Susanna Kallur Nabs 18-Year-Old World Indoor 60m Hurdles Record

Story written by Eric

Sweden's Susanna Kallur had dashed around Europe flirting with record performances over the past two weeks, and had tasted history eight days ago when she came within three one-hundreds of a second from tying an aged record set in a very conspicuous time frame within the sport.

The faster she sprinted over hurdles from a standing start to a finish 60 metres down a synthetic track, the more unavoidable the question became.

Each obligatory post-race interview was a potential nirvana for journalists attempting to draw forth an answer to an obvious question Susanna didn't want to consider, and instead, Susanna would carry on calmly talking about mechanics of her race which needed adjusting...how her start needed improvement.

She appeared dazed, perhaps confused they thought. Perhaps she needed some time to collect herself, for surely she'd want to talk about how much she was demolishing her competitors and getting closer to knocking off a Russian-who-became-a-Swede from history's record books.

Susanna had time to collect herself during practice sessions following her short travels around England, Sweden and Germany where she'd gone through the same motions of packing down her equipment, flying to her destination, checking into her hotel, rising early to eat, relaxing before the storm she'd later create, packing everything back down and finally checking out of her hotel.

Meet after meet -- at Norwich Union, Samsung Galan and Sparkassan -- the pool of journalists waiting in the mixed zone for an interview with Kallur would grow exponentially.

"Sanna", as she is known here in Sweden, just couldn't get her hands around why she was in such high demand. It was only 60 metres of hurdling, she thought. She knew she was quite quick, but there was always an area to improve on. The "perfect" race, she thought, may possibly bring her closer to an 18-year-old world record, but it wasn't something she got caught up in.

The real deal, she'd state, was outdoors in the fresh air where grit, gumption, determination and power all wrapped up into controlled energy would be tested over a full flight of hurdles 100m from the starting line.

But this was indoors, she was running fast, and first things were first.

Though she'll tell you otherwise, Sanna Kallur is used to being in the spotlight. She was nearly awarded Sweden's sportsperson of the year award for the second consecutive year last month, losing out to footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic. She knows pressure and has a great resolve when it comes to warding off unwanted thoughts and wasting both time and energy wondering about things which had not yet happened.

The world record would come if it was so destined, she'd reason.

Sanna wanted to live in the "now", not the future. The scribes writing for their daily newspapers and weekly magasines didn't get the message, however, and the questions would get more direct and less comfortable for Sanna before and after each subsequent competition.

Susanna was sitting on a gold mine, and they knew it. She pretended as well as she could that she didn't notice how incredibly close she was to making her little country of 9 million proud by becoming the second athlete in three years to set a world indoor record. Kajsa Bergqvist, who retired last month, set the world indoor high jump record of 2,08 metres in Arnstadt, Germany on February 4, 2006.

There is something magical about Germany, and Sanna got a good taste of that when she stopped the timing device 7,72 seconds after it fired in Stuttgart.

There was no denying her place in history following that race, as she elevated her status and position in the sport to the second-highest place on the all-time list -- 0,03 seconds behind Russian Lyudmila Narozhilenko's 7,69 clocking in Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 1990, and one hundredth of a second ahead of Narozhilenko's Swedish record time of 7,73 set when she became a Swede and had changed her name to Lyudmila Engquist.

Susanna Kallur, daughter of an NHL hockey star with four Stanley Cups to his name, was setting herself up to make history, even if she felt the time wasn't yet right to touch a record all the greats in the 18 years preceding her had been unable to tie or surpass. The outdoor record-holder couldn't touch the mark.

The American record-holder, who was known for her foot speed, couldn't, either.

Engquist's mark was becoming a permanent fixture in the books, but not one which her adopted country wanted to see remain as word of her post-career drugs-testing failure turned the love-love relationship with her into one which pushed her far from the country with thoughts of committing suicide for letting it down.

Then Sanna headed back to Germany earlier this week to withdraw against her recent deposit into her training bank, and make an effort to run fast on a good surface. World record thoughts were still outside of her realm of thinking, she'd state, and she was simply there in Karlsruhe to have fun and run her best.

This time when journalists -- still armed with cameras and notepads -- were to pop up to ask about her training, she'd grant one of them an opportunity to film her practice indoors on Wednesday in a break from Sanna's normal routine. Perhaps she sensed the inevitable was in the air, and she simply wanted to show the world that she was as average and normal as the next athlete.

Nevertheless, Susanna Kallur, twin sister to Jenny Kallur, lined up to race late this afternoon at the BW Bank Meeting in Karlsruhe in a heat to determine which athletes would compose the final field at the end of the meet.

She remained set in her blocks when the gun sounded, and eased into the final with the fastest time of the day, 7,78 seconds after the gun sounded.

Chatter had filled the stadium earlier in the day as talk about a world-record attempt had permeated throughout the media out to the public, with the journalists doing most of the talking as Sanna had left it up to them to make prognostications about speed, charts and climbs up all-time lists.

She did later admit that the record had begun itching between the ears, so-to-speak, but she'd not dwell on it; she didn't want to chase times and marks, as doing so had previously caused her to get nervous and the goals to remain elusive.

By the time the eight women-strong final would take place, at 16.42 Central European Time, nearly every resident in Sweden had their televisions tuned to Eurosport or had their radios turned on to a newscast either waiting to watch history unfold literally in the blink of an eye, or to be interrupted from milking cows and shoveling snow if only for a minute to let out a loud "yes!"

American Lolo Jones broke the 19-year-old meet record with a 7,87 run in the first heat. Sanna, blocking out the distractions and focussed on her own plan, erupted for a 7,78 in the following heat.

An entire stadium erupted in cheer when the gun sounded. Sanna Kallur had a decent reaction to the gun and started off quickly toward the first hurdle. She flew over all of the barriers between the start and the finish tape, and, with her lean at the finish, flew through a barrier which had stood since Sanna was but seven years old.

The clock stopped at 7,68 seconds -- a time 1/100th of a second faster than the previous world-record, and the first time Sanna had broken the 7,80-second barrier.

Sanna stared at the clock a moment, not knowing if the time would be adjusted up or down, as often occurs when the official time is given.

When the official time was announced, Sanna Kallur, who turns 27 in five days, realised she had broken the world record, and was immediately congratulated by Damu Cherry, an athlete who had been previously banned for two years for steroids abuse. Sanna didn't appear enthused to embrace the controversial hurdler, but shook her hand, nonetheless.

Then she took her laps of honour in front of a class of people who had assembled for the possibility that they again would witness history on German soil.

Jones placed second in 7,77 seconds, the 10th-fastest ever recorded. So loaded was the field that six of the seven finishers set new personal bests in the race.

That Sanna would catch and pass a ghost of the sport's past in her fourth meet of the season was not remotely in her thoughts before the race began, and her reaction to her time and place in history says it all.

"This is absolutely unbelievable," reports the IAAF. "I can’t put my feelings into words. In comparison with my race last week in Stuttgart, today was much better."

Engquist would later send her congratulations to Sanna through a message she sent to Sportbladet, the sports division at tabloid newspaper Aftonbladet. Sanna also spoke with Jenny Kallur and received an SMS congratulation from Christian Olsson, who has the world indoor triple jump record.

Said Engquist through tabloid newspaper Aftonbladet:

Sanna! An emornously big congratulations for a fantastic and well-deserved record. I wish now that you will be injury-free, for then you will win the Olympics.

