SPIKESMAG.COM

Christian Taylor on taking track and field to the streets

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:53:52 +0100

If he was king for a day, world and Olympic champion triple jumper Christian Taylor would have more athletics competitions on America’s streets.

“I’d love to see more street athletics comes to the States. It would be great to see these events hit the really big cities like Las Vegas, New York and Miami. Lots of pairs of eyes would see these competitions and it would bring a lot of attention back to the sport in the United States.

“A lot of people said to me ‘what are going to do for the next four years?’ and having events such as this would really broaden exposure to the sport. Athletics has a lot of participation in the US, and it would be great to see someone have the guts to follow through with it and get a sponsor involved to start such competitions.

“Personally, I have competed in one street athletics event in Newcastle, England [watch below]. It was unbelievable, and outside of major championships it was the best competition I’ve been involved with in my life. The crowd are just two feet away from you and you can practically high five them on the runway.”

“Street athletics gives the athletes a real chance to have a personal relationship with the audience. It creates a different atmosphere. I had a phenomenal time.”

Yelena's back! Cain's improving & Harting breaks more hearts

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:55:17 +0100

Russian pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva only needed two for the win; China has a new(ish) long jump star in Li Jinzhe; Russia rules race walking; Jess Ennis’ wedding guest list; Cain, Harting and more … SPIKES reviews the weekend, in numbers.

0 – The number of hurdles cleared by Olympic champion Aries Merritt at the Shanghai Diamond League meeting in China. The US athlete and world record holder for the event made a premature exit with cramp on a tough weekend for the legs of some of the world’s elite athletes.

Olympic 100m silver medallist Carmelita Jeter also pulled up with a leg injury after finishing second over the distance in Shanghai, and Asafa Powell suffered a hamstring injury at a local meeting in Jamaica.

2 – The number of attempts that women’s pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva needed to secure victory in Shanghai. The 30-year-old Russian ran under the bar with her first attempt at 4.70m before achieving a successful second-time clearance.

4.48 – The number of seconds by which US high school phenomenon Mary Cain wiped off the US junior 1500m mark. The 17-year-old ran 4:04.62 for an area junior and youth record to finish second in Eagle Rock. She still has three more full seasons as a junior athlete.

23 – The age of China’s Li Jinzhe, who caused a major surprise to defeat the past three men’s Olympic long jump champions (Dwight Phillips, Irving Saladino and Greg Rutherford) to win in Shanghai. His fourth round effort of 8.34m increased his PB by 0.09m.

Li Jinzhe almost reached the final of the world champs in 2009 with 8.01m, and has jumped clear of 8m in every season since.

34 – The number of successive wins now recorded by world and Olympic discus champion Robert Harting. The giant German opened his 2013 campaign in style with a world leading 68.31m throw in Wiesbaden. His last discus defeat came in August 2010.

90 – The percentage success rate of Russian athletes at the 10th European Cup of Race Walking in Dudince. They won nine of the ten races, which bodes well for the medal table at the forthcoming World Championships in Moscow.

100 – The number of guests (approximately) that were invited to attend the marriage of Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis at a church in the Peak District in Derbyshire. The British multi-eventer tied he knot with childhood sweetheart Andy Hill. SPIKES wishes them well.

1463 – The number of days Olympic 400m hurdles bronze medallist Javier Culson was undefeated for in his home city of Ponce, before losing to American Johnny Dutch at the weekend. Culson started his unbeaten run there in 2009 and had won his previous eight races in the city, over a range of events such as the 400m hurdles, 400m, 800m and 4x400m relay.

Aries Merritt on World of Warcraft

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:55:38 +0100

Aries Merritt will be hoping to pick up where he left off in 2012 when he opens his 2013 Diamond League campaign in Shanghai tomorrow. But did you know that he credits some of last year’s incredible success to the massively popular online role-playing game, World of Warcraft?

“When I first started playing the game, people warned me I would become addicted. I never thought that was true and after I first started, I said to myself: ‘I can play this game and stop whenever I want’.

“In 2008, my grandmother passed away. She was really influential and a really key part of my life when I lost her. At that time I needed something to cling to because I felt empty, and my escape was World of Warcraft [WoW].

“That year was an Olympic year and I used to play the game through the night, which obviously wasn’t very good for my performance levels. I normally have practise at 10am. I’d finish practise and play WoW through until 4am.

“The game has given me a lot and really helped me. In 2010 I had a long-standing problem with my foot and one of the people in my guild [a group of WoW players] I knew was a podiatrist.

“She suggested I go and see a podiatrist she knew, to help sort the problem. I thought I would give it a go and as soon as he saw me, he knew I had a stress fracture. Nobody previously located the problem because the fracture was so small.

In character: Deconasia is as tough as Aries Merritt is fast.

“All of 2011 I was nursing my foot but I made the World Championships team for Daegu, and I made the finals. I made mistakes, which caused me to lose focus but it set me on the track to what I would achieve in 2012. So a lot of positives have come out of me playing WoW.

“The character I play in WoW is called Deconasia, a shadow priest. It is a fully fictional game but the one thing my character takes from me is we are both competitive. I always want to be the best at what I do. She is definitely a 12.80 character like myself.

“Every monster I fight has a different ability, so each fight throws up something different. I was in a guild that was once ranked in the top 20 in America, which is like the top 50 in the world.

“However, to reach that level, I needed to be staring at a computer screen all day, which I really don’t need to be doing as a world-class athlete.

“I don’t play as often and as intensely as I used to. I play WoW in moderation. I now make sure I go to bed at 10-11pm, and when I’m done with the game, I’m done.”

Aries Merritt opens his Diamond League campaign in Shanghai on Saturday.

"I’ve never spoken to David Beckham, I’ve never seen David Beckham but it is my hope one day to be..."

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:38:07 +0100

““I’ve never spoken to David Beckham, I’ve never seen David Beckham but it is my hope one day to be like David Beckham.””

- 110m hurdles world champion, Jason Richardson

Tyson Gay's top track moments

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:28:00 +0100

Tyson Gay, 30, is the American 100m record holder and the joint second fastest man ever. Here are his five favourite moments from a glittering career.

2007 World Championships, Osaka: 100m, 200m and 4x100m

Gay’s finest hour as he claimed triple gold, running down Asafa Powell in the 100m and claiming a decisive win over Usain Bolt in the 200m. Gay selects Osaka quite simply because, “it is where I won my first World Championship.”

2008 US Olympic Trials, Eugene: 100m

A wind-assisted 9.68 secured Gay’s spot on the US 100m Olympic team for Beijing. It was an impressive performance under the intense pressure of the ‘first three past the post’ US Olympic qualification rules.

