Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i AW - Athletics Weekly Magazine

SEPTEMBER 2022 AW Editorial Director And, just like that, it's all over. A summer like no other for athletics has come to an end and the athletes have run, jumped and thrown themselves into the ground. I don’t mind telling you that the AW team is a little weary, too. Tired, but happy. I write this a little over a week after returning from the European Championships in Munich, and there is one thing which continues to linger over and above the superb venue, the passionate crowds and the athletic excellence. The German band Munchener Freiheit made it big in the late 80s with a song called Keeping The Dream Alive. Why are we taking a detour down the strasse of decades-old Euro pop? Well, the instrumental backing to that…

DIGEST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS It’s now little under a year until the action gets under way but already the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest is creating headlines. Last month, World Athletics released the qualifying standards for the event which will take place from August 19-27 next year - and they are eye-wateringly high. Take, for example, the required men’s long jump mark of 8.25m - a distance achieved by just two athletes at this year’s World Championships in Eugene - plus the women’s high jump of 1.97m and men’s 10,000m of 27:10.00. What’s more, marks will only be accepted at Diamond Leagues, Continental Tours or World Athletics Tour events such as its indoor, race walking or combined events series, together with some national championships. There are, however, a number of ways…

INTERVIEW JENNY MEADOWS What are your memories from the 800m at Berlin 2009 when you ran to World Championships bronze? If anyone asks me what my favourite race was during my career then I’d say this one. It was the first time I’d probably converted my time and form in training to a global competition. I was really nervous before that final and I actually remember looking at myself in the bathroom mirror, having a good word myself. I wanted to give it my all and I looked at the competitors and thought I’d beat a lot of these women day in, day out in the Diamond League. That was a big mindset change for me that I deserved this opportunity. Everyone was completely shocked when I won a medal apart…

@KatharineMerry @katharine.merry When Lizzie Bird had to be scraped off the Munich Olympic Stadium track after putting every ounce of herself into winning European bronze in the 3000m steeplechase, myself and my BBC radio colleague Allison Curbishley exchanged a knowing look. That image, I think, epitomised the 2022 season. After three major championships so tightly packed together, there are a lot of tired people out there, both mentally and physically. It's been another level, hasn't it? It's been crazy but amazing all at the same time. There have been wonderful crowds (living in Birmingham I’m biased, of course, but the city really did excel as Commonwealth Games hosts) and I also feel like the athletes have just had a lot more to cling on to, which has really helped those…

The hashtag #backtotheroofs was used throughout the European Championships, highlighting the return to the sweeping Plexiglass features which make the Olympic Park in Munich, built back in 1972, so distinctive. Given the noise generated by the home crowds which propelled the German team to the top of the athletics medal table, there were times when it felt like those transluscent canopies might come under threat. What a way to finish off the championships season. Some hugely memorable athletics moments played out to an audience which lapped up the action and, from groundbreaking performances to a few surprises being sprung, there really was barely a dull moment. There was much for the British athletes to be proud, of too, and over the coming pages we hear from a number of the…

GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER Two recent studies have provided encouraging news when it comes to the somewhat controversial issue of heart health in endurance athletes. The debate around the potential damage which can be caused by too much exercise - when training for multiple marathons or ultra marathons, for example - has been in evidence for years now and will be a familiar topic to regular readers of AW. But, writing in Outside magazine, author Alex Hutchinson has highlighted some encouraging news. A study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, has looked at the connection between exercise and a condition called atherosclerosis, which is the build-up of plaques which narrow and stiffen the arteries. Testing for the condition can be done by getting a coronary…

ULTRA IAU 100KM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, Bemuu, Germany, August 27 Men: 1H Okayama JPN 6:12:10; 2 J Yamaguchi JPN 6:17:19; 3P Wiersma NED 6:18:47(rec); 4 SHakansson NOR 6:19:01 (rec); 5 G Ruel FRA 6:19:51 (rec); 6 N Kazami JPN 6:21:43; 7 E OIsson SWE 6:30:14; 8 M Deli Anujar ESP 6:30:24; 9 Gareth King GBR 6:32:05; 10 A Bock GER 6:34:40; 26 Matt Dickinson GBR 6:51:46;36 Oliie Garrod GBR 7:03:16.109 finished TEAM: 1 JPN 18:51:12:2 FRA 19:55:10:3 RSA 20:05:58:4 GER 20:08:17:5 GBR 20:27:07:6 POL 20:31:40 Women: 1F Hot FRA 7:04:03 (rec); 2C Chaigneau FRA 7:06:32c;3C Jennings IRL 7:07:16 (rec); 4C Olsen USA 7:15:29;5 S Lipiäinen FIN 7:15:35 (rec);6M Nakata JPN 7:19:12; 7 A Kacius USA 7:24:41; 8 S Luna ITA 7:29:01; 9 F Morini iTA 7:31:45; 10M Fujisawa JPN 7:32:22; 14Jo…