Congratulations from my heart! Ludmila.

The 26-year-old had endured a winter's worth of grueling practices in her pursuit of bettering her starts, her technique and her overall strength.

Sanna's race was the third time this indoor season that she has set a new personal best at this race distance. She concedes that she is strong at this distance, but the 100m hurdles -- the official Olympic distance -- is where the American hurdlers seem to excel, a fact which doesn't necessarily put her in the driver's seat heading to Beijing in August.

"There are some Americans who have better 100 metres hurdles times than I do. You certainly must consider them ahead of me," she said.

The Olympic Games are still six months down the road, and Sanna Kallur has much remaining on her plate this indoor season, with a date in Birmingham planned for Saturday.

"I like Birmingham", Sanna told Aftonbladet reporters. "They have good coffee there."

Indeed they do. Perhaps that was Sanna's best effort at staving off further talks about records and medals.

The Swedish national championships are being held in two weeks in Malmö, and the IAAF World Indoor Championships will take place next month in Valencia. Sanna's world record run tonight, though a phenomenal time, was far from perfect, and she realises there are areas yet to improve.

Time will tell how much more she can improve this indoor season, though her trainer, Karin Torneklint, believes Sanna can run much, much faster both indoors and outdoors in 2008.

The journalists, who flocked to Arlanda Airport in Stockholm when Sanna landed on Monday, believe she can, too.

Sanna's hopes of escaping further question-and-answers sessions disappeared with her entry into the world record books, and it appears as though this has only been the calm before the great storm which occurs once every fourth year, namely the Olympic Games.

Kallur, who has had a winter of injury-free training with her twin sister, Jenny, holds a 12,49 second 100m hurdles best outdoors - a mark she also achieved with her successes in Germany last season in Berlin.

The Swedish national record is held by Engquist, who twice ran 12,47.

Kallur was injured for three months leading up to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and did not make it past the semi-finals.

She also hopes to improve on her fourth-place finish from last season's IAAF World Outdoor Championships 100m hurdles final - a race she was winning until American Michelle Perry, the eventual winner, interfered with Kallur over the final hurdle and impeded Kallur's finishing drive.

Perry is skipping the 2008 indoor season in favour warm-weather training in Australia's summer season.

The Kallur twins are no strangers to handling success. Their father Anders Kallur, the four-time Stanley Cup winner with the New York Islanders, is their manager.

Jenny Kallur, who was born four minutes before Sanna, is skipping the 2008 indoor season.

International Indoor Meeting, Karlsruhe

Women's 60m Hurdle Results:

1 KALLUR, SUSANNA SWE WR 7,68 (reaction: 0,162)
2 JONES, Lolo USA PB 7.77 (0,155)
3 CHERRY, Damu USA PB 7,89 (0,166)
4 WELLS, Kellie USA =PB 8,00 (0,163)
5 BOBKOVA, Miriam SVK PB 8,04 (0,138)
6 TRYWIANSKA, Aurelia POL SB 8,08 (0,181)
7 VUKICEVIC, Christina NOR PB 8,10 (0,157)
- TEJEDA, Anay CUB DNF (0,164)

Five-fastest indoor 60m hurdle races all-time:

7,68, Susanna Kallur, SWE, Karlsruhe, 2008-02-10
7,69, L. Engquist, RUS, Chelyabinsk, 1990-02-04
7,73, Cornelila Oschkenat, EG, Wien, 1989-02-25
7,74, Jordonka Donkova, BUL, Sofia, 1987-02-14
7,74, Michelle Freeman, JAM, Madrid, 1998-02-03
7,74, Gail Devers, USA, Boston, 2003-03-01

Susanna Kallur's Yearly Bests

1998 8.33i		..........	1998	13,48
1999 8.44i		..........	1999	13,41
2000 8.10i		..........	2000	13,02
2002 8.00i		..........	2001	12,74
2003 7.90i		..........	2002	12,94
2004 7.88i		..........	2003	12,88
2005 7.80i		..........	2004	12,67
2006 7.86i		..........	2005	12,65
2007 7.84i		..........	2006	12,52
2008 7.68i		..........	2007	12,49

All-time list source: Peter Larsson

CAS Upholds Stambolova, Veneva Doping Bans

Story written by EPelle

The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday upheld the suspensions of two of Bulgaria's Olympic medal hopefuls, high jumper Venelina Veneva and 400m sprinter, Vanya Stambolova, after the two were suspended for having tested positive for testosterone in an out-of-competition test in January 2007.

Both athletes, who share the same coach, Georgi Dimitrov, had their urine samples collected at an unexpected check during training in Budapest, Hungary on 24-January. Veneva also provided a further positive sample from an IAAF out-of-competition doping control conducted on 6-February in Sofia, Bulgaria.

"As far as the rules allowed us, we did our best to give the athletes a chance to prove their innocence," Bulgarian athletics federation president Dobromir Karamarinov said Tuesday.

"However, the court's decision is categorical and we accept it. Both athletes will miss the Beijing Games, but they will be able to compete again in April 2009."

Both athletes were provisionally suspended by the IAAF pending the result of the Bulgarian Athletic Federation's hearing on the two cases. The Bulgarian Athletic Federation cleared Stambolova and Veneva of doping violations in July in a controversial move, and forced the IAAF's Doping Review Board to take the case to the CAS.

The Bulgarian Athletic Federation stated they reversed the initial positive findings due to what they cited was incomplete analysis and "borderline" testosterone detection levels.

"When we received the positive result the 23rd of March, we asked them to even test the "B"-sample. The result was just on the border, and we have decided to not issue any sanctions," the Bulgarian news bureau Novonite quoted Karamarinov on as stating.

The International Association of Athletics Federations sent the case directly to CAS following the Bulgarian association's decision, citing that the decision was in opposition to existing IAAF protocol.

The IAAF made a formal statement on the issue, stating that all three samples collected from the two atheltes were analysed in the Lausanne WADA accredited laboratory where analysis of the urine samples were conducted by Isotope Ration Mass Spectrometry (IRMS).

The results of the IRMS conclusively established the administration of testosterone or its precursors. The "B"-sample analysis also confirmed the initial "A"-sample results, meaning that the two urine specimens collected at the same and split into two separate units both confirmed the same findings.

Though Karamarinov was optimistic that both athletes can return to competition in two years's time, the ban could signal the end of the 33-year-old Veneva's career. It also certainly puts in doubt her previous accomplishments over the past three years.

Veneva, who won silver at the 2006 European Championships in Göteborg in a highly charged and well-contested competition won by surprise winner Tia Hellebaut of Belgium, and bronze at the 2007 European indoor championships, has long been held under suspicion by her international colleagues, with world indoor record-holder, Kajsa Bergqvist, Veneva's staunchest critic.

Bergqvist became both relieved and glad when she learned that her rival, Veneva, was caught for doping with testosterone.

"I have suspected her for almost 10 years time," Bergvist stated to Swedish news agency TT.

"As [the way] she has set up her seasons and suddenly appeared at championships, I have understood that there was something shady. That she has finally gotten caught is an unbelievable relief, but one had hoped that it could have occured earlier," says Kajsa Bergqvist.

Veneva's having jumped very good heights early in the summer in non-major meets close to her home in either Bulgaria or Greece followed by not competing at all during the month or so leading up to the major championships led to part of the suspicion Bergqvist and other athletes had concerning Veneva.