2009 Reebok Grand Prix, New York: 200m

Injuries have restricted his potential over Gay’s “favourite distance” but on his day the Kentucky-born athlete reveals his eye-catching potential. A 19.58 lifetime best suggested he could threaten Bolt, with his ability to run ‘the turn’ in clear evidence in this outing at the Icahn Stadium.

2009 Shanghai Grand Prix: 100m

A scintillating 9.69 clocking to trim 0.02 from his US record at this end-of-season meeting was some performance. Watching a replay of the race, have you ever seen an athlete finish as strongly over the final 30m?

2012 Olympic Games, London: 4x100m

After missing out on a 100m medal by just 0.01, redemption of sorts came in the men’s 4x100m. Running the third leg, Gay helped the US quartet win a silver medal in a national record 37.04, behind the world record breaking Jamaican team. It was Gay’s maiden Olympic medal: what he calls his “gap-filler”.

Tyson Gay will open his Diamond League campaign by competing in the Adidas Grand Prix in New York - the third leg of the 2013 Diamond League season.

#sendSPIKESyourSPIKES Thanks everyone, we’ve had a great...

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:26:15 +0100

#sendSPIKESyourSPIKES

Thanks everyone, we’ve had a great response to #sendSPIKESyourSPIKES. Here is a selection of our favourites so far. Keep ‘em coming!

Michael Tinsley's long and hurdling road

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:24:03 +0100

Michael Tinsley has dipped below 49 seconds for the 400m hurdles in each of the past nine seasons: but he just could not make a major championships. In 2012, it finally came together as he landed Olympic silver with a new PB. This is his journey.

US World Championship Trials, 2007

Fresh out of college, Tinsley hoped to make a real impact as a professional athlete. He smashed his personal best to qualify fastest for the 400m hurdles final at the US Championships in 48.02: a performance which ranked him fourth in the world for the year.

Yet in the final he ran more than two seconds slower, recording 50.32 for seventh, missing a place on the three-man US team for the World Championships in Osaka.

“I wasn’t mentally strong enough at that point,” says Tinsley. “I ran the PR, I was tired and I doubted my fitness. I was thinking negatively. My body had never lived there before. What that experience taught me was stay focused on my race. Never talk myself out of a race mentally.”

US Olympic Trials, 2008

Tinsley’s season had started positively, and he was hopeful he could book a place on the US Olympic team for Beijing. Yet he drastically under-performed at the Trials, finishing fourth in 50.37 and failing to progress beyond his first round heat.

“I had a pretty good heat [draw] and I felt I could win. I messed up hurdle seven or eight and it put me out of the race. I put that down to immaturity and not taking the race seriously enough. I just wanted to go through the motions. I made that mistake. It was a tough pill to swallow, but it made me more hungry.”

US World Championships Trials, 2009 and 2011

Two US Champs and a pair of agonising fourth place finishes for Michael, one place shy of a spot on the team for both the Berlin and Daegu World Championships. On both occasions the man one place in front of him was two-time Olympic champion Angelo Taylor. Tinsley recorded 48.53 in 2009, 0.23 behind Taylor. Two years later he crossed the line in 48.45, 0.51 adrift of a top three spot.

“Running fourth and just missing the team, especially for the second time, devastated me. It hurt me a lot. I’d done everything in my power to make the team. I was eating right, staying healthy. I had to go back to the drawing board: hit the weights room and get back on track.

“I took the attitude that the next time I step on the track I have the chance to run better. I used the fourth places to motivate me. I didn’t use them as a crutch for negative energy. As hard as it sounds, I tried to use it as a positive. It is not like I wasn’t reaching the final. I knew I wasn’t far off.”

Round Rock, Texas, 2011/12

Michael approached winter training with a new-found intensity working with his coach Darryl Woodson and with input from Brooks Johnson. A new plan was put in place, which allowed him to complete all his workouts and still put in maximum effort in the gym. Yet besides the physical, he added crucial mental gains.

“I did a lot of over-distance work: like 30-minute long runs and 800m repeats. I believe, though, that I was finally ready mentally to go out and compete against these guys.

“A lot of people put in the hard work but I had to be prepared to go out there with the lights on and race against these guys with a strong mind and put my best foot forward to compete at the highest level when it mattered.”

US Olympic Trials and Olympic Games, 2012

The hard work and new found attitude finally paid dividends last summer. In the uber-competitive US Olympic Trials he delivered, winning in 48.33 and booking his spot in the team for London. In the English capital he kept his composure to produce his best ever performance when it mattered.

Competing against two existing Olympic champions in Felix Sanchez and Angelo Taylor; a pair of world champions in Kerron Clement and Dai Greene, and pre-event favourite Javier Culson, Tinsley stormed to the silver medal in a new lifetime best of 47.91.

“I just wanted to get on that medal stand and wrap the flag around me. Winning a medal was wonderful. Since then my life has changed. I now get the chance to talk at schools where I tell them to follow their dreams. I tell them I used to finish fourth and barely make it. I tell them not to let life get you down and stay focused.”

The World Championships, 2013

“I’m running well right now. I want to make the US team. For all US athletes it is about running well in June for the US Champs. I’ll be running against the same guys as last year but they’ll be ready as well. I want to make the world team and medal. That is my goal.”

Inside the mind of an ultra-runner

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:59:00 +0100

On Saturday Robbie Britton and a couple of hundred others started running around the Dutch city of Steenbergen. They didn’t stop for 24 hours. Team GB’s Britton, 26, ran five full marathons and two-thirds of another: finishing 19th at his first World Championships. SPIKES just had to find out more about the marvellous madness of ultra-running…

You’ve just done a 24-hour PB of 239.008km (148.5 miles). Can you explain what it’s like to run that far through the night?

“I never look at the whole 24 hours or 100 miles [161km], or I’d break down and cry. Mentally I just break it down into any sort of manageable chunk that I can, whether that be an hour or a kilometre. Once I’ve got through that, I can just focus on the next one.

“The night is nice because you know it’s going to finish, and when the morning comes you’ll be near the end.

“The ‘A’ qualifying standard for GB is 239km, so at the end of the race on Sunday someone told me: ‘you can nearly get 239’ so I just sprinted for the last 15 minutes to try and get it, not knowing where it was. I fell over, eight metres after it. I’m well pleased with that.”

Surely you don’t run for the whole 24 hours?

“As close to as possible. I think I sat down for a total of five minutes on Sunday. I jumped on the toilet, and did that as quickly as possible. I left the newspaper outside. Usually I enjoy a read but it’s a bit much, a bit indulgent.

“If I’m on a trail, I’ll probably pee while I’m moving. It’s not really acceptable on a course. On Sunday it was through a lovely little village. I went to pee next to a tree at one point and a bloke looked out of his window and saw me. I went: sorry, I’ll move on.”

