Positive News

Fantastic News NBC And IAAF Reach Long-Term Deal For Broadcast Rights To Diamond League Through 2019 Great news as the Diamond League will be on a much bigger platform now and NBC is becoming the home of track and field on TV in America (they also have rights to USATF meets). Plus, 10 hours of DL on NBC, a huge step up from BeIn Sports last year.

Confusing News Kenenisa Bekele And Eliud Kipchoge Join Forces – They Are Now Part Of The “NN Running Team” Which Seems To Also Be Sponsored By Nike If you understand what this is, please email us. *More From Alberto Stretti.

Current And Future Stars In The News

• We Wish Him The Best South African LJ Star Luvo Manyonga Re-Enters Drug Treatment Facility Last month, he jumped an African record of 8.62m but the battle with crystal meth addiction is very tough. “I wanted to release this statement to show others that there is no shame in your past and empower others to shake off the stigma associated with addiction.”
• Ken Goe Takes A Look At The Somali-Born, Canadian-Raised, US-Living Mo Ahmed, Who Was 4th In The Olympic 5k Jerry Schumacher thinks Ahmed’s best days are to come. “He’s a young runner with a lot of fun upside.”
• Sonia O’Sullivan’s Daughter, Sophie, Won The U-17 Australian Title In The 800 (2:10.00) And 1,500 (4:29.17) In Sydney’s Olympic Stadium And mom (who has nothing to do with her coaching) was there to enjoy it with her.
•  Matthew And Matt Centrowitz Starred At TrackTown Tuesday Meeting In Eugene This Week The younger Centrowitz didn’t know his dad was an Olympian until  HS which caused Centro Sr. to quip, “Everybody in the world knew I was a two-time Olympian except my own son.”
• Olympic Gold Medalist Matthew Centrowitz Wants To Break The American 1,500 Record This Year He says Webb’s mile record is steep – apparently not knowing that the 1,500 record (3:29.30) is better than Webb’s mile conversion (3:30.06).
• Usain Bolt Recently Visited Dr. Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt, Who Gave Him The OK To Train All-Out

Other Doping News

• The Establishment Of The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) Is A “Momentous” Move For Athletics And Could Form A Template For Other Sports To Follow We certainly agree that track and field deserves credit for being the only sport that really somewhat tries to bust its biggest stars.
• Michael Johnson Says He’s Always Viewed Athletics As A Leader On The Anti-Doping Front We actually agree and that’s a scary thought. It’s really just a huge indictment of the NFL, NBA, MLB and soccer.
• Ireland’s Fionnuala McCormack Is Upset IOC Didn’t Look Into 2008 Olympic Clenbuterol Positives “They don’t really want to find out the truth. That’s when we’ve (got) a problem, when organisations like the IOC don’t want to know,” she says. The IOC says the amounts were very low and likely due to beet contamination.

Upcoming Action

• Powell, Gatlin, Collins For This Weekend’s Grenada Invitational – Men’s 100m Is Loaded VCB is also in the meet as is Kirani James.
• Paris Is Sunday: 2017 Paris Marathon Elite Field
• Newly-Minted 13.1 WR Holder Joyciline Jepkosgei Is Going To Keep Racing While She’s Hot – Will Race Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon On April 23rd
• Brittney Reese Will Be In Drake Relays Long Jump
• IAAF Is Going To Hold A Women’s Marathoning Development Training Camp In Tokyo In Late August We have no idea why the camp, which will feature runs a 7:00 am (same time as Olympic marathon), is for women only. It will be hot as hell in Tokyo.

Sprint Stuff

• Is The Heir To Usain Bolt’s Throne 12-Year-Old Sprint Sensation Brianna Lyston? Lyston drew earned comparisons to Bolt after dominating performances in the 100 and 200 at the Jamaican Boys And Girls Champs last weekend
• Good Read: Australia’s Former Olympic 100H Champ Sally Pearson Is Back On Track After Losing Years To Injury Pearson, who still can’t do normal pushups after her hurdle crash and broken wrist, won her 12th national title last weekend.
• Former US Sprint Great Maurice Greene Reflects On What He Considers The Greatest Challenge Of His Career Greene says his greatest challenge was “continuing to be myself” and not letting stardom go to his head.

