Major shake-up in store for WMA and when it holds championships
Every two years, while most athletes become tourists, delegates at WMA worlds meet to screw with the rules and elect the wrong people. You ain’t seen nothing yet. On July 14 at Sacramento, a rest day, WMA is poised to move the world stadia meet (the outdoor champs) from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years. (This is to avoid conflicts with the World Masters Games, the Big Dog apparently.) Delegates also may rewrite the WMA Constitution while moving its headquarters from Sweden to Monaco. (Who knew?) I’m awaiting the arrival of the nitty gritty agenda, with all the rules proposals, but a summary sheet sent to affiliates gives some key clues to the mischief before us. See it here.
Barnwell tells Sacramento Bee in doping story: I did not ‘get caught’
The New York Times and Washington Post have done it. Now it’s the Sacramento Bee’s turn. The subject is doping in masters track, and the Bee’s Sam McManis covers it well. See the story here. Sam quotes WMA Prez Stan Perkins, and even touches base with Val Barnwell, banned for two years after testing positive at Lahti in 2009. Val hasn’t changed his tune. “Barnwell, reached at his home in Brooklyn, N.Y., criticized not only the methods of testing but the very act of ‘invading the privacy of masters athletes around the world’ with an ‘invasive and demeaning’ procedure,” Sam writes. ” ‘They say I’m bitter for being suspended, but wait until it happens to them,’ Barnwell said. ‘And I did not ‘get caught.’ It just so happened my testosterone was high. I take a lot (of supplements) because I’m older. Older people need stuff. We have the most (medical) complaints in the world. We’re lucky to get off our beds and compete.’ ” The Bee requested my iconic Val-being-busted photo, which accompanied the article:
Val gets instructions from doping control official at Lahti worlds in 2009.
More than 1,900 Americans entered at worlds vs. 2,900 furriners
Masters media maven Bob Weiner shares the attached press release (updated July 2) for Sacramento worlds, which starts this coming Thursday. Among its salient points: “The USA team may have something of a group competition with the rest of the world, since the USA Team has 1915 athletes of the 4804 total from 93 countries; Canada is second with 215, and Great Britain third with 195.” Mary Trotto of the MT&F Awards Committee did the heavy lifting on compiling the defending world champs from Team USA.
Mary, shown at 2009 Oshkosh nationals, helped out with the press release.
Seeking a rider for car trip from Sacramento to SoCal after worlds
I’m driving home from Sacramento to San Diego on Monday, July 18 — the day after end of worlds. Anyone want to hop a ride? I have one passenger already but have room for a third person in the car. I also posted this to the Forum. You can use the Forum for similar ride-sharing requests. But I don’t have a big car, so I can’t accommodate a ton of luggage and track gear. Just share fuel costs. If you’re interested, write me directly at TrackCEO@aol.com.
National Senior Games generates gobs of older age-group records
National Masters News, which got a wonderful print redesign this month, offered a great summary of records set at Humble, Texas, at the National Senior Games last week. I haven’t checked the accuracy or completeness of this list, but it’s amazing what our elites did in the headwind conditions. With USATF partnering with NSGA for the first time, records set at Texas should be automatically accepted. But who knows? I’d love to USATF collate all American and world records set at Senior Olympics and send out a press release.
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It was inevitable: Topic takes M40 high jump world record to 7-3
This has been foreseen for years. Five-time Olympian Dragutin Topic has claimed the world record in the M40 high jump, clearing a mammoth 2.21 meters (7-3). Milan Jamrich sent along this story and link: “KRAGUJEVAC (SRB, Jun 25, 2011): Former European champion Dragutin Topic cleared here 221 cm at age of 40 what is new world masters record. He started to think about qualifying for London Games next year where he needs at least 228 cm. He already competed at five Olympics, all since 1992. The previous officially recognized outdoor world best for 40+ category was 215 by Dalton Grant in 2008.” Dragutin’s all-time best is 2.38 (7-9 3/4). On the Age-Graded Tables, his 2.21 is equivalent to an open (age 20-30) mark of 2.44 (8-0). He turned 40 in March, so he was due. Go DT! Straight to London. Tons of videos of Dragutin online. Here’s one:
Merlene Ottey, 51, aims for Daegu IAAF worlds on Slovenia relay
Merlene Ottey
M55 newbie David Albo looks to Sacto, can’t be quoted on Whitlock
Nice little confection from the Boulder newspaper in Colorado, where distance runners gain certain high-altitude advantages. Columnist Mike Sandrock profiled M55 newbie David Albo: “Turning 55, you are a baby, which is a good thing. It means you are the youngest guy in the race, instead of being 54 and racing guys who are 50. There is a big difference.” I love this nugget: “He keeps up on all the latest results, such as Canadian Ed Whitlock’s amazing recent world best of 12:00 in the 3,000 meters, a pace of 6:26 per mile — at age 80. Albo’s response to Whitlock’s time is not printable.”
David is far left, with other Sacto entrants: Laurie Rugenstein, Rich Castro, Luanne Burke and Valerie Eipper. (Photo by Cliff Grassmick)
Austrian woman becomes oldest to clear 4 meters in the pole vault
As recently as 1992, a jump of 4.05 meters (13-3 1/2) in the women’s vault was a world record. Now it’s commonplace for collegians. But 4-meter clearances are still the Holy Grail of masters track, and this month a 40-year-old Austrian became the oldest to jump that. She did it several times, according to the Eurovets: “Within 14 days the Austrian pole vaulter Doris Auer (LCC Wien) set again a new world record in pole vault in her age group W40. The first time Doris Auer jumped over 4m in Wien during a pole vault festival, now she improved her own world from 4.03 to 4.04 (13-3) during the national championships in Wels.” Yowza! Time to recalibrate expectations. On the Age-Graded Tables, a 4.04 at 40 corresponds to an open (20-30) mark of 4.79 (15-8 1/2).
Sydney Olympian Doris during a recent record-setting vault in Austria.
M80 Ed Whitlock’s plans for Sacto: ‘Have a go’ at 1500 world record
Ken Hamilton