How did you get into ultra-running?

“I started off with the London to Brighton race. It started near me, so I thought: let’s have a go. See what happens. It’s 56 miles [90km], and I did alright. I think I was seventh out of a couple of hundred people, and didn’t feel too bad in the end.

“I then started moving up and doing longer and longer races. It wasn’t until I got to 100 miles that I think I found my distance.”

Where’s the darkest place you’ve been taken by ultra-running?

“I was jogging along a trail during an ultra, and I just thought: I could probably sit down here. It was raining. I was nigh-on hypothermic. It was dark and I thought: I could probably just sit down in a ditch here and just die.

“I thought: f*** it. If I just sit down now that would be the end of me… It was a dark thought. Jesus, it could have been an hour before someone comes past me. There would have just been some brightly coloured trainers poking out. They might not see me… I’ll keep going. It kept me going!”

And the happiest?

“Nothing compares to some of the highs I’ve had racing. It has been ecstatic, ridiculous. The first time I won a 100 miler I was fifth at half way, and I gradually gained on the guy leading and caught him with three miles to go. For that whole 30-mile period I was just buzzing: on a massive high.

“And finishing this race on Sunday, absolutely spent, with a GB vest on, I just loved every second of it. It’s a massive feeling, putting the vest on and destroying myself.”

Double shorts: Britton loves pulling on his GB kit so much he wears it twice.

Do you have horrible feet?

“No they’re fine. You wouldn’t even notice. I haven’t got one blister, and I’ve never lost a toenail.”

What’s your secret?

“Vaseline. Cover your feet in Vaseline before you go running. I rub it all over, before races, just in case. Because you never know where it’s going to rub. I also duck tape my nipples.”

What makes a great ultra-runner?

“Endurance is pain and mental strength. You’ve got to be physically fit but that’s not what gets you the extra 10km in the middle of the night.

“A lot of the time, women are better at pacing. A lot of blokes will shoot off going: ‘Yeah, yeah, I’m gonna win this.’ They’ll fly off, and the women will be more sensible. Women have really good race plans, and if something is going wrong they’ll deal with it, when a bloke might try and push on, tough it out.

“You can’t tough stuff out in a 24-hour race. You’ve got to deal with problems because it gets a hundred times worse. Like a hotspot or something on your foot, if you try and shrug it off and carry on it will start bleeding.”

So what did you do last time you had a hot spot?

“I toughed it out, because I’m an idiot. If something’s going wrong, you should try and fix it. At the weekend it started raining and a lot of people kept saying… ‘It’s fine, it’s fine.’

“As soon as it started raining I chucked a waterproof on. It took me 30 seconds and those 30 seconds probably saved me a couple of hours messing around, as the other guys got really cold, and struggled.”

What are your future goals?

“I want to go back to the World Championships and I want to win it. Being out there, I was a good distance behind the winners but only physically. I think mentally I’m there. I can get there, I can make up that distance.

“I want to race at the top level in 100 milers around the world, and if possible just make it my life.”

Can ultra-running become an Olympic sport?

“It definitely could work. 24-hour racing is a completely different sport from a marathon. It’s about as close to marathon as marathon is to sprinting.

“I mean, you’d have to start it when the heats started for the triple jump or something, and just be like: ‘oh yeah, these guys are just trotting off in lane eight, leave them be.’

“They don’t show the whole of the pole vault do they? You could just pop back every now and again and see people vomiting on the side.

“It’s sick and twisted but people enjoy watching it. I’ve been watching 100-mile races and I’ve enjoyed it. Seeing the state people are in: it’s not only inspiring, it’s hilarious. People look ridiculous.”

You can follow Robbie’s escapades on twitter at @ultrabritton. He also blogs at www.robbiebritton.co.uk.

Main photo credit: Mister Castro.

Mutaz Essa Barshim takes the world's fastest interview

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:32:20 +0100

You already know that Olympic bronze medallist Mutaz Essa Barshim is the high jump star of Qatar. But did you know that he loves Hollywood, Don Cheadle, Lil Wayne and holidaying at home?

If you could chose another event to star in, what would it be?

If I wasn’t a high jumper I would probably be a triple jumper because I like to jump. It is fun to me.

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

I just had eggs with cheese and tomato for breakfast.

What is your favourite pre-competition snack?

Before a competition I don’t usually snack but if I did I’d prefer something sugary.

What are your plans for today?

I plan to watch a football game with my friends and later maybe enjoy a nice dinner.

If someone could play you in a film who would it be and why?

I like Don Cheadle but he would need to be a lot taller!

Who was your favourite teacher and why?

My favorite teacher was my social studies teacher because he was much more than teacher. He always gave us real life lessons.

Any superstitions?

No.

If you weren’t an athlete what would you be doing?

If I was not an athlete, I might be a student, or doing a different sport.

How much money do you have in your pocket at the moment?

I have no money in my pocket at the moment.

What is your favourite holiday destination?

I like to be at home because for most of the year I am travelling.

Who would be your perfect three dinner party guests?

Rapper Lil Wayne, boxer Muhammad Ali and some actors from Hollywood. I want to visit Hollywood and watch the stars make movies.

Francena McCorory's track beats dream

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:25:57 +0100

SPIKES has made Francena McCorory boss for a day and things just got interesting. The US Olympic 4x400m gold medallist and Jacko fan thinks athletes should be able to listen to their favourite tunes on the track.

“I think it would be really cool if we were allowed to take our headphones on the track. It would be attractive for the younger fans. They would all be looking out to see who was wearing what headphones. It would really attractive to the younger crowd. It would be cool.

“The headphones would be really colourful and stand out. At the moment we have to take off our headphones when we go out to into the call room. I don’t know why they’ve taken that decision. It is probably because if we were wearing headphones it would be a hazard, especially because we would be competing nearby the shot and hammer.”

Without headphone, athletes are currently forced to huddle if they fancy some pre-race singing.

“I know, though, that the swimmers, for example, come out on to the starting blocks with their headphones on. For some athletes listening to music would be relaxing.

Swimmer Michael Phelps rocks his Dre Beats before a race.

“I would like to listen to Dangerous, the Michael Jackson album. I love Michael Jackson. I just think headphones would be a really cool addition!”

Top ten: Diamond days

Thu, 09 May 2013 15:00:00 +0100

With the new Diamond League season opening in Doha on Friday, SPIKES remembers ten great moments from the previous three seasons of the elite athletics series.

Aries Merritt, 110m hurdles, Brussels 2012

The Olympic champion added the world record to his CV with a scintillating 12.80 in the final Diamond League event of the season. He obliterated the previous world best of 12.87, and the performance was the biggest single drop in the men’s 110m hurdles world record for 31 years. He also became the first man in history to run eight sub-13 second races in the same season.

