Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2025 i AW - Athletics Weekly Magazine

It was, perhaps, a stupid question but it provoked an interesting response. Jakob Ingebrigsten is a man in demand from the media whenever he competes and, during a rather rushed scrum in Apeldoorn after he had pocketed yet another gold medal, there was only the briefest of opportunities to get his thoughts. He is still only 24 and had just won the 17th – yes, 17th – European title of his career across the indoor, outdoor and cross country championships. He had also just completed a third successive European Indoor 1500m/3000m double and had looked entirely untroubled in doing so – even being able to toy with his opposition at times and apparently operating on a different level. Given all of that, then, I wondered…does he ever get bored with…

There is a shared hope that exists among athletics fans – certainly the majority of those in Britain – that the sport, and everyone in it, is united in the battle against drugs cheats. Vilify those who sully the sport’s name through their nefarious actions and cast them aside in the manner that UK Athletics has done in recent years by refusing to invite anyone convicted of major doping offences from competing at its events. So when the latest episode of Justin Gatlin’s Ready Set Go podcast dropped a few weeks ago, with Usain Bolt as the special guest, it prompted eyebrows to be raised. Since his sprinting retirement in 2022, Gatlin has developed a successful media career. In some sense, that is little surprise. Even at the height of…

On March 23, anyone with an interest in representing Great Britain at this year’s European Running Championships in Belgium assembled in the quaint English village of Pulford. Bibs were assigned at the village hall, where a patchwork quilt made by a member of the WI and framed on the wall happens to mark out the 10km race route. Michael Harrington’s Cheshire 10km was not originally earmarked by British Athletics as the scene of the selection trial but, after a large sinkhole appeared in a vital country lane in Trafford, plans had to be diverted. Of all the things that can re-route an athlete’s race preparation, a sinkhole isn’t the first that springs to mind, but while the date and location of our goal race moved this spring, we were fortunate…

The permanent move from athlete to coach has taken a little getting used to. “I was in the warm-up area with my wife, I got on to the track and I had my running gear on,” says Richard Kilty. “For about 15 seconds, I thought: ‘I’ve definitely got it today’. I completely lost myself, but you go into autopilot mode.” The habits of a life consumed by competitive sprinting, it seems, die hard. It didn’t take Kilty too long to snap back to reality. A ruptured Achilles at last summer’s Olympics means he can barely mustera jog at the moment, never mind top speed, and proved to be the final straw for the 35-year-old. For years he has been coaching in varying guises alongside his own top level career but,…

These are just a few of the many harsh comments left on a social media post that was recently shared by Eilish McColgan. In the post, she is simply sharing a video of herself running on a treadmill while training for the London Marathon. However, rather than receiving supportive feedback for her dedication and effort, the replies quickly turn into a battleground of nasty remarks focused solely on her body. Here we go again. The body shaming of female athletes – something that is, unfortunately, all too common. As more people leave hateful comments, the more it seems to normalise the behaviour and encourage others to join in. So many seem set on fuelling this harmful cycle. This kind of abuse is, sadly, nothing new for McColgan. Like many female…

Test your knowledge of current athletics events with our teasers 1 Apart from Jeremiah Azu, can you name the three British sprinters to have won men’s 60m gold at a World Indoor Championships? 2 How many European titles across indoor, outdoor and cross country competitions has Jakob Ingebrigtsen now won? a) 15 b) 17 c) 19 3 Whose European heptathlon record did Norwegian Sander Skotheim break at the European Indoor Championships? 4 How many times have the World Indoor Championships been staged in China? 5 Grand Slam Track begins this month with the opening meeting in Kingston, but in which US cities are the other three “Slams” being held? 6 Which world record, set by British athlete Elliot Giles, was officially ratified last month? 7 Hellen Obiri is going for…

The women’s 60m hurdles final at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing saw a contest of the highest standard and depth. World record-holder Devynne Charlton successfully defended her title, winning in 7.72, but she was pushed all the way to do it. Before the race, the record number of athletes finishing under 7.80 in a single race was three. Here, the top six all went under that barrier, Ditaji Kambundji taking silver in 7.73 and Ackera Nugent bronze in 7.74. The top six were separated by just 0.04.…

