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Post by bluetornados on Jan 17, 2023 21:32:07 GMT
Usain Bolt: Investigation opened after ex-Olympic champion spots 'discrepancies' in investments..ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/1558F/production/_128293478_gettyimages-1281592954.jpgA company which looks after Usain Bolt's investments is under investigation after reports he may have lost millions of dollars to fraud. Jamaica's Financial Services Commission (FSC) has placed the firm, Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL), in "enhanced oversight" following the allegations. The 36-year-old retired sprinter had investments with SSL for over a decade. Bolt's manager Nugent Walker told the Jamaica Gleaner the eight-time Olympic champion had noticed "discrepancies". The Gleaner report alleged millions of dollars were missing from the account. The FSC said it was "aware of reports of allegations of fraud" and that the oversight process would allow it to see the movement of funds and securities into and out of SSL. "The FSC will simultaneously continue its investigations into matters related to SSL," it added. SSL said its own internal investigations suggest a former employee was behind the alleged fraud and added it had "referred the matter to the relevant law enforcement authorities". Bolt retired from athletics in 2017 after winning 11 World Championship gold medals and eight Olympic gold medals. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics Bolt set new world records for the 100m and 200m sprint. His 100m time of 9.572 seconds remains the world record.
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Post by bluetornados on Jun 5, 2023 20:25:25 GMT
Jim Hines: First sprinter to run 100m in under 10 seconds dies aged 76..By Brandon Drenon, BBC News, Washington.
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Jim Hines held the world record in the men's 100m for nearly 15 yearsUS sprinter Jim Hines, the first man to run the 100m in under 10 seconds, has died at the age of 76. He broke the record in 1968 when he recorded a hand-timed 9.9 seconds at the US Championships. Hines then broke his own record shortly after while winning gold at the 1968 Olympics, where an electronic timer in Mexico City recorded him at 9.95. His record held for nearly 15 years until Calvin Smith ran a time of 9.93 in 1983. That is the longest length of time an athlete has held the record for the men's 100m since the International Amateur Athletic Foundation began keeping track - 110 years ago. Hines was born in the state of Arkansas in 1946 but was raised in Oakland, California. He had an early love of sport, namely baseball, but showed a real talent for sprinting as a teenager. He attended Texas Southern University where he ran for the Tigers track team before competing in national championships and the Olympics. In addition to winning the 100m at the Mexico Olympics, he was also part of the US 4x100m relay team which won a gold. He ended his sprinting career shortly after the Olympics and joined the NFL. He spent three years in the league, playing for the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Post by bluetornados on Jun 9, 2023 22:47:53 GMT
Paris Diamond League: Keely Hodgkinson sets British record on way to 800m win..ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/480/cpsprodpb/56BD/production/_130050222_keelyhodgkinson.jpgKeely Hodgkinson broke the British record to win the women's 800m at the Paris Diamond League as Faith Kipyegon stunned the crowd by claiming the 5,000m world record. British Olympic and world silver medallist Hodgkinson won with a time of one minute 55.77 seconds, almost three seconds quicker than the field. Kipyegon then dominated her race with a time of 14 minutes 5.20 seconds. It was her second world record in a week. The Kenyan smashed the 1500m world record in Florence seven days ago with a time of 3:49.11. "I am totally surprised. This was really crazy for me," Kipyegon told BBC Sport. "I ran my race and just wanted to see what would happen. I was not against anybody, I was running my race, enjoying it and having fun." On a record-breaking evening in Paris, Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma and Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen also claimed world records. Girma broke a 19-year-old record in the men's 3,000m steeplechase to win with a time of 7:52.11, while Ingebrigtsen smashed the men's two-mile world record with a time of 7:54.10. Hodgkinson's time was also a personal best as she prepares for the World Championships in Budapest in August. She finished well clear of Ajee Wilson of the USA (1:58.16) and Jamaica's Natoya Ghoul (1:58.23), who were second and third respectively. This performance at the Charlety Stadium continued her impressive recent form after she comfortably retained her European indoor title in March. "I am super happy," Hodgkinson said. "It was perfect conditions out there and I wanted to be brave and attack it. "The last time I ran that time was an Olympic final. Hopefully I can keep this momentum going, stay healthy and hopefully come August [for the World Championships] there might be something more special." Britain's Laura Muir raced in the women's 5,000m and finished 12th with a personal best time of 14.48.14. Fellow Briton Dina Asher-Smith finished fourth in the women's 200m with a time of 22.57s as USA's Gabby Thomas won in 22.05s.