Veneva was also regularly and conspicuously absent from the major Grand Prix and Golden League meets during the main part of the season where all the other top jumpers competed against each other.

The Golden League is a series of competitions the IAAF formed for the 1998 season to raise the profile of the leading athletics competitions in Europe. Athletes who compete in selected events - and win their event at all of the Golden League meetings - are qualified for a share of the $1Million jackpot offered.

The lucrative European Grand Prix circuit is where many athletes earn their living during their athletics careers, and one in which Veneva had earlier participated before shelving the international competitions for local ones with little or no competition... or drug testing.

The 24-year-old Stambolova was European champion in 2006, running 49,85 to defeat Russians Tatyana Veshkurova and Olga Zaytseva for the gold.

Stambolova holds four Bulgarian natiional records, and has a lifetime best in the 400m of 49,56 seconds - a mark she set in Rieti, Italy 17 days after her European title.

Stambolova's entire 2006 season will come into question as she set three of her national records (400m indoors, 400m outdoors and 400m hurdles) just months before her positive drugs test. She recorded a total of eight national all-time bests at the 400m distance in 2006, taking her personal best down from 52,99 to 49,53 -- unheard of in the 400m.

Veneva is the 11th-best female performer outdoors in the high jump at 2,04m. She has jumped a lifetime best of 2,02m indoors - the 13th-best performer. Country mate Stefka Kostadinova holds the world outdoor record of 2,09m set at the 1987 IAAF World Championships in Rome.

The CAS was created in 1984 and is placed under the administrative and financial authority of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS). The CAS has nearly 300 arbitrators from 87 countries, chosen for their specialist knowledge of arbitration and sports law. Around 200 cases are registered by the CAS every year.

Truth or Wasted Black Ink?

Story written by EPelle

Dwain Anthony Chambers, the NFL Europe hopeful and a former world-class sprinter whom I've featured on several occasions on this blog, has spoken out on BBC's Inside Sport again being asked for a response on performance-enhancing drugs - including his own private usage and speculating whether or not Olympic athletes are also taking drugs.

Chambers' discussions follow a week-long spate of confessions in which former professional cycling riders and doctors to those Tour riders - and even a masseur - detailed their accounts of having used drugs (including EPO) and aided others along in the process, and comes at the heels of Floyd Landis' public arbitration hearing - which ended last Wednesday.

Chambers, interviewed by Matthew Pinsent - a BBC Sport reporter and four-time Olympic rowing gold medalist who was knighted in 2004, discussed among other things how a non-chalant attitude toward cheating caught up with Chambers.

"I was under the assumption that I wouldn't get caught," Chambers said on the programme, which airs tonight (28-may).

Chambers did get caught, and was punished by the three-man disciplinary counsel which heard his case and reached a conclusion after seven hours of testimony by the legal teams and expert witnesses representing UK Athletics (including Dr. Don Catlin) and Chambers. UK Athletics was said to have spent over £300.000 of its anti-doping budget on the Chambers case.

A newcomer to the drugs-testing world, THG was not named on either the WADA or IOC prohibited-substance list in 2003, however Dr. Catlin was able to scientifically demonstrate that chemically and pharmacologically, THG was directly derived from an identified anabolic steroid, gestrinone.

As previously stated on earlier blogs, Chambers was stripped of times, records, performances and honours achieved during the period he was on THG. He first denied having been a part of the BALCO scandal, attributing his positive test to a contaminated substace he received from a BALCO supplement, but later confessed and took his punishment following the hearing.

Since Chambers' admission to his performance-enhancing drugs usage, he's been an on-again, off-again topic for journalists the past four years, with courage to speak out about his misdeeds and the honesty to look people and other athletes in the face who have not been quick to extend him a welcome hand.

Chambers has tried to go on in life wearing two different shoes - one which has the lure of a good future, and one which has left a lengthy stretch of lawn gutted up when he dragged himself, his family, friends, fans and the sport of athletics through a dark period of lies, cover-ups and a blame culture.

"We all go through different chapters in life," Chambers said to Pinsett.

"I came to a crossroad in my life where I took a wrong turn, you know, got hit by a bus, but fortunately, I was able to get back up on my feet, and you know, go in another direction."

Chambers has had his back turned to athletics since he chose to go full-fledge into the world of professional American fotboll (NFL Europe) at the end of last year. Nevertheless, during each and every interview which is conducted with Chambers - even from yours truly, Chambers doesn't seem too tired or too bored to deal with the subject which continually arises about drug use - four years after the fact.

Chambers has no apparent axe to grind with the sport. He has parted ways temporarily in decent standing and at peace with his soul, and competed in last year's EAA European Championships in Göteborg in the 100m (7th in 10,24 seconds [result]) and 4x100m relay (lead-off leg on victorious 38,91 team [result]). Chambers has also gotten back a noticeable amount of fan support who have followed his transition to the gridiron.

Why then all the fuss about drug use, and is there any significance in speaking with Chambers about it?

Does Chambers provide insight into the issue of drugs usage, or do journalists simply find the right time to tie in old news to current events in order to piggy-back on the wave of the day?

Dwain Chambers, along with an American, Kelli White, seem to be the only athletes these days who have taken a social responsibility for their actions and have spoken openly, honestly and, at times, painfully about their exploits in the underground world of drug-taking and risk-taking.

So when the words "Olympics" and "sprinters" and "drugs" come up in conversation - a touchy topic, as Chambers has been barred from competing in the Olympics for Great Britain for the rest of his natural life, Chambers answers Pinsett's questions about whether a "clean" sprinter could defeat a "dirty" one in an Olympic final.

Plainly, calmly and assuredly, Chambers chimes in: "It's possible, but that person that's taken drugs has to be having a real bad day. That's what I believe."

Chambers believes a lot of things, and isn't shy to state what's on his mind.

One's first reaction to hearing and/or reading what Chambers has to say could be along the lines that Chambers harbours ill-will and a great deal of disappointment with the sport, and will take every opportunity to spread a cloud of doubt and suspicion over sprinting and athletics. He has not been alone, however, in discussing drugs-usage, with several other athletes from another sport, cycling, a step ahead of him.

A sudden about-face took place in professional cycling this past week, with Zheff de Hont, a former masseur of Germany's Team Telekom racing team telling the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that he injected Jan Ullrich with EPO, and Georg Huber, who worked on six Olympic teams, acknowledging he provided cyclists testosterone between 1980 and 1990 - including 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis. One other rider, Christian Henn, a former Team Telekom member, last week admitted to previous EPO use.

Chambers tells Pinsett that WADA is a long way behind the dopers, and assures that there are other non-detectable drugs on the scene.

Ultimately, Dr. Catlin announced his resignation from the helm of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory on 2007-March-13 in what he described as an opportunity to turn to research.

According to Dr. Catlin, performance-enhancing drug use increased – not decreased – following the BALCO saga.

“If you’re a pro athlete and you read all about it and how extensive it is, even if you’re clean, you think: ‘Gee, I’ve got to get with it,’" he said in an interview with the New York Times last year.

"I have been quite surprised to see how extensive it is, even me, with the jaded eye with which I look at sports. There’s a lot more than I ever thought.”

Chambers offers an answer for the continued cat-and-mouse game being played between those who are behind the testing and those who are creating elusive ways for athletes to continue cheating.

