Carolina Klüft Gives Stamp of Disapproval

Story written by Eric.

Carolina Klüft has electrified souls with her positive energy and incredibly deep well of enthusiasm, and she has penetrated interest in a two-day event which few people around the globe really ever paid attention to prior to her reign at the top in all honesty.

She has taken laps of honour with a sorority of women who've crawled across the finish line one final time following the seven events which make up the heptathlon, and she has felt a oneness with them both in spirit and in exhaustion.

That electricity and buzz which the world has come to expect of "Carro" as we call her here in Sweden began to die down to infrequent pulses of energy following her third-consecutive IAAF World Outdoor last season, and Klüft, who is a staunch supporter of one taking the opportunity to follow their dreams, began to dream of how far she could leap through the air and land in a sand pit rather than how far she could fling a javelin or how fast she could run 800m.

She'd considered throwing in the towel after setting her personal best and establishing a new European record (7032 points) in Osaka, but to say that a woman who hasn't lost a heptathlon competition since 2001 is "throwing in the towel" is to speak falsely.

Carolina Klüft has simply lost motivation for contesting the heptathlon after winning everything there is to gain in this sport.

Olympic medal? She has one. Two would be great, and she'd be a near certainty to keep her unbeaten streak alive in Beijing had she decided to keep at it for one final hurrah.

But, she's opting for other events, and will watch from the side-lines and read results on the internet as her competitors stake claim to medal opportunities they may have once wished to get, but now smell as the months draw closer.

World outdoor titles? Carro won her first one in 2003, and followed up her senior barrage of honours collected with titles in 2005 and 2007.

World indoor championships? She has a global pentathlon title earned in 2003. As a matter of fact, Klüft has won two European indoor championships, two European outdoor ones and has taken home a European Cup title as well.

Carolina Klüft has flown around the world to contest events in front of crowds which grew exponentially as her fame and stature did, and she'd always had a sense of positive learning experiences to go with the utter exhaustion it takes to command victory against the best in the world time and time again.

She felt happy to be on the field and to line up on the track; she was having the time of her life, it looked like, and the 25-year-old seemed destined to spend several more years at the top if she simply wanted to.

Desire and motivation are two key words which had been associated with Klüft through the years following her 2001 European Junior title and her two World Junior records set in 2002 - one indoors, one outdoors.

Where there was an event to contest and a good time to have, Carro would show up and strike gold - not simply with the type of medal she would take home, but with her competitors whom she inspired, the fans whom she entertained and the journalists like me whom she always seemed to provide the most simple and basic words to sum up her characteristics for success, namely that she was out to "have fun".

Fun and games were great for a girl from Växjö who had the world at her fingertips, Reebok on her feet and a competitive schedule which only called for two to three major events per year.

Carolina Klüft is a married woman now and has moved home to a location outside of Karlskrona on the southern tip of Sweden with a beautiful archipelago. Part of her idea of fun has, naturally, become shopping for items which fit the decor in her home, and to be a good wife to a husband whose pole vaulting career was cut far short due to a persistant injury.

Klüft still supports kids in Africa through UNICEF, and she still finds time to be an ambassador to fighting hunger and poverty through a number of personal initiatives which she feels are very important in life.

In short, the reigning Olympic heptathlon champion has grown up in the four years since she travelled to Athens to tackle on fiercely competitive rivals in a four-year cycle where victory spells out large bonuses and lucrative contracts. She took on the world then, and can take them on now - though in a different set of events which she really enjoys "having fun": the long jump and the triple jump.

However sad this state of events could appear to fans who'd hoped Carro would give it one more go in the heptathlon, Klüft may find herself waiting at home this summer instead of mixing it up with rivals in different events.

The Swedish Olympic Committee stated today that Klüft must qualify for the Olympic Games and show top form within the next three months - a tall order for Klüft, but not an impossible one for a woman who has jumped 6,97m in the long jump and stated she's breached the 15.00m barrier in the triple jump in practice.

Klüft's official best at the hop-skip-and jump event is 14.02m, but it's best not to be fooled into thinking that a woman on a mission to show the world that changing events has not changed her desire to have fun and compete well will not succeed where she puts her mind, her focus and her willpower.

First things first, however.

"We're not taking back her pre-selection, but we need to see if we get the opportunity to confirm that in the end of June," says Peter Reinebo, Swedish Olympic Committee's sports boss.

