Soboleva Smashes Through in Moscow

Story written by Eric

Yelena Soboleva's string of smashing runs continued today with a stellar world indoor record in the 1.500m during the third and final day of the Russian Indoor Championships in Moscow.

Soboleva, who set the previous world indoor record of 3.58,28 at the Russian Indoor Championships two years ago, knocked 0,23 seconds from her personal best to run her ninth career sub-4 minute 1.500m and win her second event of the week-end -- her third career indoor national title.

Soboleva, who holds lifetime bests outdoors of 3.56,43 in the 1.500m and 4.15,63 in the mile, became only the second athlete in history to record two sub-4.00 clockings indoors. For comparison, the sub-4.00 clocking has been accomplished 226 times outdoors, with 59 of those by a combination of Russian athletes - including seven by Soboleva.

American Regina Jacobs, third on the all-time list, was the first female under four minutes indoors, running 3.59,98 in Boston, USA in 2003. Jacobs was subsequently banned in connection with the 2003 BALCO scandal.

Tatyana Kazankina holds the Russian outdoor national record in 3.52,47 set in 1980.

Soboleva won the women's 800m in a national indoor record time of 1.56,49 on Saturday.

Soboleva, who set a national indoor record in the mile run (4.20,21) on 27-January, is now the fastest Russian ever indoors at the 800m, 1.500m and mile events. Soboleva's 800m is fifth on the all-time world indoor list and is a mere 0,67 seconds from the world indoor record.

Slovenian Jolanda Ceplak, who is currently facing a drug suspension, set the world indoor record of 1.55,82 six years ago in Wien - a race she won by defeating Austria's Stephanie Graf by a scintillating 0,03 seconds.

Soboleva, 25, won the prestigious 800m on Saturday by more than two seconds up on Natalya Ignatova (1.58,84), who set a personal record of her own in running under the two-minute barrier for the first time.

Marya Savinova and Marya Shapaeva both ran 1.59,71 for third and fourth, respectively, with Shapaeva establishing a new Russian Under-23 national indoor record.

Soboleva ran a very controlled opening two laps of her race, splitting 29,7 for the first 200m, and 28,5 to reach the half-way point in 58,2 - a pace spot-on for a 1.56,4.

Soboleva then peeled off a 28,6 third lap split to reach the 600m mark in 1.26,85, and concluded her historic run with a 29,6 final lap.

Soboleva's 600m en-route time has only been bettered by 10 women in a full 600m race, including Ignatova, who ran a 1.26,53 in Moscow the same evening as Soboleva's national record in the mile.

Soboleva's 57,1 middle 400m split was a testament to her fitness being at top-level, and sent a clear message that her international rivals will be hard-pressed to sprint past her in the 1.500m, which is 700m further and averages five seconds slower per lap.

Yulia Fomenko, the 2006 IAAF World Indoor 1.500m champion, broke her previous personal best by 1,05 seconds, clocking 4.00,21 to finish second. Fomenko became the fourth-fastest indoor runner ever with her effort.

Bronze medalist Yekaterina Martynova, 21, was the second middle-distance runner in as many days to break a Russian Under-23 record, but took the feat one step further than Shapaeva was able to manage on Saturday.

Martynova's time of 4.03,56 was not only the fastest-ever in her age classification in Russia's rich athletics history, but is now the fastest-ever indoor time by a European Under-23 athlete.

Martynova broke onto the international scene two years ago, clocking 2.02,83 indoors for 800m as a 19-year-old. Her previous indoor personal best at 1.500m was a 4.06,37 set 19-January.

