Autopsy reveals heartbreaking details of how US sprinter passed away last month at her home in Florida

Olympic and world champion sprinter Tori Bowie died in her home during childbirth, according to the autopsy.

The 32-year-old was found dead at her home in Florida, in May after the local sheriff’s department attended “a well-being check of a woman … who had not been seen or heard from in several days.”

The autopsy report was obtained by USA Today, who reported: “Possible complications Bowie had included respiratory distress and eclampsia, when a person develops seizures following a sudden spike in high blood pressure during pregnancy.”

The news of her death in early May sent shockwaves through the sport, but the cause of death was not known until now.

According to the report from Orange County Medical Examiner Office, she was eight months pregnant and in the process of giving birth when she died.

Bowie won 4x100m gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics, plus 100m silver and 200m bronze at those Games before going on to claim the world 100m and 4x100m titles in London the following year.

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After two laps in the Diamond League in France this week, British runner might tackle one lap at England U23 Champs

Keely Hodgkinson opens her season over 800m at the Diamond League in Paris on Friday (June 9) but the 21-year-old could follow this with an appearance over 400m at the England Athletics Under-23 Championships on June 17-18.

Earlier this year her coach, Trevor Painter, suggested that the 400m at the European Under-23 Championships in Finland in mid-July could act as a stepping stone ahead of racing 800m at the World Championships in Budapest in August.

Speaking at her press conference ahead of her race in Paris, Hodgkinson confirmed a 400m run-out at the England Champs is a possibility next week. The event looks almost certain to be in Chelmsford but could possibly move to Woodford due to organisers rushing to get the track ready following refurbishment.

Hodgkinson, the Olympic and world 800m silver medallist behind Athing Mu of the United States, has a 400m best of 52.41 which was set when finishing fifth at the British Championships in 2022. She also ran 52.42 last year when finishing runner-up to Jessie Knight at the British Indoor Champs.

It is not unheard of for 800m runners to drop down in distance at the European Under-23 Championships. Yuriy Borzakovskiy, for example, won 400m gold at these under-23 championships in 2001 before taking Olympic 800m gold in Athens three years later.

But first comes Hodgkinson’s 800m in Paris and she said: “I’m really looking for tomorrow and raring to go.”

As for her likely time? “I’ll let my legs do my talking but training has been going well and I’m looking forward to starting my season with a bang.”

“I’d be really happy if I could PB and also make the world podium, perhaps even become a world champion, who knows?” @keelyhodgkinson is in confident mood as she kicks off her outdoor season over 800m at @meetingparis

She had an amazing indoor season

@stuartweir pic.twitter.com/sgRfKhkKkl

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) June 8, 2023

In Paris she faces Ajee’ Wilson, Raevyn Rogers, Halima Nakaayi, Noelie Yarigo and Catriona Bisset, among others.

Earlier this year she set a world indoor 600m best of 83.41 in Manchester and said: “I forgot it was this year as it seems so long ago! I’ve worked very hard since then and am hoping to run really well this summer.”

Keely Hodgkinson (James Rhodes)

Why is she opening her season relatively late in early June? Hodgkinson says she ended the indoor season feeling a little tired with some minor niggles. But training has gone well since and she is due to race in Lausanne on June 30 and also the London Diamond League on July 23.

Painter told AW: “We’ve definitely upped things in training. I’m hoping there will be some fast times and commanding races but we don’t want to see one-horse races. We want some challenges.”

The 400m aside, will Hodgkinson ever move up to 1500m? “She’s very reluctant and she is more of a 400m-800m runner right now. It’ll be a few years yet. Maybe LA (Olympics 2028) and onwards. Perhaps we can tempt her into it if she gets bored of the 800m and we can move her up.”

He added: “She definitely has the skills for it. If she ran one now she’d run about 4:04-05 but with more training maybe sub-4. Who knows. We have to persuade her to do it first.”

On coaching Hodgkinson, Painter describes her as a “gem to work with” and adds: “Whatever we say she never shirks it. She rolls her sleeve up and gets it done. She is also fantastic at being composed in races.”

Keep an eye out on the AW social media channels for video interviews with Hodgkinson and Painter by Stuart Weir in Paris

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Cash-strapped governing body will receive up to £150,000 to assist the organisation of next month’s event in the London Stadium

UK Sport has pledged up to £150,000 to support the staging of the Diamond League in London on July 23.

The money will come from National Lottery major event funding and UK Sport say it is “designed to cover a proportion of the projected deficit in hosting this year’s event and support a transition towards the long term viability of the UK hosting an annual Diamond League meeting”.

It follows UK Sport’s investment of £1.45m in the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, and £3m in the 2026 European Championships in Birmingham.

Sally Munday, CEO of UK Sport, said: “We have a talented group of British athletes who we are looking forward to seeing competing on the Diamond League stage in London in just a few weeks’ time. This is a great opportunity for the British public to see world-class athletics up close just a year out from the Paris Olympic Games.

Dina Asher-Smith (Mark Shearman)

“We want the UK to remain on the Diamond League calendar and for the event to become financially sustainable as quickly as possible. We are looking forward to working collaboratively with our colleagues at UK Athletics in the build up to the event and beyond to try to ensure this happens.”

The Diamond League is set to feature many of Britain’s leading stars such as Jake Wightman, Eilish McColgan and Dina Asher-Smith plus international athletes like Femke Bol and Sifan Hassan, with US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson the latest big-name signing this week.

Sha’Carri Richardson (Getty)

Jack Buckner, UKA chief executive, said: “It’s great that UK Sport are supporting this summer’s Diamond League at the Olympic stadium. As well as continuing the support they have given to major athletics events over many years, it is recognition that it forms a key part of the athlete journey – hosting Diamond League athletics in the UK gives the GB and NI team the best possible build up and support towards major championship success.

“We’re grateful to UK Sport for this award, and look forward to working with them around the long term sustainability of athletics events staged in the UK.”

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Pole vault is not a cheap pursuit but Lizzie Edden is developing a fine group of young athletes despite many of them coming from poor backgrounds

When Lizzie Edden tried to get involved with pole vault, she could easily have been put off by the expensive nature of the sport. But she went on to clear 3.95m at the British Championships and she is now developing an impressive group of vaulters at the Midlands Vaulting Academy.

The youngsters at the Midlands Vaulting Academy are not just talented athletes either. In many cases they come from deprived backgrounds. Given this, finding several hundred pounds to buy a pole is difficult for many of them.

“As a pole vaulter I told people in athletics that the reason I wasn’t making progress is because I’ve not got the right poles,” says Edden, “but there was this whole sense that ‘this is the point of pole vault and you only do it if you have money, because you need to buy poles’.

“I thought this was wrong,” she adds. “I don’t feel it should be the thing that you have to deal with and I never wanted any vaulter to be held back due to their background or the fact they didn’t have poles.

“I just want to make pole vault inclusive to everyone. I decided I didn’t want anyone else to have their progress hindered because they didn’t have the right poles.”

Lizzie Edden (Getty)

She adds: “We have lots of children in the Midlands Vaulting Academy who aren’t very privileged at home, or they have had some traumatic experiences or are in the care system. This has really given them a new purpose to life. It’s been the best thing we’ve ever done.”

Edden faced the same problems with lack of equipment and limited facilities when she set up the Midlands Vaulting Academy with Adam Lyons. But after working through the day as a teacher in Nuneaton she spent hours during the evenings applying for grants. In addition other help has found its way to the Academy via Neuff Athletic, for example, who sell poles to the Academy at a generous cost price.

The group is enjoying success already too with Charley O’Neill winning pretty much everything in the under-17 age group last year – such as English Schools, SIAB Schools International and England Athletics titles. O’Neill is one of Neuff’s athlete ambassadors as well and Edden says: “The other kids in the Academy absolutely buzz off her. They just want to be Charley.

“She’s in the care system too so athletics gives her a real boost in her life. Since we’ve had Charley, our group has grown to about 22 kids. The parents stand there too and say ‘we’d like our child to be like her’, which is really nice.”

 

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A post shared by Charley O’Neill (@charley.oneilll)

During an age when some of the world’s leading athletes have, quite literally, a pole vault set-up in their back garden, Edden can only dream of such facilities and last winter her group had to travel to Loughborough to vault indoors due to Alexander Stadium in Birmingham being unavailable.

“In the UK there are so many barriers just to train,” Edden says. “There is not much backing from clubs (for pole vault). But you would never see a hurdler without hurdles.”

So what is her dream? “I’d love to have a bed and stick it in a barn or something and have the freedom to train on it and come and go when we like.”

Find out more about the Midlands Vaulting Academy here and Neuff Athletic here.

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Olympic sprint relay silver medallist and Commonwealth 200m champion was also a brilliant and respected coach

Mike McFarlane, the 1980s sprints icon and much-admired coach, has died aged 63.

‘Mac’, as he is affectionately known, was hospitalised following a heart attack and after being in a critical condition he passed away several days later.

“Mike was an amazing son, husband, father, brother, coach and friend,” his family said in a statement on June 6.

McFarlane won Olympic 4x100m silver in 1988 and European indoor 60m gold in 1985 representing Great Britain, but he was perhaps best known for finishing joint first in an English vest with reigning Olympic 100m champion Allan Wells in the 200m at the 1982 Commonwealth Games.

In an epic race in Brisbane, Australia, both men clocked 20.43 and officials were unable to separate them on the photo finish, ultimately awarding them both the gold.

Mike McFarlane and Allan Wells (Mark Shearman)

In later years ‘Mac’, as he was affectionately known, enjoyed great success as a sprints coach but suffered a heart attack in recent days and was unable to recover in hospital.

“Everyone at UK Athletics is saddened to hear of the passing of Mike McFarlane, the Olympic silver medallist and highly respected coach,” said the national governing body. “All our thoughts go to his family and friends at this time.”

Kath Merry, the Olympic 400m medallist and broadcaster, said: “A wonderful coach and a super athlete. How sad. No age at 63. Always a smiling face. He will be missed.”

Mike McFarlane (Mark Shearman)

Jeanette Kwayke, former UK 60m record-holder, added: “Coaches like Mac played such an important role in the lives of so many of the boys I grew up in the game with.”

As a teenager McFarlane won a hat-trick of English Schools 200m titles from 1975-1977. Indeed, his wind-assisted winning time of 20.9 in the senior boys’ race at the 1977 event at Hendon in north London still stands as a championship best today.

Such talent led him to the top of the podium at the same distance at the European Under-20 Championships in Bydgoszcz in 1979 and he earned a spot on the AW front cover shortly afterwards.

 

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A post shared by Michael Mcfarlane (@mcfarlane5160)

At a time when Newcastle and Arsenal striker Malcolm MacDonald – AKA ‘Super Mac’ – was making national headlines due to his speed, British athletics had its own super Mac who was even quicker. Coached by John Isaacs at Haringey, McFarlane’s brilliance acted as a catalyst for the revival of British sprinting in the 1980s.