"It's simple," he told Pinsett. "Science always moves faster than the testers."

Chambers' feet have moved faster than most others, as he's run from noll to 100m in under 10 seconds. His mouth moves slower than others when it comes time to talk about drugs, his past and the influence he has had on the sport - both positive and negative.

The words which he utters from his lips have proven to be true, thus far, and there's no reason to believe he won't continue speaking openly, freely and truthfully about the dirty world hidden far beneath the surface the every-day fan is able to see. He'll continue talking, because people continue asking. We continue asking, because others continue to get caught. Catching cheats will continue to happen, but, according to Chambers, millions of dollars thrown at "research" won't slow down the process.

Chambers Invited to NFL Camp in Tampa

Story written by EPelle

British sprinter Dwain Chambers has made the next stage in his bid to become a professional American Footballer, having been selected among 89 international players chosen for a six-week NFL Europe training camp in Tampa, Florida in March.

Chambers, the former European Champion over 100m, will not compete during the indoor athletics season, and he is almost certain to miss the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Osaka in August.

Tony Allen, NFL Europe's director of international player development, said: "As well as his obvious speed, he has impressed us with his toughness, dedication and determination at the previous camps (blog link).

"Dwain is learning the sport quickly. He understands that he faces many tough challenges if he is to make a career for himself in the NFL.

"But he has shown us he deserves the chance to test himself against NFL players at the NFL Europe training camp."

I've followed Chambers' NFL development with keen appreciation, as I've had an opportunity to spend time with him one-on-one, and experience the sincerity he displays when he speaks about his life openly and with stunning candor.

The road ahead for Chambers will test him to wits' end, as he attempts to jump through hurdles and obstacles to further make the cut as the month of March concludes.

Chambers has been selected to attend a four-day mini camp for international players at the NFL Europe cam in Tampa, beginning on 5-March. Successful candidates will then be assigned to one of the six NFL Europe teams (Amsterdam, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Rhein Fire) at the conclusion of the camp, 8-March.

In what promises to be a taxing, whirlwind of a process, international players arrive at their respective camps 9-11 March, where they will vye for the 48 spots for the season (including eight non-Americans). If Chambers has made it through his boot camp of a process, he will then depart with a respective team 2-4 April for Europe.

According to BBC reports, 270 non-American players took part in NFL Europe trials for places on the Florida training camp last winter.

A very low total of between eight and nine of those have been chosen to line up alongside about 300 American players - mainly young players on the rosters of NFL teams in the USA - for the Florida camp.

Chambers will need an incredible amount of luck on his side in order to prove to selectors he not only has the talent to play the American sport, but that he should be entrusted to play the sport professionally despite lacking any grassroots training and development.

Chambers has faced tall odds previously in life, with his return to the athletics last season his biggest to date. His drive got him a look during training camp in Barcelona. His determination has gotten him to the next level, where all the grit in the world will not be sufficient enough - nor stretch far enough - to provide Chambers one of those precious few spots on an international field.

Chambers will need to bottle up all of his anger, every bit of his remorse, his entire stock and supply of hope and combine them with a genuinely large stroke of luck in order to look like he should be picked as a boy among men.

Combine those with tenacity, a powerful will and an iron-clad resolve aided by nothing more than the voices within screaming for respect and success in his endeavor, and Chambers may prompt a scout to raise his hand Chambers' direction, put a black checkmark next to his name, and bring the British sprinter back home to Europe for an enduring test of patience and bodily contact unknown to Chambers in the slightest degree.

Chambers has demonstrated remarkable composure and dedication to this venture. Will the men in charge at the next junction pick the last man standing, or will they pen a red line through his name, yell, "next?", and tell Chambers "thank you, you may go home now, goodbye"?

Chambers, who has been playing as a wide receiver, will not have to put on a spectacular display of raw speed which demonstrates he can run 100 yards from point A to point Z faster than his pursuers, rather that he can shake, roll, fake-out and out-maneuver his opponents at a rapid pace and break free and known when to look up - an instict he'll have to quickly develop - for a long pass invariably hauled his way from a quarterback under heavy scramble.

The NFL will be a completely new song and dance for Chambers, but he has shown remarkable poise in perfecting his plan to gain self-confidence and respect. He's remained on the field of practice long after hours, and has asked the right developmental questions reminiscent of rookie wide-outs attempting to better their game. He's taken his lumps and bruising, and learned to deal with the obvious pain mistakes on the field make.

Here's hoping to a changed man in Dwain Chambers the athlete as he puts his mind to its greatest test to date hoping he will find the lost needle in the haystack as time quickly runs down.

Borzakovskiy Skipping 2007 Indoor Season

Story written by EPelle

The European Athletics Asssociation reported today that Olympic 800m Champion, Yuriy Borzakovskiy, has announced he will not compete in any indoor competitions in 2007, instead opting to start his summer season at Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, USA in June.

Borzakovskiy, the 2001 IAAF World Indoor champion (1.44,49), insists that he wants to be in top form for the IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Osaka, Japan. He competed on his native soil at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships, however he managed only a bronze (1.47,38) following seven races prior to the championships in Moscow.

He finished with a silver medal (1.44,51) in the 2005 World Championships in Finland after running five indoor races that winter - all victories.

Holder of two indoor records, Borzakovskiy has competed on the boards and under the roof in 33 races including finals over his eight-year career. He set the World Junior Indoor record (1.44,35) in Karlsruhe seven years ago, winning the event as a 19-year-old. He set the Russian Indoor record of 1.44,15 at the same venue the folowing year.

Borzakovskiy, the reigning 800m Olympic gold medalist, would also like to defend his title in Beijing next season. Borzakovskiy, running in his typical last-place fashion early in the race, made a move off the homestretch in Athens and timed his kick perfectly, running 1.44,45 for an upset over South African Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (1.44,61) and world-record holder Wilson Kipketer (1.44,65). His move, which is unorthodox and often fails to provide him the expected winning kick, was perfected on the biggest day of his life.

He competed in five indoor races - four finals - leading up to the Athens Games, his fastest a 1.44,58 at the GE Galan in Stockholm, which also serves as his fourth-fastest 800m indoors ever.

He set the Russian 800m outdoor record of 1.42,47 - which is also the European U-23 record - in an exciting race against Austria's André Bücher in Bruxelles six seasons ago, denying Bücher a share of the 2001 Golden League jackpot in the process. He set the European Junior record - 1.44,33 - seven years ago in Sydney.

Tragedy struck Borzakovskiy late in the autumn as he and his wife, Irina, were traveling home to Zhukovskiy, Russia, late at night when an unidentified man strolled across the street in the pitch black weather and was killed instantly as Borzakovskiy's vehicle struck the man head-on. Borzakovskiy is said to be back in strong training after recovering from minor injuries suffered from the car accident.

The Borzakovskiy family have one child, Yaroslav, who came to the world in 2005 November.

Born 1981-April-12 in Kratovo, Russia, Borzakovskiy trains under Russian coach Vyacheslav Evstratov, who also coaches Dmitry Bogdanov, Russia's other premiere male 800m runner.