Russian Indoor Championships, Moscow
2008-02-08 -- 2008-02-10
Select results:

800m
1	Yelena Soboleva	RUS	1.56,49
2	Natalia Ignatova	RUS	1.58,84
3	Maria Savinova	RUS	1.59,46
4	Maria Shapaeva	RUS	1.59,71
5	Tatiana Andrianova	RUS	2.02,68
1500m
1	Yelena Soboleva	RUS	3.58,05
2	Yulia Fomenko	RUS	4.00,21
3	Yekaterina Martynova	RUS	4.03,68

Soboleva Sets National Indoor Mile Record

Story written by EPelle

Russian Yelena Soboleva began her Olympic 1.500m gold meal quest in excellent fashion today in Moscow, setting a national record in a mile race at the Russian Winter IAAF indoor meet on Sunday.

Soboleva won in 4 minutes, 20,21 seconds, eclipsing 3.50 seconds off of Elena Zadorozhnaya's previous indoor record of 4.24,11 -- a time she set in 2001.

Soboleva, who set an outdoor personal best (4.15,63) in the mile in 2007, became the third-fastest female (with the fourth-fastest performance) ever at the indoor distance, trailing only Romanians Doine Melinte (4.17,14 and 4.18,86) and Paula Ivan (4.18,99), the 1988 Olympic 1.500m champion.

Soboleva took control of the race and took over the lead at the 1.000m mark (2.46,39) never to relinquish her position as she used part of her 1.57,28 800m speed to close out her historic run with a very respectable 2.07 finaly 880-yard split.

Teammate Olga Komyagina had a breakthrough race in finishing second in 4.23,49, a time which ranks 13th on the world all-time indoor mile list. Komyagina has a lifetime 1.500m best of 4.02,32 set eight years ago in Leverkusen, but has spent a greater part of her past three seasons acting as a pace maker for high profile races around Europe.

Russia's Svetlana Masterkova holds the outdoor mile record of 4.12,56 set in 1996 at the Weltklasse meet in Zürich, Switzerland. Ivan, at 4.15,61, is second on the all-time list and 0,02 seconds faster than Soboleva's outdoor best - the third-fastest ever recorded.

Soboleva, who set the world indoor 1.500m record (3.58,28) in 2006, is seeking redemption in Beijing as she challenges for the gold medal -- something which eluded her at the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Osaka, Japan.

Soboleva contested the 1.500m - the official Olympic distance - only three times in 2007 following a 2006 successful 2006 campaign in which she won a silver medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, but was able to run under four minutes in each of her competitions - a feat which garnered her favourite status as she lined up for the final in Osaka.

Soboleva ran tough and brave against her fierce competitors over much of the 3,75-lap race, but was unable to match strides or kicks with her nemesis Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain during the remaining segments of the final lap. Jamal took home the global title ahead of Ukraine's Iryna Lishchynska, and Soboleva finished third.

The women's mile was not the only event at the Russian Winter Meeting featuring likely Olympic finalists, as the men's 800m run was won by reigning Olympic champion Yuri Borzakovskiy, who is making a good early-season march toward defending that crown in August.

Borzakovskiy, who skipped the 2007 indoor season, broke away from Kenyan Wilfred Bungei, the IAAF World Indoor champion, with a lap to go to win the four lap race in a seasons-best time of 1 minute, 46.78 seconds. Borzakovskiy, running his second 800m race this season, utilised a 26,08-second final lap to send Bungei away.

Yuri Koldin finished third.

Other notable performances were turned in by 2006 European Outdoor Champion André Silnov, who won the high jump (2,36m) ahead of teammate Jaroslav Rybakov (2,30m); Olga Simagina in the women's long jump (6,92m); and Olusoji Fasuba in the men's 60m (6,54).

Australian Vaulter Grigorieva Retires

Story written by EPelle

Australian pole vaulter Tatiana Grigorieva, the 2006 Commonwealth Games silver medalist, has announced her retirement from athletics reports Eurosport (story).

Russian-born Grigorieva, 31, moved with her then-husband Viktor Chistiakov to Australia in 1997, and won a silver medal for her adopted country three years later in the 2000 Olympic Games - the same evening national hero Cathy Freeman won the 400m in stunning fashion.

Grigorieva's rise and stay at the top took a tumultuous tumble in 2004.

