Grassmarket

Just watched the race. Gidey got several major advantages over Hassan Better weather, warm & dry. Back markers got out of the way, so she ran a much shorter line. Evening conditions, so disco lights much easier to see. So a head to head will be…enticing.

Speaking as an , I have seen middle & distance athletics go through these WR growth spurts before. Apart from the doping records, it’s down to technical or organisational progress. Late 60s/early 70s - end of the old dirt tracks, arrival of all weather tracks. Late 70s/early 80s - professionalisation & emergence of commercial televised meets Early 90s - Emergence of professionally managed East African athletes. Now we have this new combination of super shoes & computerised pace-making, opening up WRs long thought unbeatable. And what has always happened before is that eventually someone sets a genuinely unbeatable record, after which everything will settle down for another decade or so.

DL starts again tomorrow with the meet in Florence, subbing for Rome. Preview & highlights. https://worldathletics.org/competitions/diamond-league/news/florence-diamond-league-2021-hassan-cheptegei

Well, it’s like Pole Vault World Record, you just have to beat it by small increments to ensure frequent paydays.

True enough, the Kenyans are always trying to find sprinters, throwers etc, but the Ethiopians stick with the usual.

Ah yes, but she gets away with it because everyone knows she is lying. Whereas all the leftists hated Trump because me meant it. Same with Obama/Romney on gay marriage. Both were opposed to it, but Obama got away with it because the gay lobby understood he had to lie to Black church-goers to get their vote.

Two good meets tonight on YT Paavo Nurmi Games from Turku, https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/2021-how-to-follow Ethiopian Middle & Long Distance National Olympic Trials from Addis Hengelo

Didn’t know this story, but I came across it last week reading a book about Nazi Germany. Did you know that there used to be an official Olympic Salute that was often used on ceremonial occasions? What happened to it? Well, at the two 1936 Olympics there was a certain amount of confusion because…… https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-olympic-salute-we-dont-use-anymore-because-it-looked-too-much-like-heiling-hitler-19789031/ Both actually derived from the same source, which you can see in this famous 1784 painting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_the_Horatii

Cristophe Lemaitre struggling for an OQT, still about 0.40 off. Dafne Schippers running in her pyjamas, seemingly. Duplantis 5.92 WL, going for 6.0. Gets it!

Lots of selfies & autographs for the kids, good for her.

Six Olympic QTs, don’t know how many already had it.

Off we go in Hengelo with Sifan Hassan going in another 10,000m. Magic 70s disco lights being featured, but no accompanying Boney M soundtrack. Separate pacemakers for the Hassan group & for an OQT group. 6 minutes in & Hassan is already solo - apart from a bellowing Jos Hermans - in her WR attempt. Up on WR time at 5000m Has lapped the field. Smashes it! Over 10 secs off the WR.

Mo Farah flopped in the Birmingham 10,000m last night. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/57372151 Theoretically still has more chances, but the form looks to be a long way short of anything other than a humiliation.

I’ve said before, used to live in , wonderful people, just not very competitive since head-hunting was abolished.

Sunday evening our time will be the big finals I suppise.

Still going on. This was morning heat 1 of the Jamaican nationals! Maybe live on some kind of Caribbean ESPN or whatever.

Strange that she never reached that level in Gateshead, though. Actually the True World Record. 1. F G-J more doped than Jimi Hendrix 2. Broken wind gauge, was reading more than 3m/s all day.

I think it must be. Hamburg is cancelled as of now, but that is usually sprint races & a relay, so there are no more races until August.

Triathlon WS in sunny Leeds tomorrow. Last chance Olympic Qualifying for many nations & individuals. It’s live on BBC2 & BBC Streaming, so you might be able to tunnel under the Berlin Wall. Men’s preview. https://www.triathlon.org/news/article/wtcs_leeds_set_to_sizzle_as_mens_olympic_places_hang_in_balance Women’s preview https://www.triathlon.org/news/article/wtcs_leeds_set_for_some_olympic_sized_stories_in_an_unmissable_womens_race

For fans of micro-athletics, this is also on YouTube with a charming Italinglish commentary. (The picture on the link does not represent the actual event.). We’ve got a Moldovan javelin thrower at 84 metres, which is excellent by any standard.

So eligible for the Olympics.

Lots of good meets coming up this weekend Championship of the Small States of Europe. are kind of the of this Championship. https://www.sanmarinortv.sm/programmi/web-tv-sport European 10,000m Cup from Brum, featuring lots of attempts for Olympic Quals - including Mo Farah. https://www.britishathletics.org.uk/british-athletics-tv/2021-10000m-championships/ FBK Games from Hengelo, with a better line-up than 50% of DL events. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=world+athletics

If the authorities are arresting women players for excessive double faults it’s going to be difficult to complete tournaments. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-9652063/Russian-tennis-player-Yana-Sizikova-ARRESTED-French-Open-match-fixing-claims.html

Brilliant opportunist win for Geraint Thomas in the Dauphiné yesterday. The stage was set up as a sprint, but Thomas attacked into a sharp hairpin while all the sprinters’ teams were braking and being concertinaed out of the back. Held out for 800m for the win. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/57347261

ASO announce an official Women’s Tour de France for 2022. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/57352842