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Post by bluetornados on Jun 25, 2023 21:07:25 GMT
Zharnel Hughes: British athlete predicted his 9.83 run to break Linford Christie's 30-year 100m record..By Harry Poole, BBC Sport.
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Four-time European champion Zharnel Hughes helped Great Britain to world 4x100m relay bronze last year
"If you can dream it, you can achieve it," Zharnel Hughes wrote on Instagram, after running 9.83 seconds to break Linford Christie's 30-year British 100m record. Not only did the 27-year-old dream it but, prior to his race in New York, Hughes had written down that he would make history by clocking that exact time. The reigning European 200m champion took 0.04 secs off the previous record of 9.87 on Saturday, a mark which Christie had set at the World Championships in 1993. Hughes' new record is the fastest time in the world this year, and the second fastest ever by a European athlete. Only Italy's Marcell Jacobs, who ran 9.80 to win Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021, has run faster. He initially looked to be in disbelief after seeing his time - despite doing just as he had predicted. "I woke up with a dream this morning," Hughes said. "This morning I woke up with 9.83 on my mind. "When I looked at the clock and saw 9.83, I don't know if you saw my reaction, but I was like: 'What just happened there?' It actually came through. "Manifestation is real." He later shared a photo of his prediction, which read: "Competition day in New York. I'm going to run 9.83. Have faith." ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/145D2/production/_130201438_zharnel2.pngChristie remains the only British man to have ever won World Championship 100m gold, with that victory in Stuttgart arriving a year after Olympic gold at Barcelona 1992. Hughes said he was looking forward to seeing Christie "shaking his hand and telling him that this is long overdue". "I always give respect to Linford. He always supports me every time I'm in the UK, and sometimes he helps out with my training sessions," Hughes said. It is 20 years since a British man made the world 100m podium, since Darren Campbell won bronze in Paris in 2003.
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Post by bluetornados on Jul 27, 2023 19:56:22 GMT
Team GB tipped to bring home 62 medals from Paris 2024 Olympic Games..ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/480/cpsprodpb/10B59/production/_130514486_gettyimages-1334401118.jpgGreat Britain are forecast to win 62 medals at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. An analysis released one year out from the Games predicts Team GB will finish fourth in the medal table behind hosts France, China and the United States. Britain won 65 medals at London 2012, 67 in Rio 2016 and 64 in Tokyo 2020, having failed to reach 60 in any single Games in 100 years before that. The Gracenote forecast predicts 10 individual gold medals including skateboarder Sky Brown, 15. Keely Hodgkinson in the 800m, Bethany Shriever in the BMX, Jessica Gadirova and Bryony Page in gymnastics and Bradly Sinden in the taekwondo are some of the other athletes projected to take gold. World 1500m champion Jake Wightman and women's bronze medallist Laura Muir are forecast to win bronze and silver respectively in Paris, while Dina Asher-Smith is predicted to take 200m bronze. However, European 200m champion Zharnel Hughes is among those not included in the medal count, despite being considered among the favourites at this year's World Athletics Championships having run the fastest 100m time this year. Among nine swimming medals, two-time Olympic 100m breaststroke champion Adam Peaty is expected to take silver - as is Tom Dean in the 200m freestyle. Dean recently took silver at the World Aquatics Championships behind fellow Briton Matt Richards, who is not included among the predicted medals. Elsewhere, reigning Olympic men's mountain bike champion Thomas Pidcock has not been included among seven cycling medals, nor has men's pommel horse gold medallist Max Whitlock in gymnastics. The forecast does have GB team golds in sports including men's and women's rowing and equestrian eventing, with multiple silver and bronze team medals across the athletics relays, swimming and cycling disciplines. "Britain is expected to come close to sustaining its performance in Tokyo," said data analysts Gracenote Nielsen. "Gracenote's virtual media table forecasts a drop of just two medals to 62. Gold medals could be significantly down, though, as the British team are on just 15 golds in this initial prognosis. "British success over the past three Olympic Games has been built on having medal winners in at least 20 sports and the initial virtual media table forecast suggests that this is set to continue." Russian and Belarusian competitors were not included in the calculations because of uncertainty over their participation. The International Olympic Committee is still fine-tuning its stance on athletes from those countries. Team GB chef de mission Mark England said: "I think we've got a great opportunity to be the top European nation again, despite the fact that the home nation is very, very strong and getting stronger for a whole variety of reasons. "So top European nation, top five are our aspirations. I know that we are medal-competitive in a significant number of sports. I think we've got all of those building blocks, notwithstanding we've got another 12 months to build on that." ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/BD39/production/_130514484_getimage.png
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 17, 2023 14:11:38 GMT
World Athletics Championships 2023: Eilish McColgan ruled out by injury..