Grigorieva split from her husband in 2004 - a year which she also struggled to manage any decent jumps in the vault. So far reaching were her troubles that the Olympic silver medallist and 2002 Commonwealth Games gold medallist could not jump high enough in 2004 to make the Athens Olympic team.

She endured troubling hamstring injuries along with private life issues which plagued her lead-up to Athens, and she contemplated quitting pole vaulting three years ago. However, her Italian-based coach, Vitali Petrov, encouraged her to keep going.

"I found myself in a very difficult situation," she said to the Sydney Morning Herald prior to the Commonwealth Games last season.

"I had a choice to give up or do something about it. And I wasn't about to give up."

Grigorieva's woes didn't stop mounting in 2004, as she broke her finger in 2005.

However, showing great resolve to endure and turn out better on the other side, she gutted out a performance in the IAAF World Championships good enough for fifth place. Despite the injury, Grigorieva jumped 4.47m in London that season - her best vault in nearly four years.

Though Grigorieva mustered out fantastic efforts last season following her rebirth as a human and in the sport - "I died and I was reborn," she stated - last season was a difficult one for the news-making star, as after her Commonwealth Games runner-up finish, a crook broke into her home in Brisbane and stole her silver medal as well as her world championships and Olympic medals. It was later returned.

The incident "deeply touched" Grigorieva, as a group of students at a local university began making posters to track down the villian.

"Yes, I've got medals missing, but there are a lot of good things coming out of the situation - kids learning how to help and support."

Helping and supporting are endeavors which Grigorieva would like to take more time doing, states Eurosport, as she is apparently retiring to pursue her business and charity interests.

Grigorieva is the Founding Patron of the charity Gift 4 Dreams, a non-profit organisation which uses sport and healthy activity as a means to inspire disadvantaged young Australians to build healthier, happier and safer communities in Australia according to Grigorieva. She is also a charitable donator to Camp Quality, Variety Club and Kids Helpline.

A three-time Australian Championships gold medalist, Grigorieva was born on 1975-October-8 in Lenningrad, Russia and competed in the 400m hurdles in her youth, running 58,54 in St. Petersburg in 1996. She emigrated to Australia and began pole vaulting at age 21. One year later, in New York, she placed third at the 1998 Goodwill Games.

Grigorieva has five international medals to her credit, collecting a silver at the above-mentioned Goodwill Games; a bronze from the 1999 IAAF World Championships (4.45m); a silver at the 2000 Olympic Games (4.55m); gold from the 2002 Commonwealth Games (4.35m); and silver from last year's Commonwealth Games (4.35m).

Grigorieva's seasonal efforts:

• 2006 - 4.58m, Daegu, 28-September
• 2005 - 4.47m, London (CP), 22-July
• 2004 - 4.30m, Runaway Bay, 20-February
• 2003 - 4.23m, Malmö, 12-August
• 2002 - 4.46m, Salamanca, 10-July
• 2001 - 4.56m, Yokohama 15-September
• 2000 - 4.55m, Sydney 25-September
• 1999 - 4.50m, Salamanca 15-July
• 1998 - 4.35m, Brisbane 21-March
• 1997 - 3.90m, Adelaide 06-December

Grigorieva's homepage

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.

2006: Success From A to Z

Story written by EPelle

Gosh, has 2006 been a year to remember.

So much has happened, with several world records set indoors, several outdoors, and four athletes staying undefeated against international competition.

I could spend an hour talking about what made the year great, but thought I'd make it easy on you today and give you the facts as they appear A-Z -- those people and moments which made my year!

Ejoy!

Asafa Powell twice equaled his WR, went undefeated. Powell finished the season with top-10 times of 9,77 - 9,77 - 9,85 - 9,85 - 9,86 - 9,86 - 9,89 - 9,91 - 9,95 and 9,96. He also ran 19,90 over 200m.