Looking Ahead On The Roads

• This Weekend: Washington Post: Women Will Be Forced To Run On An Indoor Track While Men Compete Outside In Iran’s First International Marathon
  *AP Article 28 Americans have registered, but may not get visas in time to compete.
• April 23: Two-Time 5,000m Worlds 4th Placer Viola Kibiwot Making Her Marathon Debut At The Hamburg Marathon Former Olympic and World champ Stephen Kiprotich leads the men’s field.
• April 30: Olympic Marathon Silver Medallist Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa 10,000m Bronze Medalist Tamirat Tola Headline At The Istanbul Half Marathon

Drug Stuff

• IAAF Launches Athletics Integrity Unit Website; Former WADA Director General David Howman Appointed Chair Well, hopefully things can only go up from here.
  *IAAF Release
  *Need A Job? The IAAF Athletics Integrity Unit Is Hiring
  *IAAF Athletics Integrity Unit Website
• Sport Ireland CEO John Treacy Criticizes IOC For Not Investigating Clenbuterol Positives From 2008 Olympics “If we have a (doping) case, even if it’s traces, we have a duty and obligation to pursue those cases.”
• Russian Sports Minister Insists Russia Is Ready To Return To The International Sporting Fold
• WADA Publishes Indpendent Observer Report For 2016 Rio Olympics
• Saudi Arabia Gives $100,000 To WADA

General Olympic News

• LA 2024 Denies French Claims That It Artificially Inflated Facebook Likes The LA FB page recently surged to over a million followers, but a team of digital experts found the majority of the recent likes came from Africa and the Middle East.
  *USA Today: “LA Olympic Campaign Got A Lot Of Likes From Unlikely Place”
• Thomas Bach Meets With LA And Paris Mayors To Discus 2024 (And 2028) Olympic Bidding Paris was more open to the idea of hosting 2028 than before when they completely ruled it out.
• LA Highlights “Low Risk” Nature Of Their 2024 Bid While Paris Focuses On Their “Compact” Venue Plan
• NY Times: NHL Says Players Will Not Participate In 2018 Winter Olympics Owners don’t want to take a three-week break during the season so players can go to the Olympics.
  *NY Times: NHL Players Not Happy With League’s Decision; Some May Fight It The mood coming from players is one of “frustration, disappointment, resentment and even defiance” towards the League’s decision.

Kenyans On The Road: Just So Crazy It Might Work?

• Eliud Kipchoge Doesn’t Think His Sub-2 Hour Goal Is “Crazy” “I accept the freedom of those who are pessimists … The difference only is thinking. You think it’s impossible, I think it’s possible.”
• MB: Former WR holder Patrick Makau pulls out of Boston

Did You Miss Our April Fool’s Home Page? Re-Live It Here

Drugs News

• Another German ARD Report Comes Out: IOC Accused Of Failing To Investigate Positive Drugs Tests – Including By Male Jamaican Sprinters – From 2008 Olympics In a 2016 re-test of 2008 Olympic samples, small amounts of the banned steroid clenbuterol were found in a slew of athletes’ tests, including some male Jamaican sprinters, but they were all cleared without an in-depth investigation as the IOC says it could be meat contamination. Normally the exact opposite occurs, you are assumed to have doped unless a claim of contamination can be supported.
  *Telegraph *Jamaica Observer
  *Ross Tucker: The IOC Didn’t Follow Protocol – “(This) is a difficult concept to swallow at face value.”
  *MB: IOC sweeps positive Jamaican test results under the carpet? Germany’s ARD just put out another tv show w focus on Jamaica 
• IAAF Announces That Its Computers Housing TUE Info Has Beem Hacked By Fancy Bears
  *MB: IAAF has been hacked

Prague Half

LRC 2017 Prague HM Recap: Joyciline Jepkosgei Sets WR (64:52) To Become First Woman Ever Under 65:00 As Jordan Hasay Runs 67:55; Tamirat Tola Destroys Men’s Field In 59:37 JIn one of the greatest road performances in history, Jepkosgei started fast from the gun and wasn’t too far off the 5k WR of 14:46 as she ran 14:53. Jepkosgei also set road WRs at for 10k (30:04), 15k (45:38) and 20k (61:25) en route. The NOP team member having a great race wasn’t named Galen Rupp; it was Jordan Hasay, who joined Molly Huddle and Deena Kastor as the only Americans under 68:00 on a record-eligible course. Rupp was 11th in 61:59.
*Jepkosgei Reacts After Her WR She said she didn’t even realize when she dropped her competitors. “I was running my own race and my body was feeling good.”
*RRW: After Struggling In Prague, Galen Rupp Reveals He Had “Discomfort” In His Foot – “Hopefully, my foot will be OK for Boston.”

