Australian marathon runner, Lisa Weightman, has smashed both the World Championships and Olympic marathon qualifying standards with a brilliant run of 2:23:15 at the Osaka Marathon yesterday, moving to number three on the Australian all-time list.
Kenya's Rosemary Wanjiru and Ethiopia's Deso Gelmisa emerged victorious in the women's and men's categories, respectively, at the Tokyo Marathon, held on Sunday, March 5, 2023.
Renowned long-distance runners, Kara Goucher and Des Linden, recently discussed the impact of carbon-plated sneakers, also known as "super shoes," on the sport of running. The duo hosts a podcast called Nobody Asked Us, where they delve into various topics related to running. In a recent episode, they shared their thoughts on youth athletes using these high-tech shoes.
The Nagoya Women’s Marathon
Both on home soil and abroad, Australia’s track and field stars continued their pursuit of excellence as the season crescendos towards the 100th edition of the Australian Track and Field Championships.
Senbere Teferi, the 5k world record holder, is among a group of African runners who form a strong women’s elite field at the Vienna City Marathon. Austria’s major road running event will be staged for the 40th time and it could well be the women who produce the headlines at the jubilee edition on 23rd April. The current course record of 2:20:59 will be a target if weather conditions are suitable on the day. Organisers of the Vienna City Marathon, which is the only World Athletics Elite Label Road Race in Austria, expect to register around 35,000 entries for their event. This includes races at shorter distances staged parallel to the marathon. Registration for all races is still possible at: www.vienna-marathon.com
Hellen Obiri from Kenya and Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda secured wins in their debut at the United Airlines NYC Half, persevering through freezing temperatures and strong headwinds to claim their titles. Obiri set a new event and course record, clocking in at 1:07:21, which was 14 seconds faster than the previous record held by Senbere Teferi of Ethiopia from last year's race. The two athletes each earned $20,000 in prize money for their outstanding performances.
New Zealand long-distance runner Zane Robertson has been banned from competing for eight years after testing positive for a prohibited substance and tampering with the doping control process, according to the Sports Tribunal. Robertson, who won bronze for New Zealand at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and participated in the last two Olympics, was found to have taken Erythropoietin (EPO), a banned substance, and tampered with the doping control process.
Recently, World Athletics, the regulatory body of the sport, has announced a new rule that prohibits transgender women from participating in top-tier female competitions if they have experienced male puberty. The council has also reinforced its regulations for athletes with differences in sex development (DSD) by reducing the maximum amount of plasma testosterone by half, from five to 2.5 nanomoles per litre.
Jake Robertson, a New Zealand Commonwealth Games long-distance runner, has opened up about his experience of abuse and a lost sponsorship opportunity following the recent doping scandal involving his twin brother, Zane. In May 2022, Zane tested positive for Erythropoietin (EPO), a banned substance, and was banned from the sport for eight years for tampering and providing false documents to officials.