Brad Walker joined the 6,00m club in Jockgrim on 19-July. Walker ended the season with five jumps over 5,85m.

Carro went undefeated and won European gold. Carolina Klüft has been atop the IAAF leader board for 222 weeks as best heptathlete in the world.

Deena Kastor broke 2.20! Kastor ran perfect splits in setting her American record with her London Marathon victory, running the fourth-fastest women's marathon all-time - 2.19.36. Kastor also ran an 8.56,35 3.000m, a 31.58 road 10km, and a 1.04.07 half marathon this year. Kastor also won the USA 8km championships in March, running 25.05.

European Championships. Enough said.

Francis Obikwelu doubled up at Euros. Obikwelu impressed me with his consistency this season. He kept quite and to himself this season, letting his spikes tear through the red track att Ullevi Stadium and power him home to first-place finishes in the 100m (9,99) and 200m (20,01). He brought our 200m specialist, Johan Wissman, home to a silver medal and a new NR (20,38) in the process.

Gary Kikaya set a non-USA WR! Americans have owned the 400m for what seems ages on end. They have not lost an Olympic 400m race since 1976 (they boycotted in 1980), and have broken 44,00 39 times - the only nation with athletes under 44,10. Kikaya made great strides this season by blistering home a 44,10 at the World Athletics Final, only 0,08 seconds from Jeremy Wariner's winning mark.

Haile Gebrselassie went bonkers on the roads. Gebrselassie set world records in the 20km (55.48/Phoenix, AZ, USA), the half-marathon (55.48/Phoenix, AZ, USA) and a 25km best (1.11.37/Amsterdam), and finished his year having run a 60.08 half-marathon for a win in Granollers, along with marathon times of 2.05,56 (PB), 2.06,52 and 2.09.05.

Isaac Songok broke away from Bekele. Songok began his international career as a 1.500m runner. He took his game to a new dimension this season in defeating Kenenisa Bekele in the Oslo Golden League meeting, 12.55,79 - 12.58,22. Songok finished his season with bests of 3.31,85 - 7,28,92 (list-leader and PB) and 12.48,66 (PB). He even put up a 7.28,98 and two more sub-13 times to set himself up as a threat in Osaka.

Jeremy Wariner moved up to 4,7 all-time. Wariner's only blemish on the season was pulling up in his final meet of the season. He ran superbly, three times running under 44,00-flat -- 43,62, 43,91 and 43,99. Wariner also ran a 20,19 PB in the 200m.

Kajsa Bergqvist jumped 2.08m! Bergqvist owned the indoor season before injury struck her toward the World Indoor Championships. Bergqvist captured the mark on her first attempt in a classic showdown with Blanca Vlasic, who skipped 2.03m, and made attempts at 2.05m - a height which Bergqvist missed on her first, but maneuverd on her second.

Lornah Kiplagat ran superbly on the roads. Kiplagat led the road warriors with a 30.50 10km (and running 31.11 and 31.24 en-route to longer races), ran a 47.10 15km en-route to her Debrecen 20km WR (1.03.21). Kipligat extended herself to a 2.32.31 marathon. Kipligat also recorded a 30.37,26 on the track.

Meseret Defar set a WR! Defar was dangerous on the track, lighting up the outdoor circuit with a list-leading 8.24,66 (with 8.34,72 backing that up), and a world-record 14.24,53 in New York City, USA in June. Defar also recorded 14.33,78 - 14.35,37 and 14.39,11 in Grand Prix races.

Nobody could touch Powell, Wariner, Saladino or Richards. Each won their share of the IAAF $1.000.000 jackpot, never suffering defeat in a Golden League event.

Olga Kotlyarova ran well when it counted. The former 400m specialist won the European Championships (1.57,38) and recorded a season-best of 1.57,24. Kotlyarova ran under 1.58 three times, and also ran a 50,99 open 400m for a runner-up finish in Sochi as part of a 400m/800m double in which she recorded a 1.58,95 (also a runner-up).