In 1984 he took the UK 100m title in Cwmbran ahead of Buster Watson and Donovan Reid and went on to finish fifth in the Olympic 100m final in Los Angeles where he rubbed shoulders with multiple gold medallist Carl Lewis.

Mike McFarlane and Carl Lewis (Mark Shearman)

The following winter he won the European indoor 60m crown in Athens in 6.61 ahead of Antoine Richard of France and Ronald Desruelles of Belgium, but he will go down in history as one of Britain’s greatest bend runners on an outdoor track.

It is this ability that saw him combine with Elliot Bunney, John Regis and Linford Christie at the 1988 Seoul Games when the GB quartet – with McFarlane on the third leg – took silver in 38.28, less than one tenth of a second behind the Soviet Union.

McFarlane’s career wound down in the late 1980s and he ended his career with PBs of 10.22 (10.08w) for 100m and 20.43 from the famous Commonwealth final before going on to help future generations of athletes.

Elliot Bunney, Linford Christie, John Regis, Mike McFarlane (Mark Shearman)

Rob Draper, a former athlete who went on to be chief football writer at the Mail on Sunday, said: “Mac was a superbly-gifted coach and underused in this country at times, especially in the last decade. He coached a clean Dwain Chambers to 9.97 and world 100m bronze in 1999, a trailblazing performance for that generation of sprinters. No one knew more about sprints in the UK than him and Linford Christie.

“But he was so much more than a great coach: he was a husband to Joanne and father to Ryan. His charisma filled a room. He was a loyal friend and straight talker.

“He worked incredibly hard, coaching world-class athletes like Chambers, Julian Golding and Tony Jarrett whilst working for the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. More recently the likes of Jodie Williams and Desiree Henry benefited from his advice.

“My memory of him will be stood with stopwatch at New River Stadium on a dark, cold night, his squad complaining about 300m reps and Mac pushing them on through the pain.”

Mike McFarlane (Mark Shearman)

With social media increasingly awash with tributes, Newham & Essex Beagles said: “Mike’s extraordinary contributions to the world of athletics have left an indelible mark, and his loss will be felt deeply by the entire sporting community.

“His exceptional achievements as a sprinter were an inspiration to countless individuals around the world. His dedication, unwavering determination, and remarkable talent propelled him to the pinnacle of athletics success. His legacy as a sprinter will continue to motivate aspiring athletes for generations to come.

“Moreover, Mike’s subsequent career as a coach has been equally remarkable. His passion for nurturing young talents and imparting his extensive knowledge and experience to others made him a revered figure in the field of sports coaching. His guidance and mentorship have undoubtedly shaped the lives and careers of many athletes, instilling in them the values of discipline, resilience, and the pursuit of excellence.”

Derek Redmond, former UK 400m record-holder, added: “As a young athlete coming up through the ranks I remember getting plenty of advice from him. He had such a big heart and was part of the big sprint movement this country had in the 80s and 90s.

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Olympic gold medallist takes on Commonwealth champion on July 23 at the Olympic Stadium

Sifan Hassan and Eilish McColgan will go head-to-head over 5000m at the Diamond League in London on Sunday July 23. The mouth-watering clash is the latest news from organisers who have already announced that British athletes like Jake Wightman, Keely Hodgkinson, Jazmin Sawyers and Dina Asher-Smith are set to compete, plus international stars like Femke Bol, Ryan Crouser and Grant Holloway.

McColgan will have to be at the top of her game, though, if she wants to stretch Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion Hassan. While the Dutchwoman won the London Marathon in April and has got back into winning ways on the track in recent days with 1500m and 10,000m wins at the FBK Games in Hengelo, McColgan had to withdraw from London with a knee injury and has spent much of the time since cross-training as the injury slowly heals.

Hassan, who won the inaugural Millicent Fawcett Mile in London five years ago, said: “I am excited to be racing on the track in London once again. I had a great performance on the roads of London earlier this year, and I enjoyed the support of the crowds on the streets, so I hope we experience another great atmosphere in the London Stadium in July.

“I am making the transition from the road back to the track and was very pleased with my first races. So, I am really looking forward to seeing what I can show in a 5000m.”

Sifan Hassan leads the 1500m (FBK Games)

McColgan won 10,000m gold and 5000m silver at the Commonwealth Games last year plus 10,000m silver and 5000m bronze at the European Championships, whereas she has broken British records in recent years at everything from 5000m to half-marathon.

She said: “It is always special to race in front of a home crowd, and I was lucky enough to experience that twice at the Commonwealth Games last year. I know the huge boost their encouragement gives to the British athletes, so I am very excited to be racing in the 5000m race next month.

Eilish McColgan (Mark Shearman)

“I have no doubt it will be a hugely competitive race, and it will be a real highlight for those coming to watch us on the day. I am really looking forward to testing myself against a very strong field.”

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American won double gold at the Mexico Games as well as holding the world 100m mark for 15 years

On October 14, 1968, Jim Hines settled into his blocks for the 100m final at the Mexico Games. It was the first Olympics on a synthetic track and 2248m above sea level and, helped with a gentle tailwind of 0.3m/sec the 22-year-old American stormed to victory in 9.95 – the first-ever ratified automatic world record at the distance.

Four days after his triumph he signed for the Miami Dolphins football team. His 100m mark, however, survived for 15 years before Calvin Smith improved it to 9.93 – also at altitude – in Colorado in 1983.

Given this, Hines, who died this week aged 76, is one of the significant members of the exclusive club of athletes who have held the world 100m record.

In addition to winning the Olympic 100m title in Mexico, he combined with Charles Greene, Melvin Pender and Ronnie Ray Smith to take the 4x100m gold too in a world record of 38.2. Outside of the Olympics, he set world records at 100 yards with 9.1 and 4×100 yards with 39.6 in 1967.

Born in Arkansas, Hines grew up in California as the son of a construction worker and initially played baseball before his talent as a sprinter was spotted and he went to Texas Southern University.

In the run-up to the Mexico Games he clocked a hand-timed 9.9 for 100m in Sacramento and also a wind-assisted 9.8 at the same meeting in 1968.

Jim Hines (Getty)

At the Mexico Games itself he was at the height of his powers as he led Lennox Miller of Jamaica and Greene of the United States home.

Shortly after the Olympics he came back to his home in Houston to find burglars had stolen his television, wife’s jewellery and his gold medals, but after placing an advert in his local newspaper asking the thieves to return the medals they eventually arrived back with him in a plain brown envelope.

After his sprints career his time in the NFL did not go that well, playing a handful of games for Miami in 1969 before Kansas City Chiefs.

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Track and field writer from North East England worked for the Great Run Company, Press Association and AW

Athletics legends such as Paula Radcliffe, Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele have paid their respects to Dave Martin, the popular athletics journalist, who has died aged 75.

Known affectionately as “the Captain” due to his military background, Martin’s coverage of the sport during the 1990s and turn of the millennium in particular were read by millions of people due to his roles as athletics correspondent of the Press Association, press officer at Nova International (the forerunner to the Great Run Company) and as chief contributing editor with Athletics Weekly.

Such was his reputation, the tributes have come flooding in from former colleagues and athletics greats who he worked with at press conferences and finish line interviews in events like the Great North Run.

Radcliffe, former world marathon champion and record-holder, said: “The Captain was truly a unique, special and much loved man. He was the life and soul of any event, a journalist with ethics as well as someone who brought athletics to the forefront. Through my early successes he was right there, if not at the finish then through those Sunday night congratulatory phone calls. They don’t make them like Dave Martin any more, he was a one off that many of us will miss dearly and always raise a glass in his memory.”

Gebrselassie, multiple world record-breaker and global gold medallist, said: “I am saddened by the death of Dave Martin. I want to send my condolences to the family for losing such great man, whose career has helped shape the athletics world, and thus myself. He was one of a kind. I remember him fondly, especially when we saw each other near his home town in South Shields, finish of the Great North Run. Dear Dave, rest in peace.”

Gebrselassie’s fellow Ethiopian running legend Bekele, added: “Always a smiling and friendly face whether Olympics, Gateshead or Ostrava. He christened me “Kenny” when I first broke through and it stuck. I know it was because he couldn’t say Kenenisa but he was always the first person I wanted to speak to after a race. His type will always be missed.”

Sir Brendan Foster, founder of the Great North Run and distance running legend, said: “He was an asset to the sport and gave his life and heart to athletics and the army. His was indeed a Captain of both.”

Dave Martin with Said Aouita (Mark Shearman)

Jos Hermens, the athletics agent and former international distance runner, said: “A great man is gone. Dave Martin has lived many lives in good and bad times, but always full of life, full of stories, full of sports. He was the No.1 athletics geek in the world. He has helped the sport so much forward. We will always be grateful to him for that. He adored athletics – and we adored him.

John Caine, who worked with Martin at Nova, offered some nice anecdotes, saying: “Like all of us, I was deeply saddened by the news of the death of a dear friend, Dave Martin – “The Captain” to all of his athletics family.

“Some thought his florid complexion was responsible for his nickname, referencing Captain Scarlet, but indeed he was a Captain in the British Army. Being a career soldier, Dave joined the army as a teenager, eventually retiring in his 40s. He rose through the ranks from a humble squaddie to Captain and depending on his behaviour he went up and down the ranks on a couple of occasions.

“His ‘behaviour’ was legendary and working with him for over 20 years everyone at The Great Run Company was exposed to his savage sense of humour and on occasions his outrageous exhibitionism. Behind his hard drinking and hard living lifestyle he was passionate about athletics and a very good journalist who recognised the difference between – news, a good story and puerile gossip.

His journalistic career started as a 16-year-old steeplechaser and cross country runner who wrote reports on the exploits of his South Shields Harriers team for the local newspapers. Referencing a good performance of his own, he once modestly concluded one of his reports with the sentence: “And on this occasion your scribe finished a creditable 6th in the youths’ race.”

From these lowly beginnings he ended up writing for The Army News (following the army’s highest profile sportsman Kriss Akabusi all over the world) Athletics Weekly, the IAAF and eventually working for the PA. He finally ended up serving as Press Officer and writer for our company.

“After retirement from military life, he returned to his home town of South Shields where for almost a decade he sat as a JP on the bench of the town’s magistrates court bringing his wide range of life experience and idiosyncratic style of justice to the local reprobates.

“Dealing one Monday morning with the detritus of another alcohol fuelled weekend in South Shields, he was presented with a dire specimen – a sorry looking, hung over, unshaven and dishevelled football yob complete with beer stained black and white Newcastle United shirt. From the bench, a smiling Dave commented: ‘A Newcastle fan, are we?’

“Sensing he might receive a sympathetic hearing from a fellow Newcastle fan, the defendant raised a smile and said, ‘yes, sir’. Dave’s reply: “Not your lucky day, Sunshine, is it?  I’m a Sunderland fan!”

