Xander

She said: "it was a pressure that I didn't make it to the main team. I would have had another round of numerous qualifications in order to get to the Olympics. Yes, I would qualify but I'm not made of iron". I also suspect pregnancy but it was all planned obviously.

All places in their Olympic team are usually distributed (and sometimes not in the fair way) before the Olympic season. She didn't make it so she lost her main motivation.

Svetlana Sleptsova retired. Tomorrow will be her last competition.

Some Russian-speaking man tried to bribe our basketball team so they would lose their game with Russia. Our team contacted police and reported this match-fixing attempt.

Russian state sports broadcaster dedicated the whole 1500m final to Semenya. And the "highlight" was... "She was dressed like a man at her wedding, what the hell is she doing in the women's sport?"

Another junior WCH winner Arina Pantova switches her team to Russia.

Thank god as long as it doesn't merge with a bunch of similar tricolor suits. Thankfully there's a cross on the left shoulder.

Both of them were taken off the plane, they were forced to give their national sportswear back. The team bosses won't submit their names to the actual start lists so they won't receive their bibs which means obvious DNS even if they'll be there. Zemlyak stayed at home in Rivne.

And the scandal with Zemlyak & Povh gets to the new level. - Povh & Zemlyak are officially clear. - IAAF added both athletes to the WCH participants list. - Their doping tests were analized by the new IAAF sub-division. Not WADA. - It was taken 1 year ago in Amsterdam. - There was no anonymity. All the test tubes had names on them - That IAAF sub-division is not certified/authorizied to make any official statements or ban athletes. They didn't even say anything about ban. Lol. - They tested testosterone taken from urine (this is very amateurish/faulty/unprofessional method). Not from blood like it's supposed to be. - Their testosterone level is so abnormal according to those "tests" that it's impossible/unnatural for any woman. Considering they're in the doping pool they're tested regularly this fact on alone says a lot about that IAAF sub-division - Basing on these faulty tests the UAF (Ukrainian federation) suspended both athletes without having such right. Only IAAF (not that sub-division) and WADA are authorized to suspend an athlete in such case - The athletes/federation received mails only from a random person who's not associated with WADA. - Both athletes haven't even seen any official letter from IAAF/WADA for a week! (because such letter doesn't exist). They demanded UAF to show such letter. - Both athletes found out about their suspension in the airport! - Zemlyak confirmed that she will sue the UAF. - Different athletics federations from all over the world have already supported both athletes. - Both of them were under UAF pressure - UAF demanded their confession "I categorically will not sign that because I've got nothing to confess" - Zemlyak. - They have a full right to take part in the WCH still.

^ not uncertified lab but uncertified method. Don't forget that IAAF included them to the list of athletes. They were denied by the federation. This is experimental procedure (not approved by WADA) which showed really abnormal data. Both athletes haven't received the letter from IAAF still. And something tells me they won't receive it. If they ban someone basing on faulty non-approved methods then UAF (and IAAF?) should be sued. Though I'm against Zemlyak and Rurak being in our team/coaching. If UAF decided to show their strong anti-doping position they shouldn't have been including Zemlyak to the team from the beginning then EDIT: Our best athletics lawyer has just confirmed that he will study the case. EDIT #2: Judging from their comments I don't exclude that both Povh & Zemlyak will sue our federation after all

Olesya Povh and Olha Zemlyak were excluded from our team because of disciplinary proceedings opened by IAAF. Doping? Zemlyak said that the letter she received wasn't from IAAF and she's under federation's pressure to withdraw EDIT: and here goes the scandal Some laboratory did uncertified doping tests on them according to Povh. This method wasn't approved by IAAF nor by WADA

Russian Ministry of Sports awarded Starykh & Loginov with the highest sports title in Russia of "Honoured Master of Sport" We have the same title in our system btw, but it can be stripped off only in 1 case - doping abuse Meanwhile the rumours say that Uros Velepec can come back to coaching Slovenian team after these OG end.

The Junior WCH 2015 winner (sprint) Darya Blashko can switch her team & citizenship to Ukraine. They are called Ukrainian biathletes by our main sportswear distributor. The rumours about Maria Panfilova switching back to Ukraine appeared in June and now both bought Ukrainian sportswear. Panfilova's results are tragic though. Blashko will be a nice addition to the next Olympic cycle when Semerenko sisters (and Pidhrushna?) retire. EDIT: Both of them train with our "Team B" so it's confirmed.

and now she cleared 1.92 & refused from 1.94:

and we jinxed it Though it's still better than Röhler, lol.

all 4 attempts so far are past 90m

94.44 .... holy smokes!!!

JT. Johannes Vetter - 90.75 in the 1st attempt 91.06 in the 2nd o__________0 93.06

Prishchepa she took the best "taxi" in the world tonight Can't believe she says that 800m is not for her & she's more into 1500. Wtf)))

HJ. 1.97 for Oksana Okuneva... all 3 attempts at 2.00 were so close PV. The same is for Kylypko. She almost set the new NR (4.67). There was 15 cm margin but she screwed up with the standards.

Kendra Harrison (100mH) has just finished with 12.28 (0.1 m/s) in Hungary

Meanwhile despite cold weather & rain 18 years old heptathlete Alina Shukh has just qualified to London with 6208 pts (with quite strong headwind in 100mH and 200m ... -3.2 and -2.8, she managed to achieve PBs in both events). NU20R - the previous record stood for 33 years.

Claudia Salman-Rath (LJ) is another victim of unprofessional judging in Lille. Her foot wasn't even close to the foul line and yet they gave her "X".

Ukraine appealed our relay DQ and we won. They changed everything back to norm and we're 4th in total in 4x100 men's relay This is the 2nd appeal that we won in 2 days. The judging at this championship is disgusting & disgraceful... judges celebrated some high jumpers' flopped attempts, it was so awkward I understand that you cheer for some nations but go to the audience and cheer & laugh when somebody flops from there, you're a friggen judge! I must say I had a very low expectations for our team but I'm even happy now, esp for unexperienced (at such level) athletes =) NU23R, few SBs and PB in hammer throw (she's one of my faves).