Paul Koech broke 8.00 without Shaheen. Saif Saaeed Shaheen would have been my "S" selection in any other year - he twice broke 8.00 in the steeple, ran a personal best 3.33,51 1.500m, and ran a 12.51,98 5.000m in Rome - 0,54 seconds off of Bekele. Lost in the steeple shuffle was Koech, who - without the aid of following Shaheen - ran 7.59,94, 8.00,29 and 8.01,37 -- all victories on the European Circuit - the final time recorded at the World Athletics Final.

Qaulity was in order this season: 15 sub-13,10s; 23 sub 1.44s and 13 sub-4.00 1.500m. Xiang Liu twice ran under sub-13,00, with his world-record 12,88 recorded in Lausanne. Hurdlers faced off often and furiously against each other in 2006, with the world record and subsequent excellent times a result of not ducking one another. The 800m was again worth watching this year, with Wilfred Bungei recording four of those times. Bram Som broke out to establish himself among the next World Championships medal contenders with two well-placed 1.43 clockings. The Russians simply ran away from the world this season in the 1.500m, trading places and world-leading times in several outstanding efforts.

Russia ran a 3.23 WR indoors!

Sanya Richards went undefeated, broke AR. Richards closed in on the American record in 2005, running a world-leading 48,92 - which was also her personal best. She broke 50-flat nine times in 2005. This year was a year unparalleled in the young American's career, as she topped the world-list at 48,70 - a time which also broke the 22-year-old American record of 48,83 that Valerie Brisco-Hooks established at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA. Richards ran the year's five-fastest times, and again broke 50,00 nine times.

Tyson Gay had a season to remember. Men's 200m sprinting took the sport to a new postal code this season, with 16 performances under 20,00 by far the best year in ages. Tyson Gay ran the third (19,68)-, fourth (19,70)-, fifth (19,79)- and sixth (19,84)-best performances of the season - with his personal best, 19,68, making him the equal third-best performance and equal fifth-best performer of all-time. Gay also recorded 9,84 - 9,88 - 9,88 - 9,92 - 9,96 - 9,97 in a sprinting campaign which must be considered one of the best seasons ever.

Usain Bolt broke Powell:s 16-day 200m NR. Usain Bolt set the world junior record, 19,93, in Deveonshire in 2004. He followed it up with another sub-20,00 - a 19,99 in London in 2005. Bolt has shown excellent flashes of greatness, but had not previously been able to stay away from injury. He had the great fortune of competing against Americans at their best in Lausanne, broke Asafa Powell's two-week-old national record (19,90), but finished "only" third in 19,88 in what many consider one of the greatest races in history. Bolt finished the season with top-5 bests of 19,88 - 19,96 - 20,08 - 20,10 and 20,10.

Virgilijus Alekna went undefeated, and won ECs. Alekna has the 2nd-furthest discus throw in history, hurling the implement 73,88m in Kaunas, Lithuania in 2000. He is the two-time defending Olympic champion in the event. Alekna had the second-furthest throw of the season, a 71,08m victory in Réthimno, and had two of the year's four 70-metre throws (70,10m in Tallinn).

Wallace Spearmon made sure we quickly forget his father. Spearmon's father was an All-America sprinter for Arkansas. Nothing he did can compare to Spearmon Jr.'s 2006 season in which his top-five times were 19,65 - 19,87 - 19,88 - 19,90 - 19,90. Spearmon's 19,65 was a personal record, and run completely alone, as second place in Daegu, South Korea, was more than a second behind. Spearmon is the 3rd-best performer with the 3rd-best performance all-time in the 200m. He threw in a 10,11 100m in Shanghai for good measure.