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McColgan won silver at the European Championships and gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last yearCommonwealth Games 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan has pulled out of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest starting on Saturday after failing to recover from a knee injury. The 32-year-old broke Paula Radcliffe's 21-year-old British record in March but missed the London Marathon in April. "We tried everything to be race ready for this weekend, but unfortunately I ran out of time," Scot McColgan said. "With the Olympics just around the corner, the stakes are too high." The World Championships run until 27th August, while the Paris Olympics start in July 2024. McColgan has not competed since April and said after resuming training in May that winning gold in Hungary was a "pipe dream". She has been training in Switzerland with the Great Britain team in the hope of being fit for the Worlds. McColgan, whose mother Liz won 10,000m world gold in 1991, said on Thursday she is "hopeful" of racing on the road in the autumn before taking a break to prepare for 2024. "We always knew it was going to be tight to make it to the start line," she said on Instagram. "It's been a very challenging (but still successful!) year for me... however, us Scots are made from hard stuff!" ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/480/cpsprodpb/3B44/production/_130827151_eilish_mccolgan_getty.jpg
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 17, 2023 14:16:19 GMT
World Athletics Championships 2023: Neil Gourley eyes medal 'validation' in Budapest..
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Gourley collected 1500m silver at this year's European Indoor ChampionshipsNeil Gourley believes a place on the World Championships podium would be "incredibly validating". The Scot, 28, picked up his first major international medal earlier this year, coming second in the 1500m at the European Indoor Championships. He will race over the same distance in Budapest, with the final on 23rd August. "I'm at the stage in my career and the stage of competition where I think I am selling myself short if I am not trying to win," Gourley told BBC Scotland. "That's the main target. It's going to be incredibly challenging. "Second to that I would like to pick up a medal. It's not something I've done at the world level yet but I feel like I am getting closer and closer. "It would be incredibly validating because of how long I have started to have a belief of how I can do this. "It is not the be all and end all in terms of my career, standing on the podium at X championships or whatever but it would be a massive step forward in terms of what I think I can achieve." World Athletics Championships: Keely Hodgkinson hopes to be one of Britain's greatest athletes..
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Keely Hodgkinson was almost three seconds quicker than the rest of the field in breaking the British record to win the women's 800m at the Paris Diamond League in JuneKeely Hodgkinson has no desire for her career to be anything less than extraordinary. "I just want to win as many medals as possible and become one of Britain's greatest athletes," the 21-year-old tells BBC Sport. The mix of shock and delight on Hodgkinson's face after she stormed clear of her rivals to clock a British 800m record in her opening race of the season in Paris, running one minute 55.77 seconds, told its own story. Her frightening potential continues to surprise even herself. Hodgkinson is one of athletics' most exciting prospects - yet she is already an Olympic, world and Commonwealth silver medallist, the reigning European champion indoor and outdoor, and has a world record to her name. As another World Championships approaches, her meteoric rise is only increasing in velocity. Rarely fazed by her opponents or environment, it is easy to forget how quickly this has all come to Hodgkinson, who was not lottery funded before making the Olympic podium in 2021. "Last year was quite challenging for me," Hodgkinson says. "We had a very busy season with three major championships, which was mentally challenging on its own. "But also I feel like I was 19 one minute and now I'm 21. I feel like I've had to grow up quite quickly. "I don't really know where the last two years have gone and I feel like I'm a completely different person. "I've learned it's important for me to have balance in my life, having time with friends and family which doesn't involve talking about athletics, training or when my next race is. "That's how I've found I'm able to sustain it mentally."
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 17, 2023 14:32:34 GMT
World Athletics Championships: How a teenage Dina Asher-Smith and her relay team-mates started a medal-winning era in Moscow..