FIXTURES SEPTEMBER 7-8 • Weltklasse Zurich diamondleame.com SEPTEMBER 9 • Great North 5km Newcastle greatrun.org SEPTEMBER 10 • Richmond AIR 10km Kew Gardens run-fest.com • 4J Studios scottishathletics National Track Relay Championships Grangemouth scottishathletics.org.uk • BWAA Grand Prix Series Stoke Mandeville bwaa.co.uk • South of England U15/17 Inter Counties Championships Horspath • Southern Athletics League Various southernathktics.org.uk • Welsh Athletics Junior Development League - WJDL - South Brecon wdshathletics.org SEPTEMBER 11 • Great North Run Newcastle/Gateshead greatnm.org • New Balance 5th Avenue Mile New York nyrr.org • Richmond Runfest half marathon and marathon Kew Gardens run-fest.com • Welsh Athletics Junior Development League - WJDL - East Cyncoed • Welsh Athletics Junior Development League - WJDL - West Carmarthen welshathletics.org SEPTEMBER 17 • Self Transcendence 24 Hour Track Race Battersea Park…

DIGEST PICTURE THIS One of the highlights of the twoday England Athletics Under-17 and Under-15 Championships in Bedford last month was the under-17 men’s 3000m where there was not only an exciting finish but one of the oldest championships records in the book fell. With 8:24.06, English Schools 1500m champion Henry Dover (366) edged Oscar Schofield's 8:24.09 PB and both broke Jonathan Richards’ 42-year-old championships record of 8:26.92 whic had been set in 1980.…

Tom Evans thought his career might be over. A knee injury which required surgery last year posed some serious long-term concerns. However, the British former army captain has proved to be made of stern stuff over the years and he set about the six-month rehabilitation with a ferocity and focus similar to how he approaches his racing. The results have been remarkable. Evans has an impressive and varied competitive CV. On the road he has run for Britain at the World Halt-Marathon Championships. On the country he has made the podium at the Inter-Counties and raced at the European Championships. In ultra-running he won the CCC race at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) in 2018 and the following year placed third at the Western States 100-miler in America. His “sweet…

MY GREATEST RACE ANDY TURNER The Commonwealth champion relives his European title win when he proved the doubters wrong by powering from behind to strike gold The year before Barcelona, I'd had my funding cut probably rightly so because I was rubbish at the Beijing Olympics. I campaigned to try and get back on funding but I was told I was too old and too slow to make a final - those were the words that were being used. When you’re cut from funding, it's not just the financial side of things. It is the fact that people just chucked me on the scrapheap and that really got to me. I didn't need any more fire in the belly to run well because I always gave everything in training - absolutely…

The days of seeing half-empty stands at British Athletics’ major events could be numbered if one of Jack Buckner’s early moves as the new chief executive of the governing body pays off. One of the first things the former European 5000m champion has done is to sign up the sports marketing company Two Circles to help sell tickets and promote the sport. During its 11-year history, Two Circles has built up an impressive resume, having worked with UEFA, Wimbledon, The Premier League and The Hundred. Buckner has also worked with them before in his previous roles in charge of swimming and triathlon. There is a strong athletics link with Two Circles, too. The name is derived from the 800m event and one of its founders, Gareth Balch, ran 1:46.75 in…

As he made his way around the track on his lap of honour in the Munich Olympic Stadium, Jacob Fincham-Dukes allowed his mind to wander. “I was already thinking about what it could mean in terms of getting on some funding, getting into better meets next year and even ideas of sponsorship,” he says of the fringe benefits which accompany podium success. The "it" in question was the European silver medal he appeared to have won. An opening round 8.06m in the men’s long jump final had given the Briton an early lead and, though Olympic champion Militadis Tentoglou ultimately won gold, the Greek was the only athlete to jump further. Fincham-Dukes was still thrilled at the thought of winning the first major senior medal of his career and he…

INTERVIEW EILISH McCOLGAN The cheers of the many thousands of people she has so royally entertained this summer were still ringing in Eilish McColgan’s ears When she got back down to work. After winning her fourth medal in 15 days European 5000m bronze - the 30-year-old granted herself an entire 48 hours of R&R (which included a 10-mile run on the treadmill, mind you) before moving on to the next item on her list. In truth, it’s the next phase of her career. This has been the track summer of her life but, for a few years now, it has looked like all roads would ultimately lead to, well, the roads. McColgan is not planning to leave the track behind entirely but now she very much has the marathon in mind.…

PERFORMANCE How can I strengthen my ankle to prevent injury? The ankle is a complex set of ligaments and one of the key ones runs from the lateral shin bone and attaches to a bone in the foot called ATFL. When you roll your ankle, that ligament is the one you’re most likely to damage. I’ve given many talks around ankle stability and the best way to prevent strains is to have very good balance. It’s just about getting that initial catch response. So why do we roll an ankle? It may be because there’s a divot in the road or a tree root sticking out. That can cause stress to the ligaments and even the tendons that run down the outside of the ankle. How do you prevent that?…