MB: Official 2017 Prague Half Live Discussion Thread
MB: Galen Rupp wtf Prague Marathon almost 62 minutes
MB:  Jordan Hasay is running 100 miles a week just 2-3 weeks out from Boston

NCAA Action *All NCAA Results

Texas Relays: Top Sprint Action Set For Texas Relays *Live Results *Live Stream *Schedule

• PV: Mondo Duplantis Breaks Pole Vault World Jr. Record With 19’4.25″ At Texas Relays! It’s also a Swedish national senior record for the Louisiana junior.
• Mile: HSer Sam Worley Beats Leo Manzano In Texas Relays Mile – Runs 4:00.61!
• 800: Michael Saruni (1:45.82) Guns Down Donavan Brazier (1:46.11) As Leo Manzano Runs 1:50 

• Texas A&M’s Lindon Victor Breaks Collegiate Decathlon Record With A Score Of 8,472 Points He broke Trey Hardee‘s mark from 2006 by 7 points. Afterwards Victor said, “I don’t think my record will last as long as Trey’s did. I think it will only last a few months, until I do my next one.”
  *A&M’s Ioannis Kyriazis Throws NCAA #2 All-Time In Javelin (288’9″ – 88.01m)
• Carl Lewis Says He Prefers The Texas Relays To The Penn Relays

Florida Relays: Live Results / Schedule

• Oregon Ducks Break 4 X 100 And 4 X 200 Collegiate Records The new records are 42.34 and 1:28.78. In the 4 x 200, Dafne Schippers ran down Ariana Washington.
• Oregon’s Alaysha Johnson Destroys Oregon School Record As Well As NCAA 60H Champ With 12.69 At Florida Relays Oregon’s women’s sprint squad is so good it’s amazing as their previous school record holder – Sasha Wallace (NCAA 60H champ) – was 6th in the race.
  
• Florida’s Eric Futch & TJ Holmes Both Break 50 In 400H
  
• Florida’s Clayton Brown Cleared A Nation-Leading 2.21 Meters (7 Feet, 3 Inches) In HJ, Then Jumps 25 Feet (7.62m) In LJ Less Than 30 Minutes Later
  
• Veronica Campbell-Brown Runs World-Leading 200m With 22.60 At Florida Relays

Stanford Invitational: Live Results / Entries / Schedule

• 18-year old Juco runner Quincy Hall runs 45.32 world lead at Stanford!! The kid is a talent as at age 16 and 1 month, he ran 46.71 in HS.
• 10k: Anna Rohrer Runs 31:58.99 In 10k Debut For Win At Stanford! Abbabiya Simbassa (28:03) Wins Men’s Race Rohrer got the WChamps standard and is the 7th-fastest collegian ever. Stephanie Bruce, who was 22nd at World XC last week, was 2nd in 31:59. Stars Edward Cheserek (28:46) and Molly  Seidel (33:19) won the slow heats.
  
• 5ks: Amy-Eloise Neale (15:39.30) Beats Karissa Schweizer To Win Stanford 5k, David Elliot (13:36) Wins Men’s Race 
  
• Steeple: Allie Ostrander Runs 9:55 FTW In Her Steeple Debut Michael Jordan won the men’s race in 8:33.
  