"Just like everyone else, she must show that she is following her plan. In her case, it means that she needs to show results in a new event. That is our position, but we are counting on and hoping that she will make it."

Klüft stated during a press conference held in Växjö today that she is planning on getting a berth to Beijing, and would never have made a decision to give up the heptathlon had she not believed in her ability to fight among the leaders in the long jump pint.

"I would never have made this decision if I did't hope and believe that I would take myself to the Olympics," she stated.

"That is what I am pointing toward very hard."

"Now I am looking forward to something else and have rediscovered my motivation. It's risky, I know, but it just seems so right," she told Svenska Dagbladet.

Kelly Sotherton looks to be the beneficiary to this risky Klüft decision, as the oft bridesmade can finally step up and let the Olympics be hers and teammate Jessica Ennis' to shine. Tanya Lebedeva will inherit Klüft as a serious competitor of hers in the long jump - though not as a fierce rival, as Carro has never never been a top-3 placer on the world list in her career.

Carolina Klüft set a new personal, Swedish and European record in the heptathlon last summer, scoring higher (7032 points) in history than everyone except the legendary Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who has the standing world record of 7291 and has five marks better than Klüft's best.

Klüft hadn't set a personal record in the overall combined events for three-consecutive seasons dating back to her break-through performance in Paris St. Denis, when, in 2003, she scored 7001 points and won her first world championship title five months shy of her 20th birthday.

Some folks wondered during the three seasons leading up to Osaka if Klüft was tiring of winning an event devoid of any real contenders to dethrown her from any of her global crowns.

Klüft was still out there having fun, holding her competitors' hands and pulling them along for a collective victory lap after thrashing both mind and body against the same people - her friends, but she appeared to have hit a stalemate along her path to supremacy.

Her scores began to demonstrate that even untimely, freak injuries may prevent her from ever reaching the pinnacle of her career as a new world record-holder. She could still defeat all comers, even at less than her best, and questions arose about her motivation even before she revealed that she was left in want in that department.

Klüft put all of that to bed last summer when she took Japan by storm, setting a new personal best in the high jump during the heptathlon -- 1.95m -- and reversing a trend in which her season's best worsened each year from 2004-2006. She put her best foot forward and put up a number on the scoreboard which was better than anyone in the world not named Jackie Joyner-Kersee had ever been able to achieve.

Then came the bombshell, and finally the explosion.

Klüft, coming down from the high which surrounded this particular effort, never fully gained an appreciation for this victory. She felt like chasing and catching the record was "finally over", but didn't feel the inner gladness she usually did when hoisting her hands high, standing on the highest podium spot and listening to Du Gamla, Du Fria play across a stadium reverent in silence as the golden girl listened to words about wanting to live and die in the North.

Carolina Klüft's dreams have lived on in a fairy-tale world where no borders could keep her from reaching the potential she demonstrated as a junior. Her continued efforts in the sport may be spared a shot of athletics death as she puts her mind to her tasks and climbs up another ladder.

She was bullied as a child and called a geek. She won't be bullied by a selection process in place to separate Olympic hopefuls from their Olympic dreams.

Carolina Evelyn Klüft has stamped her approval on a new venture this season, and will reach as far as her willpower, drive and determination take her. Her enthusiasm and energy will continue to compliment her, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see her on the medal stand next to Irina Simagina and Naide Gomez in the long jump.

The Swedish Olympic Committe is counting on it, because last year at this time, they were counting on Carro to win an almost guaranteed one in Beijing. Carro's fans are expecting it. Swedish track and field is dependent on it, as the loss of Kajsa Bergqvist to retirement in December and Stefan Holm likely following in her footsteps at season's end being two very big holes to fill despite Emma Green and Linus Thörnblad taking their own turns at future stardom.

Most importantly, however, Carro is counting on making a positive impact in the summer months, and inspiring herself and her rivals to achieve great marks as they play in the sandbox.

Foto: Magnus Wennman

Holm Jumps 2,37m at Swedish Indoors

Story written by Eric

Sweden's Stefan Holm, the reigning Olympic high jump champion, won his 11th national indoor title on Sunday in Malmö by jumping 2.37m. The mark ties him with Russian André Silnov for this year’s second best in the world. This is the 21st national high jump title of Holm’s illustrious career.