Yohan Blake, 200m, Brussels 2011

Crowned world 100m champion after Usain Bolt’s infamous DQ earlier in the summer, Blake went on to wipe 0.52 from his lifetime best for the 200m. The Jamaican blitzed to an eye-popping 19.26: the second-fastest time in history and within 0.07 of Bolt’s world record. In second, Walter Dix of the USA recorded 19.53 to climb to fourth on the all-time list. Sensational.

Gay beats Bolt, 100m, Stockholm 2010

Bolt’s second 100m defeat of his professional career, as Tyson Gay earned a rare victory over his Jamaican nemesis in 9.83. The world record holder had been troubled by an achilles tendon injury and never looked comfortable throughout the race. He subsequently complained of a “lack of power” and called a premature end to his season.

Brimin Kipruto, 3000m steeplechase, Monaco 2011

Rarely does the steeplechase take centre stage but a stunning 60-second final lap by Olympic champion Brimin Kipruto delivered an exhilarating race victory in 7:53.64, as the Kenyan came within a whisker (0.01) of Saif Saaeed Shaheen’s world record. At the bell three men were vying for victory but Kipruto’s superior last-lap pace earned him victory from his countrymen Ezekiel Kemboi (7:55.76) and long-time leader Paul Koech (7:57.32).

Carmelita Jeter, 100m, Eugene 2011

A Diamond League regular over the past three seasons, US sprinter Carmelita Jeter has produced a flurry of victories and impressive performances. Arguably, her best on the DL circuit came in Oregon, where she benefited from a perfect +2.0(m/s) tailwind to climb to joint seventh on the all-time women’s 100m list, in 10.70.

Mutaz Essa Barshim, high jump, Lausanne 2012

The Qatari prodigy equalled the finest high jump performance for 12 years as his 2.39m defeated Ivan Ukhov, who had won the Olympic title earlier in the month, in a riveting three-way competition. A second-time clearance at 2.39m secured the win in an Asian record for the 21-year-old, 0.02 clear of Ukhov and Robbie Grabarz, who equalled the British outdoor record.

Mohamed Aman beats David Rudisha, 800m, Zurich 2012

Never at his best in the rain, David Rudisha, who had set a sensational world record en route to Olympic gold only three weeks earlier, surrendered his unbeaten 800m record for the season to teenager Mohamed Aman. The Ethiopian had finished a disappointing sixth at the London Games but produced a smart tactical display to out-kick the Kenyan two-lap legend down the home stretch. Aman took maxiumum points in a national record 1:42.53.

David Rudisha, 800m, Paris 2012

Quite simply the greatest 800m performance in Diamond League history as Rudisha warmed up for his assault on the London Olympic Games with a masterful performance. His time of 1:41.54 was the seventh fastest in history at the time, and as a further demonstration of his dominance in 2012 (Aman aside), the trailing pack were four seconds behind.

Kaliese Spencer, women’s 400m hurdles, London 2011

The three-time overall Diamond League 400m hurdles winner, is a dominant force in this event. Yet her finest individual display came at a grey, overcast Crystal Palace. Spencer, of Jamaica, romped to victory in 52.79 to climb to joint eighth (now she sits joint ninth) on the all-time list for the event.

Mo Farah, 10,000m, Eugene 2011

This was the race many believe elevated Mo Farah into the world-class bracket. The Briton controlled a top quality field over the 25-lap distance and sprinted clear of Imane Merga of Ethiopia to hack six seconds of the previous European record, clocking 26:46.57.

The 2013 IAAF Diamond League starts in Doha on Friday. You can get involved and take part in the IAAF’s Fantasy Diamond Race where you can pick your favourite athletes to compete for you over the course of season. Go to www.fantasydiamondrace.com. To join the SPIKES league enter the code ‘10959’.

Jonny May: "Speed is a very important part of my game"

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:46:00 +0100

He’s as quick as Usain Bolt over 40m, is a former pole vaulter, and fancies himself as a potential triple jumper. Meet Gloucester winger and recent England call-up Jonny May, a man who owes some of his rugby success to the sport of athletics.

We’ve heard that you recorded 4.63 for the 40m – 0.01 faster than Usain Bolt ran for the first 40m when setting his world record time of 9.58 at the 2009 Berlin World Championships. Is this true?

“It is, but to compare the two times is a bit misleading. It is different as I start one metre behind a laser when I go, as opposed to starting with the aid of an actual gun. And, obviously, Usain would have just been building his speed over the first 40m. If he’d just ran 40m he could run a lot quicker.

“Also, I’d have blown out of gas running the full 100m. I’ve done some training up at Lee Valley Athletics Centre [the former British Athletics High Performance Centre] for the past couple of years and Adam Gemili [world junior 100m champion] was running around 4.5 for the 40m.”

Why did you start to carry out some athletics training sessions?

“I know an athletics coach called Jonas Taiwah-Dodoo [a former British Athletics employee] who did a degree at Hartbury College, where I also studied. I stayed in touch with him and sent him an email a couple of seasons ago saying I wanted to improve my speed.

“I know how important speed is in the sport of rugby. If a player is faster than an opposition player they can’t defend or tackle you. Speed is a very important part of my game: that’s what sets me apart.”

What was the nature of your workouts, and how do you feel it has benefited your rugby?

“I went up to train at Lee Valley two days a week for about 3-4 weeks of the past two summers. I’d always been quick over 10m but I was a bit quaddy [sprinting too much through the quads] and through my hip flexion. I learned, working with Jonas, to use my hamstrings and glutes more to reach top speed.

“I also did a lot of flat out sprinting as well. I was getting some fast times running off the synthetic surface and to know I was running those times [he has recorded 10.7 at Cheltenham track for the 100m] gave me confidence on the pitch. To be a rugby player I sometimes feel you are a jack-of-all-trades but sprinting is very specific and I enjoyed doing just that and giving it some focus.”

Did you do much athletics as a youngster?

“I did. The head of PE at Ridgeway, my secondary school, was mad keen on athletics and we won the national school championships as juniors and intermediates. I ran the last leg of the relay and also did the pole vault, too.”

Pole vault, really?

“Yes, I finished fourth or fifth in the English Schools’ Championships up in Gateshead. My best was 3.60m. If I’d gone into the sport more seriously I think I would a decathlete. The pole vault would have been one of the harder events to pick up and I’m quite strong and fast.

“To be fair, I was a good jumper, so maybe I’m best suited to the triple jump because I’m really good at high box jumps and bounding. I’m quite springy.”

Are you the quickest player at Gloucester?

“Myself and Charlie Sharples always battle it out. The 40m distance is my best and I’d say I’ve got him over 40m.”

