track and field

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Trust Me, Caster Semenya Is a Woman: Grandma

(Newser) - Caster Semenya’s grandmother thinks it’s ridiculous that people are accusing the new women’s 800-meter champion of being a man. “I know she’s a woman—I raised her myself,” she tells the Times of London. Maphuthi Sekgala says Caster has long been teased for her...

US Finishes Strong, Sweeps 1600 Relays

(Newser) - The US men's and women's teams swept the 1600-meter relays today, ending a string of frustrations for the Americans that included dropped batons in two earlier races. For the women, Sanya Richards anchored her team in a come-from-behind victory over Russia in 3:18.54, the world's fastest time since...

US Men Sweep 400
 US Men Sweep 400
Olympics
Aug 22, 2008 2:57 AM CDT

US Men Sweep 400

Merritt shocks Wariner to take gold

(Newser) - LaShawn Merritt stunned teammate and rival Jeremy Wariner in the men's 400-meter race today, eclipsing the favorite by nearly a full second to take gold in the US medals sweep. Wariner, the defending champion, turned the final corner to find Merritt far in front of him, reports the Los Angeles ...

US Relay Teams Drop Batons
 US Relay Teams Drop Batons
OLYMPICS
Aug 21, 2008 2:40 PM CDT

US Relay Teams Drop Batons

Hand-off gaffes disqualify both men and women

(Newser) - US track and field was hit by two nearly identical disasters today, when both the men’s and women’s teams flubbed the last handoff of the preliminary 400-meter relay, the Los Angeles Times reports. A wet, slippery night in the Bird’s Nest proved tough for the relay squads,...

Speedy, but Disrespectful: IOC Chief

IOC chief criticizes sprinter's winning attitude

(Newser) - Usain Bolt has reached the level of track great Jesse Owens, but the 22-year-old Jamaican needs to show more respect to fellow competitors, says the head of the IOC. Although Jacques Rogge expects more amazing feats from Bolt, whom he calls "another dimension in sprint," he censured the...

Golden Bolt Breaks 200 Record
 Golden Bolt Breaks 200 Record
OLYMPICS
Aug 20, 2008 10:13 AM CDT

Golden Bolt Breaks 200 Record

Jamaican sprinter first since Carl Lewis to win 100 and 200 meters

(Newser) - Usain Bolt of Jamaica raced to a gold medal and a world record of 19.30 seconds today in the 200 meters, becoming the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to sweep the 100 and 200 gold medals at an Olympics—and the first to ever break world records...

Britain Bumps Medal Count on Day 11
 Britain Bumps 
 Medal Count on Day 11 
OLYMPICS
Aug 19, 2008 5:19 PM CDT

Britain Bumps Medal Count on Day 11

3 more golds give 2012 host nation total of 16, best haul since 1908

(Newser) - Britain’s Olympic team added a 16th gold medal today, a total not seen since the 1908 Games, Reuters reports. Christine Ohuruogu took first in the women’s 400 meters—the country’s first track victory in Beijing. Bahrain’s Rashid Ramzi won the men’s 1,500 meters, giving...

Jamaicans Spell Speed 'D-N-A'
 Jamaicans Spell Speed 'D-N-A' 
OLYMPICS
Aug 19, 2008 1:36 PM CDT

Jamaicans Spell Speed 'D-N-A'

Sprinters' success a combination of nature and nurture

(Newser) - Jamaicans sprinters are cleaning up in Beijing, thanks to both biology and their backgrounds. Runners of West African descent—including Jamaicans—have more "fast-twitch" muscle fibers, the kind that generate quick bursts of energy, Slate explains. But nature alone didn't propel 100-meter champ Usain Bolt to his record-breaking, chest-thumping...

Hurdler Drops Out, Stunning China

Liu had been one of China's favorite storylines

(Newser) - Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang, whose rock-star status had made him his nation's favorite Olympic storyline, dropped out of his first race today after just two painful steps, the Washington Post reports. Liu had recovered from a hamstring injury since pulling out of a May 31 meet in New York, but...

