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World Championships // Posts categorised as World Championships
An Open Letter to Athletics South Africa: Address the non-selection controversies for the sake of athletes
Athletics South Africa, the governing federation for Track and Field in South Africa, recently announced the SA squad for the upcoming World Athletics championships in London. An ambiguous mix of selection criteria and omissions has created controversy. I write an open letter to ASA calling for clarity, and a reversal of certain non-selections for the squad.
Testosterone, performance & intersex athletes: Will the IAAF evidence be enough?
In 2015, the Court of Arbitration set aside an IAAF policy that required female athletes to have a Testosterone level below a cut-off threshold. Now, 2 years later, with the IAAF appeal imminent, new evidence has emerged, with possible implications for athletes like Caster Semenya. But will the IAAF's new evidence be enough. Here's a look at some issues.
IAAF to-do list: Invite in, step aside & break the orbit
The IAAF response to the doping scandal has hardly been reassuring. Nor was its position when the allegations first emerged. What is the solution, though? Maximum transparency, and a leading role in creating unparalleled transparency might finally break this orbit. Here's a few thoughts on how
Bolt vs Gatlin: Two stories, two trajectories. Beijing prediction
The media have hyped the Bolt vs Gatlin 100m clash as "good vs evil". Hype aside, it should be a fascinating race, a clash of performance trajectories, with Gatlin trying to hold off an improving Bolt. Analysis and prediction of the race (doping set aside for now)
Bolt vs Farah over 600m. The extremes meet, who wins?
Usain Bolt vs Mo Farah is a match race between the two great athletes at opposite ends of the extreme. Who wins, and the physiology behind it?
IAAF World Champs: 800m women, questions but few answers
The women’s 800m event deserves a post all of its own. I’ll post on the rest of the day’s action a little later, but the women’s 800m gold has just been won, and it wasn’t Caster Semenya winning it. Instead, it was Mariya Savinova of Russia who won in a very quick 1:55.87, edging Semenya […]
IAAF 2011 World Champs: USA’s hat-trick on a day of surprises
Six finals, and four nations won medals today, as the USA delivered a hat-trick of titles in what was a day of mild (and big) surprises.The USA’s medals came in the form of Jesse Williams in the high jump (least surprising – he was the world leader after all), Lashinda Demus in the 400m hurdles […]
Bolt’s false start and Blake’s “twitch” – the actual start block data explained
This is a final post on the Bolt false start controversy, since as you’ll all know, there was some talk that Yohan Blake in Lane 6 (immediately to Bolt’s right) might have “twitched” while in the “set” position, and that perhaps he should have received the false start, that he “pushed” Bolt into the false […]
IAAF 2011 World Champs – Rudisha delivers and Kirani James “arrives”
Day 3 of the IAAF World Championships brought more success for Kenya, in the form of David Rudisha’s anticipated gold in the men’s 800m. It was their third gold of these championships, but may be tempered slightly by the result of the Women’s steeple where they would have been hoping for another gold, but left […]