Athletics

Great night at the World Championships in Moscow.

First up, the greatest female distance runner of all time, Tirunesh Dibaba, won her 5th world title. Sometimes the Kenyans try to out-sprint her, and other times they try to out-last her. Makes no difference, she is simply the best and, at 27, may not be finished yet. I see her husband is a 4 x World/Olympic silver medalist at 10,000m - serious distance running genes going to their kids!

After Dibaba we had Usain Bolt, the greatest sportsman in the world today, and one of the very greatest of all time. His time was 'only' 9.77 seconds, but it was into a slight headwind and on a wet track. Gatlin pushed him, but Bolt's big race temperament is unrivalled.

Christine Ohuruogu always turns up when it really matters.....except for those 3 missed drugs tests some years back  .  To be fair to Ohuruogu, if she is clean, there is no-one better at peaking when it really matters, and delivering on the big day.  Brilliantly maintained her stride pattern all the way to the line and won a 2nd world title on the dip.

In the women's 100m, it was another athlete who has previously failed a drugs test coming out on top.  Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was as sensational as her shocking pink hair, and just obliterated the rest of the field.  It's very hard not to like SAFP, but the fact that she's Jamaican and has previously failed a test does tend to slightly cloud her eye-popping brilliance.

Cometh the moment, cometh the woman. Past her best and out of form, the legendary Yelena Isinbayeva has won the pole vault in her home games.

Isinbayeva set 17 outdoor pole vault world records between 2003-2009, winning 2 Olympic and 2 World titles in that same period. She's done little to compare since then, but delivered tonight when it clearly really mattered to her.

Half empty crowds in Moscow so far, but the stadium was packed and jumping this evening to see Russia's greatest female athlete.

Thomas Clarke wrote:Christine Ohuruogu always turns up when it really matters.....except for those 3 missed drugs tests some years back  .  To be fair to Ohuruogu, if she is clean, there is no-one better at peaking when it really matters, and delivering on the big day.  Brilliantly maintained her stride pattern all the way to the line and won a 2nd world title on the dip.

In the women's 100m, it was another athlete who has previously failed a drugs test coming out on top.  Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was as sensational as her shocking pink hair, and just obliterated the rest of the field.  It's very hard not to like SAFP, but the fact that she's Jamaican and has previously failed a test does tend to slightly cloud her eye-popping brilliance.

ha ha, love the Ohuruogu missed drugs test comment!

Have only been dipping in and out of these games but have been enjoying what ive watched. SAFP was brilliant and as you say very likeable! Am looking forward to the possible Kenyan/Ethopian charge against Mo, tomorrow night isnt it?

Top, Top man. Delighted for him in fairness. Honest, hard-working and an all-round good guy.

We'll always have Heffo.... RIP again Kevin.

Thomas Clarke wrote:Cometh the moment, cometh the woman.  Past her best and out of form, the legendary Yelena Isinbayeva has won the pole vault in her home games.  

Isinbayeva set 17 outdoor pole vault world records between 2003-2009, winning 2 Olympic and 2 World titles in that same period.  She's done little to compare since then, but delivered tonight when it clearly really mattered to her.

Half empty crowds in Moscow so far, but the stadium was packed and jumping this evening to see Russia's greatest female athlete.

I take it all back. Awful stuff, but worryingly common in Russia at the moment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/23717242

Thomas Clarke wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:Cometh the moment, cometh the woman.  Past her best and out of form, the legendary Yelena Isinbayeva has won the pole vault in her home games.  

Isinbayeva set 17 outdoor pole vault world records between 2003-2009, winning 2 Olympic and 2 World titles in that same period.  She's done little to compare since then, but delivered tonight when it clearly really mattered to her.

Half empty crowds in Moscow so far, but the stadium was packed and jumping this evening to see Russia's greatest female athlete.

I take it all back. Awful stuff, but worryingly common in Russia at the moment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/23717242

Wow! Just wow, i can't think of anything else to say really!

bald eagle wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:Cometh the moment, cometh the woman.  Past her best and out of form, the legendary Yelena Isinbayeva has won the pole vault in her home games.  

Isinbayeva set 17 outdoor pole vault world records between 2003-2009, winning 2 Olympic and 2 World titles in that same period.  She's done little to compare since then, but delivered tonight when it clearly really mattered to her.

Half empty crowds in Moscow so far, but the stadium was packed and jumping this evening to see Russia's greatest female athlete.

I take it all back.  Awful stuff, but worryingly common in Russia at the moment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/23717242

Wow! Just wow, i can't think of anything else to say really!

Earlier this week, Stephen Fry was spearheading a campaign to boycott Russia's Winter Olympics for this very reason. When a top athlete feels secure enough to make such comments, you know there is something badly wrong with the society they live in.

Quote of the day, following the men's 4x100m final:

GB 4x100m (would-be) bronze medallist James Ellington on BBC One: "...I was disciplined and slowed down and we got it right. We've got the changeovers down to a tee now. I'm over the moon."

Moments later they were disqualified, Ellington having received the baton a country mile outside the exchange zone.   What made this especially funny was that the whole world knew they were going to be DQ'd, but the more the realisation dawned on everyone else, the wilder and more exuberantly the quartet celebrated.  The brazen 4 were eventually outed while walking to the medal ceremony.  

Methinks their bravado was perhaps a case of this...