A PR WORTH WAITING FOR? With the news that Grant Fisher has been added to the field for the Bowerman Mile comes the prospect that the double Olympic medalist might finally break his mile PR of 3:59.38. That mark has miraculously survived since his HS performance back in ’15. This despite a 3:33.99 PR at 1500 (worth c3:51.0) and multiple instances of finishing longer races with a faster last 4 laps…
Tracksmith has signed marathoner Stephanie Bruce…
Long jumper Claire Bryant has signed on with adidas…
In jumping 7-5¾ (2.28) in April, former world champion Donald Thomas of the Bahamas tied the Masters WR in the high jump, held by Dragutin Topić…
The Bahamas opted not to send a team to the World Relays, citing difficulties filling the squad…
Two marks from the indoor season will not be ratified, says WA. The 5000 walk mark of Italy’s Francesco Fortunato (17:55.65) did not have judges at the required level. And the Junior 60 mark of 6.51 by Auburn Nigerian Israel Okun didn’t meet the drug test requirement…
TeeTee Terry has written a children’s book called TeeTee’s World Adventure. The book “encourages young children to explore, work together, build resilience, and enjoy adventure.”…
Finnish vaulter Wilma Murto has penned a memoir to be released in the fall, titled, Above All…
Desi Linden is publishing her second book, called, Turn The Page: Reflections On Running, New Beginnings, And Going Even Longer…
Boston winner John Korir, together with brother Wesley (a past Patriots’ Day winner), have launched Bingwa Coffee, with a special Boston blend. All the proceeds go to the Transcend Talent Academy in Kenya, founded by Wesley…
Crime beat: Peter Dachev, the World Junior long jump champion in ’98, was arrested in Bulgaria with 30 kilos of cocaine in his van, reportedly with plans to sell the multi-million dollar stash…
An altercation at a prep track meet in Frisco, Texas, left one athlete dead and another facing murder charges for allegedly stabbing him…
Sydney Olympic hammer champ Szymon Ziółkowski was arrested after a domestic disturbance…
Dutch 400 runner Madiea Ghafoor has been released after serving a 5½-year sentence for drug smuggling. Previously, she had understated, “The day I got arrested, I knew my career was over.”…
British coach and event organizer Chris Barnes has been charged with a number of violations of UK Athletics’ code of conduct, including inappropriate relationships and sending explicit images…
Sofiane Selmouni, a former French national 1500 champion who left the sport in ’17, has been charged with armed robbery and fraud…
Hurdler Wilfred Happio, currently provisionally suspended for whereabouts failures, had his prospective sanction reduced from 2 years to 18 months…
After his 4-year ban ended in April, Swiss sprinter Alex Wilson (10.08, 19.98) started a new 10-year ban for an EPO positive test, possession of EPO and tampering…
The CAS has made public the strange case of Mo Aman, the ’13 World 800 champ, saying that he rushed to his car to flee a drug test in ’21. A resulting 4-year ban happened, with an appeal going to CAS, which took an astounding 3+ years to make a decision. The AIU database says his ban ended on February 15 of this year. CAS, however, says the 4-year ban started that month…
The Trump administration has nominated Monica Crowley as chief of protocol for the State Department. The former Fox News analyst will be the key government liaison to the LA Games, along with other major events…
James Mulligan has been appointed as the new communications director for World Athletics. He has worked in similar roles for Commonwealth Sports and the European Championships…
The decision has been made to start the ’28 Olympic marathon at Venice Beach…
The number of athletes competing in the ’28 Games will remain the same at 10,500, but for the first time, the women’s quota (5333) is higher than the men’s (5167). IOC sports director Kit McConnell noted broadcast considerations, adding, “All of the events and the finalization of the athlete quotas were done with a clear consideration about adding value to the games.” Track & field remains balanced at 905 each…
Could a global recession threaten the LA Games? Said LA mayor Karen Bass recently, “Downward economic trends make it so revenues to the City’s budget in 2025–26 are now projected to be hundreds of millions of dollars less than previously projected.” The possible cuts, she says, threaten “the workforce that we need to deliver on those Games.”…
Will the USOPC adopt a transgender policy in the face of pressure from the Trump administration to ban transgender athletes prior to the ’28 Games? No, says CEO Sarah Hirshland. “We do not and will not have an eligibility policy… At the international level, eligibility is typically determined by the relevant international federations for events such as World Cups and World Championships. At the national level, this responsibility lies with the national governing bodies.”
The ’26 Los Angeles Marathon is being rescheduled from March 15 to avoid clashing with the Oscar ceremony…
Chile has announced its bid to host the Youth Olympics in ’30; it’s part of a long-term campaign to bring the Olympics to Santiago…
Rome is making a bid to host either the ’29 or ’31 Worlds…
The Wall Street Journal reports that the USOPC insisted that USATF hire an outside law firm to make an independent review, which is still ongoing. USATF has been beset by critical financial problems in recent years…
Tigst Assefa’s London win was worth $305,000: the victory itself was $55,000; sub-2:16 was worth $100,000 and the women’s only WR was worth $150,000. Sponsor bonuses and appearance fees are not public…
Mondo Duplantis won this year’s Laureus Sportsman Of The Year Award…
The Czech federation’s quarterly publication, Atletika, has been awarded a World Heritage Plaque. It was founded in ’49…
Two-time World Indoor 800 champ Abubaker Kaki was reported to have been killed by shelling in the ongoing Sudanese civil war. However, several African journalists have contacted him since. Said one, “I have been able to personally speak with Kaki on the phone moments ago and he’s well and confirms he is not past tense.” ◻︎