Yuri Borzakovskiy's Portfolio:

• 200m: 22,56
• 400m: 45,84 Tula, 2000
• 800m: 1.42,47 Bruxelles, 2001 (24,45 - 26,44 - 25,46 - 26,12)
• 800m ind: 1.44,15 Sindelfingen, 2001
• 1.000m: 2.17,40 Nice, 2000
• 1.500m: 3.43,36 Moscow, 2003

Records:

• World Junior Indoor record holder, 1.44,35, Karlsruhe, 2000
• European U-23 record holder, 1.42,47, Bruxelles, 2001
• European Junior record holder, 1.44,33, Sydney, 2000
• Russian record holder 1.42,47, Bruxelles, 2001
• Russian indoor record holder, 1.44,15, Karlsruhe, 2001

Major Championships Medals:

• Gold, Olympic Games, Athens, 2004
• Gold World Indoor Championships, Lisbon, 2001
• Gold, European Indoor Championships, Gent, 2000
• Gold, European U23 Championships 400m, Amsterdam, 2001
• Gold, European Junior Championships, Riga, 1999
• Gold, World Youth Games, Moscow, 1998
• Silver, IAAF World Championships, Helsinki, 2005
• Silver, IAAF World Championships, Paris, 2003
• Silver, IAAF Grand Prix Final, Melbourne, 2001
• Silver, European Championships 4x400m, München, 2002
• Bronze, IAAF World Indoor Championships, Moscow, 2006
• Winner, European Cup Super League, Annecy, 2002
• Winner, European Cup Super League, Paris, 1999

For full biographical race information, click here.

Olsson Looking Sharp Under Radar in 2007

Story written by EPelle

Christian Olsson has that look in his eye.

That may well be because he has clipped his hair, his 1,13 karat diamond is ever more sparkling, and he now dons a close shave similar to Johan Wissman, our national 200m record-holder (20,38).

Something is different about the former Golden League jackpot champion, and if he continues mesmerising folks with those piercing blue radars he calls eyes as he powers down runways at a stadium near you, John Christian Bert Olsson, the 2003 European Athlete-of-the-Year, will likely have a solo trip into territory in 2007 very few have ever legally touched with their own two feet.

Last time I saw Christian was at the media tent behind Ullevi Stadium following his medal ceremony at the European Championships here in Göteborg in August. He had a different look in his eye then.

Olsson had captured the European Championships here in his hometown - he grew up in a district named Angered down the road from me - and stood around taking questions from reporters - both in Swedish and in English.

He wore a blue cap backward and had the Swedish flag draped around his shoulders as he gleamed with enthusiasm and with spoke with the authority an accomplished man exudes after returning to a tent of shade following a long battle.

Relaxed and at ease back in his number one place in the sport - at least for a day, Olsson spoke freely and watched as journalists with thick Italian, French, Spanish and German accents scribbled and wrote notations of what the world would later read and appreciate.

He spoke with clarity into microphones as he was interviewed for radio spots, and he looked directly at the cameras pointed his way with red light indicators showing he was live and on-the-air, answering questions he's heard for the past two years.

Christian, are you fully recovered?

The reigning European Champion from 2002 had taken the long road, not the high road back to Göteborg following his 2004 Olympic victory in Athens, missing the entire 2005 season with an ankle injury which triggered after his first jump in the 2004 Olympic final. Olsson hoped, prayed and swore he'd be back on the runway again.

Three times he underwent surgeries to repair the damage, and three times the world indoor record holder appeared to be near the end of the line rather than at the mid-point. To Olsson, the elusive 18-metre barrier - and ultimately Jonathan Edwards' 18,29m world record - seemed to become more and more mere spectacular occurances in the history of the sport, but nothing to which Olsson could firmly attach his own name.

Olsson became the reigning Olympic, World, World Indoor, European & European Indoor Champion in 2004, a distinction no single, solitary person on the face of the earth has been able to do in holding all five titles simultaneously. He'd become used to breaking through barriers and establishing what no man thought possible of the 26-year-old Swede, who turns 27 in eight days.

So when Christian Olsson took one jump in the qualification round, jumping 17,51m with a slight wind (+0,3 m/s) - a full 28cm ahead of his nearest qualifier, Portugal's Nelson Èvora, who set a new national record with his 17,23m - Göteborg, Sweden, Europe and the world knew Olsson was back, and was hell bent on standing tallest on the medal stand.

"I would have like to do more jumps in front of this fantastic home crowd, I am sorry I had to deceive them (smiles): but at a qualification it is always better to do only one jump, " he stated directly after the event's qualification.

"I have the capacity to jump the World Record, but for Saturday I am rather set to jump a new National Record."

He had two clean jumps in the final, with his 17,67m into a slight wind (-0,7 m/s) eventually enough to win the competition by a whopping 46cm.

"When I was leading far in front of the others after my second attempt (17,67 metres), I really wanted to risk it and pushed really hard," he stated in his flash interview.

"So this is why all the next four jumps were foul: I touched the board because I tried too hard. After all my injuries it is unbelievable but at the same time perfect for me to win in front of this amazing and wonderful home crowd."

Yes, Christian Olsson was back, and Sweden had his back - through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, to never depart until he could bring on the real deal, namely a season when where he could compete injury-free, uninterrupted, and focussed on improvement rather than distracted by pain.

The seven-time national champion both indoors and out - who added an eighth to his credit, the long jump in 2006 - has appeared grandly recovered from his troublesome injuries, and competed in a short-runway competition at Friidrottens Hus Tuesday night here in Göteborg, jumping an astounding 16,07m with only a 20m allowance for his runup - less than half the customary distance which Olsson uses in his run-up to the line.

The mark was pleasing to Olsson, who competed with Per Krona (who has done a fantastic job developing in Olsson's injury absence) against boys - not men - in the annual event, his first-ever.

"It seemed like the youth thought it was fun that I jumped," he stated to Göteborgs-Postenlink), "but I assure you it was at least as fun for me, myself to do those three jumps."

Olsson has now undergone one of his best training periods ever, he says, and admits that he has broken some personal records in training, though he keeps hush about which ones those may be.

Though the measurements are secret, Olsson gave way to a huge smile, indicating he is again at the top of his game. Only small niggles remain, such which he states are to be expected by triple jumpers.

One triple jumper whom Olsson would like to emulate, not surprisingly, is Russian Tatiana Lebedeva, who, as Olsson states, is able to stay consistent in her competitions.

"Tatiana Lebedeva is admirable," he stated to Göteborgs-Posten.

"She can do a really long jump and follow it up with one just as good. I'd also like to jump like that. Perhaps I may be able to get there by focussing better on training. I am on the way."

Christian Olsson is visible again, both in an athletic and a personal sense. He has determination written over his face, which certainly shines brighter with the wave of blonde hair clipped away from his scalp. He has gotten his feet wet in a competition here in Göteborg - closer to "home" can he not get, though his house, money and post all belong in Monaco.

Glasgow is next up on the to-do list for Olsson, as he jumps indoors on a full runway for the first time in three years. He'll head back to Göteborg for the Eurojump four days later at Scandinavium, and his winter training and indoor competition will end with a go at the European Indoor Championships.

"It will be very fun to jump seriously," he says. "I have not done so indoors since I broke the world record three years ago."

Olsson owns the world indoor record of 17,83m, a mark which he set in Budapest on 2003-March-1.

Click here for Christian Olsson's homepage. (

Klüft, Sanna Kallur Among Jerringpriset Finalists

Story written by EPelle

Two athletics competitors have made the final cut for tomorrow's Jerringspriset - a prestigious annual Swedish award sponsored by Sveriges Radio which honours our nation's best sports performance of the year.