What are your toughest running sessions as part of your training?

“I’m dreading it all already. It is our pre-season 1500m run. We have to meet required times over 100m, 400m and 1500m, or we get dragged in for extra training on a weekend.

“I like the 100m and the 400m. I ran 51 seconds this year but I’m not very good at mid-distance. We run the three distances one after another, which is not much fun when your legs are like jelly. We have to run below 5:30 for the 1500m and this year I ran 5:28.”

Which rugby player would make the best sprinter?

“Takudzwa Ngwenya [Zimbabwe-born US rugby player] who plays for Biarritz in France. He’s probably the quickest guy around.”

And what about which athlete would the best rugby player?

“That’s a difficult one. Rugby skills are completely different in that you’ve got to use your footwork to beat your opponent. If you just run in a straight line the defender always has that inside lane on the track, so you have to be crazy quick to beat a player that way. Being a rugby player is all about acceleration, changing direction and changing pace.”

Not even Usain Bolt on the wing?

“It depends on whether he enjoyed the physicality of the game. Also, how quickly would he acclimitise to a rainy rugby pitch in the middle of December? Still, I’d love to see him run with the ball in space.”

Main picture credit: Martin Bennett/ Gloucester Rugby

Science Lesson - High Jump

Wed, 08 May 2013 14:44:59 +0100

The Diamond League is back: first stop, Doha

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:52:00 +0100

Iron your arm flags, fans, it’s IAAF Diamond League time. The 2013 season starts in Doha, Qatar on Friday, with the likes of Allyson Felix, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and David Rudisha headlining an all-star cast.

So what’s on the agenda at the Qatar Sports Club stadium?

Well the startlists are awash with Olympic and world medallists but perhaps the star attraction is David Rudisha, who many believe produced the best performance of the London Olympics by smashing his own world 800m record en route to gold.

Wow – David Rudisha! So he’ll win easily then?

Well, the two-lap king will be fancied to open his season with a victory. He ran an impressive 45.5 for 400m in Nairobi on May 3rd and he will look to maintain his position as the world’s leading two-lap runner. However, he faces a world-class field including countryman Timothy Kitum, the Olympic bronze medallist, and Ethiopian record holder Mohammed Aman.

Isn’t Aman the man who defeated Rudisha at the Zurich Diamond League last season?

Yes, he is. Aman, 19, inflicted a rare defeat on Rudisha in the Kenyan’s final race of 2012 and also beat him in Milan the year before. Rudisha leads Aman 4-2 on head-to-head meetings but as history has shown, he is certainly vulnerable to the teenage Ethiopian.

Sounds great. What about some of the women’s highlights?

The 2012 Female Athlete of the Year, Allyson Felix, has chosen to open her Diamond League season in Doha over 400m, and it’s easy to understand why. The triple Olympic sprint champion has competed in the Qatari capital in each of the past eight seasons, and is undefeated there in ten races spanning distances from 100m to 400m. In her one other appearance in Doha she anchored the US to gold at the 2010 World Indoor Championships.

Will she extend that unbeaten streak to nine years in Doha?

Well, with a record like that it’s hard to say no, although she too faces a world-class field. The 2012 Olympic 400m silver medallist Christine Ohuruogu ran her fastest ever season’s opener with a 50.58 clocking for second in Kingston, Jamaica, while world 400m champion Amantle Montsho of Botswana is no pushover. The presence of Felix’s 4x400m team-mate Francena McCorory makes picking a winner here very difficult.

This all sounds VERY exciting. Any other head-to-heads?

The women’s 1500m looks like a cracker, pitting the reigning world and European indoor champions for the distance in direct competition. Ethiopian-born Swede Abeba Aregawi was the standout star of the indoor season, landing the European title in front of her home fans in Gothenburg by more than nine-and-a-half seconds. She also ran the second quickest ever indoor 1500m time in history this winter.

Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba is the world indoor champion with a lifetime best of 3:57.77 (Aregawi’s best is 3:56.54). They are both top-class performers and enthusiastic frontrunners, so expect fireworks.

The man to beat: Hometown hero high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim, 21.

Do the home fans have anything to cheer?

Absolutely. Olympic bronze medallist Mutaz Essa Barshim will lead the contenders in a mouth-watering men’s high jump competition. The 21-year-old Qatari set an Asian record 2.39m when winning the Lausanne Diamond League last season and he will be fancied to gain maximum points in front of his adoring home fans.

Hoping to stop Barshim will be the Russian trio of: Sergey Mudrov, the European indoor champion, European indoor silver medallist Aleksey Dmitrik and 2010 European outdoor champion Aleksandr Shustov.

Anything else to look forward to in the field?

Plenty. The three 2012 Olympic women’s high jump medallists: Brittney Reese, Yelena Sokolova and Janay DeLoach-Soukup, clash again in a high-class competition.

Meanwhile, the men’s javelin sees Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad & Tobago take on two-time former Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen (this time not throwing from a horse) and world leader Tero Pitkamaki of Finland. Olympic champions Christian Taylor (men’s triple jump) and Tomasz Majewski (men’s shot) are also competing.

Back to the track. Anything else we should look out for?

Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica starts favourite in the women’s 200m. In the men’s 100m, St Kitts & Nevis’ Kim Collins, now in his 19th season of international competition, takes on the USA’s Olympic 100m bronze medallist Justin Gatlin and Michael Rodgers.

The women’s 100m hurdles is another quality race, pitching a quartet of top class US athletes in direct competition. Leading the field is Olympic silver medallist Dawn Harper (12.62), up against Queen Harrison (12.64), Olympic bronze medallist Kellie Wells (12.78) and two-time former world indoor 60m hurdles champion and bobsleigh international Lolo Jones (12.79).

How do I watch it?

That depends where you are in the world. In the US, the Universal Sports Network is the place to go from 12pm ET.

But I don’t just want to watch it, I want to play along…

Lucky you. The IAAF’s fantasy athletics is back, and you can pick your favourite athletes to compete for you over the course of the 2013 Diamond League season. Go to www.fantasydiamondrace.com. To join the SPIKES league enter the code ‘10959’.

Weekend in numbers: The stars of field and track are back

Tue, 07 May 2013 11:44:39 +0100

Tyson Gay, Keshorn Walcott (above) and Johannes Hock lay down some huge markers as the athletics season bursts into life.

3 – The place Jamaican sprint icon Usain Bolt sits on Forbes’ list of America’s Most Influential Athletes. Out of contract American footballer Tim Tebow heads the list ahead of Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps.

3 – The position on the all-time lists that Kenyan Lucy Kabuu now occupies for the 25km road distance after running 1:21:37 to win the BIG 25 Berlin in Germany.

