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When Stewart McSweyn and Catriona Bisset checked in at the Australian championships, they picked up bibs bearing their names. They might just as well have borne targets. Each athlete faced dangerous rivals whose race plan would largely consist of hanging on as long as possible,...

If you had to choose one favourite session that you believe really worked for you and got you fit, what would it be? Whether training for the steeplechase, 5k, 10k or marathon; running four hard repetitions of a mile with a 2-minute rest between reps (on or off the track – usually off the track but on the same course for benchmarking purposes) got me fit and was a good benchmark. When training for the marathon I’d sometimes do five instead of four reps.

Jack Bruce won his first national senior track title. Genevieve Gregson yet again emphasised her competitiveness, and versatility. Jude Thomas broke the national U20 record previously held by Ryan Gregson.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Athletics Australia (@athleticsaustralia) Such were the main takeaways...

Never in my wildest dreams could someone have convinced me that by 2021 I would have qualified for three Olympic Games! While I have had my eyes set on this goal since the Rio Olympic Games came to an end, I still have moments...

If you were seeking signs that the sporting world is getting back to pre-Covid normality, best you didn’t go looking for them at the World Athletics Relays. We are still in the thank-heavens-there’s-something-on phase, it would seem, rather than back in full swing. Maybe the...

David McNeill’s athletics career could have been over almost before it began. On Tuesday night in Perth, he may have run his way into a third Olympic team. It was in 2005 that McNeill, along with Liam Adams and Toby Rayner, was a controversial non-selection...

“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...

It’s Monday afternoon, the 28th of June, in the beautiful St. Moritz. I’m relaxed, tired, excited and anxious all in one. I almost feel like I’m experiencing a bit of a come down since the U.S. Olympic Trials have finally ended and my mornings...

By Len Johnson They’re not necessarily the sort of figures you’d like associated with your name, but Stewart McSweyn now boasts a pair of impressive performances at 3000 metres. Seven minutes 30 seconds for 3000 metres represents 60 seconds per lap. Not many men have ever broken...

A column by Len Johnson - 23/07/21 The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games haven’t even started and Australia is dominating. Some hours before the Opening Ceremony, as this is written, Australia is already up and about. In women’s football, goals to Tameka Yallop and the talismanic Sam...