With training and racing not going to plan, expectations were not high for the Welshwoman in Manchester, but she stunned herself to edge out England’s Helen Pattison and take silver behind race winner Kelly Holmes For the smaller nations, the Commonwealth Games is a real stepping stone. I always viewed the 1998 Games as being just that for me: a first major outdoor championships and something that would set me up nicely for future events. But that didn’t happen – I got injured and pulled out – so then you go into the next one thinking: “I didn’t achieve what I set out to achieve there.” It kind of hangs over you a little bit and the Commonwealths only come round once every four years. But, in 2002, I didn’t…

There’s a particular kind of pain in finishing just shy of greatness. For Daryll Neita, that feeling hit hard when she crossed the line in Paris last year – fourth in the 100m and fifth in the 200m at the Olympic Games. It was a season of highs and near-misses. A silver medal in the 100m at the European Championships and another British outdoor title proved she was on the right track but, when the dust settled, there was one glaring truth: she was still without an individual Olympic medal, and it wouldn’t be until 2028 before she got another shot at it. So, what do you do when you’re knocking on the door but haven’t quite walked through it yet? Neita decided to switch things up. After a solid…

Think of the London Marathon and it’s likely that one of the first images to pop into your head will be one of a stream of runners pouring down The Mall towards the hallowed finish line, with Buckingham Palace providing a spectacular backdrop. Covering those closing yards – the end of the route was moved from Westminster Bridge in 1994 – is an unforgettable moment for anyone who has been lucky enough to experience it and it has inspired countless people down the years to lace up their shoes. The same could be said for the event’s younger sibling, the Mini London Marathon, which has borne witness to the early stages of some of the finest careers in recent British athletics history. This year marks its 40th edition and organisers…

“Twenty seconds before a race, there’s absolute focus. The key thing is to achieve relaxation, but at the same to have absolute total control. You’ve got to f ind the balance between being totally ready to go and being really at peace with yourself as well.” That was the approach which helped take Cathy Freeman to the Olympic 400m title and serves as a reminder as to how crucial the mental side of sprinting, when you are also looking to excel physically, can be. In fact, a unique sports psychology study shows that those sprinters who are able to manage worries and physical tension leading into a race can be up to three times more successful than others. The study investigated 66 sprinters, divided into four categories. About an hour…

MIZUNO Emea.Mizuno.com WAVE REBELLION PRO 3 £210 Being a little less aggressive than the previous model, the new Rebellion Pro 3 should allow a wider range of runners to experience the brand’s “Smooth Speed Assist” design. While the new model looks familiar, the tweaked heel adds a little more stability and maximises the effect of the deep cushioning and propulsive geometry of the shoe. The new Rebellion still demands a more efficient, neutral gait but for those that suit the shoe it really does return every bit of energy you put into it. With this in mind, Mizuno is aiming the Pro 3 at runners covering the ground at around six-minute mile pace and, at this speed, it excels. The sole design is another great, often overlooked, element. Here the…

GET IN TOUCH: Email us at haveyoursay@athleticsweekly.com or via our social media channels HAVE YOUR SAY Time for a Highland fling? A number of interesting points were raised in the pages of the March issue of AW and its examination of the changes, as well as difficulties, currently facing athletics. In my view, our present problems include the loss of senior athletes in our clubs and the need to financially support masters athletics, plus the failure to provide depth of athletics education in our age 9-13 club group, as well as a decline in the standards in all technical events. We must accept reality, that nothing will suddenly result in the arrival at our clubs of dozens of experienced field events coaches, even if we offered to pay them. We…

3:58.35 New Zealander Sam Ruthe became the first 15-year-old to runa mile in under four minutes, after clocking 3:58.35 in Auckland on March 19. Ruthe, who had Sam Tanner as a pacemaker at a wet Go Media Stadium, placed behind the double Olympian by just six hundredths of a second. The teenager accomplished his mission however, with the race specially staged for his attempt to make history. New Zealand 800m champion Ethan Smolej took the field through 400m in 56 seconds and 800m in 1:57, before Tanner took over and, with Ruthe a stride behind, reached the bell in 2:58. Tanner upped the pace round the final bend but Ruthe all but closed the gap between them in the race to the line. New Zealand has produced three mile world-record…