35 – The number of legal sub-10 second performances now achieved by US 100m record holder and the equal second-fastest man in history Tyson Gay. The Florida-based sprinter recorded 9.86 to open his 100m season with victory at the Jamaica International Invitational.

Guess who’s back? Tyson Gay leads the world after a blistering 9.86

84.39 – Metres covered by Keshorn Walcott’s javelin with his season opening throw in Port of Spain. It is the Olympic champion’s second-best throw ever, after his 84.58m PB set in London.

409 – The amount of points German decathlete Johannes Hock bettered his personal best by when winning the BIG 12 Championships in Waco, Texas. The 21-year-old European Junior bronze medallist posted an impressive mark of 8293 to win the event, setting PB’s in eight of the ten disciplines.

51,000 – The number of entrants for the Lilac Bloomsday Run who were given a “Bloomsday Stands with Boston” bracelet for the annual 12km race held in Spokane, Washington.

76,610 – The retail price in Great British pounds of the Nissan GT-R. Usain Bolt was presented with a gold coloured version of the car for his work as a Nissan Brand Ambassador, which costs the equivalent of $119,105 US dollars or $11.7m Jamaican dollars.

And coming soon…

19 – The number of seasons 2003 world 100m champion Kim Collins has performed on the international circuit. The 37-year-old from St Kitts & Nevis is set to make his seasonal international debut on Friday, running the 100m at Friday’s Doha Diamond League meeting.

Jamaican Idol: Meet the hurdling popstar Shevon Stoddart

Mon, 06 May 2013 19:18:42 +0100

Two-time Olympian Shevon Stoddart is also an established recording artist, so pop your headphones in and read on to find out what drives the LA-based Jamaican 400m hurdler, who last summer provided the musical entertainment for Puma and Usain Bolt.

SPIKES: What came first, the passion for music or athletics?

Shevon Stoddart: “I always wanted to be a singer and I started taking voice lessons when I was young. So first [my passion] was to sing and then I started to run fast. Now I try to combine the two.”

Where do you get your talents from?

“For running, my dad, Zoeth Stoddart. He ran the 400m and 800m and ran 1:46 for 800m. My dad could also sing a little bit but I always just had a love for singing and entertaining.

“I always wanted to do talent shows and sing at weddings. I started singing in my mum’s kitchen. She is a hair stylist and the kitchen is where she used to do her clients’ hair.”

Who are your musical influences and how would you describe your style?

“I listened to Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton but I know it is important to have your own style. I would say my style is pop-reggae and hip-hop.

“I’m blessed to have been able to work with a lot of different producers, and I write the tracks based off how I feel. I like to write inspiring dance songs which make me feel good.”

How big are you within the music world right now?

“I’m an unsigned artist right now but for the London Olympics I was asked to come over by Puma to perform there. I was called an ‘Olympic entertainer’. It was really exciting for me to be there, as I made the Jamaican 2004 and 2008 Olympic team as an athlete.”

So you performed in front of Usain Bolt?

“Yes. My Jamaican team-mates call me ‘The Singer’. Every time I’m at a championship I perform for the team. I was at the Puma parties and performed at other after-parties. That’s what I was brought in to do.”

What do the likes of Bolt and Asafa Powell think of your music?

“They love my music! They often comment and say, ‘When are you going to start running again [at championship level]?’

“It is not easy to run and sing but I plan to do them both uniquely in a way that works for me. I’d like to combine my running and music and maybe create a song to a workout.”

What are the biggest challenges of combining athletics and music?

“I have to share my time doing both but I think when I’m in the studio creating music, this helps keeps my mind off track. I have to juggle both. Each morning I spend about four hours training and the rest of the day I have free to do my music.”

How does athletics help your music?

“As an athlete we learn to work hard, be patient and have a lot of dedication. It is the same to be an artist. I’m not afraid to cut the record until it is absolutely right.

“It helps that I have an understanding of what it takes to achieve your goals. Music always has a close correlation with sport and you can’t really have sport without music. It is something that can hype you up and keep you moving.”

Your last major championship appearance came at the 2008 Olympic Games. What are your aspirations for 2013?

“This season I’ve already run a similar time (56.15) to my fastest time of the whole of last season (56.09). I got hurt back in 2009 with an ankle injury and I’ve been working my way back slowly since then.

“It can take a long time to come back after an injury. Just look at Olympic 400m hurdles champion Felix Sanchez, it took eight years for him to return to his best. It takes time and patience. I’m looking forward to the season and being in Russia for the 2013 World Championships.”

Many athletes have a reputation as making good singers and musicians, why is that?

“Well, we do have the lungs. We can hold the notes pretty well. Music and sports are connected. So when athletes select their playlist they, maybe, know the process of that and then are able to perform it.”

Which athletes you know make the best singers?

“Off the top of my head, I’ve heard Kerron Clement [two-time world 400m hurdles champion] can sing and is a big fan of Mariah Carey. Jaime Nieto, the high jumper, is an actor but he also raps and writes music as well. One other would be Brigetta Barrett, the Olympic high jump silver medallist.”

Can you name three of your most inspirational songs to train to?

Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey. And Reach by Gloria Estefan, the theme song for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, which really inspired me and Go, which is my song.

Meet the world's fastest beer miler

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:46:00 +0100

Aussie Josh Harris, 22, slashed more than four seconds from the beer mile world record with an unratified 5:04.9 at the Parkville event in Melbourne last weekend. SPIKES caught up with Harris to find out more about the art of chucking beer down your neck and running very fast.

How many beer miles have you raced in, and why did you first decide to give them a go?

“I heard about the beer mile in 2009, and after the track season finished a group of mates and I decided we would attempt the famous event. My debut was 8:22 but I knew I had the potential to at least get that down to around seven minutes. Back then I did not possess the drinking ability to challenge the world record.

“I’ve competed in between 10 and 15 races now, usually around three a year. I have also tried variations of the event including the chocolate milk mile, a beer two-mile, and I also plan to try the UK version where pints are consumed.”

What qualities do you need to be a great beer mile runner?

“The most important aspect of the beer mile is the drinking, but it is more complex than the ability to drink fast. I have many friends who can drink one beer as fast as me but fall over after the second, third and fourth beers.

“There is an art to being able to drink the last three beers without needing to breathe, and also the ability to hold them down without the urge to vomit [resulting in a penalty lap]. It obviously helps to be a decent runner but many great milers can’t break ten minutes for the race.”

What are you better at, running or drinking beer?

“Drinking, for sure. I am nothing special as a miler [3:51 1500m] but in terms of being able to continually scull beers I’d rate myself as equivalent to a 3:30 1500m runner. Put the two together and it’s a combination that is very hard to beat.”