X²+8=19,63 was the equation of the year. Xavier Carter had the best of two world in 2006. He became the first athlete since Jesse Owens to win four gold medals at the NCAA Championships at the conclusion of the collegiate season, then opened up the senior circuit record books by running the 2nd-fastest time in history, 19,63, from lane eight in his first-ever professional 200m race - a victory in Lausanne. He finished the season with marks of 10,09 (10,11 - 10,12 - 10,15) - 19,63 (19,97 - 19,98 - 20,13 - 20,22 - 20,30) and 44,53 (44,76 - 44,84 - 44,96). He is the most versatile sprinter in the world, having managed these marks after playing American collegiate footboll in the autumn season.

Yelena Soboleva smashed the indoor 1.500m WR. Soboleva ran astonishingly indoors at her national championships, becoming the only clean athlete in the history of the world to record a time under 4.00 at 1.500m, running 3.58,28. Her fast running didn't stop there. Soboleva, who also ran 1.58,53 indoors - becoming the 15th-fastest person in history, put up outdoor marks of 1.57,28 (1.58,17 - 2.00,00) and 3.56,43 (3.56,74 - 3.58,60 - 4.00,36 - 4.00,47 - 4.01,95). Soboleva had five Grand Prix victories in 2006.

Zulia Calatayud kept her nose in the 800 leadership. Calatayud ran the third-fastest women's 800m outdoors in 2006, stopping the clock at 1.56,91 in a great third-place finish in Lausanne. Calatayud also recorded six additional sub-2,00 clockings in 2006.

Ivanova Banned Two Years

Story written by EPelle

BBC Athletics announced today that Russian steeplechaser Lyubov Ivanova was handed a two-year drug suspension by her athletics federation for failing a test administered during the IAAF World Athletics Final (WAF) held in Stuttgart, Germany in September.

Ivanova, ranked fourth in the world in her event, finished fourth at the European Championships here in Göteborg in August, running 9.33,53.

The IAAF stated on Tuesday, 2006-November-14, that an unnamed athlete had failed a drugs test at the WAF final, with a planned announcement due shortly thereafter. Ivanova's name was announced on a message board 10 days later as having been the athlete in question.

Ivanova's ban took effect on Friday, 2006-December-22.

Seven Russians have committed doping offenses in 2006 according to the latest available statistics published by the IAAF. A total of 23 Russian athletes failed drugs tests in 2005 according to Rotislav Orlov, Russian Athletics Federation's spokesperson.

Ivanova competed in 10 races in 2006, opening her season with a 9.26,54 victory at the Russian Athletics Championships - her first race in 11 months. Her fastest time of the season - which was also a personal best - was a 9.21,94 clocking at the Tsiklitiria meeting in Athens, where she placed 2nd behind Poland's Violetta Janowska, who also set a personal best (9.17,15).

Ivanova's personal best ranks as the 17th-fastest time ever recorded, and she is the 6th-fastest athlete ever in the event. Janowska is ranked seventh and fourth, respectively.

Russia's Gulnara Samitova set the world record of 9.01,59 in 2004.

Ivanova was a dark horse this season, having run no faster than 9.00,90 over 3.000m (a mark she achieved in 2005 indoors with a fifth place finish at her national championships).

She recorded a 9.27,57 indoor world best steeple in the 2005 Russian Indoor Championships in Volgograd - winning by just under eight seconds over teammate Marina Ivanova two days before her open 3.000m final. The indoor barriers are not standard, nor is there a water jump.

Ivanova's best steeple last season was a 9.46,63 recorded at the 2005 SPAR European Cup in Florence, Italy - a silver medal performance which helped Russia win the overall title.

Her lifetime best prior to this year was a 9.28,02 2nd-place finish in Rieti, one of four times she ran the distance in 2004.

Ivanova does not have 800m/1.500m speed, having recorded 2.11,37 (2005)/4.14,87 (2006).

The Great European Champs Highlight of 2006

Story written by EPelle

Flashback.

There were so many excellent events which occured in the athletics world in 2006 - from Asafa Powell twice equalling his 9,77-second 100m WR to finally meeting two of my favourite athletes - including Stefan Holm - while they were competing here in Göteborg. This week was single-handily the most spectacular week I have ever had in athletics, trumping any and all of my favourite races and events in which I have participated as an athlete and a spectator.
I was around and about Göteborg during the one-week European Championships, and would like to give you an idea of what occured behind the cameras.