Susanna Kallur and Carolina Klüft have been selected among the 10 finalists vying for the coveted award, and will be on hand tomorrow evening at Globen in Stockholm in anticipation of being selected highest among their peers in sports such as alpine skiing, curling, ice hockey, cross country skiing and biathlon.

Jerringpriset, which had its origin in 1979, is the only sports distinction in Sweden which is solely voted on by the Swedish people rather than by a panel.

The annual prize is handed out for the year's best Swedish sports performance, preferably against an international backdrop and perspective.

Winners can be selected on more than one occasion during their careers - as either individuals or an entire team, and the prize is not limited to athletes. Coaches can also be selected for the award.

Jerringpriset was borne 28 years ago out of the memory of legendary Sveriges Radio's Sven Jerring, who got his start with Sveriges Radio (then called Radiotjänst) in 1925 with calling the shots from Vasaloppet, among other sporting events.

The nominees are selected by Radiosporten's editorial staff, and the total number of candidates can vary from year to year. Fifteen nominees were presented at the end of 2006, with the year's best Swedish sports performance voted upon by the public through several methods including telephone and internet.

Christian Olsson was nominated as well, but did not make the cut.

Kallur seems a very likely candidate from an athletics perspective, having won the European Championships here on our home soil - our third gold of the August championships (Olsson and Klüft won the others).

Kallur handily won the European Championships short hurdles race, winning by 0,13 seconds over Irishwoman Derval O'Rourke, the 2006 World Indoor Champion, who set a new Irish national record with her 12,72 performance. Germany's Kirsten Bolm took home the bronze with the same time clocking as O'Rourke.

Klüft, who won the 2005 Women's Athlete-of-the-Year (video link), the 2003 and 2004 Performance-of-the-year (video link) and the 2003 Jerringpriset award, became historic with her victory in the heptathlon, becoming the first woman to ever win five-consecutive outdoor heptathlon championships. She is trained by Agne Bergwall, and has continued to compete for her hometown IFK Växjö despite living down in Karlskrona.

The categories which athletes will be voted on to win prizes are: The Year's Best Women's Athlete; The Year's Best Men's Athlete; The Year's Best Sports Team; The Year's Best Performance; The Year's Top Newcomer; The Year's Best Sports Leader; The Year's Best Functionally-hindered Athlete; and the Year's Honour Prize.

Other prizes which will be dealt out on Tuesday are the Jerringpriset, itself, as well as TV Sportens Sportspegelpris - an award of honour which is handed out to one recipient who has been on the Sportspegeln programme during the year; Svenska Spel Stipendiet - an award which will enable youth involved in sports at the national team level to both study and compete parallel to those studies; and Forskarpriset - an award which is designated for an established researcher who deepens knowledge for others through their research.

Though both Kallur and Klüft had remarkable seasons, it appears that Anja Pärson may have had the greater success, having captured gold in the Giant Slalom and Super-G at the Winter Olympics in Torino, and taking the overall Super-G grand prix as well.

Stefan Holm was the last athletics winner, taking home the honours in 2004 as well as taking home both the 2005 Men's Athlete of the Year distinction (video link) and the Year's Best Sports Performance (video link). Holm's father, Johnny, took home the TV-Sportens Sportspegelpris (video link).

The year 2005 was also kind to Yannick Tregaro, as he was selected The Year's Top Coach (video link).

Sanna Kallur contests the 100 metre hurdles. She was born on 1981-February-16. She is 170 cm tall and weighs 61 kg at optimum competition. She competes for Falu IK under coaches Agne Bergwall and Karin Torneklint. Sanna won the 2006 European Championships in the 100m hurdles to compliment her 2005 European indoor gold at 60m hurdles. "Sanna", as she is called by fans, has 15 national titles - both indoors and out - to her credit She placed third in the 2006 World Indoor Championships in the 60m hurdles.

Carolina contests the heptathlon and long jump. She was born on 1983-February-2. She is 178 cm tall and weighs 65 kg at optimum competition. Klüft competes for IFK Växjö under coach Agne Bergwall. Klüft's record to date: 2006 European Champion in the heptathlon. 2005 World Champion in the heptathlon. 2004 Olympic Gold medalist (heptathlon). 2003 World Champion in the heptathlon. 2003 Indoor World Champion in the pentathlon. 2003 Under-23 European Gold medalist in the long jump. 2002 European Champion in the heptathlon. 2002 World Junior Champion in the heptathlon. 2000 World Junior Champion in the heptathlon. 2004 Indoor World Championships bronze medalist in the long jump. 2002 European Indoor bronze medalist in the pentathlon. 1999 Gold medalist in the high jump at the Junior Olympics.

2006 Nominees: Alpine: Anja Pärson; Curling: Team and Anette Norberg; Hockey: Tre Kronor; Hockey: Damkronorna (women's national team); Athletics: Susanna Kallur; Athletics: Carolina Klüft, Diving: Anna Lindberg; Skiing: Anna Dahlberg–Lina Andersson; Skiing: Björn Lind; Biathlon: Anna Carin Olofsson.

Did Not Make Cut: Golf: Annika Sörenstam; Innebandy: Men's National Team; Swimming: Therese Alshammar; Athletics: Christian Olsson; Canoe: Markus Oscarsson.

Source: Sveriges Radio

Klüft Voted 2006 Waterford Crystal European AOY

Story written by EPelle

Carolina Klüft, our national athletics queen who has not lost a heptathlon competition in nearly five years, was voted the female Waterford Crystal European Athlete of the Year for 2006 - the second such accomplishment in her four-year professional career.

Klüft was voted number one by a tally of three different vote criteria which was open on the European Athletics Federation's homepage (click here for full press release) up to 31-December.

Klüft collected the fewest points (four) on the tally system, three fewer than runner-up Kim Gevaert of Belgium.

The Waterford Crystal European Athlete of the Year internet poll on the European Athletics website was open to Member Federations, the media and the public through three different voting forums.

All athletes' points were calculated by adding their position in each of the three voting categories.

Klüft, who was narrowly beaten for the award last year by pole vault world-record holder Yelena Isinbayeva - four points to seven - has not had a setback in the heptathlon or indoor pentathlon since finishing third (4535) to Russia's Yelena Prokhorova (4622) and Portugal's Naide Gomes (4595) at the 2002 European Indoor Championships in Vienna.

Klüft, according to our national federation's homepage (Friidrott) as well as the EAA, is planning on defending the pentathlon crown she won in Madrid in 2005 (4948) in Birmingham in March.

"For me the sport is all about performing at the major championships and I am really looking forward to the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham" she said.

"I won the World Indoor title there in 2003 and my great rival Kelly Sotherton (GBR) will have the home crowd willing her on this time, so it will certainly be a big challenge."

Sotherton (4733) finished second to Klüft in Madrid by 215 points, with Natalya Dobrynska (4667) of the Ukraine finishing third.

The three last met here in August at the European Championships, with Klüft (6740) winning the title over Holland's Karin Ruckstuhl (6423), with Germany's Lilli Schwarzkopf (6420) earning the bronze medal.

Sotherton finished a disappointing seventh with 6290 points.

Gevaert, who won the 100m/200m European sprint double here in Göteborg (11,06/22,68), and Isinbayeva - the 2005 Waterford Crystal European Athlete of the Year winner and 2006 European pole vault champion (4,80m - Championship Record), tied for second place just ahead of reigning Olympic long jump champion Tatyana Lebedeva (Russia) and high jumpers Kajsa Bergqvist (Sweden) and Tia Hellebaut (Belgium).