Linus Thörnblad played second-fiddle to Holm but appeared to find his form, heading into the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia in two weeks. He finished second with a best of 2.35m.

Thörnblad was coming off Thursday’s subpar performance at GE Galan, where he managed only a fifth place finish with a jump of 2.26m—12cm below his personal best.

After 13 years in the spotlight, Holm is bidding farewell to the sport at age 31. His career includes 10 consecutive outdoor and eight consecutive indoor seasons, in which he has jumped no less than 2.30m. Holm is now enjoying perhaps his best season ever, winning his fourth straight competition—the sixth in seven attempts.

Holm's lowest jump this season occurred in Dresden, Germany where he jumped 2.30m - a mark which netted him a victory.

He has now cleared 2.30m 120 times in his career— increasing by one the Swedish record he set on Thursday in Stockholm. Former world record holder Patrik Sjöberg, the current Swedish indoor and outdoor national record holder, had previously achieved this record (118).

The Holm-Thörnblad rivalry netted the duo a one-two finish at last year's European Indoor Championships and brought a much-anticipated clash to the sell-out crowd huddled in the Malmö Athleticum facility. This matchup followed the previous year's national championships in Göteborg in which both athletes cleared world-leading 2.38m, with Holm the victor on countback.

This year's event had all the markings of a championship meet. Both athletes brimmed with confidence, neither showing signs of acquiescing under pressure.

Holm had a fantastic series, with first-attempt clearances at all of his heights from 2.17m to 2.35m—or seven straight jumps. Holm's last competition of a similar nature—where he had been foul-free through 2.35m—was at the 2004 World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He won with 2.35m.

Holm's first failure of the evening came when he attempted to maneuver a height 2.37m above the ground—a height he had cleared just four other times in his career.

According to his website scholm.com, he hit the bar a little too hard with his hamstring, though the first attempt itself was not a bad one technically. Holm’s first miss of the competition, however, gave Thörnblad his first opportunity to take the lead.

Thörnblad had a very close first attempt at 2.37m, but was unable to snatch the lead from Holm. On his second attempt, Holm hit the bar but watched it remain on the uprights for a clearance.

Sensing that Holm was on his way to a superb day, Thörnblad fouled his second of three attempts. He settled for saving his last attempt for 2.39m. This mark, incidentally, would have bettered Russian Yaroslav Rybakov's world lead by one centimeter.

Holm stated that he wasn't particularly interested in making attempts at 2.39m. Still, he was forced to make an effort there as Thörnblad—who missed his one reserve try there—could have taken the lead. This would have forced Holm either to clear this height or take attempts at his personal best of 2.40m.

Holm, jumping first, had his poorest jump of the day with his first attempt. He became a lock for the gold medal, however, when Thörnblad missed his try.

The Kils AIK star out of Karlstad had the bar raised to 2.41m—a height he has never before cleared.

The three-time world indoor gold medalist (2001, 2003, 2004) was unable to manage a successful navigation at this level, though he had the height up to the bar on both attempts.

Holm called this one of his better competition days. He hopes the feeling he had in Malmö carries over to Weinheim on Wednesday, and against his Russian rivals in Valencia the following week.

Holm, speaking to tabloid newspaper Expressen, stated that the field in Valencia would be tough.

"Very many have the capacity to jump 2.35m," he said. "There are many who can either disappear in the qualification round, or just as well go to the final."

"Someone is going to jump 2.40m," he prognosticated.

Thörnblad has now cleared 2.30m in five of his seven competitions this season, and moved to sole possession of fifth in the world. He also had two victories and three runner-up indoor finishes this year.

=====================================================

Swedish National Indoor Championships
Malmö, Sunday 2008-February-24
Men's High Jump Results:

M Höjdhopp Final söndag

Plac	Namn	Född	Förening/Land	Resultat
1	Stefan Holm	76	Kils AIK	2,37
2	Linus Thörnblad	85	Malmö AI	2,35
3	Mehdi Alkhatib	87	SoIK Hellas	2,15
4	Christian Norstedt	83	Råby-Rekarne FI	2,11
5	Martin Eriksson	83	Örgryte IS	2,09
6	Richard Huldén	86	IF Göta	2,01
7	Daniel Lennartsson	88	IFK Växjö	1,97
7	Oskar Rybo	89	IF Kville	1,97
9	Markus Nilsson	89	Malmö AI	1,97
9	Christoffer Holmström	88	FI Kalmarsund	1,97
11	Mattias Green	88	IFK Trelleborg	1,97
12	Joel Thorén	87	Hässelby SK	1,97