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The quartet of (left to right) Ashleigh Nelson, Hayley Mills, Dina Asher-Smith and Annabelle Lewis initially believed they had finished fourth, before a successful appeal against the second-placed French team put them on the podiumNever one to mince his words, Charles van Commenee - then UK Athletics head coach - let rip in the straight-talking manner so characteristic of his tenure. "This was an accident waiting to happen," said the Dutchman in June 2012. "I'm not really surprised; it's the reason why I stopped funding the programme two years ago." The target of his ire was the much-derided British women's 4x100m team, who had just been disqualified for a lane infringement in the 2012 European Championships heats. The misstep meant they slipped to 17th in the world rankings. With only the top 16 awarded a place at the upcoming London Olympics, the host nation would have the ignominy of no women's sprint relay squad to cheer at their home Games. "Obviously women's sprints, the sprints in general, and in particular the 100m, needs serious review," continued Van Commenee. "Most of the time you have to go to the lowest point in order to create an environment to improve. Sometimes it is necessary to get to the bottom before you raise the game again." A year later, with Van Commenee gone - having resigned after failing to hit his own medal target at those London Games - the British women's 4x100m team won a remarkable bronze at the Moscow 2013 World Championships. Twenty-nine years since last making a global podium and with the memory of that humiliating Olympic absence still fresh, they were suddenly one of the world's quickest teams. The result was also the improbable start of the most successful period in their history. So routine have medals become over the past decade that Britain's fastest women not making a global podium is now deemed failure. Through Dina Asher-Smith, the country has found its headline star, claiming Britain's first individual global sprint medal for 36 years at Doha 2019. She now has eight Olympic and world medals during her career. ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/A7D7/production/_130776924_shutterstock_editorial_1456445a.jpg
Van Commenee was the straight-talking head coach appointed to lead Great Britain's athletes into the London 2012 OlympicsTwo years later, after Hayley Mills' lane infringement in Helsinki cost Britain their home Olympics place, she hit out at Van Commenee and UK Athletics for not giving the team sufficient race opportunities during the preceding qualification period. "Qualification should have been done and dusted way before this weekend," Mills said after that fateful race. "I know today was my fault but not going to the Olympics is the result of people not doing their jobs. "I will take all the blame in the world for us not reaching the European final, but I won't take any for two years of missed opportunities." ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/EBB3/production/_130793306_helsinki2012_getty.jpg
Great Britain's Ashleigh Nelson and Hayley Mills (centre, left and right) were part of the team that failed to make it out of the heats at the 2012 European Championships, consequently missing out on London 2012Asher-Smith, then only 17, had been thrust into the British relay set-up just weeks after winning two gold medals at the European Junior Championships. Lewis had only just broken through to the international ranks after going below 11.50 seconds over 100m for the first time that summer. With Anyika Onuora's withdrawal after picking up an injury while competing individually in Moscow, Nelson was the sole member of the remaining quartet with senior international experience of note. Squad member Mills was drafted into the team to replace Onuora. ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/139EF/production/_130776308_das_getty.jpg
Asher-Smith had won gold in the 200m and 4x100m relay at the European Junior Championships three weeks before the start of Moscow 2013Having qualified sixth fastest from the heats, Britain unexpectedly found themselves in silver-medal position at the last changeover in the final, only for Mills to be passed by the American and French anchor-leg runners with the finish line approaching. They would have to be content with fourth. Any sense of disappointment at such a narrow podium miss swiftly dissolved in the context of what had come before. "I couldn't believe we actually managed to get that place with such a young, inexperienced team," said Lewis. Yet there was more unexpected drama to come. After the medal ceremony had taken place, British team staff filed a protest against silver-medal winners France. More than two hours after the race, the French team were then disqualified for handing over the baton outside the permitted zone. Despite a counter-appeal and the French athletics federation president describing the disqualification as "an outrage", the decision remained and Britain were upgraded to the most unlikely of bronze medals. "We were already back in our weird, massive hotel," said Nelson. "It was late in the evening when Rana came and told us. He was a joker so we thought he was just joking. Obviously when we realised he wasn't, we were ecstatic. "The only disappointing thing is that we didn't get to go on the podium. We didn't get our medals until the following year at the Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham [in February 2014]." ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/14417/production/_130776928_bronzebrirmingham_getty.jpgMills, Lewis, Nelson and Asher-Smith belatedly receive their medals at the Birmingham indoor event in February 2014Four of the top five British women's 100m times and four of the top six 200m times have been recorded since 2016. Beyond reaping the benefits of technological advancements on and off the track, Lewis - who is now an athletics coach - believes there has been a fundamental mindset shift since the sustained relay success. "Once you have success in the collective it gives you confidence," she said. "It's given everyone a platform to understand how to perform under pressure around the best people in the world. "Then it gives you more confidence to say: 'I don't just want to go for the relay, I want to go for the individual as well.'" Nelson, who has missed the 2023 season through injury, points to the importance of Asher-Smith's joy on the global stage and the pack mentality in chasing her heels. "In the American collegiate system, everybody is fast and they are coming up against fast people every week," she said. "Within the UK, maybe there was a lack of belief or people thought there was a ceiling because no-one from Britain had done it. "It just took one or two people to break through for everyone to have that belief. We all want to beat each other so maybe it's having someone that bit closer to home that you can compete with." ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/5D9F/production/_130776932_gettyimages-1332689862.jpg
(Left to right) Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita and Asha Philip celebrate their Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo - the latest of Great Britain's string of women's sprint relay podium appearancesPerhaps it was all part of Van Commenee's masterplan. Asked 11 years ago why he had culled the women's sprint relay funding, the Dutchman insisted it was not a punishment but that he was "always interested to see how people respond". Whatever Van Commenee's reason, Lewis - who, like Mills, would never represent her country again after Moscow 2013 - is just thankful she was part of something that changed the course of athletics in Britain. "Thank God we did that so UK Athletics decided to put more into the women's sprint programme," she said. "Having people like Dina and Daryll putting their faces out there means there are more and more young athletes wanting to follow them. "The more success they have, the more chance we have to keep the legacy going. If it was the pivotal moment 10 years ago then I'm just proud to be part of that."
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 17, 2023 16:41:09 GMT
Russian & Belarusian track and field athletes 'unlikely' to be at Paris Olympics - Lord Coe..
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Coe won gold in the 1,500m at the 1980 and 1984 OlympicsRussian and Belarusian track and field athletes are "unlikely" to be able to compete at the 2024 Olympics, says World Athletics president Lord Coe. World Athletics has banned competitors from the two countries from its events, including under a neutral flag, because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The International Olympics Committee (IOC) has said athletes should be able to compete as neutrals. However, Lord Coe said World Athletics' position was "very clear". He was speaking in Budapest before the World Athletics Championships which start on Saturday, having been re-elected for a third and final term as head of track and field's governing body alongside a new council. The IOC has not made a final call for the Olympics, and can only give broad recommendations - meaning individual sports can still choose to enforce bans. "The new council, and I'm not going to speak for them in advance, but I would be very surprised if there is any shift in that position," Lord Coe said. The two-time British Olympic champion, 66, has led World Athletics, formerly the International Association of Athletics Federations, since 2015. When World Athletics announced its ban in March, he said "unprecedented sanctions" on Russia and Belarus by "countries and industries" are the "only way to restore peace". Speaking on Thursday, Lord Coe added: "I don't have a crystal ball, I follow world events in the same way that you all do. "We have risk committees, we have working groups that will always be wanting to be across that and what might the circumstances look like if there's any shift in the situation but I have to say that looks unlikely at the moment with where we are with events in Ukraine." The IOC has been criticised for saying it is "exploring a pathway" for Russian and Belarusians to compete, with the United Kingdom among more than 30 countries to pledge support for a ban. It updated its stance last month, saying it was still fine-tuning plans for the Olympics next summer. Lord Coe's third term in charge of World Athletics will run until 2027 after he was re-elected unopposed, while he has refused to rule out a bid for the IOC presidency in 2025. "I genuinely haven't ruled it in or certainly haven't ruled it out," he said. "My primary objective was to make sure we had the best possible council, the strongest executive board to complete the work that I set out in 2015." He said over his term he wanted to lead a "really significant shift" in the way the sport is presented to keep up with changing audiences.