With thanks to Matthew Turnbull.

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England Athletics U20/23 Champs on June 17-18 may have to find a new home, whereas South of England U20 Champs has been forced to move to Walton

With little over a fortnight until the England Athletics Under-20 and Under-23 Championships, hundreds of young athletes are unable to finalise their travel and accommodation plans due to uncertainty over the venue.

The event – which incorporates the British trials for this summer’s European Under-20 and Under-23 Championships in Israel and Finland – is due to be staged in Chelmsford but the track has been undergoing refurbishment recently and organisers are not sure whether it will be ready in time.

The news has sparked frustration from athletes, parents and coaches, many of whom have already booked hotels, trains and in some cases flights to the Essex venue. The South of England Athletics Association has had a similar problem for its under-20, under-17 and under-17 championships this weekend (June 3-4) but has now shifted the venue from Chelmsford to Walton, which is more than 70 miles away.

The BIGish Jumps and Throws Fest on May 29 was also forced to relocate from Chelmsford to Woodford, saying: “We would like  to acknowledge that there is no fault on the part of Chelmsford Sports & Athletics Centre, who have left no stone unturned to get the venue ready.”

In a statement, England Athletics said: “We advise anyone looking to book travel and/or accommodation in advance of attending our upcoming under-20 and under-23 track and field championships to wait until June 7 by which time we will know whether or not this event will be staged at Chelmsford.

“The venue is currently undergoing track refurbishments and its operators are uncertain as to whether it will be ready in time to host our event. Whilst we continue to work closely with Chelmsford for a favourable outcome, we will still be staging this event on that weekend of June 17-18 and, therefore, are also exploring appropriate, alternative venues. We thank you for your patience ahead of us being able to provide a venue update on June 7.”

On Wednesday (May 31), the governing body added: “We are still optimistic that the event will go ahead at Chelmsford as planned. If work is not completed, we have secured an alternative venue near the original location which can accommodate a champs of this size. This will hopefully minimise the disruption to those who have already booked travel and accommodation.

“We apologise for any inconvenience. Unfortunately, the wet spring weather has considerably delayed planned work to the track at Chelmsford. We will provide further updates on our website and via an email to all entrants in the coming days.”

England Athletics state that their U20/U23 T&F Championships (June 17-18) may not take place at Chelmsford, as originally planned.

This is due to the venue “undergoing track refurbishments”.

They’ll give an update on June 7 regarding Chelmsford’s suitability to host the event. pic.twitter.com/xiwedWXPBO

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) May 30, 2023

The Chelmsford track at Melbourne Park dates back to the 1960s. Originally cinder, it staged the 1963 English Schools Championships and enjoyed an upgraded to a synthetic surface in 1999. Lottery funding at the turn of the millennium helped build accompanying indoor facilities, too, with a 60m sprint straight.

Joe McColgan, a coach with Amber Valley & Erewash, said: “Why did EA book the venue in the first place if the track was due to be refurbished. Why risk it? In my experience refurbs rarely stick to original timescales!

“Also why aren’t the championships rotated around your three regions – North, South and Midlands – to show a bit of fairness to athletes, coaches and parents! They’ve been in Bedford for years and no doubt would have been again if that track had not been closed due to health and safety. I’ve got athletes entered who have already booked hotels. Not good is it?”

Scott Hannigan from Kilbarchan added: “This is pretty poor for an event that is two weeks away, we are travelling from Scotland and have booked well in advance. We have booked three nights’ accommodation and will not get our money back. Very disappointing from England Athletics, this should have been sorted out ages ago. Shambolic.”

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Improvements to the athletics track and indoor facilities to be made within the next 12 months as part of wider plans to give historic arena a major facelift

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has promised to invest in redeveloping Crystal Palace National Sports Centre with the crumbling athletics facilities to be repaired and indoor facilities improved within the next year.

Khan announced the “once-in-a-generation redevelopment” on Friday (May 26) but warned the development is complex and will take around five years to complete. However, immediate improvements in the next 12 months include:

• Repairing the athletics track and installing replacement floodlighting
• Reopening the climbing walls in the indoor centre
• Upgrading the fitness gym

He said: “Crystal Palace National Sports Centre is a historic and much-loved sporting and community facility where many UK sporting stars have started their careers and trained, but which is in need of major investment and refurbishment.

“I am completely committed to this once-in-a-generation redevelopment of the site which will secure its future for decades to come.

“While work continues apace on our vision for the long-term future of the centre, I am delighted to announce that we intend to make a number of early improvements that we hope will make a huge difference to users of the centre.

“Over the coming months, we will continue to work closely with key stakeholders – including sporting bodies and wider community groups – to deliver an outstanding venue that our capital and our country can be proud of.”

The Mayor hopes that a planning application for the comprehensive redevelopment of the centre will be brought forward by April 2024 and that a contractor will be able to start work in 2025.

Crystal Palace (Mark Shearman)

There have been big fears that the centre would simply be demolished and as recently as November parts of the centre were closed due to fears over concrete pillars underneath floodlights. There have been a few false dawns too where promising plans have come to nothing.

The south London venue held the AAA Championships from 1971-1987 and many still regard it as the spiritual home of British athletics. In 2014 the stadium was threatened with demolition. Although in 2015 UK Athletics called for the retention of the facilities, mainly so that the large number of athletes based in the south London area would have a good indoor and outdoor training track.

Hugh Brasher, Event Director of London Marathon Events, said: “For more than four decades, the famous Crystal Palace stadium hosted some of the greatest international athletics events staged in the UK in front of sellout crowds and the track is part of an extensive sports complex with a wonderful heritage.

‘The Mayor’s commitment to the redevelopment of the Crystal Palace site is fantastic news for athletics, aquatics and many other sports. London Marathon Events and the London Marathon Foundation are keen to support this visionary future to restore Crystal Palace as a much-needed sporting and community facility.”

A revitalised Crystal Palace could eventually provide UK Athletics with an alternative home to the problematic London Stadium as the centrepiece for the sport in the capital.

John Powell, chair of the Crystal Palace Sports Partnership, told The Times: “Hopefully this will spell the end of the managed decline we have seen over the years. I’m so pleased the Mayor’s office has finally recognised the unique needs of Crystal Palace and the uniqueness of its potential.”

You can read the full announcement here.

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Eighties middle-distance icon is in remission for cancer but his boys Jamie and Matthew are doing 24-hour run to raise money to fight the disease

Jamie and Matthew Williamson are doing a 24-hour charity run on June 5-6 to raise money to give back to the cancer community after their father, Graham, fell ill with the disease.

A 3:34.01 1500m runner in the 1980s, Graham was diagnosed with stage four malignant melanoma in 2019 but is now in remission after successful treatment in Germany.

“We are organising a charity run in June where we will run a mile every hour on the hour for 24 hours (24 miles in 24 hours) in aid of Worldwide Cancer Research,” says Jamie, who himself has run 3:41.59 for 1500m. “We are aiming to raise €2400 to give back to the cancer community.

“Any donations would be greatly appreciated and would go a long way in helping the fight against cancer and continue saving and improving the lives of people with cancer and their families worldwide.”

Graham held the Scottish recored for the mile for 40 years with 3:50.64 set in Cork in 1982 but it has since been beaten by Josh Kerr, Neil Gourley and Jake Wightman in the past 18 months.

Graham Williamson leads Dave Moorcroft (Mark Shearman)

He also ran a world under-20 1500m record of 3:36.6 – a time that still stands as the UK under-20 record today – and won the World University Games title in addition to racing for Britain or Scotland at the 1983 World Champs, 1982 Europeans and 1982 Commonwealth Games, plus the world cross country championships.

He was beset with bad luck, though. At the European Championships in Athens, for example, he fell mid-race and his long-time rival Steve Cram burst clear in the melee to take gold.

Williamson also lost a run-off with Cram for the final place in the 1500m team for the 1980 Olympics after losing his spikes and kit at the airport.

Troubled with injuries, he retired at 26. He later went on to enjoy a successful career with adidas, though.

All the details are on the justgiving page are here.

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Investigation is underway after the organisation receives complaint that leading official joined in social media attacks

Ian Roberts has stepped back from his position as chair of the English Schools’ Athletics Association (ESAA) while an investigation takes place into the role he allegedly played in a case of online bullying.

Roberts, who is also the ESAA’s welfare lead, is accused of joining in with an online attack that athletics official Paul Baxter directed at Katey Ross, a volunteer administrator on the popular Facebook group I Was, Or Am, A Runner.

Baxter was recently given a three-and-a-half-year ban by UK Athletics for online bullying and harassment of Ross, with an inquiry now underway to look into the part Roberts played in it.

AW has seen the social media posts that have led to the complaints, although the messages have since been deleted.

“I became aware of an allegation by Katey Ross, so I voluntarily stepped back from my roles to enable an investigation to be carried out by the ESAA,” said Roberts, who did not want to comment further while the investigation was ongoing.

The ESAA is building up to its flagship track and field championships in Birmingham in a month’s time and it will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025. Yet it did not have an appropriate complaints procedure to deal with this case and initially approached England Athletics for assistance before choosing to handle it in-house.

The ESAA receives funding from England Athletics but is otherwise an independent organisation run by volunteer officials who are largely teachers or ex-teachers. So whereas it was originally unclear which body would investigate the accusations, the ESAA has belatedly created its own complaints procedure which is being checked by a legal team before the inquiry begins.

Ross made her complaint to the ESAA about Roberts at the end of April and told AW that soon afterwards she was surprised to receive an email from him where he denied knowing Baxter and claimed his contributions to the abuse – which included adding a GIF – were a joke.

“Mr Roberts not only joined in with the very personal attacks upon me but highlighted his position as ESAA chair within the comments, adding significant weight to the bullying,” said Ross. “Like many others I regard ESAA as a hugely important organisation in the sport – and one very dear to my heart as a former eight-time ESAA athlete. How someone in the position of chair and welfare lead at ESAA wouldn’t recognise such serious online abuse and bullying by a large group of men, let alone contribute to it, is beyond me.”

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Global governing body plans to scrap traditional indoor track and field records in favour of a new ‘short track’ format which will feature all year round

World Athletics is replacing ‘indoor athletics’ with ‘short track’ to describe events and performances that are set on a 200m track. The move has arisen partly due to the growing trend of city centre competitions and is set to be rubber-stamped at the global governing body’s council meeting in Budapest in August.

World Athletics says its council “is supporting the concept of ‘short track’ competition to allow more flexibility in the setting of 200m tracks, which may, in the future, be constructed outdoors or in temporary city locations, rather than in a traditional indoor arena. Performances set on outdoor or temporary 200m tracks could therefore be recognised as official results for the purpose of records and rankings.”

WA president Seb Coe said: “This change is designed to remove an unintentional barrier to competition innovation, by offering organisers the chance to explore solutions and opportunities which the current rules may discourage.