Recently, 16-yearold Alex Lennon has been catching the attention of social media followers with his energetic post-race interviews. These popular videos have stemmed from his standout performances over the past month, which include a remarkable win in the under-17 men’s English National crosscountry race at Parliament Hill, claiming the under-17 Inter Counties title and English Schools Cross Country victory in the senior boys’ race Lennon, from Surrey, may be on a winning streak, but he hasn’t just emerged from nowhere. Last year, he finished fifth in the 1500m at the European Under-18 Championships ahead of fellow Briton Evan Grime and, aside from running, he has previously owned a business that combined his passions for fashion and athletics. With his cross-country season now behind him, Lennon is turning his focus to…

Jacob Kiplimo’s detonation of the world half-marathon record in Barcelona earlier this year may have shattered any preconceptions about the limits of human endurance but, for one man based outside of the Italian city of Siena, it didn’t come as a great shock. “For Jacob it’s normal,” says Giuseppe Giambrone with a smile, nursing a flu which is keeping him at bay from the 25 athletes he looks after in the rolling hills of Tuscany. Seven nations are represented under the roof of a 17th century villa built by the powerful Borghese family which has, over the years, also hosted its own kind of athletics royalty. Said Aouita used it as a launchpad to world and Olympic titles, Ezekiel Kemboi as a studio to dance victorious on the Olympic steeplechase…

It is just over a decade since Jo Pavey stormed to the European 10,000m title in Zurich. The plucky style of her victory and the fact she was almost 41 years old at the time struck a chord with the public and later that year she placed third in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards. “I was known for being old,” she says. “Old, but fast.” It was one of the high points of an amazing career. She won 10,000m bronze at the 2007 World Championships, Commonwealth Games medals in 2006 and 2014 and at Rio 2016 became the first British runner in a track event to compete at five Olympics. Now aged 51, she is a busy mum of two. Her performances have naturally slowed in recent…

AGE: 31 COACH: DALE STEVENSON “What am I going to do all day?” thought Scott Lincoln. The 19-time national champion had finished training for the day. His chores were done, his bags were packed and his flight from Australia back to the UK for the British Championships wasn’t until later that evening. “It was weird,” he says. “I felt really stress-free and I wasn’t used to that.” Lincoln moved to Australia in November 2024 after an impressive season – which included a 21.31m personal best and fourth place at the European Athletics Championships in Rome – was clouded by a disappointing Olympic Games in Paris. “Things were working to some extent, but I guess I wanted more,” admits the 31-year-old. “It was nobody’s fault other than my own [in Paris].…

APRIL 4-6 • Grand Slam Track Kingston grandslamtrack.com APRIL 5 • Generali Prague Half Marathon runczech.com APRIL 6 • Milano Marathon milanomarathon.it • Brighton Marathon londonmarathonevents.co.uk APRIL 10-13 • Australian Athletics Championships Perth athletics.com.au APRIL 12 • England National 12 and 6 Stage Road Relay Championships Sutton Park englandathletics.org • Surrey County Track and Field Championships (sprint hurdles and steeplechase) Kingston surreyathletics.uk • BMC Regional Races britishmilersclub.com APRIL 12-13 • European Running Championships Brussels-Lievin european-athletics.com APRIL 13 • Scottish National Athletics League Kilmarnock scottishathletics.org.uk • Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris schneiderelectricparismarathon.com • NN Marathon Rotterdam nnmarathonrotterdam.nl APRIL 16 • Watford Open Graded Meeting watfordharriers.org.uk APRIL 19-21 • CARIFTA Games Port of Spain athleticsja.org APRIL 19 • B.A.A. Invitational Mile Boston baa.org • Boston 5km baa.org • Loughborough Open inc. BUCS…