipzig. She backed that up with a 7.87 win in Birmingham a week later, to emerge as a solid threat for her first podium finish. Swede Susanna Kallur, the reigning European Indoor champion, has displayed consistency as well, with three performances at 7.88 or better. After finishing seventh and fifth in the previous two championships, the 25-year-old may finally be ready for a jump to the podium. Americans have reached the podium in four of the last five editions; this year their hopes lie with Danielle Carruthers (7.93 SB) and Damu Cherry, whose 7.95 PB at the national championships landed the 27-year-old her first national team appearance. Others to watch include German Kirsten Bolm and Aurelia Trywianska of Poland.
Host link

Radcliffe withdraws (Mar 8)
From the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne: World marathon champion Paula Radcliffe of England has announced her withdrawal due to a foot injury which has restricted her training since January, forcing her to be unable to prepare properly.
"Paula hit a rock when out training and developed a bruised foot and it is taking a long time to settle down," her husband and manager Gary Lough said.
"In particular it has been causing problems on the track, constantly flaring up and she cannot do proper flat-out training sessions."
Radcliffe is the winner of the 5000 metres gold at the Manchester Games and was a strong favourite to win the 10,000m this time around. She missed both the 1994 and 1998 Games and her dreams of an Olympic marathon gold medal in Greece in 2004 were shattered when she was forced to abandon the race. She has been training for the Games as well as the London Marathon at the high-altitude venue of Albuquerque in New Mexico. Although the injury forces her to withdraw for Melbourne, the marathon world record-holder will be well prepared to defend her London title in April. Ann Hogbin, England's Chef de Mission at the Commonwealth Games, told the BBC: "Naturally we're very disappointed for Paula, particularly as it means she won't have the opportunity to defend the 5,000m title she won in Manchester four years ago". All eyes for the longer distance events will be now be on Australian Benita Johnson, who finished third in the 2003 World Half-Marathon Championships and is only the third woman in two decades to break the African stranglehold on the world cross-country titles, winning gold in the long-course race in Brussels. Johnson told the ABC, "It's a significant blow. I think it's just as big a blow as not having Thorpie in the swimming.”
Her way, of course, is barred by the Kenyans who had eight of the 10 fastest women in the world in the 10,000m last year, although only three of them can contest the race in Melbourne. The women's 10,000m final will be held at the iconic MCG in the evening session of Tuesday, March 21, while the 5000m will be contested Friday evening, March 24.
Commonwealth Games
Paula Radcliffe’s web (pictured)
ABC Comm Games site

Marathon runner leads UK games team (Mar 7)
From the Commonwealth Games: Experienced Marathon runner Paula Radcliffe will lead the English Athletics team, as she competes in the 5000m and 10,000m events at the Games. Radcliffe triumphed at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki and took gold at the Manchester Games in the 5000m event. Her preference is to run the longer distance. "I'll definitely run in the 10,000 but the 5000 is a luxury option,” she told BBC radio.
Games home

Pittman dismisses her demons (Feb 18)
From Athletics Australia: After a day-two fade out at the national titles in Sydney, all eyes were fixated on Jana Pittman (pictured) in the final of the women's 400m hurdles at the Athletics Australia Invitational at the Melbourne Cricket Ground tonight.
After an astonishing final 100m torture-test two weeks ago, Pittman produced a one act affair to produce her fastest time of the season, 54.41 seconds. Sonia Brito was second (57.69) with Lauren Boden in third (58.69).
"I'm back… the demons have been put to bed. I backed up, at the nationals I faded but tonight I backed up. It was an ugly race and I was a bit stuttery but otherwise it felt great," Pittman said…
Full story (Pic: Athletics Australia)

Pressure on Thompson (Oct 13)
Long jumper Bronwyn Thompson has failed in her first attempt to qualify for the Australian 2006 Commonwealth Games team, managing a distance of 6.09m at the Big Red Relays meet in Brisbane over the weekend.
Thompson, who placed fourth in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, has yet to reach the Commonwealth Games A Qualifier distance of 6.55m and has only until the fifth of February 2006 to cement her place in team.
The Brisbane event was Thompson's first meet back after injuring her knee last November which resulted in surgery cutting short her stunning 2004 season and causing her to miss the 2005 Helsinki World Championships.
"Everything that can go wrong with the knee happened. The capsule that holds the knee together was also severely damaged," Thompson said
The 6.09 jump over the weekend falls well short of Thompson's 2002 personal best and Australian Record leap of 7.0m and her 2004 distances of 6.96m and 6.88m.
It is hoped that Thompson's form will improve dramatically over the coming months and Australian domestic season so she can challenge for Commonwealth Games gold come March 2006.
After finishing a disappointing sixth at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games after being labeled a gold medal prospect, Thompson however is reluctant to talk up her medal chances in the wake of this latest injury.
“I just want to get there,” Thompson said.
Thompson's chances appear better now than they did late last year when she was not expected to return to competition until as late as January 2006.
Fans are hopeful that Thompson can overcome this latest injury to challenge for gold in Melbourne. Thompson has a history of remarkable comebacks after injury. After the 2000 Sydney Olympics she had a tumor the size of a golf ball removed from her take-off foot and returned for the 2001 Goodwill Games with a leap of 6.88m.
By Leah Bound
Thompson profile at Athletics.org

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