Spikes & beer: our kind of party

When did you first realise you might be able to break the world record?

“My PB and Australian record was 6:03, and at that stage I was content to leave the event as a sub six-minute guy. I was at a party one night and I saw a guy with this strange technique who could drink a beer in around five seconds. I was keen to learn more.

“After my training partner and best mate James Hansen came out of nowhere and broke the Australian record by almost 40 seconds, this gave me belief that it was possible. I realised that if I learnt that new technique then maybe I could get my record back.”

Can you explain what prep you put in for a beer mile?

“I went into this year’s state champs with no training, other than a few nights out. I ran a controlled 5:17. Before the Autumn Classic I completed one training session where I did 400m intervals with 15 seconds recovery, and in the last set I used beers for the recovery.

“This was to try to simulate a race while under more fatigue from the early intervals. Without even noticing in the days leading up to the race I would have a tendency to drink everything faster than usual.”

Do you work much on the technique of your beer drinking between laps; how long does it take you to drink the beer?

“Not anymore, but it has taken practise. When I debuted in 2009 my first beer was over 30 seconds. I got this down to about 10 by 2010. I then learnt my current technique and I can drink a beer in around five seconds out of the bottle.”

Do you ever feel drunk when running the race?

“No, but I generally start to feel it a little bit watching the other competitors finish the race.”

Do you ever feel ill after the race?

“Very rarely, although I actually had a post-race vomit on the ‘warm-down’ beer after breaking the world record last week. I felt fine, but the first sip of the fifth drink didn’t agree with me.”

Down the hatch: Josh Harris can drink a bottle of beer in five seconds

What did it mean to you to break the world record?

“It was mainly a feeling of relief. I crossed the line with no celebration, probably for two reasons. The first being that I knew I had a faster time in me because the lid did not come off the last drink for 10 seconds. I thought my record chances were gone. The other reason being it has been a long time coming.

“Those who follow the beer mile will know I ran a 5:02 this time last year which was deemed unofficial because there was not enough proof that the drinks were empty. I have since tidied up my technique and beer choice to ensure this won’t happen again. I think I can go a bit faster. If it wasn’t for the mishap on beer four last week that I would have ran 4:55-4:56.”

Should we lobby the IAAF to introduce the beer mile into the World Championships?

“I think appreciation is slowly growing for the event worldwide. As world record holder I would be all for the race to have its own world championship.

“I’m unlikely to go into any other world championship as a contender. The Canadians and Americans think they’re the best in the world but the Aussies are now showing the talent on offer, with multiple guys in the top 10 official times.”

Photography supplied by Josh Harris courtesy of Inside Athletics http://www.insideathletics.com.au/ @insideaths

You can follow The Adventures of Josh Harris on twitter at @_JoshHarris. Here is Olympic 800m finalist Nick Symmonds’ attempt at the beer mile:

Tyson Gay: "I think my best years are ahead of me"

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:05:00 +0100

Find out how one of the world’s fastest men ever must battle his own body, not to mention Usain Bolt, for a shot at immortality.

It is six years since Tyson Gay ruled the world of sprinting. Although 2007 should probably come with the prefix BB: Before Bolt, or at least Before Bolt bolted.

BB, Gay was king, landing a memorable 100m, 200m and 4x100m treble at the World Championships in Osaka.

The Kentucky-born sprinter was also crowned the 2007 World Athlete of the Year, with many predicting he would go on to dominate global sprinting for years.

For two good reasons, Gay’s career has not quite panned out that way.

Firstly, his body has consistently let him down. Groin and hips injuries have severely curtailed his training regimen, hampering his ability to find his best form. Secondly, we’ve witnessed the rise of the Jamaican sprinters, led by the incomparable Bolt.

Since 2007 we’ve witnessed the 15 fastest times in history for the 100m and the world record has tumbled by 0.19, as much as it did in the 39 years prior. Fourteen of the 15 fastest 200m times in history have also been set since 2007, with Bolt skimming 0.13 off Michael Johnson’s record.

So can Gay comprehend the giant leap forward that sprinting has taken in the past half-dozen years?

“Yes, I’m amazed,” says Gay, chatting to SPIKES on the telephone from New York. “The 100m has gone from 9.8 to 9.7 and then 9.6 to 9.5. It is just amazing to see how the sprinters have progressed in the past few years.”

It would be unfair to say that the 30-year-old American has been left behind in the smoke trailed wake of Bolt and co. When fit, Gay is still very competitive. His 100m PB of 9.69 places him joint second on the all-time lists. Staying fit has been the problem.

Hip surgery ruled him out of competitive action from June 2011 for almost 12 months, yet he was still good enough to make the US 100m Olympic team for London. Once there he ran a season’s best 9.80 in the 100m final, but agonisingly missed out on a medal by 0.01, placing fourth behind his countryman Justin Gatlin.

Beating Bolt: Gay on his way to 200m gold at the Osaka 2007 World Championships.

His time in London would have been good enough for 100m silver at Beijing and gold at every previous Olympic Games.

“Yes, it took a bit of time to recover [from the disappointment],” says Gay. “I just felt I worked so hard with the little bit of time that I had [to fully train]. I felt I did my best but to come up just short of a medal was painful.”

This winter the Florida-based athlete has adopted a different approach to training, with his dual coaches Jon Drummond (2000 Olympic US relay champion) and Lance Brauman.

And for a man who lives for speed, he has adopted what appears a counter-intuitive approach to running fast.

“I’ve slowed things down,” he says. “I’ve slowed my pace down in training, so I can try to finish all the work rather than run one rep really hard and not complete the set.”

This new strategy he hopes will help condition his body for the demands of hitting top speeds of around 23mph (37kph) without breaking down, a consistent weakness throughout the past five years of his career.

“I think this new approach to training will really help my strength levels,” he explains. “As long as I stay healthy and strong in the hip and the other muscles I think I can improve upon my times.”

But can he beat the other clock? Gay celebrated his 30^th birthday during the London Olympic Games. Besides the omnipresent threat of Bolt, seven men (including Gay) ran sub 9.90 for the 100m last season. Nineteen men dipped below 10 seconds.

Gay hands over to Ryan Bailey as Yohan Blake passes it to Bolt in London.

The next generation of athletes are also knocking on the door. British teenager Adam Gemili landed the 2012 world junior title in 10.05 and this year Japanese sprint prodigy Yoshihide Kiryu, 17, recorded a stunning world junior record equalling mark of 10.01.

“It is absolutely amazing considering at the same age I was running 10.5,” says Gay. ”I don’t know where the next star is going to come from, although Jamaica has an advantage because they have so many young guys. They are inspired by their superstars and seem to be running faster and faster from an early age.”

