General results thread - September 2012

[trevorp]

Good win for Okoye in Zagreb - 67.25m:
http://www.zagreb-meeting.com/results/

Also wins for Rooney and Proctor.

[SteveK26]

Okoye is becoming very consistent. And thats what you need to build confidence.
Another 67 metre throw is excellent. Well done to him.

[boysen]

Lets hope this success continues to keep his eyes away from rugby. It only needs a nice windy day for him to reach 70m and a place in the top rank.

[Geoff]

Excellent result from Okoye. I wonder what his plans are for next year - university, rugby or athletics? I assume he will stay with the discus where he could start winning medals at major championships over the next year or two. I wonder if he may combine university and athletics but will rugby approach him with a good offer?

Slightly connected? I wonder who will lose lottery funding in a month or two? Despite 4 golds we could see quite a cull including some of our leading athletes over the past few years. Who will retire?

[Ursus]

Very impressive from Lawrence.

Rugby wise I'm not sure he's got great pedigree. Yes, he's big, strong, fast etc but they mostly are now and top players must also offer rugby skills and a natural instinct for the game. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but to the best of my knowledge he didn't play internationally at schools level where surely his physical attributes would have stood out. He has been in the academies of Irish & Wasps, but not seen one second of first team action.

He is already one of the best disc throwers in the world, with plenty of scope for improvement. So far there is nothing to suggest that he could get near that standard in rugby. Of course if he just prefers rugby there's very little you can do about that, but very few have the chance to be the best in the world at anything.

I'm sure he could combine his studies with athletics, but I don't see how he could do that with pro rugby. He may not be fully in love with athletics just yet, but I have a sneaky feeling he might just stick with it! I hope so.

[SteveK26]

Some people enjoy being part of a (successful) team, others prefer the limelight to themselves. You have nobody but yourself to worry about in discus, and stand or fall by your own efforts. Lets hope Mr. Okoye likes that challenge.
I stick by my prediction that he will win the world champs next year.

[jeremy1]

A new World lead for this year in the mens PV from Bjorn Otto with 6.01 m in Aachen.

[Kermit]

Slightly connected? I wonder who will lose lottery funding in a month or two? Despite 4 golds we could see quite a cull including some of our leading athletes over the past few years. Who will retire?

As I have mentioned in a previous post on another thread - I do not expect the level of funding to be savagely cut. But I do expect savings to be made from retiring athletes and an increase in those who are now earning more from personal sponsorships. However the landscape could change depending on who the NGB get as their main sponsor or if they enter into a series of partnerships to either maintain the level of income they received from Aviva or increase it.

[boysen]

Do we know which athletes are retiring and what funding they will be giving up? It must be tempting to say you are carrying on rather than give up and forfeit up to 30k pa. Have there been examples of people who have done just that?

[Kermit]

Kelly Sotherton and Tasha Danvers retired, not sure about Marlon Devonish or Christian Malcom. Those who have won Gold will obviously get increased personal sponsorship and therefore be only on medical support.

I also think that UK Sport will not cut funding even though the total medal target and finalists were not met due to the gold target being exceeded.

On a side note - Usain Bolt could be playing for Manchester United next year! Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that if timings are right he will be invited to play for Manchester United Legends against Real Madrid Legends in the annual fund raising match televised worldwide.

[d pickup]

'Sprinting robot outpaces Usain Bolt and hits 45.5 km/h'
6 September 2012

'Five months after setting the land speed record for a robot with legs, Boston Dynamics's Cheetah has outstripped the fastest of humans, clocking 45.5 kilometres (28.3 miles) per hour over a 20-metre stretch.

'That's a shade faster than Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt. He set the land-speed record for a human back in 2009 by running 44.7 km/h over a 20-metre stretch during the 100-metres final of the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany.

'Much like a real cheetah, the robot uses a short, hopping gait at low speeds before increasing its stride and pace by flexing its back with each step.

'Cheetah ran its time on a treadmill, and needs a tether to supply power and keep it upright.

see
www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2 ... usain.html

[sidelined]

Adam Gemili has run 20.36 in Derby today, the second-fastest ever U20 time, behind Christian Malcolm.

[d pickup]

Rieti, all the results, incl a number of GBR participants

see
www.iaaf.org/Mini/IWC12/Results/Results ... code=4935/

[Ursus]

Adam Gemili has run 20.36 in Derby today, the second-fastest ever U20 time, behind Christian Malcolm.

Interesting. AG has had a great break through year, but he's also seen first hand how far ahead the very best are. His progress will be interesting to follow next year.

[boysen]

Now that the season has ended my thoughts have turned to those who have not made an impact. They have perhaps been injured or indeed retired. Two that come to mind are Adam Cotton and James Shane. There are probably others. Does amybody have any news of these two...and indeed any others that have not ben seen?

[d pickup]

Now that the season has ended my thoughts have turned to those who have not made an impact. They have perhaps been injured or indeed retired. Two that come to mind are Adam Cotton and James Shane. There are probably others. Does amybody have any news of these two...and indeed any others that have not ben seen?

boysen
Power of 10 shows:

Adam had 4 races in USA, all by 5 may, after his jan Edinburgh run and that was it?! He didn't get nearer his 1500 PB of '11 than 6 seconds down. USA opportunites and no progress for whatever reason(s); sad.

Shane has had only 3 races this year and not up to his '11 level either?!

But perhaps you knew all this simple background stuff allready?!

It is tough at the top and many aspire but few achieve. And how many are as tough as Meadows or Radcliffe for instance who will NOT give in to troubles met on the way.

see
www.thepowerof10.info/

[sidelined]

Boysen, Adam Cotton has had an Achillies problem. Basically he ignored signs of a niggle when he was in America, and spent all summer rehabbing it back here. Here's a video interview with him from the Athleticos site:

http://www.athleticos.org/video/654668- ... experience

He's at Harvard on an academic scholarship, not a sports one. I don't know what the financial implications of that are for getting treatment for injuries.

[boysen]

Thanks, lets hope they can both return to fitness and form next year. On the one hand we must be grateful of the money etc expended on keeping the majority fit but saddened we continue to line up a not insubstantial queue of injuries. There must be a pot of gold for someone who can prevent or "cure" hammies quickly and of course the dreaded achilles.

[d pickup]

Last saturday, 22sep, Jennifer Suhr, OLY Champ, jumped a '12 WL PV of 4.83, but not yet listed by IAAF or Tilastopaja, but it was done along Church Street in her native town of Fredonia ..

see
www.observertoday.com/page/content.deta ... l?nav=5047