Lebedeva won the triple jump (15.15m) in exciting fashion over Greece's Hrisopiyi Devetzi (15.05m), jumping a championship record on her final attempt to secure her first outdoor European Championships title.

Bergqvist and Hellebaut were part of an exciting high jump final which saw no fewer than four women successfully manage the 2.00-metre barrier.

Hellebaut won the competition with a life-time best, national- and championship record jump of 2.03m, which was equalled by Bulgaria's Venelina Veneva, who finished with a silver medal on misses. Bergqvist, the indoor world record holder after a 2.08m jump in Arnstadt earlier in the year, jumped 2.01m in front of our home crowd, good enough for third. Blanka Vlasic, who had finished second to Bergqvist in the world-record meeting, finished fourth, also at 2.01m.

Klüft first won the prestigious trophy in 2003, following a spectacular break-out year where she improved from beating the best juniors in the world to winning two IAAF world titles (indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon).

Klüft is a finalist for the 2006 Gerringspriset, a very coveted prize which Radiosport here in Sweden awards for the year's best Swedish athletic performance. Susanna Kallur, who won the European Championships in the 100m hurdles (12,59) is also among the finalists.

One amazing feat which deserves notice is that Klüft has been atop the heptathlon world rankings for 223 weeks, and was awarded a spot among the world's top-10 best females by Track & Field News magasine (link) - the fourth-straight year she has appeared on the list. Klüfts appearances there are spectacular, because the magasine takes into consideration every athletic event when selecting its top-10 list. Klüft on average participates in three heptathlons per year.

Friidrott.se ran a great analysis (link) of Klüft through the years, netting the following great points:

• Three losses in her career, the latest in the 2001 European Cup; she's racked up 17-straight victories.
• Since she established herself as a senior in 2002, she has only twice (Euro Champs 2002 and World Champs 2005) not beaten her competition by at least 200 points, and her average score over 2nd-placers in those 15 competitions is 367 points.
• Her average hep the past 12 competitions (between 2003-2006) is 6,780 - a mark which only 12 other people in world history have surpassed in a single competition.
• 24 competitions without pulling out of one (she didn:t contest the 2000 Swedish Junior Nationals, because she was merely along to help a teammate chase the World Junior qualification mark).

Klüft was voted the fourth-best European female athlete by a panel of European sports journalists at the New Year. Klüft tallied 13 points in the voting. Isinbayeva (21) ranked third, and Gevaert (11) finished two points behind Klüft with a fifth-place spot.

Tennis player Justine Henin-Hardenne pulled in the most votes with 28 points.

2006 Waterford Crystal European AOY results:

1. Carolina Klüft, (SWE), 4; 2. Kim Gevaert, (BEL), 7; 2. Yelena Isinbayeva, (RUS), 7; 4. Tatyana Lebedeva, (RUS), 14; 5. Kajsa Bergqvist, (SWE), 15; 6. Tia Hellebaut, (BEL), 17; 7. Susanna Kallur, (SWE), 25; 8. Tatyana Lysenko, (RUS), 26; 9. Lornah Kiplagat, (NED), 32; 9. Vanya Stambolova, (BUL), 32

2005
Results:

1. Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS), 3 points; 2. Carolina Klüft (SWE), 7; 3. Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS), 11; 3. Paula Radcliffe (GBR), 11; 5. Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE), 12; 6. Christine Arron (FRA), 18; 7. Tatyana Kotova (RUS), 26; 8. Yuliya Nosova-Pechonkina (RUS), 28; 9. Christina Obergföll (GER), 31; 10. Eunice Barber (FRA), 32; 10. Olimpiada Ivanova (RUS), 32

Klüfts heptathlon/pentathlon portfolio (Source: IAAF):

Pentathlon

• 1st 28th European Indoor Athletics Championships 4948 Madrid 04 03 2005
• 1st 9th IAAF World Indoor Championships 4933 Birmingham 14 03 2003
• 3rd 27th European Indoor Championships 4535 Wien 01 03 2002

Heptathlon

• 1st 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics 6887 Helsinki 07 08 2005
• 1st 28th Olympic Games 6952 Athens 21 08 2004
• 1st 9th IAAF World Championships in Athletics 7001 Paris Saint-Denis 24 08 2003
• 1st 18th European Championships in Athletics 6542 München 10 08 2002
• 1st IAAF/Coca Cola World Junior Championships 6470 Kingston, JAM 20 07 2002
• 1st IAAF/Coca Cola World Junior Championships 6056 Santiago de Chile 21 10 2000

Farah Picked for IAAF XC Championships

Story written by EPelle

Great Britain's Mo Farah, winner of the 2006 European Cross Country title last month, is one of six athletes UK officials have pre-selected for Great Britain at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya, on 24 March.

Farah, who turns 24 in March, was named for the senior men's team, while Jo Pavey and Hayley Yelling will toe the line in the senior women's race.

European Junior Cross Country Champion Stephanie Twell will lead the junior team, with pre-selections provided to Emily Pidgeon and Sian Edwards, respectively.

News site onrunning.com quotes Farah as stating that his new-found cross country success will not take his focus off of his long-term plan, namely participating in the 2007 IAAF World Track & Field Championships in Osaka.

"I have always said the summer's World Championships remain my top priority and nothing will alter that."

"But I'd also like to compete at the European Indoors because they are on home soil."

Indeed, it seems fit that Farah would likely contest the 3.000m in Birmingham in March in front of home supporters filled with high expectations for the Somali-born Brit, having placed sixth in the 2005 World Indoor Championships in Madrid (7.54,08 PB) - a race which saw Kenenisa Bekele (7.39,32), Saif Saeed Shaheen (7.41,28) and Eliud Kipchoge finish 1-2-3.

Farah found success managing the 7,5-lap distance last summer, setting an outdoor personal best time of 7.38,15 in Zagreb. This past summer marked the first time Farah would ever break 8.00 outdoors.

The greater successes he earned were at the longer distances, however - at 5.000m, a distance at which he won the 2001 European Junior Championships (14.09,91) in Grosseto, Italy over Bruno Saramago of Portugal (14.11,65) and Spain's Noel Cutillas (14.12,43). Farah placed 10th at the 2000 World Junior Championships held in Santiago.

Farah's rise to the top of internationl respectability earned terrific stock when he earned the European 5.000m silver medal (13.44,79) here in Göteborg at the 2006 European Championships, essentially tranferring over his junior potential to the senior scale.

Farah, who has five English Schools titles to his name, showed signs of toughness prior to the championships in setting a 3.000m PB at the British Grand Prix at Gateshead, running 7.45,25 for a seventh-place finish. He followed that up with a tremendous breakthrough, running a personal-best time of 13 minutes 9,40 seconds in the 5.000m at the KBC Night of Athletics meet in Heusden, Belgium - a time which ranks second on the UK All-time list behind David Moorcroft's previous world-record of 13.00,41.

Farah is riding a high wave of new-found success, but first he must tackle on the task of making a great showing at the upcoming world championships in Kenya, for which he has been pre-selected in hopes of helping team Great Britain to fight for a medal. Farah took home the European Cross Country title by making a move in the 25th minute - a gutsy effort which no competitor matched in the race. His gold medal was never in danger as he completed the final two minutes of the race.