DIGEST NEWS Overnight, women have been set back 50 years in the US. The decision to overturn Roe v Wade, thus removing abortion as a constitutional right, hasn’t come as a surprise, yet is shocking at the same time. In terms of sport, that’s like going back to a leather basketball, cinder athletics tracks and cotton rugby shirts. Although abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019, abortion services have still not been commissioned, meaning access to abortion is still restricted. In Scotland, there are no healthcare services which provide abortion care up to 24 weeks, forcing women to travel away from home. We have been sucked in to thinking this is “a US issue” but, in reality, it strikes much closer to home. Sportswomen might not be the…

"You're on holiday now. I don't want you to think about running. I don't even want you to pack your trainers." That's what my coach told me when we sat down to debrief over coffee after the last workout of the year. Initially, I resisted. I felt that, with all of the enforced rest my injury-ridden year had allowed me already, I didn't need to take yet another break from running. Yes, I was tired of tracing a rocky path back to fitness via races that didn't satisfy my previous goals, but I felt that I was only just beginning to find consistency again and I didn't want to let that go. The maintenance of my physical fitness however, was not my coach's primary concern. The point of this season…

KEELY HODGKINSON "Satisfied but not overjoyed" World 800m silver - July 24, 1:56.38 The much anticipated rematch of Olympic champion Athing Mu and the Olympic silver medallist in Eugene did not disappoint. As in Tokyo, it was the American who was able to take top spot once again, her winning time a world leading 1:56.30. Hodgkinson came significantly closer to victory this time, however. “I’m satisfied but not overjoyed,” she said. “I’m a little disappointed that I missed out on gold by 0.08 which is tiny margins that I’ve worked so hard to close but I’ll take the positives. I’m getting closer.” "Frustrated is the right word" Commonwealth 800m silver - August 6, 1:57.40 Hodgkinson admitted that missing out on this gold hurt way more than having to settle for…

BIRMINGHAM 2022 LEGACY "Be bold”, came the rallying call. As if Birmingham would be anything but. Throughout the 2022 Commonwealth Games the energy across the region was electrifying and the city - so vibrant and full of colour - danced to the beat of its own unique tune. Cynics were hushed as Birmingham embraced the Games. It was a love story with packed stands, incredible sport and a carnival atmosphere that stretched from the spectacular opening ceremony with the monumental Raging Bull, to the closing ceremony party that paid tribute to the diversity of the West Midlands and its unique musical heritage. “For a Games so often pilloried for secondrate standards, Birmingham 2022 showed how to succeed by simply being itself,” said the organisers. “It provided a blueprint for future editions…

MEN 100m (-0.9) 200m (1.1) 400m 800m 1500m 5000m 10,000m 3000m steeplechase Marathon 110m hurdles (0.9) 400m hurdles High jump Pole vault Long jump Triple jump Shot put Discus Hammer Javelin Decathlon 10,000m walk 4x100m 4x400m WOMEN 100m (0.4) 200m (0.6) 400m 800m 1500m 5000m 10,000m 3000m Steeplechase Marathon 100m hurdles 400m hurdles High jump Pole vault Long jump Triple jump Shot put Discus Hammer Javelin Heptathlon 10,000m walk 4x100m 4x400m PARA EVENTS MEN 100m (T11/12) (3.7) 100m (T37/38) (-0.3) 100m (T45/47) (0.5) 1500m (T53/54) Marathon (T53/54) Discus (F42-44/F61-64) WOMEN 100m (T33/34) (1.7) 100m (T37/38) (0.6) 1500m (T53/54) Marathon(T53/54) Discus (F42-44/F61-64) Shot Put(F55/57)…

PREVIEW AUTUMN I have loved this track season - and has there ever been a busier track season than this one? - but I must admit that the approaching clutch of major autumn road races is going to feel like a refreshing change of scene. Whether it’s London, Berlin or Chicago, commentating on a road race which unfolds in a more gradual, subtle way is a totally different thing to a track and field meeting. And there’s so much to look forward to. Everywhere you look on the calendar there are going to be points of intrigue as the big names come out to play on the tarmac. With the championships marathons - the Olympics excluded - not carrying the same weight or kudos as the big city events, it means…

All training should potentiate. Put simply, to potentiate means to lift performance - its implementation should enable the athlete to run faster, jump higher or throw further. What is potentiation? Potentiation is a way of training which, by combining selected activities which require a high neural and muscular input, triggers both mind and body to generate greater power outputs. In short, you are increasing the strength of nerve impulses along pathways which have been used previously. You can and should use potentiation for both training and competition (obviously having tried it out in training first). In the warm-up process there should be an initial phase of potentiation. For example, you would not expect a sprinter to do some block starts without some specific preparation (drills, fast runs etc) that would…

GET IN TOUCH: Email us at haveyoursay@athleticsweekly.com or via our social media channels Does size matter? So the British team won a healthy number of seven medals at the World Championships in Eugene but their score in the placings table was their worst for years. However, at the European Championships, the team won slightly fewer gold medals than host nation Germany but finished top of the table when it came to placings scores. Is this simply down to the fact there was a bigger team in Munich? Tim Gannon, Cheshire Lost opportunity in London It was great to read the news in AW about an athletics archive in Croydon which the public may soon be able to visit. At the same time it was a shame and no surprise -…