• Drugs tests:

Some surprise, out-of-competition drugs tests sprung on folks at odd hours (during breakfast, for example). Have gone to two different hotels this week, and surprised a soon-to-be medalist during breakfast. Took blood (the second time during a six-day period we'd done that, apparently) from this person, and headed to the next hotel with the same goal. Went on the field during competitions, and shadowed athletes like a hall monitor does when kids are supposed to get out of the corridors after the bell rings. Fun stuff, and only one athlete who turned out to be rather cranky about the process. Most prestigious place? Mixed Zone where they get interviewed. We took a blood sample on the out-of-competition tests, and if those tests showed abnormalities, we took a urine test (which toolk 8-9 days to get back from the lab in Norway).

• Athlete warm-up area:

For those fans who truly want to get a close-up look at the stars and competitors of these games, this is the place to hang out. Not much one can do prior to the events, but afterward, the athletes walk from the back of the stadium down a small service road, and back to the warm-up track. It is there that autograph-seekers have hung out since Monday. It is well-guarded, but the scrutiny applied to credentials differs from one official checker to the next. I:ve used my credentials once to walk in off duty with an athlete with whom I was having a conversation, but foto taking was not allowed. Most of the fotos you have seen this week have been in this general area.

• Athletes:

The most accomodating athlete in terms of autograph signing and picture taking both before and after their competition thus far has been André Silnov. Second must go to Jaroslav Rybakov. Conversely, other Russians - even coaches - have held a long, straight arm out against any foto-taking or name signing.

Speaking of Russians: None of them have used any VIP status to get to the stadium by any means other than walking on their own two feet. Spotted Yelena Isinbayeva the other day as she walked down the service road well ahead of every one of her competitors, and snapped her foto. She tried being inconspicuous, but her drawn-down hat over her face gave her away. All of the Russians - after their events - have been ecstatic, elated and willing to pose with everyone.

Prior to the competitions? Olga Kotlyarova had been most unwilling to even crack a simple smile; she stayed focused. Had a chance to talk to a prominent woman athlete on the Russian team for an extended period of time both on Day 2, and again on Day 4. She provided me astounding info on the team. She competes in a high profile event, but knows absolutely zero about one of her main team competitors - a woman who has struck it big on the world scene; all she knows of this person is what she sees on tv. Though exaggerated, the Russians seem to have one coach per athlete, and all of them continue to remain silent about their roles.

Apropos VIP status: Even Carolina Klüft has been seen jogging on the road between stadiums on her warm-ups and warm-downs, and I got a chance to snap a photo of Christian Olsson on Day 4 while he was walking up the service road presumably back to the hotel. The only Swede who has been iffy about any photo-taking had been Jenny Kallur, who got a bit snippy when I approached her while she was playing with her mother's dog. She didn't know me from the next guy, and had no idea where the photos would end up. Understood.

Britons were excellent ambassadors during the championships. Every single one of them have been great to speak with, and have taken opportunities between races to pose for photos. Rebecca Lyne was the only one who was most pressed for time, but even so, she took a photo before her Round 1 warmup. Dwain Chambers and Mark Lewis-Francis had been two gold mines during the Euro Champs. They had spoken to me much about everything, and seemed genuinely interested in my being able to comprehend what they are saying on the magnitude to which they are saying.

• Ullevi Stadium:

The stadium atmosphere has been electric. There is a tie between the two best crowd-pleasing moments: when Klüft was presented the gold medal by Kronprincessen Victoria, and the national anthem was sung; and when Johan Wissman snuck up for the silver in an =PB, =NR in the 200m - our first sprint medal on the men:s side in 44 years. Athletes, themselves, have stated to me both during duty and privately, that the atmosphere here is inspiring; we know our stuff when it comes to who:s who, and can appreciate good performances and great duels.

