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Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 0 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 244978 |
| Visitors Out: 1311 |
| Total Visitors Out: 10450 |
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| My New Home On The Web! |
| 2008-06-28 23:11:53 |
Be sure to check out my new home in the blogosphere:400meteroval.comYou can expect to read the same high-quality commentary and analysis there that you did here on FinishLinePundit....
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| FLP Announcement |
| 2008-04-05 12:12:52 |
Well, folks, writing about the sport of track & field is no longer just a hobby for me, but a career. I am now a writer over at The Final Sprint, The Internet's Premier Running, Fitness, and Nutrition Publication. Thank you to everyone who has supported me by frequenting my blog. To get your daily dose of the Finish Line Pundit and my track and field musings, you can now click here....
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| Hot 800m Action in Belgium Saturday |
| 2007-07-27 10:07:28 |
Alan Webb is scheduled to race again on Saturday, July 28th, 2007 at the KBC Night of Athletics meet in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. He will race in the 800m this time, taking on Gary Reed of Canada, Dutch European champs Bram Som (outdoors) and Arnout Okken (indoors) as well as Nick Symmonds of the USA. Since the 800m is not his specialty, Webb is in for a hot race. Will he be able to hold his own?Johnny Gray's American record of 1:42.60, set way back on August 28th, 1985, shouldn't be in jeopardy, but – with Webb in the shape of his life – you never know. He will certainly set a new PB. Reed and Som seem to be the class of the field, both boasting sub 1:44 personal bests, but Symmonds can claim a faster time than Som in 2007. Look for this race to be one of the highlights of...
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| Bad News Day for Track & Field |
| 2007-07-26 11:42:02 |
Bad news seems to come in bunches. Yesterday the IAAF announced that it has provisionally suspended Jolanda Ceplak for a doping violation. Both her "A" and "B" samples failed in an out-of-competition test, showing positive for the blood-doping agent EPO. The Slovakian middle-distance runner is the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist and the indoor world record holder for the 800m Run. For what it's worth, Ceplak proclaims her innocence.Today Walter Dix announced that he will not be competing at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. Here's the pertinent section of the article in case the link gets removed:FSU's Dix decides to 'call it a season'By Steve Ellis DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITERWalter Dix won't be adding to his impressive 2007 resume in track. The ACC male athlete of the year has decided aga...
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| Oh, Joy! My First Internet Troll |
| 2007-07-26 10:28:43 |
I received a comment this morning from Anonymous:I feel bad I have to give traffic to this website.. I wont [sic] be coming back. It sucks that the internet has the power to give complete idiots a voice. You are clueless if you are talking about the nation as a whole.How about this? If one of our American boys, including Webb, (he is a MD athlete), medal at worlds you shut your website down and never return. P.S. Look at how many HS boys broke 9 min in the 2 mile this past year. AndrewIt's ironic that "Andrew" is complaining about "the internet [having] the power to give complete idiots a voice" since he is the spokesman and poster child for their group. "Andrew" likes to disagree – and I certainly don't mind disagreements on this website – but "Andrew" states no position of hi...
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| FLP: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is! |
| 2007-07-24 12:40:33 |
Yesterday I wrote that there is no resurgence in American middle-distance running. Today I received a challenge from Christina and Ash Huzenlaub to back up my words. They wrote:Would you be prepared to shave your head should you be proven wrong (that with the exception of Webb, the US grabs a middle distance medal in Osaka) and post the picture on your blog? I immediately accepted their challenge in an e-mail reply. Let's define terms: I consider middle-distance running to be events that are between 800m and 3000m long. Other than Alan Webb, whom I expect to be crowned world champion in the men's 1500m run, if any American – man or woman – wins a gold, silver or bronze medal in either the 800m Run, 1500m Run or 3000m Steeplechase, I will shave my head and post a photo on my website. I ...
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| There is No Resurgence in American Middle-Distance Running |
| 2007-07-23 17:29:45 |
The most overused word in marketing is "revolutionary." Similarly, the word "resurgence" is bandied about so often in American track circles lately, one would think that the Kenyans have decided to boycott the World Championships next month. But other than Alan Webb's season in the sun, who do we have in United States Middle-Distance Running? Let's take a peek at the IAAF top lists. In the women's mile, American Donna MacFarlane's time of 4:33.52 is some 18 (17.89, to be exact) seconds behind Russian Yelena Soboleva's world-leading time of 4:15.63. In the 800m, Alice Schmidt has posted a respectable 1:58.75 for 3rd place in 2007, just 0.42 seconds behind Maria Mutola's 1:58.75. But a quick look at the 2006 top list reveals that, at season's end, the American women weren't even within ...
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| Alan Webb Breaks 25-Year-Old American Record |
| 2007-07-21 23:45:21 |
Alan Webb Broke Steve Scott's 25-Year-Old American Record in the Mile today at the Atletiek Vlaanderen meet in Brasschaat, Belgium. The video should be available soon on Flotrack.com.Webb's time of 3:46.91 is the 16th fastest Mile ever run. Webb is the 8th fastest miler of all time, only behind the following men:3:43.13, Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)3:43.40, Noah Ngeny (KEN)3:44.39, Noureddine Morceli (ALG)3:44.60, Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)3:44.90, Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)3:44.95, Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)3:45.19, Noureddine Morceli (ALG)3:45.64, Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)3:45.96, Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)3:46.24, Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)3:46.32, Steve Cram (GBR)3:46.38, Daniel Komen (KEN)3:46.70, Vénuste Niyongabo (BDI)3:46.76, Saïd Aouita (MAR)3:46.78, Noureddine Morceli (ALG)...
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| Do Taller Women Make Better Steeplechasers? |
| 2007-07-20 10:38:25 |
The Message Board over at Track & Field News has a discussion about whether or not height gives women an advantage in steeplechasing. I contacted Ann Gaffigan, 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials champion in the steeplechase with a PB of 9:39.35, to ask her for her input into this question. In addition to being a world-class steeplechaser, Gaffigan is also the webmaster at Steeplechics.com and a computer programmer/ web systems developer at Gazelle, Inc. where she has built athletics-related databases. You can read a two-part interview with Gaffigan over on HerActiveLife.com (Part 1 | Part 2).This is her reply to my question:I think the switch from the flat 3K to the steeple depends on the person. And it is hard to predict. A lot of times, my coach (Jay Dirksen of Nebraska) has picked out the tall wo...
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| Take the FLP Poll! Would You Do "Whatever It Takes" To Win? |
| 2007-07-19 07:51:37 |
MSNBC.com contributor Mike Celizic has weighed in to the Pistorius debate with this cynical attempt at wit:What if, the IAAF is saying, [Pistorius'] prosthetics give him an advantage that able-bodied runners don’t have? What if, in other words, the people with legs and feet are the ones who are disabled? What then? Do athletes start chopping their legs off in order to get the Pistorius pistons and win more races? (And you know that if the prosthetics are declared legal and really do give an advantage, there will be lines around the block waiting for amputations (emphasis mine-FLP). That’s how it is with athletes.)I couldn't imagine purposefully crippling myself for life just to try and gain athletic advantage. Of course, steroids can do the same thing, but many people have no problem t...
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