• 1,500s: Fresno State’s Annemarie Schwanz (4:13.82) And Ok State’s Josh Thompson (3:41.80) Win
  
• MB: Runners Slam Into Official In Men’s 1,500 At Stanford (Video)

Gonzaga Coach Pat Tyson (And Former HS Legendary Coach) Says He’ll Never Retire

A Ton Of Other Quality Road Racing Is Taking Place This Weekend

• RRW: Americans Shannon Rowbury, Paul Chelimo To Take On International Rivals At Sunday’s Carlsbad 5,000 Rowbury faces Viola Lagat, former All-American Dominque Scott and Neely Gracey while the men’s race has 2012 Olympic silver medalist Dejen Gebremeskel, Will Leer, GB’s Andy Vernon and Aussie Collis Birmingham.
• Berlin Half Marathon Preview: Men’s Race Led By Sub-60 Minute Kenyans David Kogei, Gilbert Masai And Daniel Chebii Sarah Hall is in the women’s field which is lead by the race’s past two winners Elizeba Cherono and Cynthia Kosgei.
• MB: Michael Wardian Set to Race Barkley (Ultra) Marathons After Running 2:29 Marathon On Indoor Track Last Week For some good reads on this epic ultra race which has way more DNFs than actual finishers, go to our Barkely Marathons archive page.
• $62,000 In Prize Money Up For Grabs At The Cooper River Bridge Run 10K In Charleston, SC Fields include last year’s winner Monicah Ngige, former NYC Marathon champ Firehiwot Dado, Amy Van Alstine, Becky Wade, Jen Rhines for the women and 2-time defending champ Dominic Ondoro, Shadrack Kipchirchir, Jon Grey, Kirubel Erassa for the men.
• Past Winners And Top American Set Headline Strong Field For Credit Union SACTOWN Run 10 Mile The men’s race includes Aaron Braun, Andrew Lemoncello and Fernando Cabada while the women are lead by Kenya’s defending champ Jane Kibii.

Japanese News: Kawauchi Corner

• Recommended Reads: Lengthy 3-Part Blog Series By Japanese Citizen Runner Yuki Kawauchi In the first part, Kawauchi talks about the “miracle in Fukuoka” where despite a sprained ankle, he fought through to finish 3rd (top Japanese man) and make the 2017 World team.
  *Part 2: Kawauchi Clarifies That He Isn’t Retiring After London, Just Not Seeking National Team Berths “Unless you give up the fight, there’s no retirement for amateur runners.”
  *Part 3: “The Lessons Of The Past Are Not ‘Outdated'”
• Yuki Kawauchi Butted Heads With Japan National Long Distance Head Toshihiko Seko At Worlds Meeting Kawauchi had some witty remarks to Seko’s speech and Sekio criticized Kawauchi thinking too much about being weak in the heat. An interesting exchange for sure.
• The Japan Times: Change To Japan’s Marathon Team Selection In Works For 2020 Games They’re considering taking a page out of the US book and having the top two finishers at a trials race qualify automatically with a third being selected based on whoever has the fastest qualifying time.

Drug Busts

• Russia’s Mariya Savinova Launches CAS Appeal Over Her Doping Ban And Stripped Medals Savinova was banned for 4 years and lost her 2012 Olympic, 2011 World and 2010 European golds.
• Dopers, Watch Out: Craig Reedie Says More Whistleblowers Are Talking To WADA Reedie says he has been told that a number of whistleblowers are working with WADA, but he himself doesn’t know the specifics because it remains confidential.
• Former Hammer World Record Holder Gulfiya Khanafeyeva Among Four Russians Diqualified From London 2012 Olympics Khanafeyeva, another hammer thrower, a triple jumper and weightlifter were sanctioned after being caught in doping retests.
• Jamaica’s Riker Hylton Files For Dismissal Of His Provisional Doping Ban

Looking Ahead On The Track

• May 13: Shanghai Diamond League Meet WIll Have 13 Olympic Champions Distance headliners include David Rudisha, Faith Kipyegon, Ruth Jebet and Almaz Ayana.
• May 27: Eugene Assembles Its Best-Ever Women’s Javelin Field Pre will have all three Olympic medalists, the World champion, the European champion and the 2016 Diamond League winner … amazingly they are all different people.
• June 13: World Champ Julius Yego, 2012 Olympic Champ Keshorn Walcott And 2007 World Tero Pitkamaki Added To Paavo Nurmi Games Javelin Field They’ll face off against Olympic champ Thomas Rohler.