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 18, 2023 20:11:28 GMT
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 20, 2023 19:58:47 GMT
World Championships 2023: Katarina Johnson-Thompson wins stunning heptathlon gold..By Harry Poole, BBC Sport at National Athletics Centre, Budapestichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/1440/cpsprodpb/113EB/production/_130853607_01efb3da2a656ed7ab6fe08494c11366cf885bd8.jpgichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/480/cpsprodpb/1364B/production/_130853497_gettyimages-1627584291.jpgKatarina Johnson-Thompson claimed a stunning heptathlon gold at the World Championships in Budapest to complete a remarkable turnaround in her career. The Briton, now a two-time world champion, feared injury may end her career just months after her 2019 win. But Johnson-Thompson, whose Achilles rupture four years ago marked the start of a difficult period, has rediscovered her spark and this gold is her reward. She defended a narrow lead over Anna Hall in a captivating final 800m event. ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2023/8/20/6a8abc84-963c-46b0-837b-2c961b89e6d6.jpgJohnson-Thompson held off Hall by running a personal best of two minutes 05.63 seconds to finish within 1.54 secs of the American favourite and take overall victory by 20 points. The Briton had reached the decisive two-lap race with an advantage of 26 points over Olympic and world silver medallist Anouk Vetter. However, it was 22-year-old Hall - 43 points behind in third - who provided the significantly greater threat with a personal best more than four seconds quicker than that of Johnson-Thompson. The 30-year-old's lead over Hall after six events represented an advantage of about two-and-a-half seconds, setting up a dramatic conclusion to an enthralling competition. And so it proved. Hall led from the front but could not break away from Johnson-Thompson, who measured her effort to perfection before collapsing to the ground in a mixture of exhaustion and celebration.
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 20, 2023 20:01:00 GMT
World Championships 2023: Zharnel Hughes wins 100m bronze as Noah Lyles triumphs..By Harry Poole, BBC Sport at National Athletics Centre, Budapest.ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2023/8/20/9ec4ee7b-1ec0-4782-9ab3-85aac24c66dd.jpgichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/240/cpsprodpb/2927/production/_130853501_gettyimages-1627643180.jpgZharnel Hughes became the first British man to make the 100m podium at a World Championships for 20 years by claiming bronze as Noah Lyles triumphed. The 28-year-old Briton clocked 9.88 seconds - the same time as Botswana's silver medallist Letsile Tebogo in a wide-open men's final. American Lyles took gold in 9.83 secs in Budapest. ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/240/cpsprodpb/161B1/production/_130854509_gettyimages-1611750957.jpgIt is a first individual global medal for Hughes, who broke two long-standing British sprint records this season. The European 200m champion has displayed his medal credentials throughout the best season of his career, smashing Linford Christie's 30-year 100m mark by running 9.83 secs. That was a time matched this year only by entertainer Lyles in claiming a popular victory on Sunday night. Lyles had raised expectations by predicting he would run 9.65 secs in the 100m before breaking Usain Bolt's 200m world record by clocking 19.10 secs. While not quite reaching that ambitious target, Lyles - the reigning 200m champion - showed he will be tough to beat as he targets a sprint treble including 4x100m gold. Jamaican 22-year-old Oblique Seville narrowly missed out on a medal as he also crossed the line in 9.88 secs while 2022 champion Fred Kerley suffered a shock semi-final exit. Hughes, having also run 19.73 secs to break John Regis' 200m record in July, will join Lyles in beginning his bid for a 200m medal in Wednesday's heats.
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 20, 2023 22:22:24 GMT
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 24, 2023 11:56:00 GMT
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 24, 2023 21:35:14 GMT
World Athletics Championships 2023: Matthew Hudson-Smith wins 400m silver behind Antonio Watson..By Harry Poole, BBC Sport at National Athletics Centre, Budapest.ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/480/cpsprodpb/F396/production/_130885326_gettyimages-1636454659.jpgBritain's Matthew Hudson-Smith claimed a gutsy 400m silver at the World Championships as he finished an agonising 0.09 seconds behind Jamaican champion Antonio Watson. The 28-year-old led until the closing stages but could not hold off Watson, who clocked victory in 44.22 secs. Hudson-Smith's preparations were impacted by a foot problem that he said sometimes left him "unable to walk". "I got a bronze last year, a silver this year so next time, gold," he said. ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/240/cpsprodpb/139D1/production/_130873308_gettyimages-1632103844.jpgHudson-Smith went out hard in pursuit of his first global title but could not respond as a measured Watson overhauled him in the push to the end in Budapest. The Briton had made his gold medal ambitions clear after setting a European record in the semi-finals and initially appeared unsure how to react to his achievement. Crouching down in a mixture of contemplation and exhaustion after upgrading his 2022 medal, he was able to enjoy the moment after being handed his hard-earned silver. It is Great Britain's fifth medal of the championships and comes a day after Josh Kerr's stunning 1500m victory. Hudson-Smith had insisted last year's bronze was only the start for him, believing that breakthrough global medal would allow him to unleash his full potential. The unfortunate injury sustained by Steven Gardiner, the heavy favourite in the absence of reigning champion Michael Norman, in the previous round had left the medal fight wide-open. Hudson-Smith looked set to take full advantage as he emerged from the bend with a marginal advantage. But he ultimately paid for his earlier exertion, unable to maintain the pace to finish in 44.31 secs. Silver still represents a remarkable achievement for Hudson-Smith, who put three years of "absolute hell" behind him to win world bronze, Commonwealth silver and European gold in a stellar 2022 season. What has made these successes all the more remarkable is what he has overcome to accomplish them. Overwhelmed with emotion after crossing the line in Eugene, he revealed he had severely struggled with his mental health in 2021 as he struggled with injury, debt and the coronavirus pandemic. And while he may feel the title was there for the taking on Thursday night, this medal, earned despite suffering with Achilles tendonitis this year, represents another notable milestone in his career.