“Under this new concept, the 200m short track will no longer be confined to the indoor environment, and a world of opportunities will open up for meeting organisers to stage official competition in whatever facilities they have available, either indoors or outdoors, using 200m or 400m tracks.

“This change will allow and actively encourage the possibility for 200m tracks to move to an outdoor environment and will provide a more affordable option to cities, especially where space is in short supply, while stimulating the growth of the sport through investment in new infrastructure.”

It is a bold move by World Athletics that will raise eyebrows in the sport. As the governing body says itself in a statement, the sport has been divided into ‘outdoor’ and ‘indoor’ competition for more than 150 years.

There is debate as to when ‘indoor athletics’ actually began but one of the earliest contenders for the first-ever meeting took place in January 1859 at London’s Lambeth Baths when a former English swimming champion called William Beckwith won a £22 bet by “jumping 500 hurdles, 10 yards apart, under 40 minutes” – an achievement that took him less than 30 minutes and was watched by around 400 spectators.

Whereas England might have been first when it came to staging formal indoor athletics competitions, much of the sport’s early growth subsequently took place in the United States. There is evidence that an indoor athletics event took place in Cincinnati as early as 1861 but the first properly documented event was in 1868 shortly after the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) was founded. Around 2000 spectators gathered in the gas-lit Empire Ice Skating Rink in the city, for example, to watch events such as a high jump, shot put and half-mile race amid a backdrop of musicians playing a Bellini overture.

Wembley indoor arena

The first official US indoor championships took place in 1906 with the Millrose Games starting in 1914. In Britain, the first AAA Indoor Championships was staged at the Empire Pool at Wembley in London in April 1935.

In the UK the Midlands venue of Cosford dominated as the premier indoor athletics venue from 1955 onwards and it went on to hold televised internationals from 1965 to 1991 with athletes like Seb Coe, Daley Thompson and Geoff Capes in action.

A one-day European Indoor Games was held in Dortmund in 1966 on a 160m track and it proved such a success that it evolved into the European Indoor Championships with the most recent edition being in Istanbul in March this year.

A global championship took a little longer to happen but in 1985 a World Indoor Games was piloted in Paris with winners including Sergey Bubka in the pole vault, Marita Koch in the 200m and Patrik Sjoberg in the high jump. The event quickly became established with the first official championships in Indianapolis in 1987 and has since been held in such varied locations as Toronto, Maebashi and Doha.

Seb Coe at Cosford (Mark Shearman)

Cosford’s reign as the home of indoor athletics in the UK came to an end in the early 1990s when the NIA in Birmingham opened and the Kelvin Hall in Scotland began staging big meetings such as the 1990 European Indoors. This was followed by 200m indoor tracks being built in Sheffield, Cardiff, Lee Valley and Manchester, plus a number of indoor sprint straights and jumps and throws facilities in places like Loughborough, Bath, Gateshead and Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.

Recent years have also seen the growth of city centre competitions. Most notably the Great Run Company staged ‘CityGames’ events in Manchester, Stockton and Newcastle-Gateshead which famously included Usain Bolt setting a world record over 150m, although the Jamaican star never raced indoors in the winter.

Usain Bolt (Peter Langdown)

Ironically these CityGames events in the UK are no longer running, but it is this trend that has partly inspired World Athletics’ new ‘short track’ format idea.

World Athletics explain: “The advent of modern athletics and the development of hybrid competition venues – city squares, shopping malls, train stations – it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the separation between outdoor and indoor athletics. In some field events, the separation has been eliminated altogether for world record purposes. This evolution has prompted World Athletics to redefine the boundaries of outdoor and indoor athletics, so they relate to the competition facility rather than to the environment.”

World Athletics adds that indoor championships will continue to exist but in areas where there are few indoor facilities then short track championships can be used as qualifying competitions for major indoor championships.

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Veteran athlete on the immense feeling of running Night of the 10,000m PBs and why the event is so special

Chris Thompson is no stranger to Night of the 10,000m PBs.

The 42-year-old On athlete has taken part in the event on a myriad of occasions and has raced the full 10,000m race three times. The first was back in 2014 – a year after the inaugural edition – when he battled but lost out to Andy Vernon for the British 10,000m crown under the lights at Parliament Hill.

In 2018 and 2019 “Thommo” also finished seventh and 14th respectively. This year though he will watch from the sidelines.

There are not many athletes better placed than Thompson to describe how Night of the 10,000m PBs has evolved from a much lower-key meet a decade ago to the extravaganza it is now, capturing the imagination of both spectators and those competing.

AW caught up with the On athlete at the brand’s recently opened flagship store in Regent Street the week before the event (May 20).

For the SECOND week in a row, Christopher Thompson is our male 10k winner at the AJ Bell #GreatBristolRun!

Huge well done pic.twitter.com/DP75yBF43S

— Great Run (@Great_Run) May 14, 2023

Thompson, who has won both Birmingham (May 7) and Bristol (May 14) Great Run 10kms since he finished 10th at the London Marathon (April 23) in 2:11:50, is excited to be back in Highgate, albeit in a different capacity, and there was one recurring theme during our interview. The noise.

Not the sirens of the police cars that shot by outside as we started the recording, but the ferocity of the fans who line the Parliament Hill track less than a metre from the athletes. From cheers and cowbells to screams and songs, there’s a plethora of sound that hits the athletes.

“It [the noise] gets you right in the stomach,” Thompson says. “I love it but you also have to find a way to stay calm. It’s an incredible feeling and racing in that environment is unlike anything else.

“London 2012 will always be the pinnacle when I stepped out on that track with the noise. But I was following the lead pack and I wasn’t having a great day. The thing with Highgate is that it gets you to your very core because people are screaming and they are doing it right next to you.

“When I’ve raced in the past friends know they’ll be able to give me abuse when I’m running and know that I’ll hear it! The event is what you make it and there’s so much to offer. For athletes running across all events, they’re getting to experience the noise and atmosphere akin to championships for elite athletes. It’s about the intenseness of people in your face.”

Night of the 10,000m PBs (Getty)

It’s Highgate’s unique selling point. Night of the 10,000m PBs has always given credence to everything off track as well as on it.

How do you mentally prepare as an athlete though? This year runners from as far as Chile and Mexico to Burundi and Rwanda will take to the track in what is one of the biggest international fields in the event’s history. A lot of them will be aiming to nail the qualifying standards – 27:10.00 for men and 30:40.00 for women – for the World Championships in Budapest (August 19-27).

Thompson’s bit of advice is to try and use the noise as a rhythmic tool.

“It’s hard to just walk into that arena and feel at home when you’ve never done it before,” he adds. “I remember on my first one in 2014 just getting used to that intenseness. That consistency of noise comes round with each lap and I was able to anticipate the difference in noise at certain points of the track.

“I was able to work with those emotions because I could feel what was going on and I’m a very rhythmic runner. You have to ride it like an elevator.

“With Highgate it’s an environment for an athlete to perform well and it’s all about how you use that to your advantage. You have pacemakers and wavelight technology and they are all there to work for you. I think these athletes have come and are coming because they know if they turn up then they can get the best out of themselves.

“It’s not just a party but it’s about having fast 10,000ms.”

Chris Thompson emotional after a solid 2:11:50 aged 42 at #LondonMarathon

@Jason_AW pic.twitter.com/tRC7i9wVuj

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) April 23, 2023

So what does the future hold for Thompson after a London Marathon which saw him run his third ever fastest time over 26.2 miles, after the 2:11:19 he clocked on the same course in 2014 and then that 2:10:52 at Kew Gardens which qualified the then 39-year-old for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

He states he’s still processing his run in the British capital in April and wants to take some time off in June before looking at options in July.

Thompson is not discounting an autumn marathon and also has his eye on the inaugural World Road Running Championships in Latvia (September 30 – October 1).

Chris Thompson at Kew Gardens (Mark Shearman)

As always, “Thommo” is philosophical about what is important for him at this stage of his career.

“For a long time athletes were seen through this small window as a commodity on the back of performance,” he says. “It was the case of ‘you’ve done your bit and thank you very much’ whereas now it’s different.

READ MORE: Night of the 10,000m PBs preview

“An athlete’s assets may change as they get older and it doesn’t mean they don’t have the skills or knowledge that they can’t help the sport. So it’s nice and refreshing for me that On, as I get get older, have given me that space to do that.”

For fast times, festival vibes and free entry for spectators, see On Track Nights.

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Kenya’s Rhonex Kipruto has been found to have biological passport irregularities according to the Athlete Integrity Unit

Rhonex Kipruto, the world record-holder for 10km, has been provisionally suspended for biological passport irregularities.

The 23-year-old Kenyan clocked 26:24 in Valencia in January 2020 to set the still-standing world record. It came four months after he won world 10,000m bronze in Doha.

Kipruto has been charged with “Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method” due to suspicious blood readings.

“I don’t cheat or dope! The truth is on my side. This is all I can say,” said Kipruto via a statement from his management agency.

Rhonex Kipruto (10km Valencia Ibercaja)

One of the sport’s brightest distance running talents, he won the world under-20 10,000m title in Tampere in 27:21.08 and has a track best of 26:50.16, which was set in Stockholm in 2019.

More recently he was fourth in a 10km in Germany last month in 27:09 and placed fourth in the Lisbon Half Marathon in March in 59:22. His results in 2022 included victory in the NYC Half in 60:30.

Kipruto’s manager, Davor Savija, has issued a lengthy statement defending the athlete and describing him as a “multi-generation talent”.

Savija says his agency has spent $30,000 on the case so far and adds: “This is injustice. We will, of course, fully cooperate and be totally transparent. We urge the AIU to do the same.”

Rhonex Kipruto (RunCzech)

Kipruto is also coached by Brother Colm O’Connell, the well-known Kenyan-based coach, who says: “I carefully choose who I work with and to whom I dedicate my energy. I know Rhonex is an honest young man and it hurts me to see him suffering now.

“Our strategy is to train hard, and that’s the only way we achieve results. I have said many times that I am in favour of systematically combating doping so that we can protect clean athletes like Rhonex.” 

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Racing on home soil, the ultra-runner shaves six seconds off his best time for 100 kilometres

Lithuanian Aleksandr Sorokin broke the 100km world record in the World’s Fastest Run, powered by Nord Security, in Vilnius on Sunday (May 14).

The 41-year-old clocked 6hr 5min 35sec to take six seconds off his previous world record set last year.

“I am extremely happy that I managed to break a world record and that I did so in my native city,” he said. “Vilnius is the city where I started running and it’s my great pleasure to thank it by making history right here.”

Sorokin’s world records include 100 miles (10:51:39) and the longest distances in set certain times — 6 hours (98,496km), 12 hours (177,410km) and 24 hours (319,614km).

