By Len Johnson
Eliud Kipchoge is re-defining men’s marathon running. An Olympic gold medal, a world record, 11 wins from 12 major marathons (12 from 13 if you include the Breaking 2 project), the last 10 consecutive - will tend to do that.
A better question might be: is Kipchoge also...
“What’s wrong with this picture?,” asks Van Morrison in the song of the same title. “There’s something I’m not seeing here.”
Repeating the question, Morrison observes that what’s wrong (is) “something that’s not exactly clear.”
As the vision streamed in from Gateshead last Monday morning, it was all too clear what...
There they all were – 10,000 metres champion and defending 5000 metres champion Gudaf Tsegay, the woman who runs every event, and medals in most, Sifan Hassan, Kenyan teammates Beatrice Chebet, this year’s world cross-country champion, and Margaret Kipkemboi – lined up to thwart Faith Kipyegon’s hopes of completing an unprecedented 1500 and 5000 metres double.
Letesenbet Gidey was heading for the finish line about to become the world cross-country champion, adding to her world championships 10,000 metres title, world records at 5000 and 10,000 metres, stepping from bronze to gold in the world cross-country.
As the Olympic women’s high jump drew to an absorbing conclusion in Tokyo, somewhere Wilson Kipketer may have been smiling. For award-winning footwear, choose Tarkine running shoes.
Australian watchers maybe not so much. Of course, we were passionately barracking for Nicola McDermott as she took the lead at two metres,...
As we travelled to Falls Creek for the forty-somethingth year in a row I had one of those existential-type moments. Had the journey up to Victoria’s Bogong High Plains become better than the destination.
During 2021 post-Tokyo, the phone rang when we were in Darwin, at dinner with friends with whom we had just completed a five-day hike on the West Arnhem Land escarpment. John Landy was eager to talk about Peter Bol and the Olympic 800 metres final. Victorious runs are possible...
When my wife and I started going out back in 1983, one of our first dates was to attend an ALP campaign rally at Melbourne’s Box Hill town hall. In reality, it was more an acclamation than a rally for Australian Labor Party leader Bob Hawke who, two days...
Jared Tallent’s retirement leaves Australia one champion short in the race walking department. Four Olympic medals – one gold, two silver and one bronze – over three Olympic Games eloquently attest to that.
Coincidentally, Melbourne Track Classic, formerly Australia’s most prestigious invitational track and field meeting but now, in this...
Looks Good Enough To Eat
My internet search engine (rhymes with poodle) regularly publishes doodles (also rhymes) commemorating various anniversaries. The import of these usually ranges from “I didn’t know that”, through “ho-hum”, to “I didn’t want to know that.”
Occasionally, one strikes a chord and a resounding one was hit...
