Steven Bradbury – Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics

With the Vancouver 2010 Olympics approaching, this has to be one of my best memories of any winter Olympics.
Steven Bradbury of Australia is most well-known for his unexpected gold medal at the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympic Games in the men’s short track 1000 metres event from three unlikely events occurring. The stars and [...]

USA Black History Month – Stan Wright, Track Coach

February is Black History Month in the USA.
In the world of coaching and African Americans, I will honor this post to the memory of Stan Wright.  I was 9 years old when I watched the Munich Olympics in 1972.  I had no idea what was going on in terms of the hostage taking, but I [...]

How Fast can Usain Bolt run 100 Yards?

This article is aimed for readers born before 1960 when running 100 yards was the norm, especially in the USA.
There has been a lot of buzz on how fast Usain Bolt could run a 40 yard dash, which were fuelled by the Chris Johnson’s recent 40 yard challenge to determine the World’s Fastest Man.  (Shades [...]

3 Rounds for Track Events – What does it mean?

Interesting article from the IAAF Council Meeting notes, Monaco – 20 November, 2009.  It states under the TRACK EVENTS:

No more than three rounds for any event
A preliminary qualification round of men’s and women’s 100m to include only unqualified athletes
Relays spread over at least three days
Semi-Finals and Finals in same session for 100m, 100mH, 110mH

In my [...]

San Jose State University – Saving Winter Field

This is part 2 of 2 from my recent visit to the Bay Area, California
After viewing the Tommie Smith – John Carlos 23 foot statute at San José State University, the next item on my agenda was to drive down S 10th street towards Spartan Stadium and visit Winter Field.
This was the same track where [...]

San Jose State University – The Tommie Smith John Carlos Statue

This is part 1 of 2 from my recent visit to the Bay Area, California
A trip to Silicon Valley wouldn’t be complete without a visit to San José State University. 
I had two things on my agenda.  Visit the Tommie Smith – John Carlos 23 foot statute, and visit the old Track and Field facility, [...]

4×100 Meter and 4×110 Yard Relay Trivia

Here is some history of the 4 x 100 meter world record progression.
The first time the 40 second barrier was broken was in 1936 Berlin Olympics with Jesse Owens, Ralph Metcalfe, Foy Draper, and Frank Wykoff setting a WR in 39.8 seconds.
At the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the 4×100m WR was 39.5 set by the American [...]

Tommie Smith’s 11 Concurrent World Records

I re-read Tommie Smith’s autobiography Silent Gesture: The Autobiography of Tommie Smith (Sporting) and he mentions in Chapter 2 FOUR times that he held 11 World Records concurrently.  The "11 World Records" are also mentioned on his Bio on the inside of the back cover.
But nowhere in the book does it list all the [...]

It was 20 Years Ago Today when the Berlin Wall was Torn Down

When did the Berlin Wall get knocked down?
The Wall was finally breached by Berliners on November 9, 1989, unifying a city that had been divided for over 30 years.
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the historic event.
As far as Olympics goes, Germany experienced the biggest challenge with a unified team.  After all, there are [...]

Another 1968 Olympic Book by Richard Hoffer, Journalist

When you think of the Political Olympics, you immediately think of 1936 & 1972.  Some may include 1968 “up there” in the ranks.  While you`re at it, add 1980 and 1984.  Heck, add Montreal 1976 with the African boycott and the whole Taiwan mess.
That is why Ben Johnson’s 1988 Seoul race was so special.  For [...]

Italian Sprint Heroes – Livio Berruti 200m Rome 1960

During my prime running years, Pietro Mennea’s 200m WR was the holy grail.  19.72 was the 200m WR standard for 17 years.
In fact, Pietro Mennea won the 200m 1980 Olympics in the Moscow Boycotted Olympics.  He also won the Bronze medal at 1972 Munich Olympics at the same distance.  Mennea competed in 4 5 Olympics [...]

The 2016 Summer Olympics Winner is…

Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid are bidding to host the 2016 Games with the IOC voting on the best bids on October 2 at its session in Copenhagen, Denmark.
In my opinion, Chicago has the edge only if President Obama attends the meetings and starts lobbying for it.  In the past, political figures such [...]

Running Fast and Injury Free by Gordon Pirie

Gordon Pirie was a British long distance runner who died in 1991.  He is most famous for his silver medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics in the 5000 meters.
If you read last week’s post about the end of the Adidas and Puma Feud, then you’ll be intrigued by the connection of Gordon Pirie and Adi [...]

Otis Davis, 1960 400 meter and 4×400m Olympic Champion

In my last article about the Harry Jerome, Bill Bowerman and the University of Oregon connection, I didn’t mention Otis Davis, the Rome 1960 400 meter and USA 4×400m Olympic Champion.
I am currently in Rome, so there is a special connection every time I visit the Rome Olympic Stadium, whether it’s for the Rome Golden [...]

George Silk – Women Runners at the Olympics

I am a collector of Olympic memorabilia.
I love the old stuff, and I try to collect videos of past Olympics, books, post cards, posters, T-shirts, and even a Michael Johnson collectors watch (Thanks Derek of Running Mechanics for the birthday gift!).
But my favourite collection has to be the Time Life magazines.
The [...]

100-200-400 Sprint Doubles and Triples

When Michael Johnson became the first man to win the 200-400 double at the same Olympics, a lot of people didn’t know that feat was accomplished TWICE by a female athlete.  USA’s Valerie Brisco-Hooks did it in the Eastern Boycott Olympic Games of Los Angeles in 1984.  Then Marie-Jose Perec of France did it hours [...]

Technological Innovations in Track and Field

Let’s face it, the new swimming suits have helped demolish world records at a record pace (no pun intended).
Ross and Jonathan from the Science of Sport quoted the average age of a swimming world record for men was 13 months and 8 months for women.  That’s a World Record every year!
By comparison, the average [...]

The Important Thing in the Olympic Games

This is what the Olympics are all about.
Below is one of my favourite pictures from the Olympics.
The motto is a classic:
"The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part. The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well"
- Pierre [...]

The “Speed City” Documentary – We Need your Help

Bud Winter coached at San Jose State University from 1944 – 1974 and was responsible for the legendary “Speed City” in the mid 1960’s.
In total, he produced 1 NCAA Championship, 49 NCAA records, and 27 Olympians including including Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, John Carlos, and Ronnie Ray Smith, just to name a few. He also [...]

Sebastian Coe – The Winning Mind: My Inside Track on Great Leadership

Now I know why Sebastian Coe was upset at Dwain Chambers’ book. Because it was released one month before his own book, The Winning Mind.

With all the hype surrounding Chambers’ book, Coe’s book went literally unnoticed.

Anyone who ran track between 1978 and 1984 can remember the intense rivalry between Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett. [...]

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