Aleksandr Sorokin

Together with Sorokin, almost 30 of the world’s top ultra-runners took part in the record-breaking race, which took place near Cyber City, which is located in the up-and-coming Naujamiestis district of Vilnius. The track was certified by World Athletics and approved by the International Association of Ultrarunners and the Athletics Federation of Lithuania.

Aleksandr Sorokin (left)

“This event and Aleksandr’s fantastic result creates additional interest for Cyber City and the whole neighbourhood,” says Laura Tyrell, head of PR at Nord Security, the title sponsor of The World’s Fastest Run event.

“This record will always be a symbol of how a strong will, devotion and a goal-driven attitude is the way to success, whatever career you choose. That always was and will continue to be the spirit of this place where we build the most innovative cybersecurity tools for global markets.”

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It will get a multi-million pound makeover after this year’s edition of Night of the 10,000m PBs

The track that is home to Highgate Harriers and hosts Night of the 10,000m PBs will be resurfaced.

The £2 million refurbishment of the surface at Parliament Hill will be funded by the City of London, and although it will take place after Night of the 10,000m PBs (May 20), no date for the start of any construction has been confirmed.

The work will “ensure it [the track] maintains UK Athletics TrackMark accreditation and can continue to be used to host major national and international athletics events for years to come.”

The project will also upgrade the floodlighting, to reduce light pollution, making it more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

As the City of London Corporation owns the Parliament Hill athletics track, it is financially responsible for any refurbishment.

The City Corporation protects over 11,000 acres of open space in London and south east England – including Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest – and over 200 smaller sites in the Square Mile, investing over £38m a year.

Jess Judd celebrates at Night of the 10,000m PBs (Mark Shearman)

Such news will be welcome to everyone who works at Night of the 10,000m PBs.

The event was first staged in Highgate in 2013 and has since become one of the most exciting athletics meets on the calendar. Every year, it showcases a mix of fast times and music, circus acts and entertainment.

This year’s edition will be one of five meets as part of the On Running Track Night series. The first event took place in Los Angeles last weekend (May 6) and others include Paris (June 10), Vienna (June 17) and Melbourne (date to TBC).

Night of 10,000m PBs event director Ben Pochee said: “Highgate Harriers’ volunteer-powered event will offer the opportunity to get up close and personal to the fastest runners on the planet and headline circus acts for zero money.

“Not much in life is free, and so I’m proud of how the community have made this not-for-profit initiative socially accessible since 2013. The event puts on a pedestal and celebrates indefatigable goodwill and inspirational physical commitment and I hope as many people as possible can share the excitement with us.”

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Broadcaster on the 1000-mile run and cycle he will undertake between John O’Groats to Land’s End from June 5 to 23

Losing a good friend or close relative can have a profound effect on anyone and I’m no different, writes Rob Walker.

Losing three of my mates and one of my nine-year-old son’s best friends in the space of two years has left me with a heightened appreciation of life, love and the determination to focus on the beauty of the simplest pleasures of life. Like a run down a country lane with nothing but the sound of birds and bees on your ear.

Running, athletics and snooker have defined my life for more than 40 years and after losing Robin, Martyn, Stephen and little George, and speaking at all their funerals, I decided to set myself a challenge and raise a few quid for two brilliant charities.

.⁦@WeAreWST⁩ Right. Massive undertaking. If you want to donate, join me enroute (June 5- 23,) or just tell me about your absent friends, get in touch. Grief takes many forms & I’m determined to put some smiles on faces. Let’s do this. #miles4mates https://t.co/ZF2wsHXoDH

— Rob Walker (@robwalkertv) April 29, 2023

That’s why on June 5 I will set off from John O’Groats to Land’s End, covering more than 1000 miles by cycling and running the length of this beautiful country in what I hope will be a thoroughly uplifting 19 days finishing in Cornwall on June 23.

Along the way I intend to spread some joy and encourage people to toast my friends whilst remembering  theirs, by giving out four bottles of champagne a day in memory of each of the four I’m doing it for.

I’m buying the bottles with my own money which people may think is a bit mad. But I’ve started doing random acts of kindness over the last year or so and those no strings attached gestures really seem to resonate with people.

In part I think it must be my way of channelling the grief into something positive.

I am also a firm believer that if life has smiled on you, there is a moral obligation to act with humility and generosity.

Rob Walker with kids at a school in Uganda (Rob Walker)

Ever since watching the inaugural World Athletics Championships in Helsinki in 1983 I knew I wanted to either run the 1500m for Great Britain at the Olympics, or “be the man in the stadium talking about it.”

Thanks to a series of strokes of luck, some hard work and a lot of passion, four decades later I find myself as the lead international commentator at every World Championships and Olympic Games.

Even though I’ve covered every Commonwealth Games since Manchester in 2002, every Olympics since Athens in 2004 and every World Championships since Helsinki in 2005, I still have to pinch myself sometimes. When I’m on the microphone in those stadiums I feel an electricity of excitement which is hard to describe.

Commentating regularly to an international audience has led to some amazing friendships, connections and trips abroad, especially around East Africa. It’s a part of the continent I love and the time I’ve spent in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda has been incredible.

For the latter I’m now an official sports tourism ambassador and as such everyone who donates to the Just Giving Absent Friends Tour will be entered into a prize draw to win an all expenses paid trip to Uganda to trek with mountain gorillas. An amazing experience I can tell you first hand after a recent trip there in February this year.

Rob Walker running in Uganda (Rob Walker)

It’s a trip my four friends would have loved. As is this Absent Friends Tour.

Robin had a heart attack at home 18 months before what would have been a brilliant 50th birthday. Martyn (45) and George (nine)  both died suddenly in their sleep with no warning and Stephen (53) fought a brain tumour for more than a decade with the heart of a lion.

Raising £25,000 for the Jessie May Children’s hospice at home and the Brain Tumour charity won’t bring any of them back. Neither will giving away a free holiday to Uganda or handing out 76 bottles of champagne to strangers.

But it will put some smiles on faces – including mine. And as Morgan Freeman so memorably puts it at the end of Shawshank Redemption. “Get busy living or get busy dying. That’s goddamn right.”

» Donate to Rob Walker’s Just Giving Page here

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Olympic shot putter devoted much of his life to keeping the spirit of his parents, Jean and Ron, alive via the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund

As an athlete Shaun Pickering was an Olympian, Commonwealth Games shot put medallist and multiple Welsh champion in the shot, discus and hammer. Yet the throws giant, who died on Thursday aged 61, will also be remembered for his passionate and energetic efforts to boost the health of British athletics, most notably the nation’s up-and-coming young athletes through the charity that was named after his father.

Shaun was the son of Jean and Ron Pickering and you will struggle to find a family that has had more of a positive impact on the sport in Britain. An Olympic sprint relay medallist in 1952 and European long jump champion in 1954, Jean was a much-loved figure in the sport and died in 2013. As an athletics coach, teacher and BBC commentator, Ron was one of the best-known characters in the sport before he died unexpectedly in 1991 aged just 60. Now, the sport is mourning the loss of another member of the family with Shaun surviving just one year longer than his father.

Born into such an athletics-mad family, Shaun was destined to enjoy a life in athletics himself and after competing in the shot put at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and World Championships in Athens in 1997 he went on to win bronze in the shot at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

Shaun Pickering (Mark Shearman)

With a best of 20.45m in 1997, his shot best still stands as the Welsh record and it places him No.6 on the UK all-time rankings. He was also a fine discus and hammer thrower with bests of 54.38m and 68.64m – the latter being a Welsh record at the time – and impressively won a hat-trick of throws titles at the Welsh Championships a total of three times.

After retiring as an athlete, Pickering was indefatigable when it came to keeping his parents’ legacy alive. Along with his sister, Kim, he worked with missionary zeal to build the profile of the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund, which was set up following his father’s death.

Known as the No.1 athletics charity in Britain, the ‘RPMF’ has given more than £2 million to talented young athletes over the past 32 years mostly in the shape of annual grants. Around two thirds of British athletes in teams for recent major championships have been helped by the charity at some stage and, among other things, it helped Mo Farah buy his first pair of running spikes at a time when football boots were probably more tempting.

Shaun Pickering (Mark Shearman)

Jean and Ron were strong, determined and charismatic characters and Shaun inherited their traits. Being the son of such athletics greats, he had big spikes to fill but did so in style and made a huge mark of his own on the sport. His main area of knowledge was not surprisingly the throws – where he possessed an encyclopaedic knowledge – but his interest spanned all events, together with the marketing and politics of athletics plus the complex world of broadcasting and television rights. “Being known as Ron Pickering’s son opened many doors and introduced me to many great people,” he said shortly before his death.

Possessing one of the most innovative and imaginative minds in the sport, he was never short of ideas to promote and build the No.1 Olympic sport. He was passionate and sometimes argumentative but always with the good of athletics at the forefront of his heart. Generous with his time and knowledge, he was a good friend to many athletes and countless coaches.

Standing at 6ft 6in tall and weighing well over 20 stone in his peak years as a thrower, he was an intimidating figure but he was the archetypal gentle giant. Approachable and friendly, he would always find the time to offer help or advice.

Shaun Pickering (Mark Shearman)

It is no surprise, therefore, that social media was awash with tributes after the RPMF broke the sad news by saying: “It is with deep sadness that we learned of the passing today of our beloved Shaun Pickering. Shaun did so much for athletics and to carry on the amazing legacy of his parents Ron and Jean. All our hearts go out to Shaun’s family and friends at this dreadfully sad time.”

British Athletics posted: “Everyone at @BritAthletics is so saddened to hear this news today. Shaun loved the sport passionately and cared deeply for athletes and his many friends across the sport. His work to continue the success of @RunforRon Fund supported so many athletes.”

The English Schools AA said: “A wonderful man, and a huge advocate for generations of young athletes,” while England Athletics added: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Shaun, who cared passionately for our sport and was an inspiration to so many.”

Lynn Davies, 1964 Olympic long jump champion who was coached by Ron, said: “Meriel (my wife) and I are distraught with this very sad news. We have lost a very close friend, who was almost one of our family.

“We have always been very close to the Pickering family since I met Ron and Jean Pickering when they first came to Wales. Shaun was a proud Welsh athlete and a passionate coach and supporter of athletics in this country, just like his dad before him. Shaun was a big man with a big heart. We will miss him dearly.”

Shaun Pickering with Jemma Reekie and Amy Hunt (Mark Shearman)

Decathlon legend Daley Thompson was also close to the Pickering family and said he was “blessed” to know Shaun, adding: “One of my best friends and much more importantly one of the nicest and kindest people I’ve ever met died today.”

Peter Eriksson, the former Olympic and Paralympic head coach at UKA, said: “One of the greatest people I have known. Shaun helped so many athletes. He is going to be missed by many and not forgotten. Rest in peace, my friend.”

Ian Hodge, statistician and long-time RPMF trustee, said: “Shock news to hear of Shaun Pickering’s passing earlier today. Shaun was a 1996 Olympian, and along with his parents Jean and Ron did an immeasurable amount for the sport of athletics in Great Britain.”