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bluetornados
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 25, 2023 9:11:31 GMT
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bluetornados
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 25, 2023 9:25:22 GMT
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bluetornados
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 25, 2023 21:34:14 GMT
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 27, 2023 1:35:03 GMT
World Athletics Championships 2023: Britain's Ben Pattison overcame 'freaky' heart to win bronze..By Harry Poole, BBC Sport at National Athletics Centre, Budapest.ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/480/cpsprodpb/7BDF/production/_130911713_9bfdbca9e13cd877eb723db1407aa42a6ed24dea.jpgThe disbelief was evident on Ben Pattison's face as he waited, hands on head, for his unthinkable world bronze medal to be confirmed. The 21-year-old admits that if he were able to tell his younger self about his achievements, the response would simply be: "Who's this looney?" Pattison certainly did not expect to earn a medal on his World Championship debut, in what was the first global final of his career. At one point, he even feared he might never run again after being diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening heart condition. Thankfully, although his heart was beating at a distressing 250 beats per minute, he underwent successful surgery during the Covid pandemic. He could not have imagined, during those concerning times, the events that would unfold in Budapest only three years on. "I remember when I got told I was like: 'Is this my running career done?'," said Pattison. "When they rang me they were pretty worried and as soon as they told me I wasn't allowed to exercise at all." Pattison was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which can cause an abnormally fast and irregular heartbeat. "It was a bit scary at the time," he said. "I was almost worried when I got back I wouldn't be the same. "They had to burn off a bit of my heart. At the time it was very scary but I had the right people around me. "I was awake for the whole thing. It was a bit surreal. I was watching." Somewhat revealing his all-in approach to the sport, he found a silver lining: "It was during the Covid years, so I didn't miss out on racing," he added. ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/240/cpsprodpb/DFE9/production/_130912375_b32ab1f71906c9e96db8d288a3cba043a940e9a7.jpgWith his sensational bronze Pattison became the first British man to win a world 800m medal since Peter Elliott's silver 36 years ago. It follows the Commonwealth Games bronze he won on his first appearance at a major championships 12 months ago. He took sixth at the European Championships a few weeks later. This was by far the biggest stage the Loughborough Business Analytics graduate had ever competed on. But, armed with a punchy finish, Pattison ensured he remained in contention before making a break for the podium on the inside. Leaning for the line with all he had left, his third-place finish was clear to all but Pattison - who watched for absolute confirmation to appear before dropping to the track in a mixture of shock and elation."I've never been the stand-out guy," said Pattison. "I've always been the guy on the team that's been in the second or third place. "I don't win a lot of the domestic races but when it matters, I'm there. I've never not made a final in my life. I've got a Commonwealth medal and a world medal." Next year he will hope for more of the same at the Paris Olympic Games. And, now that he has proven to himself he that he is capable of challenging the world's best, he may not need to rely on a friend to provide an inspirational song. "All day, I've had people telling me I'm going to medal. Halfway through the day, I started to believe it," Pattison said, physical proof of his success now hanging proudly from his neck. "Going into the race I thought I don't want to leave with any regrets. "It was a battle of who wants it more and I came out on top. I don't really know what's going on right now. "My mate Tommy wrote a song for me - 'Ben Pattison's coming home with a medal round his neck'. He was right!"
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Post by bluetornados on Aug 27, 2023 1:39:29 GMT
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