Then there is the stadium's history. Michael Johnson - who was in attendance as a BBC reporter - was the first to win the 200m/400m double in a major championships. Inessa Kravets and Jonathan Edwards set WRs in the triple jump the last time we held any major event here (save Finnkampen).

• Accessibility:

I briefly touched on this above with the athletes. Most everyone is an arm-length:s distance from the regular folk, and this nearness to those elite athletes has inspired many a fan to continue having hope in this sport. So many kids have run wildly around the back of the stadium in search of an autograph - anyone:s autograph. Fans from specific countries have had their clothes signed by their national team members on the way to the warm-up track, and those types of memories for those kids will last a life-time.

• Communication:

Göteborgs-Posten has been prepared for this since 1995. More than 11 years of waiting has payed of for the newspaper. We are treated to so much information - overkill in some senses. Fans - no matter what language they speak - are provided stats and information - fotos - on the key players in this EC competion.

• Nordic Nice:

Spoke with both Lívia Tóth (9.31,50 steepler) and her trainer on 2006-August-11 while printing out select fotos from an Epson centre. Her trainer stated that all the Nordic countries have been exceptional, with Sweden topping the list in terms of living accomodations, spare time activities and quality of meetings. Tóth didn:t qualify for the steeple final after injuring herself near the line in qualifying.

Asked Silnov about Sweden, and he stated he really enjoyed it here - and it had nothing to do with his having won the EC high jump medal. Polis had been out in extra full force, but nothing about their presence is threatening. As a matter of fact, two of them posed with Ukrainian 1.500m athletes Tetyana Holovchenko and Nataliya Tobias on Day 4 in a photo which had the cops on their knees, and the two 1.500m athletes jumping over the cops heads! I'd spoken to a few cops, and they are very happy to be here for the possible historic evening which is tonight (Kajsa Bergqvist attempt at the WR). They were here from all over Sverige, and had become better colleagues as a result of the true teamwork involved with working with different (sometimes far away, like Malmö) districts.

• Fans:

They make this championship truly historic. I was outside the stadium when Francis Obikwelu won the 200m final, and Wissman tied his newly-set 200m record (20,38) by placing 2nd. The noice was deafening some 200m from the stadium. Kids make up a great deal of the fans here. Athletes have been more than willing to ensure the kids have something by which to remember these games. Fans have clapped for - and cheered on - rivals to the Swedes, and embraced every athlete as their own. Great performance has been justly rewarded from the people paying the tickets to be a part of that atmosphere.

More on the athletes...

• Yelena Isinbayeva:

Yelena Isinbayeva is, in my opinion, very generous with her time, and appreciates fan support - and interest in - not only her jumping, but the pole vault itself. Snapped some fotos of her in the mixed zone after the vault, and she stood in front of the reporters for 30 minutes answering questions in russian and english. This was after her tv interviews, and prior to her one-on-one tv special interview. Her smile was golden - not because she had added the trifecta (World, Olympic, Euro title) to her medal count, but because she put forth a good performance in a season of adjustments.

Isinbayeva, like one other Russian (Olga Kotlyarova) during the week, avoided fan contact at nearly every venture. Isinbayeva tried being inconspicous during her walk from the hotel to the warm-up track (500m around a bend and down the service road) prior to the prelims, having drawn down her Nike team hat over her face, and looking down at the ground. She avoided looking up in the tunnel between the warm-up track and the private area where athletes were escorted to the track via a 300m athlete-only service road.

However, once the final was contested, and she had given her all - for the fans, she stated in the interviews, she was relaxed, down-to-earth, and happy her competition was finally over. Isinbayeva demonstrated a certain flair and grace in the Mixed Zone yesterday - one which is difficult to articulate without short-changing her.

She was asked some tough questions, and she answered each one without hesitating - or thinking of a pc way to talk about her 1-year WR drought.

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