Fatima Whitbread, former world javelin record-holder, said: “A gentle giant of our sport with a golden heart. He will be sorely missed,” while Chris Turner, director of heritage at World Athletics, added: “Athletics and helping athletes were the core of his existence.”

As the tributes poured in, Paralympic sprints champion Richard Whitehead said: “Shaun’s legacy will be the Athlete, Coach but more importantly a great man!! Great, great loss to everyone.”

Sprinter Adam Gemili offered heart-felt comments as well when he posted: “I can’t believe this is real. I am truly heart broken. Shaun was one of the kindest and most generous souls I have ever known. He gave me a home for a year when I first moved up to Loughborough. Gone way too soon. Rest easy Shaun, you will never be forgotten!”

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Sprints coach can continue coaching but situation could change once World Athletics looks into his case further

Rana Reider has been given a one-year probation after he “acknowledged a consensual romantic relationship with an adult athlete, which presented a power imbalance”, according to his lawyer.

Attorney Ryan Stevens said Reider “was not found in violation of any other sexual misconduct claims” and would “continue his elite-level coaching of sprinters and jumpers”.

The US Center for SafeSport, which carried out the investigation, says it does not comment on such individual cases.

Law firm Griffen and Stevens said Reider had “credibly and consistently denied all other allegations of sexual misconduct” and that his one-year probationary period will include an online SafeSport Education course.

In recent years Reider has coached Olympic 200m champion Andre de Grasse of Canada, multiple triple jump world champion Christian Taylor, world 100m medallists Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Bromell, plus British sprinters Adam Gemili and Daryll Neita, although the latter two have left him during the investigation.

Reider was UK Athletics sprints and relays lead from 2012 to 2014.

Last year Reider was denied accreditation to the World Championships in Eugene as a result of the investigation against him, but was later found to have unauthorised access to the athlete warm-up area.

World Athletics said in a statement: “We understand the US Center for SafeSport has issued a decision regarding the Rana Reider case. We have not yet had access to it but as soon as we do we will consider any implications and communicate further.”

Indeed there could be further repercussions once World Athletics and the Athletics Integrity Unit have seen the full US SafeSport report.

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Clive Williams looks at the remarkable achievements of one of the UK’s finest athletics administrators

John Lister, who died on May 6 aged 81, was one of Britain’s leading athletics administrators and innovators and one of the architects of the structure of the modern-day sport in the UK.

He was a remarkable man who was just at home serving his club, where he was treasurer for almost 40 years, as occupying the same role for the UK governing body. He was the UK representative on the governing body of European athletics for 12 years and was awarded the MBE in 2010 for his services to athletics.

John will go down in UK athletics history as the man who put the proposal on behalf of his club, Cardiff AAC, to the AAA AGM in 1982 for a single governing body to govern athletics in the UK. At the time all of the various branches of the sport in the UK were governed by separate bodies.

The proposal was overwhelmingly approved but it took another 10 years before the new UK governing body – the British Athletics Federation (BAF) – became operational. So Cardiff AAC – and indeed athletics in Wales – were in the vanguard of organisational change in a sport that had been largely unchanged since being codified a century earlier.

On hearing the news of his death the former UKA President and 1964 Olympic long jump champion Lynn Davies said: “John was a personal friend and an uncompromising leader and administrator and the sport of athletics in the UK and indeed Europe has lost an exceptional pace-setter who devoted his life to our sport.”

He continued: “John was also a very generous person, and I was very grateful when, along with another Cardiff businessman in 2014, he paid for Ralph Boston, the 1960 Olympic Champion and former world record-holder to come to Cardiff to help me celebrate the 50^th anniversary of my Tokyo win.”

John Lister with Lynn Davies and Ralph Boston

In 1986 John became treasurer of the AAA which at the time governed the sport in England and Wales. He held this post until BAF was formed in 1991, holding the treasurer position until 1996. Interestingly at this time, his Cardiff club colleague the late Bill Evans was chair of the AAA and then of BAF, so effectively two members of the Cardiff club were two of most important officials in UK athletics. Underlining the commitment of both to grassroots athletics, they could often be found serving in the club’s canteen!

In 1995 John was elected the UK’s representative on the European Athletics Council and held this role with distinction for 12 years. He eventually became chairman of the marketing and communication committee and in this role he was the lead official in the delivery of the 2002 (Munich) and 2006 (Gothenburg) European Championships. He stood down from his European role in 2007 and as a mark of his service was awarded the status of European Athletics Honorary Council Member. World triple jump record-holder Jonathan Edwards replaced him as the UK’s representative.

On retiring from his European activities he was awarded the MBE for his services to athletics and became only the second Briton after the late Sir Arthur Gold to receive the IAAF Plaque of Merit at the 46th IAAF congress in Osaka during the 2007 World Championships. Both awards were made in recognition of his contribution to athletics as a competitor and administrator at club, Welsh, UK and European level for almost half a century.

John Lister in 2008 (Mark Shearman)

Originally a member of Birchgrove Harriers, which he joined when a pupil at Cardiff High School, he was one of the prime movers for the amalgamation of the two Cardiff clubs – Birchgrove and Roath Harriers to form Cardiff AAC in 1968.

He led a small working group which produced the “Birchgrove Report” a year or so before the amalgamation which became the blueprint for the new club and indeed many other new clubs in the UK. The new club just failed to win the British League title in the first year of the league in 1969 before going on to win the league title for three successive years between 1972 and 1974.

John was one of the leading lights in the formation of the league and indeed, one of the star performers in the Cardiff team which became Britain’s top club by taking the British League title, winning the Pye Cup in 1973 and becoming the first British club to compete in the European Clubs’ Championship in Belgium in 1975.

Showing his administrative skills at a relatively young age when still competing at a high level, he had to hurriedly hand write the first British league constitution in 1969 to formalise matters just before the first ever league match took place in Twickenham in May 1969 with newly formed Cardiff in the top division.

As an outstanding athlete he first hit the headlines setting a new Welsh high jump record aged 19 in 1961 which made him the leading performer for his age and the fifth best overall in Britain that year. He went on to win 12 senior Welsh and several junior titles. His senior wins were four at 120 yards hurdles, two at 220 yards hurdles, four at high jump and two at decathlon. Although a fine all-rounder, he disliked the pole vault in the decathlon and often he would high jump higher than he could achieve in the vault. Indeed, he no-heighted in one Welsh decathlon championship but still won the title!

John competed in the famous 1965 duel in Cardiff between Davies and the man he beat in Tokyo, the 1960 Olympic champion Ralph Boston. John finished fourth with 7.21m, a distance that would have won him the Welsh title last year. And that event was probably his fourth best event – and he achieved that leap off a cinder run-up almost 65 years ago.

It was largely as a result of John’s endeavours and a small number of other Cardiff officials, including the late Don Robinson, that the first Leckwith track was built in the late 1980s. This replaced the outdated Maindy Stadium which had closed almost 20 years earlier meaning that the Cardiff British league team had to hold their home fixtures in Cwmbran.

He then led the discussions with Cardiff City Council on behalf of Cardiff AAC for the transfer of the club’s headquarters from the old Leckwith Stadium to the new athletics facility across the road, which now as Cardiff International Sports Campus, is the HQ of Welsh Athletics (WA) the governing body of the sport in Wales.

James Williams, the CEO of Welsh Athletics and a former Cardiff captain and British league team manager, said: “The contribution John made to the sport across the UK was immense, it is not an understatement to say that there would be no Welsh Athletics Ltd without the work undertaken by John in the 80’s and early 90’s to establish the British Athletics Federation, the precursor to the current governing body UK Athletics. It is testament to his passion for the sport that at the same time he was on the council of European Athletics, he was also an ever present in his club Cardiff AAC.”

He added: “During my time with the club, I would often enjoy our discussions about the future of the sport, and he was always ready to offer support and advice to any budding club officer. John will go down as one of the most influential people in the sport of athletics, and the impact of his work will be felt across the whole of Europe.”

John Lister (Mark Shearman)

As well as John’s near 40-year stint as Cardiff club treasurer, he had been club captain, chairman and president. He was awarded the Welsh AAA Award of Honour in 2009 having been a member of the Welsh AAA executive committee for almost 11 years during the 1960s and early 1970s while still competing.

John officially retired as a competitor aged 32 and turned full attention to the administrative side of the sport, and as a chartered accountant he was ideal for the various roles that came his way. In private life he was a very successful businessman and showed enormous energy to fulfil his many athletics roles whilst still running his successful business.

He juggled his business life, competitive career and administrative roles with great skill, in an era where there were no professional athletics administrators and where all front-line roles were performed by volunteers.

In 2011, he produced a book, Athletics in the United Kingdom – the rise and fall of the British Athletics Federation which recounts the tortuous battles he and others had with the then governing bodies in the UK to modernise the sport.

The book is a lasting epitaph to one of the UK’s outstanding athletics visionaries, the like of whom we will never see again.

Former Welsh decathlon and 400m hurdles champion Derek Fishwick summed-up John’s immense contribution to our sport, saying: “John was not always the most popular figure, because of his direct and business-like approach. But beneath that cool exterior was a man who was more effective, ambitious and generous than anyone I ever knew in the sport of athletics.

“It is hard to think of a Welshman who made a bigger impact on our sport at every level. He was a big hitter and an all-rounder in every sense of the word: A talented multi-eventer; a loyal clubman; a representative of the sport at the highest level; and a committed leader through many decades.”

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Sprint showdown to take place between Olympic and world 100m champion in Italy on June 2

Marcell Jacobs and Fred Kerley will go head-to-head against each other at the Florence Diamond League (June 2) in a battle between two of the biggest heavyweights in men’s sprinting.

The Olympic and world champion have exchanged words across social media for the past couple of months but now they will do the talking on the track.

At the press conference for last week’s Doha Diamond League (May 5), Kerley said: “If it [100m race v Jacobs] happens, I will win. If he’d show up? I don’t know.”

It’s set to be a blockbuster occasion in Florence with the pair only having raced each other over 100m on just two occasions.

The first was at the Monaco Diamond League in 2021 and then at the Tokyo Olympics.

Jacobs got the better of Kerley in both events but the American has since become world 100m champion and gone faster than the man who beat him to the Olympic gold medal.

Fred Kerley throwing shade on Marcell Jacobs ‍

Anson – What do you think of Marcell’s
performance at Europeans?

Fred laughs

“At the end of the day, Indoor is indoor. Real dogs come and play outdoors.”

A – Is he a real dog?

“I don’t think so, I’m just being truthful” pic.twitter.com/ksAKOaoN1U

— Track and field reports (@track_reports) April 5, 2023

Kerley is now joint-sixth on the 100m all-time list with 9.76, a time recorded at the US trials for last year’s World Championships in Oregon. Jacobs’ personal best is the 9.80 he set in that Olympic final.

