THE LATEST in the aches, pains & eligibility departments:
In a major development, the IAAF finally came up with its new guidelines governing athletes’ changing of national representation.
A pair of prominent Russian high jumpers were missing at the European Championships. World Indoor champ Danil Lysenko had his “authorized neutral athlete” status revoked for whereabouts violations. Lysenko said he didn’t take the system seriously, and that “there was never a thought of hiding and running from doping officers, as many can now think.” Former Olympic champ Anna Chicherova came off suspension on June 30, but hadn’t spent enough time in the dope-testing pool to be eligible for ANA status.
Sprinter Murielle Ahouré of Côte d’Ivoire missed the African Champs because of a severe allergic reaction she suffered in London.
The British javelin champ 2 years ago, Joanna Blair has been banned until July of ’21 after testing positive for the banned steroid metandienone last year. She said she had unintentionally ingested them from a contaminated supplement bought online.
Canadian shotputter Brittany Crew broke her foot in two places while training in Belgium and had to miss NACAC.
Jamaican 200 runner Sashalee Forbes, a 22.71 performer, withdrew from NACAC with an unspecified injury.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has pulled the plug on her comeback-from-maternity season to concentrate on training for next year.
A bad hammy knocked Britain’s Dai Greene, the ’11 World champ at 400H, out of the Euros.
NCAA/USATF 100 champ Aleia Hobbs didn’t run again after winning in Des Moines. She had knee problems which have required a pair of surgeries since.
Filip Ingebrigtsen of Norway skipped the Euro 5000 because of a broken rib following his crash in the 1500 heats.
Florida State hurdler Cortney Jones, 3rd in the NCAA and the World Juniors, had surgery in August to repair a hamstring she tore in Tampere.
Morphine, a banned substance, showed up in an April test for sub-2:20 Kenyan marathoner Lucy Kabuu.
German decathlete Kai Kazmirek withdrew from the Euros with a muscle problem.
Jamaican hurdler Ronald Levy skipped NACAC with an unspecified injury but was back running at the Birmingham DL.
An under-the-weather Shamier Little couldn’t run the Birmingham DL 400H. “I have a cold,” she tweeted on her way home the next day. “And I woke up from one of my several naps, and I actually shed a tear thinking about how I’m actually snotty nosed on this plane like this.”
Kenyan marathoner Wilson Loyanai has acquired South Korean citizenship, but will be unable to represent the country at the ’20 Olympics. The 2:05:13 performer has been competing for a Korean city since ’15, when he finished serving a 2-year doping ban. He will be known as Oh Joo-han, which translates as “I run for Korea.”
Swiss sprinter Pascal Mancini was dropped from the team for the European Champs and has been suspended until further notice for posting racist content on Facebook. His federation said, “The board believes the athlete’s transgressions cannot be tolerated. Swiss Athletics is unreservedly committed to a fair and respectful sport.”
A bad landing at the Birmingham DL left Kiwi vaulter Eliza McCartney with an injured heel. With nothing broken, just bruising, she intends to continue her season.
Euro steeple champ Mahiedine Mekhissi, nursing a calf injury, skipped Birmingham to focus on the Diamond League Final.
Belgian discus thrower Philip Milanov pulled out of the Euros due to a stress fracture in his right foot.
Host Nigeria’s big hope, Blessing Okagbare, withdrew from the sprints at the African Championships, citing injury.
The IAAF cleared a change-of-nation application from Britain to Ireland by sprinter Leon Reid, who went on to take 7th in the Euro 200.
German Richard Ringer, the Euro leader at 10,000, dropped out of that event at Euros and withdrew from the 5000 because of a calf injury.
Olympic long jump champ Greg Rutherford made his retirement final after competing in the Birmingham DL.
Two weeks before the European Championships, German putter Christina Schwanitz got whiplash and injured a thumb in a car accident.
Caster Semenya missed Birmingham because of an illness she contracted in Nigeria while at the African Championships.
Ivana Španović of Serbia suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on her first leap in the Euros qualifying.
German vaulter Silke Spiegelburg lost training this summer due to an inflammation of her foot.
Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi pulled out of Birmingham with an intestinal virus.
French sprinter Jimmy Vicaut didn’t show for the Euro 100 final; he ended his season with a grade 2 thigh tear incurred in the semis. □