Gay refuses to throw in the towel. He plans to compete in the 100m at the Jamaica International Invitational this weekend; at the New York Diamond League on May 25 and one other meet, “maybe Prefontaine” (on June 1st), before the US Trials. There he intends to compete in both the 100m and 200m, the latter an event he has competed in only once since 2010.

Even entering his third decade, Gay is adamant he can make a major impact in 2013. He draws encouragement from the fact Linford Christie landed the 1992 Olympic 100m title at the age of 32. With a fair wind and a sustained injury-free period, Gay is confident he can make an impact this summer and beyond.

“My hip gives me a problem here and there but besides that I’m going well and training good,” he says. “If I run smart and stay healthy, I think my best years are ahead of me.”

Commonwealth Games poster girl Eilidh Child seeks Moscow final

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:58:00 +0100

Scottish 400m hurdler Eilidh Child talks to SPIKES about having to raise her game; an excellent indoor season; celeb spotting with Jess Ennis, and making her mark in Moscow.

“Bloody awful” and “too timid” were just two of the blunt terms used to describe Eilidh Child’s hurdles technique when she first joined the training group of Malcolm Arnold.

So far, so bad. But rather than sulk or take offence at the curt assessment, Child fully acknowledged the critical remarks of the man who successfully guided the career of world indoor 60m hurdles record holder Colin Jackson and 2004 world indoor 60m champion Jason Gardener.

“Oh yes,” she tells SPIKES, “I had picked up a lot of bad habits. With my previous coach we worked more on getting fit and in shape but I never did much hurdling. It took a back seat. Yet I probably needed to do more because it was my weakness.”

Under Arnold’s tutelage, hurdling has become a bigger priority. Each Thursday a hurdles session has been integrated into the routine. Her technique has improved and so has her self-confidence.

Though smoothly and efficiently negotiating the hurdles is vital to mastering an event known as the man-killer, another key ingredient is basic speed. And this is a reason to be optimistic that the modest Child, 26, can make her first global championship final in Moscow this August.

Golden girls: European Indoor 4x400 champions (L-R) Child, Shana Cox, Christine Ohuruogu and Perri Shakes-Drayton

In the wake of exiting her London Olympic semi-final in seventh, more than a second down on her lifetime best of 54.96, Child and her esteemed coach made a swift decision to target the indoor season. She has worked on her speed, particularly over the first 200m.

The initial target was to better her outdoor 400m flat PB of 52.28 but a 52.06 time in the semi-finals of the National Championships, an event she won, hinted at greater improvements.

“We had to readjust our goals as we went along, it was a great feeling,” says Child, a former PE teacher who quit her job in the winter of 2011 to become a full-time athlete and move to Bath to be coached by Arnold.

A 51.50 for third at the Birmingham Grand Prix followed before she chipped a further 0.05 from that mark at the Euro Indoors. Child won silver in Gothenburg behind her countrywoman and erstwhile 400m hurdles rival Perri Shakes-Drayton. The pair then teamed up to form one half of a triumphant GB team in the women’s 4x400m.

It was the finest three days of her athletics career and has instilled in Child, born in Perth, Scotland, a belief that she can finally smash through the glass ceiling of semi-final appearances at global championships. She has been eliminated at that stage of the competition at the previous two editions of the World Championships and the London 2012 Olympics.

“Based on how the indoor season went, I now know the speed is there,” says Child, a former Scottish schoolgirl swimming champion. “It is now a case of just getting the hurdling right and delivering the right race.

“The last couple of seasons, it has been a bonus to make the final. Now I should be gutted not to make the final. I’d like to lower my [400m hurdles] PB by quite a bit in 2013 but I don’t like to say times, to put myself under pressure or limit myself. If I get a good clean race and do everything right then I’ll drop a good time.”

Moscow is clearly the priority for 2013, yet you could forgive the proud Scot for casting an eye over to the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Child was a 400m hurdles silver medallist at the 2010 Games in India.

And as Scotland’s most prominent athlete, some have dubbed her ‘the poster girl’ for the event, a title so adroitly handled by Jess Ennis at London 2012.

In fact, Child had a first-hand view of how the heptathlon champion dealt with the enormous pressures of being a home favourite. She shared an apartment with Ennis in the athletes’ village in London.

“I got to know her very well and she is the complete role model in terms of the way she conducts herself,” says Child, who also saw another more human side to Jess Ennis: one of pre-race collywobbles and excitement to rub shoulders with the royal princes.

“You imagine these people to be super-heroes and invincible,” says Child. “Yet chatting to her a couple of days before her event, she was nervous. It was reassuring to see that even the best in the world get nervous.

“Also, when we first arrived at the village, myself, Jess and Nicola Sanders [British 400m sprinter] were walking around and saw Prince Harry. We all tried to see him, and it was nice to see Jess being exactly the same as us, and starstruck by other people.”

Khotso Mokoena: “I think I’m half-man, half-croc”

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:24:00 +0100

What’s the difference between South Africa’s long jump superstar Khotso Mokoena and James Bond?

The answer: The Olympic silver medallist does his own crocodile stunts!

Today in Tongaat on Durban’s North Coast, a dream finally came true for crocodile man Khotso Mokoena as the long jumper leapt over a creek of snapping crocs at Crocodile Creek, which is home to over 5,000 Nile Crocodiles (see how many times we said ‘crocodile’, there?)

“This was something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. It was about testing myself, my mental strength and overcoming the fear. As an athlete I’m constantly pushing myself, embracing that animal instinct to go as far as I can,” said Khotso.

“I think I’m half-man, half-croc.”

But why, we hear you cry?

Known for his trademark crocodile leather glove and long socks, Mokoena has always been closely connected with the reptile – he even has multiple crocodile tattoos on his body including the words ‘Crocodile Bites.’

But perhaps the answer to his obsession with all things croc is rooted in his family name. His surname ‘Mokoena’ literally translates to “he/she who swears by a crocodile,” in Sesotho and the animal is the collective identity for the clan.

Commenting on the audacious leap, owner of Crocodile Creek and crocodile expert Peter Watson highlighted the dangers of the stunt:

“Crocs are most dangerous when in the water as they can propel themselves upwards up to 4 metres with force,” he said. “It was important that Khotso understood that the animals could be unpredictable and that it was in his best interests to jump as far and as high as he could.

The leap echoed the famous scene in the James Bond movie, ’Live And Let Die’ where 007 has to jump a row of three crocodiles to avoid being eaten. In the movie though, Ross Kananga (owner of the crocodiles) actually performed the stunt. Watch below at 3:50:

Khotso, who won long jump silver at the Beijing Olympics will be swapping crocs for the more traditional sand, in his upcoming Diamond League appearances, starting in Shanghai on May 18.