The man who shares that place with Kerley on the all-time list is Trayvon Bromell. The world 100m bronze medallist and current Diamond League champion will also line-up against both Kerley and Jacobs in what could be one of the most eye-catching sprint races on the calendar before the World Championships in Budapest.

Jacobs is yet to open up outdoors this season. At the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul, he lost out on 60m gold to fellow Italian teammate Samuele Ceccarelli, who is also on the start list for Florence.

Kerley on the other hand has raced over 200m twice and 400m once so far this year. He will compete in his first 100m outing at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Yokohama on May 21.

The Golden Gala Pietro Mennea – which has moved from Rome to Florence this year because of the late finish to the Serie A season – has a rich history of providing drama and records.

The Tuscan capital first hosted the Diamond League two years ago when Sifan Hassan and Faith Kipyegon slugged it out in a battle for the ages in an epic 1500m, the former triumphing with 3:53.63.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen also set a European record of 12:48.45 in the 5000m.

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Jamaican sprinter picks up prestigious award while Catherine Debrunner is Sportsperson of Year with Disability

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has added another accolade to her already glittering collection after becoming 2023 Laureus Sportswoman of the Year.

The 36-year-old Jamaican sprinter was rewarded at the Laureus Awards ceremony in Paris (May 8) for a remarkable 2022 that saw her win a record-breaking fifth world 100m title, world 200m and 4x100m silver medals and a fifth sprint Diamond League crown.

It was a truly historic season for Fraser-Pryce as she also became the first woman to run seven sub-10.7 times in one year, clocking wind legal marks of 10.67, 10.67, 10.67, 10.66, 10.67, 10.62 and 10.65.

In being crowned Sportswoman of the Year, Fraser-Pryce beat fellow track and field star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, footballer Alexia Putellas, tennis star Iga Świątek, swimmer Katie Ledecky and alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin.

@realshellyannfp is the 2023 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year.

The Mommy Rocket extended her phenomenal legacy on the track last year by winning a fifth @WorldAthletics 100m title and a fifth @Diamond_League trophy. #Laureus23 pic.twitter.com/JLoNN23qPu

— Laureus (@LaureusSport) May 8, 2023

“I was thrilled to be nominated alongside such inspiring female athletes,” Fraser-Pryce said. “To win this award, voted for by some of the greatest sportsmen and women of all time, is just amazing.

“This is the sixth time I’ve been nominated in this category, so to finally hold the Laureus statuette in my hands is one of the greatest honours of my career.

“When athletes have the spotlight, it’s important the example we set is the best it can be. We have a responsibility to influence the next generation in a positive way and that’s what the Laureus Awards are all about.”

This award will be extra special for the “Pocket Rocket” as Laureus acknowledges athletes from all sports and not just athletics.

Previous track and field stars to claim the prize have included: Elaine Thompson-Herah (2022), Jessica Ennis (2013), Yelena Isinbayeva (2007 and 2009), Kelly Holmes (2004) Cathy Freeman (2001) and of course Usain Bolt (2009, 2010, 2013 and 2017).

Catherine Debrunner is the 2023 Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability.

A glittering year in 2022 saw Catherine dominate on the road and the track, with major race victories and stunning world records. #Laureus23 pic.twitter.com/WYHIGsZh4N

— Laureus (@LaureusSport) May 8, 2023

Fraser-Pryce wasn’t the only athletics star to be recognised by Laureus in the French capital as Catherine Debrunner was named Sportsperson of Year with Disability.

The 28-year-old Swiss athlete had a spectacular 2022 and saw her set four world records in the T53 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m.

Debrunner then went on to win her debut marathon in Berlin and followed it up with victory in London seven days later.

The Laureus Awards were first established in 1999 to honour individuals and teams from the sporting world.

The awards support the work of Laureus Sport for Good, which supports over 160 community projects in more than 40 countries.

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Young thrower sets sights on succeeding fellow athlete Geoff Capes as winner of the prestigious World’s Strongest Man crown

One of Britain’s most talented young throwers, Lewis Byng, is now focusing on strongman competitions instead of athletics with the goal of one day winning the World’s Strongest Man title.

If he succeeds, he will become the first track and field athlete to win the World’s Strongest Man crown since Geoff Capes in the 1980s.

Like Capes, Byng has so far made a name for himself in the shot put. He is No.1 on the UK under-20 all-time rankings with the 6kg shot and won English Schools titles in 2018 and 2019 in addition to finishing seventh and eighth in the European under-18 and under-20 championships in 2018-2019 respectively.

The mighty Capes, meanwhile, was twice Commonwealth champion, twice European indoor champion and competed at three Olympic Games before becoming the first Brit to win the World’s Strongest Man in 1983 and 1985.

Geoff Capes (Mark Shearman)

“Competing at two sports at a high level is very demanding on the body, especially when one wants you to be super strong and one wants you to be super fast and powerful,” says Byng.

“Obviously there are cross-overs but for me there is no fun in shot put anymore. After 2020-21 I lost the love of it but now I have the love for strongman and I intend on pursuing it fully with all my heart and passion with the aims of being world’s strongest man one day.”

Byng started athletics aged 11 initially as a javelin thrower but found shot put came naturally to him. 

Lewis Byng (Mark Shearman)

He has autism but became one of Britain’s most successful teenage athletes and, outside the shot put, he mastered the Rubik’s Cube too and is able to complete it in a few seconds.

He enjoyed great success during his teens with Stratford-upon-Avon AC but in the 2020-21 period became disillusioned with shot put and more interested in the world of strongman.

Aged 20, he completed a 400kg deadlift last year before improving to 411kg – an under-23 strongman world record.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by KYNG BYNG (@lewis_byng)

In recent years Brits such as Eddie Hall and Tom Stoltman have won the World’s Strongest Man title with their exploits traditionally broadcast on television over the Christmas period. Neither Hall nor Stoltman has come from an athletics background, though.

So can Byng one day succeed them and also Capes by taking the crown?

“I’m competing on October 8 to deadlift 453.5kg to break the under-23 world record by 33.5kg and I fully believe I will win the World’s Strongest Man one day,” says Byng, who is now aged 21 and coached by former shot putter Mark Edwards. “It’s just a long journey ahead.”

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American won world 100m title at London 2017 and three Olympic medals at Rio 2016 during brilliant sprints career

The athletics world was in shock on Wednesday (May 3) when the news broke that US sprinter Tori Bowie had died aged 32 at her home in Florida.

One of the finest sprinters of recent years, she won 4x100m gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics, plus 100m silver and 200m bronze at those Games before going on to claim the world 100m and 4x100m titles in London the following year.

Her 100m and 200m best marks were 10.78 and 21.77 but she was also a world-class long jumper with a PB of 6.95m.

Bowie’s management agency, Icon Management, broke the news although a cause of death has not been released.

They said: “We’re devastated to share the very sad news that Tori Bowie has passed away. We’ve lost a client, dear friend, daughter and sister.

“Tori was a champion… a beacon of light that shined so bright! We’re truly heartbroken and our prayers are with the family and friends.”

Tori Bowie (Getty)

“My heart breaks for the family of Tori Bowie,” wrote fellow sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on Twitter. “A great competitor and source of light. Your energy and smile will always be with me. Rest in peace.”

“USATF is deeply saddened by the passing of Tori Bowie, a three-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion,” Max Siegel, chief executive of USA Track and Field, added. “A talented athlete, her impact on the sport is immeasurable, and she will be greatly missed.”

Bowie was raised by her grandmother in the small town of Sand Hill but her talent earned her a scholarship at the University of Southern Mississippi where she won NCAA titles indoors and out in the long jump. She focused on that event until 2014, when she began to prioritise sprinting.

Tori Bowie (Mark Shearman)

Global medals followed with 100m bronze at the World Championships in Beijing in 2015 and multiple medals at the Rio 2016 and London 2017 events, including 100m gold in the British capital with 10.85 ahead of Marie-Josée Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast and Dafne Schippers of Netherlands.

Approaching the finish in London, Ta Lou looked set for gold but Bowie finished brilliantly, timed her dip to perfection and fell heavily on the track as she lunged at the line to claim the win by one hundredth of a second.

Bowie then returned to long jump and placed fourth in the World Championships in Doha in 2019, although she did not try to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

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Botswana’s Olympic 800m silver medallist from London 2012 is given ban after testing positive for prohibited substance

Nijel Amos, the joint-third fastest 800m runner in history, will miss next year’s Olympics in Paris after receiving a three-year ban.

The 29-year-old Botswanan tested positive for metabolites of GW1516, a metabolic modulator that has been prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency since 2009, in an out-of-competition test last June. Amos was subsequently suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit.

After an investigation by the AIU, he will now serve a ban.

“The athlete [Amos] has failed to demonstrate that the anti-doping rule violations were not intentional,” a statement by the AIU read.

Amos admitted to the charge so received a reduction on the standard four-year ban. It ends on July 11, 2025, meaning he could return to the World Championships in Tokyo.

All of his results since June 4, 2022 will be nulled. The disqualification period does not therefore include his Olympic silver and Commonwealth gold medal from 2012 and 2014 respectively.

The AIU has banned Nijel Amos (Botswana) for 3 years, from 12 July 2022, for the presence/use of a Prohibited Substance (GW1516). DQ results since 4 June 2022.

Details here: https://t.co/JCHOegt33F pic.twitter.com/fiIqs7Ezsh

— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) May 3, 2023

Amos holds the record for the fastest losing time in an 800m race, when his 1:41.73 – which puts him joint third on the all-time list with Sebastian Coe – wasn’t enough to stop David Rudisha at London 2012. Rudisha clocked a stunning world record of 1:40.91, a mark that no one has got close to since.

Amos was 18 when he ran his 1:41.73 in London and it still stands as the world under-20 record.

The Botswanan also finished eighth in the Olympic 800m final in Tokyo.

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Olympic champion in Rome 1960 and multiple world record-breaker from the United States was 83 years old

Tributes have poured in for Ralph Boston, the 1960 Olympic long jump gold medallist and six-time world record-holder, who died on Sunday (April 30) aged 83 following a stroke.

Carl Lewis, four-time Olympic long jump champion, said: “I’m devastated about Ralph Boston’s passing. As a child I idolised him and he was a major influence in my life. I’ll miss his voice and support. He changed the game as an athlete, advocate and mentor. Jumpers, Know his name!!! Rest with the greats.”

USA Track & Field, meanwhile, said: “Our sport has lost a legend with the passing of Ralph Boston. The greatest long jumper of his time, Boston broke the world record six times and was a member of the inaugural National Track & Field Hall of Fame. His legacy and contributions will live on for generations to come.”

Coincidentally, Boston’s death comes just days after Vira Krepkina, the Olympic women’s long jump champion from the same 1960 Games, passed away aged 90.