10 Buzz-Worthy Olympians
 10 Buzz-Worthy Olympians
OLYMPICS
Aug 7, 2008 11:49 AM CDT

10 Buzz-Worthy Olympians

Phelps, Bolt, Xiang take sport's center stage

(Newser) - Competing in 20 Olympic events and going for a record eight gold medals, American swimming phenom Michael Phelps is first off the block in the BBC's list of 10 to watch in Beijing. Here are some of the others:
  • Natalie du Toit: This South African swimmer and Paralympic gold-medalist will
...

7 Russian Athletes Suspended for Doping

Female runners banned from Olympics

(Newser) - Seven female athletes from Russia were suspended today for doping violations, a potentially devastating blow to the nation's medal hopes just a week before the Olympics begin, the New York Times reports. Five of the women, all members of Russia's track and field team, were scheduled to compete in the...

USA Track Official Urges Bush: Don't Pardon Jones

Letting the disgraced track start out of prison early is wrong move, he says

(Newser) - The head of the US track and field program urged President Bush today not to pardon disgraced sprinter Marion Jones, the Daily News reports. Doing so would send a "horrible message" to young fans and to the international community getting ready to watch the Olympics, said Douglas Logan in...

Cramp Fells Tyson Gay in 200m Trials

Injury a jolting reminder that talent isn't always enough

(Newser) - America's best-known hopeful for the Olympic track team is still going to Beijing—but won't be defending his world championship title in the 200-meter sprint. In a stunning twist, super runner Tyson Gay suffered a leg cramp that felled him during his key event in the quarterfinals of the Olympic...

Gay Is Fastest Man, Ever*
Gay Is Fastest Man, Ever*
OPINION
Jun 30, 2008 2:10 PM CDT

Gay Is Fastest Man, Ever*

*Except that track, unlike any other sport, factors in the weather, columnist writes

(Newser) - Tyson Gay might have used the Olympic trials yesterday to cover 100 meters faster than any human in history, but he is not the world record-holder because track, unlike any other sport, attaches asterisks to records, Jim Caple writes on ESPN.com. Strong tailwinds propelled Gay to victory, but his...

As US Track Trials Begin, Field Is Wide Open

Few household names are present for Oregon trials

(Newser) - Before US track and field athletes can book their tickets to Beijing, they must prove themselves at the Olympic Trials in Oregon, which get under way today. With the field this year largely devoid of big names and the sport still shrouded in shame over doping scandals, the New York ...

In China, All That Matters Is Gold
In China, All That Matters Is Gold
Jun 1, 2008 12:34 PM CDT

In China, All That Matters Is Gold

Beijing recruits foreign coaches, targets medal-rich sports in quest to win, win, win

(Newser) - China wants to impress the world during this summer's Olympics, and not just by hosting a seamless Games. Determined to finish with more gold medals than any other nation, the country is bringing in foreign coaches like Igor Grinko, reports the New York Times. “Silver? It means nothing here;...

Jamaican Sets World Record in 100 Meters

Bolt's 9.72 second mark comes in only 5th pro race at the distance

(Newser) - Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, a 200 meter specialist who only recently began running against elite competition at 100 meters, raced to a new world record of 9.72 seconds at the shorter distance last night in New York City's Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island. Cheered by a partisan crowd waving...

BALCO Jury Convicts Track's Graham of Lying

Coach of Marion Jones found to deceive feds on ties to steroid dealer

(Newser) - A San Francisco jury convicted track coach Trevor Graham today of lying to federal investigators when he told them he had ended his contacts with a steroids dealer, the Chronicle reports. Jurors deadlocked on two other counts against the former coach of Olympians Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery; he faces...

Steroid Dealer: I Taught Olympic Track Coach About Drugs

Graham 'called in orders' 4 times a week

(Newser) - An admitted steroid dealer told a San Francisco jury that he showed track coach Trevor Graham—who trained Olympic medalists Tim Montgomery and Antonio Pettigrew, among others—the ins-and-outs of the performance-enhancing drug trade. Angel "Memo" Heredia said he crossed the Mexican border to buy steroids, human growth hormone,...

Ex-Olympian Gets 46 Months for Check Fraud

Tim Montgomery, former 100m record holder, jailed

(Newser) - Disgraced Olympic gold medalist Tim Montgomery was sentenced to 46 months yesterday for his part in a check-fraud scam, the Washington Post reports. Montgomery, who still faces heroin-dealing charges, once held the 100m world record but was stripped of it for doping. He has a son with Marion Jones, who...

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