A great demonstration by the Caribbean relay, with incredible second and fourth legs. After the first 500 metres, Jereem Richards made a very good approach to the inside lane, surpassing two athletes while doing so. After the third leg, the T&T and USA were side by side and when the decisive lap came, Lalonde Gordon just waited behind the Americans until the finish straight and then blew the fatal strike, leaving his teammates euphoric with the golden medal! [Photo: AP Photo/Martin Meissner ..read more

When Kejelcha got to the front of the race at the ringing of the bell and started looking back for his compatriots I had the feeling that for the first time there was a chance of Mo Farah being beaten. The only way I thought there was of beating the multiple-times world champion was working as a team in order to get away from the Briton before he could get away from the them and that was exactly what the East-African country did. Here, I present the factors which I consider to have been essential in this upset: 1. Ethiopia worked as a team and were together in the front with 400 metres to go ..read more

The last 20 days have been productive for Wayde van Niekerk’s consolidation as a very powerful multiple-event sprinter.  Last night’s Golden Spike meeting, in Ostrava can be seen as a miniature representation of the “exchange of baton” which is occurring in the athletics sprints, with the South African shifting the limelight from Usain Bolt (who ran a modest 10.06 in the 100 metres) to  his world best in the 300 metres. The previous weeks we had seen him dipping even more bellow the 10- and 20-seconds barriers and those marks were building momentum to his likely attempt at the 200/40 ..read more

The first of April is the day the most mind-blowing facts or happenings are heard. Unfortunately or not, such a date also indicates that the accomplishment will likely turn out to be false. However, from time to time, this tradition is broken and when you wake up on the next morning, the news on the IAAF website are still the same. That is the moment you realize a milestone has just been shattered by Joyciline Jepkosgei! Last Saturday, when the world first heard of the women’s half-marathon world record having been broken, the announcement didn’t come alone. There were 3 other records associa ..read more

In case Keninisa Bekele is right, by tomorrow, at 4:33 am GMT (8:33 Gulf time), we will have a new World Record in the men’s marathon. He is pretty confident that a the race in Dubai will allow him to do what he wasn’t able to some months ago in Berlin by some mere 6 seconds. Then, why Dubai? Actually, it has been 15 years since this world record was broken in any place outside Berlin, and the German streets have proved to be one of the best places to run when the aim is surpassing the limit of human resistance. However, we should broaden our vision. Looking at the statistics, we see that 13 ..read more

It breaks mine and most athletics supporter’s hearts to hear about the retirement of the most prolific couple in athletics for the last few years. In what concerns Ashton, it comes as unexpectedly as any other retirement after consecutive years with World and Olympic Records broken. Even though he is already 28, did have some fuel left and titles to reconquer. Brianne too had won her first senior World title in Portland less than one year ago. It is, however, a comprehensible decision, especially, when it is simultaneous. Time for themselves is something they must have never really enjoyed and ..read more

The absurd expressed by the header is real and, unfortunately, is starting to become an habit. However, I leave you the photos of the first European-born athletes to cross the finish line in the Senior races, Karoline Grovdal and Callum Hawkins. Racing even when you know you should be in the top of the podium and not winning a bronze medal is a demonstration of the true spirit of athletics, unlike the monetary prizes that some countries offer to athletes of previous nationalities… (Photo: Tullio M. Puglia; Getty Images ..read more

Prize for most significant feat? or Career award? IAAF and the athletics community have voted for the Athletes of the Year! The outcome was a victory for Almaz Ayana and Usain Bolt. On the one hand, the victory of 10,000 metres Ethiopian runner who broke the World Record by 14 seconds at the Rio Olympic Games was in no way unexpected. Especially when the Diamond League saw her threaten the 5000 metres WR so often (every time she ran the distance). On the other hand, Usain Bolt, Mo Farah and Wayde van Niekerk were contenders for the prize of the best male athlete. Mo Farah was, just like Bolt i ..read more

The men’s T13 1500 metres Paralympic final has been spreading around the world for the fact of four athletes having ran faster times than the one that crowned the Olympic Champion in the same distance (3:50.00). Despite how incredible this might seem, it’s not everything that  occurred in that race, and probably not the most relevant. In the final stretch, Ethiopia’s Tamiru Demisse approached the winner (Algeria’s Abdelatiff Baka) to the point of being side by side with him. Then, when the spectators waited for a victory with a margin of milimetres, the Ethiopian raises his arms above hi ..read more

Last night’s Brussels Memorial Van Damme brought us some interesting competition, but no big deal in what concerns major upsets. Ayana kept threatening the 5000m World Record, Conseslus Kipruto remained unbeatable, Elaine Thompson left Dafne Schippers behind once more, Caterine Ibarguen won the triple jump contest again… In terms of result, the highlight goes to Sandi Morris, who cleared the bar at the iconic height of 5.00 metres in the women’s pole vault. After runner-up places in both the World indoor Championships and the Olympics, the American becomes the third best of all time in the e ..read more