Jesse Owens held the long jump world record from 1935 to 1960 with 8.13m, but Boston was the man to break Owens’ brilliant mark with 8.21m. Competing in Walnut, California, on August 12 in 1960, Boston leapt 8.07m in the third round before soaring out to 8.21m in the fifth.

The imperial measurements which dominated at the time saw the mark registered at 26ft 11¼in and Boston said: “I thought I’d gone over 26ft but I didn’t think it was that far!”

Just three weeks later in Rome, the 21-year-old Boston took to the runway and won Olympic gold with 8.12m – a distance that broke Owens’ long-standing Olympic record from the 1936 Berlin Games.

It was a close competition, though, as Boston’s American team-mate Bo Roberson fell just one centimetre short with his final jump while Armenian Igor Ter-Ovanesyan jumped a European record of 8.04m for bronze.

Ralph Boston (Getty)

The last of 10 children and the son of a farmer and handyman, Boston grew up in Laurel, Mississippi, and as a teenager he borrowed his father’s tools to build a track on a nearby lot that included a high jump set made from bamboo and a sawdust landing pit.

Laurel, however, was a focal point of Ku Klux Klan violence and after his victory in Rome he returned to his home town but was only able to use segregated restaurants and restrooms. “I was a citizen of the world,” he said, “but not a citizen of Mississippi.”

Following his Olympic triumph Boston broke the world record a further five times. In 1961 he jumped 8.24m at the California Relays in Modesto in May – in doing so becoming the first man to jump 27ft – and in July he leapt 8.28m at a Soviet Union vs United States match in Moscow.

Ter-Ovanesyan took the record back from Boston in 1962 with 8.31m but the American regained the mantle of world record-holder in 1964 by firstly jumping 8.31m in Kingston, Jamaica, then 8.34m at the US Olympic trials in Los Angeles. At those trials he also jumped 8.49m in the first round but it was ruled out due to a 2.6m/sec tailwind.

Finally he took the world record to 8.35m in Modesto in 1965 before Ter-Ovanesyan equalled his mark in 1967 and then Bob Beamon took long jumping to a new level with an altitude-assisted 8.90m at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

Boston completed a full set of Olympic medals as he won silver in Tokyo in 1964 and bronze in Mexico in 1968.

In 1964 he jumped 8.03m behind Lynn Davies’ 8.07m as the PE teacher from Wales struck gold for Britain in wet and windy conditions. Boston’s biggest jump came in the last round, too, with Davies covering his face with his hands and peeping through his fingers as the American fell just 4cm short.

Boston got his revenge one year later on Davies’ home patch in Cardiff, though. The head-to-head was the highlight of the Welsh Games with organisers flying Boston over from the United States for the clash.

Cardiff City Council dug a special long jump pit in front of the main grandstand to give the event maximum exposure and, with Ron Pickering on the commentary in the stadium, Boston won with a Welsh all-comers’ record of 8.18m

“He slaughtered me in front of 10,000 Welshmen,” Davies later said. “Everybody was shouting for me as I jumped. But I was absolutely humiliated.”

In 1968 Boston jumped 8.16m for bronze at the Mexico Games, some distance behind Beamon’s winning leap, but Boston could claim some credit for his team-mate’s victory as he had been informally coaching Beamon during the run-up to the Games and, among other things, had advised him during a nervous qualifying round to relax and take off from a mark a few inches before the take-off board.

“It was easy to end my career,” Boston said. “I’d won a gold, silver and a bronze in that order. There’s nothing for fourth place, so I just said, ‘okay, that’s enough.’”

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England Athletics and UKA show that trolls and bullies on the internet will no longer be tolerated by track and field governing bodies

Paul Baxter, an athletics official from Yorkshire, is believed to have become the first person to receive a ban from UK Athletics for online abuse.

Baxter, a former member of City of York AC, has been given a three-and-a-half year ban from the sport for online bullying and harassment of Katey Ross, a former athlete who acts as an administrator on the popular Facebook group “I Was, Or Am A Runner!”

Baxter was charged by England Athletics with “making a number of inappropriate, threatening, bullying or harassing online posts” toward Ross, who waived her anonymity in the case.

Baxter, who is a prominent figure in the sport in the North of England and works as an estate agent in Yorkshire, resigned from his club during the investigation and following an inquiry by an independent panel he has admitted four of the five charges.

Concerns that anti-bullying policies would not apply in an online case proved unfounded, which marks a step forward for safeguarding in sport. The case has received coverage in The Times and the full details are listed on the UKA website here.

In addition to having his membership and association of athletics-related activities terminated and his official’s licence revoked for three-and-a-half years, Baxter is forbidden from holding any position of responsibility for a further 18 months and must attend a training course on equality, diversity, inclusion, safeguarding and anti-bullying in sport before he can return to athletics.

The charges included Baxter pursuing “a course of conduct online amounting to harassment… This included making a number of inappropriate, threatening, bullying or harassing online posts of Facebook about an athlete which made her feel intimidated, alarmed or distressed or otherwise fear for her personal safety”.

Baxter posted under his real name and not anonymously and his behaviour was judged to have broken multiple sections in the Code of Conduct for Officials and Volunteers.

Ross said: “This landmark is case sending out a very clear message to others that in athletics engaging in online abuse may lead to a real-life ban.

“The behaviour of Paul Baxter – and the other men who contributed to his abusive posts – sadly illustrates the wider problem of misogyny in sport; a problem women in all areas of athletics — coaching, officiating, committee members, media etc — will unfortunately be only too aware of.

“Reporting abuse of any kind isn’t easy. Women who raise awareness of abuse in sport being attacked online by men for daring to do so, is something that happens far too often. In athletics I hope it may happen a little less now.”

AW understands that investigations are ongoing relating to people in athletics who interacted with Baxter during his abusive posts.

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Mondo surface in Hungary promises to be fast as this year’s big event on August 19-27 approaches

The track for the World Championships in Budapest in August was unveiled this week as the facility nears completion.

Although the roof structure has long been part of the panorama of the Danube, the Hungarian media were shown the freshly laid Mondo surface and completed grandstands.

The event from August 19-27 is expected to be watched by almost 400,000 people on site and around one billion people on television. The 35,000-seat grandstand will be dismantled after the biggest sporting event in Hungary’s history and the temporary spectator area will be replaced by one of Europe’s most picturesque running circles for sports fans and recreational runners, while professional athletes will still be able to train in the centre.

In contrast to previous world championships, medal ceremonies will be held outside the stadium, in the adjacent Medal Plaza, before the evening sessions, instead of between the events, so that spectators arriving at the venue will be able to get up close to the world’s best athletes.

There is also an indoor six-lane running track and in parallel with the construction of the stadium a 168m-long single-pylon pedestrian bridge – also known as the Robinson Bridge – has been completed to link the arena to the training ground on Csepel Island.

The stadium is set to open in mid-June for a family sports day and the first competition will be the Hungarian National Championships in mid-July.

Buy your ticket or package here to the nine evening and five morning sessions.

Are you excited for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest?

Here is footage of the brand new stadium – with a Mondo track – as it nears its completion

What a venue

@WorldAthletics pic.twitter.com/uHaGhS0pcz

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) April 28, 2023

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Knee injury is “the final crack in the armour” as Scot is forced to postpone her 26.2-mile debut once more

An emotional Eilish McColgan has been forced to withdraw from Sunday’s TCS London Marathon.

The 32-year-old, who has broken the British 10,000m and half marathon records already this year, had been due to make her debut over 26.2 miles this weekend but said a “bad storm” of factors, topped off by a knee injury and which included a sponsorship clash, had combined to stop her from making the start line.

This is the second time that McColgan, who was also unable to run the previous edition of the London Marathon in October due to fitness problems, has had to pull out and her frustration was evident.

“I’ve tried. Trust me, I’ve tried but it’s just got to the point where it’s not going to be feasible to run a marathon this weekend,” said the 10,000m Commonwealth champion, who revealed she also tore her hamstring during her recent record-breaking half marathon run in Berlin.

“There are a few factors that have all come together like a bad storm. This hasn’t been just the knee, there’s been a whole host of stuff over the last three weeks, which has just built up and built up. This knee thing has been like the final crack in the armour.

“Of course, I’m disappointed. I wanted to be there on the start line. I know I’m ready to run a good marathon. I know the shape that I’m in right now and I think that’s probably what makes it hard to not just be on the start line and give it a go.”

The hamstring tear three weeks ago is where doubts began to surface about McColgan’s participation in London and she admitted the “will I run, won’t I run?” situation had taken a toll.

“I said I would always be open and honest about my journey and there have been times where we’ve thought, ‘we’re running London’, and then ‘we’re not running London’. That’s been the process over this last three weeks. In Berlin, I felt it [my hamstring] go with a kilometre to go and it turned out to be a tear. Initially, I thought ‘that’s it, London’s out’ but we managed to rehab it and I felt confident then about London again.”

It was at that point, however, when McColgan insists she came up against another hurdle. An issue over sponsorship, believed to centre around her newly signed deal with Science In Sport, arose ahead of the London Marathon, of which Lucozade Sport is a main sponsor.

“I was then hit with a further roadblock, having been told I wouldn’t be allowed to race due to a sponsor clash between myself and London Marathon’s sponsor,” wrote McColgan in a social media statement. “I do not doubt that the major marathon contracts will be updated in future years, (most likely once the bigger-named athletes are involved). But it needs to change to give athletes the chance to be financially stable. And they certainly should not be restricted as to what races they can or cannot do, purely because of a logo on their chest!”

Speaking on a media call, she continued: “I’ve had a few disagreements with London Marathon themselves regarding the contractual side of things. It was ‘what do we do now?’ Do we find another marathon? Do I find another race? Can I do it? Can I not do it?’.

“I think [with] all of that – the stress and just everything – my body’s then said: ‘Look, you’ve had enough now. You’re trying to make everybody happy. You’re trying to push yourself to the limit as well of being fit and healthy on the day’. And I think it’s just all come to a halt.”

For that to happen on the eve of the big day and a discipline in which there are high hopes about what McColgan might be able to achieve, has been particularly hard to take.

“It’s frustrating because I’m so close to it,” added McColgan. “I can see the start line and I’m not going to be there. Thankfully, the knee is nothing serious. I’ve got a lot of inflammation in the fat pad to the side of my knee and there’s an impingement there. The impingement is what is really causing my pain.

“We’ve spoken about all the options. Do you get an injection into it and do you just go and do it? And I just thought, for this point in my career, I’m not taking like any unnecessary risks. As much as I really want to be in London, I don’t want to put my long-term career at risk, either.

“Having trained so hard to be there, it’s sad. I’m not going to lie, I’ve shed a lot of tears for the last two days. It is what it is. My dad keeps reminding me there will always be another London Marathon. All elite athletes go through this. I just hope one day I will be on that start line and I know that it’ll be worth it in the end. I know I can run a good marathon and I know that one day it will be at London.”

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