Having locked up the top spot, Farah became the first Briton to win an individual European cross country title in over a decade, following in Jon Brown's footsteps. Farah took home the title last month by covering the 9.950m course in 27.56 (2.49/km), holding a very comfortable lead over runner-up Fernando Silva of Portugal. UK fans and officials alike hope that Farah can continue building on the momentum he established in 2006, and make an international cross country break-through.

He placed 40th in the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships short-course race (4k), and 21st in the 2005 European Cross Country Championships, but fared much better against Europeans in 2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Farah has a very enduring stretch of racing ahead of him, with his ultimate goal medaling in Osaka. Following the world cross country championships, Farah will head over to Northern California, where he plans on contesting the Cardianl Invitational 10.000m held at Stanford University before heading into the beginning of the Grand Prix season.

"I'll be going to California and might run at 100000m at Stanford."

Here's hoping Farah enjoys greater success and remains injury-free as he plans his long flight through the ranks to the medal round in Osaka.

Mo Farah's Personal bests:

• 1.500m: 3.38,62 Zürich, 19 Aug 2005
• Mile: 3.56,49 London 6 Aug 2005
• 2.000m: 5.06,34 Melbourne 9 Mar 2006
• 3.000m: 7.38,15 Zagreb 31 Aug 2006
• 5.000m: 13.09,40 Heusden 22 Jul 2006
• 5km: 13.30 Stranolar (Ire) 26 Dec 2006
• 10km: 28.37 NYC 21 May 2006
• 10 Mile: 48.59 16 Oct 2005

NB: Farah placed second today to Sergiy Lebid over 4km at the 2007 Men's Great Edinburgh Cross Country, running 12.21 - one second behind Lebid.

NB: Farah placed sixth in today's (2007-Jan-7) 10,7km Zornotza Internacional race in Spain

Men (10.7Km) 1. Micah Kogo (Ken) 32.03 2. Tariku Bekele (Eth) 32.03 3. Joseph Ebuya (Ken) 32.04 4. Abiyote Guta (Eth) 32.04 5. Moses Masai (Ken) 32.19 6. Mohamed Farah (Gbr) 32.22 7. Juan Barrios (Mex) 32.48 8. Ali Abdallah (Eri) 33.06 9. Cutbert Nyasango (Zim) 33.26 10. Andrew Letherby (Aus) 33.27

Prison Sentences for Drug Offenses?

Story written by EPelle

Jan Fitschen, the suprise European Championships 10,000m gold medalist from Germany, stated to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung today that court-proven doping offenders must be imprisoned if they are found guilty of performance-enhancing drugs.

Fitschen, 29, argues that the current maximum two-year competition ban the IAAF imposes on first-time offenders isn't enough in order to fight the battle against those who cheat.

Fitschen, who clocked a 28.10,94 personal best in defeating the Spanish duo of José Manuel Martínez (28.12,06 SB) and Juan Carlos de la Ossa (28.13,73) by sprinting by them off the final turn of the 25-lap race here in Göteborg last August, sees himself as a role model.

Fitschen was an unheralded 29-year-old ranked only 722nd in the world by the IAAF coming into the championships, yet he managed to time his kick perfectly and claim the gold medal as the best of the Europeans in a championship setting.

Fitschen revealed to the European Athletics Association following his race that a top-10 finish was an ideal placing for him prior to his victory.

“The last 600m was very, very hard for me. I looked up and saw I was fourth, and I said to myself that fourth is the worst place I could finish. So I started to try a bit harder again.

“When I saw that Belz couldn’t go with the Spaniards, I tried a bit harder again. When I passed him, I thought third was good, but there could be a bit better.

“I looked up at the scoreboard and could see the Spanish, and I could see from their faces that they weren’t very happy. I tried a bit harder again, and then I passed them. It was like it was a dream.”

The first half of the race was covered in 14.16,80, leaving a large pack in contention after 12½ laps.

Fitschen told the newspaper that he, himself, has never been tempted to use performance-enhancing drugs, because of his status in the sport.

However, he did concede that his living standard and lack of reliance on athletics to put food on the table may not be seen in the same light by athletes with a different financial background.

Fitschen's track success began with a fifth-place finish in the 5.000m at the 1999 Under-23 European Championships. He was then upped the stakes by winning the German Championships 5.000m title four times (2001, 2002, 2005 and 2006), and doubling as 10.000m victor in both 2005 and 2006. The European Championships race was only his fourth-ever attempt at the distance, though he won gold at the distance at the 2003 World Student Games.

Germany has been in the line of fire recently over drugs issues, with Nils Schumann, the 2000 Sydney Olympic 800m champion, and former European 400m champion Grit Breuer facing questioning by the German Athletics Federation (DLV) over suspected violation of doping rules.

Breuer, in a separate action, is seeking 300.000 € in damages from the IAAF, stating it unfairly banned her in 1992 over a violation of good sport rules.

2006 European Championship 10.000m results (Courtesy EAA):

1 451 FITSCHEN Jan GER 2 MAY 1977 28:10.94 PB 14
2 251 MARTÍNEZ José Manuel ESP 22 OCT 1971 28:12.06 SB 12
3 235 DE LA OSSA Juan Carlos ESP 25 NOV 1976 28:13.73 7
4 872 BELZ Christian SUI 11 SEP 1974 28:16.93 4
5 965 LEBID Serhiy UKR 15 JUL 1975 28:19.14 8
6 816 MAKSIMOV Dmitriy RUS 6 MAY 1977 28:20.43 SB 16
7 471 POLLMÄCHER André GER 22 MAR 1983 28:22.56 PB 15
8 355 EL HIMER Driss FRA 4 APR 1974 28:30.09 3
9 271 SERRANO Ricardo ESP 29 OCT 1980 28:38.40 13
10 595 MEUCCI Daniele ITA 7 OCT 1985 28:48.30 10
11 535 FAGAN Martin IRL 26 JUN 1983 28:54.04 18
12 762 RAMOS José POR 27 JUL 1968 28:55.45 2
13 342 BENHARI Mokhtar FRA 22 MAY 1974 28:56.07 9
14 184 PETROVIC Slavko CRO 23 SEP 1980 28:56.66 SB 5
15 145 VAN HOOF Willem BEL 18 FEB 1979 28:57.11 6
16 143 STROOBANTS Jesse BEL 10 NOV 1980 28:59.91 11
17 140 RIZKI Monder BEL 16 AUG 1979 29:13.62 1
18 723 KACZMAREK Michal POL 19 SEP 1977 30:14.37 17

Intermediate times:

1000m 2:50.96 140 RIZKI Monder (BEL)
2000m 5:38.45 235 DE LA OSSA Juan Carlos (ESP)
3000m 8:33.57 184 PETROVIC Slavko (CRO)
4000m 11:24.79 235 DE LA OSSA Juan Carlos (ESP)
5000m 14:16.80 965 LEBID Serhiy (UKR)
6000m 17:09.13 251 MARTÍNEZ José Manuel (ESP)
7000m 19:59.52 235 DE LA OSSA Juan Carlos (ESP)
8000m 22:51.94 235 DE LA OSSA Juan Carlos (ESP)
9000m 25:39.43 872 BELZ Christian (SUI)

Weather conditions: Temperature: 17 °C Humidity: 80 % Conditions: Partly cloudy