Full results here

=====================================================

World's top-10 indoor high jumpers 2008:

2,38m Yaroslav Rybakov RUS

2,37m Andrey Silnov RUS

2,37m Stefan Holm SWE

2,36m Ivan Ukhov RUS

2,36m Andrey Tereshin RUS

2,35m Linus Thörnblad SWE

2,33m Aleksey Dmitrik RUS

2,32m Jesse Williams USA

2,32m Kyriakos Ioannou CYP

2,30m Eike Onnen GER

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.

Thanks For a Job Well Done

Story written by EPelle

Some genius once said that the trouble with dreams is that they’re just synaptic meanderings - gossamer mind fiction - so that one minute everything is perfect and this thing you’ve been chasing is so close you can almost inhale it, and the next, wham. It’s gone, and you’re back in reality, because no matter how wonderful a dream is, it’s never really real.

During the past 52 weeks, we’ve lauded superb gold-medal accomplishments, and have sat in utter disbelief through crashes and burns. We witnessed sprinters spike their shoes deep into the track and burst down the homestretch, and we've told the tale of how the first test of endurance was settled at the finish line in full view of several hundred million viewers - droves of personal crowds and classes of people who are proud of human accomplishment, motivated by the harmonious development of mind and body, and uncompromising in their conscious ideals of perfection.

Each of the high school, collegiate and professional athletes who dared to put it on the line this year - from grassroots level to the elites - was put to the ultimate test of dreaming and of finding a proper personal balance in your lives the past 365 days. We were there with you in spirit, and we have highly esteemed many of your performances both on and off the field. Our anticipation of what was to become climaxed when the dust settled and event winners and losers were declared.

A select few of you had the honor of being declared "champions" on medal stands at the state, collegiate and international level, and watched as your national flags were raised during your 15 minutes of fame. We as fans - through our collective acceptance of your efforts (notwithstanding victory or defeat) - gave of ourselves to you the honory crown of prestige and respect, and talk of your performances will live long past the final seconds it took you to reach the finish line, sucessfully glide over a final height, and cast an instrument its furthest distance.

Some of you athletes undoubtedly have touching stories of how you persevered under the most unusual circumstances to become champions in your homelands...you have been labeled heroes.

However, during the course of the season which was inked in 2006, you’ve learned that one’s hero status and merits may get him a cheap seat to the opening ceremony of the "big show". Ambition, longing and hunger may get her through the rounds and to the final. But gumption, guts, and a guilt-free conscious about passing up the world’s best runner during the final lap - realizing that in so doing, that person may not reach his god-like stature and final destiny if you beat him, are the only way assure you earn respect.

In the championships, it doesn’t matter if an athlete is underprivileged, overprivileged or has no privileges at all, the first three people across the line earned the right to stand on the podium and cry with the playing of their national anthems. Over time, many of the rest become forgotten...or end up as trivia questions on message boards across the world.

You dared to win in 2006, and you dared to fail. You dared to be perfect beyond perfection and live with the consequences of trying. You dared to face the challenge, and in some cases, face the harsh reality of being terminated in your quest in disappointment, exhaustion, solemness and a shadow’s length from realizing your lifelong commitment to your dreams.

Some of you had a dream which produced a good story, but did not yet materialize into an actualization of your hopes. You had a dream which tasted so real and felt so close that you almost did inhale it. However, as of now, dreams which will take you at least one more year to lean across the tape and finish your races.

Thanks for not only dreaming about being champions in 2006, but for walking the championship walk, talking the championship talk, and for displaying true attributes of what makes the mark of a champion truly golden.

Here's hoping that Jordan Hasay continues her remarkable climb up the ladder, no one is able to cage Emily Pidgeon, David Klech makes a successful transition to the collegiate level, and A.J.'s Nation grows exponentially at the University of Oregon.

Here's also a toast to Xavier Carter for making the grade on two levels - showcasing his historic four NCAA medals on the collegiate scene, and the second-fastest 200m ever on the world scene.

May Kajsa Bergqvist find the extra two centimetres in her step at the 2007 IAAF World Championships - three days following the 20-year anniversary of Bulgarian Stefka Kostadinova's world-record jump of 2.09cm set at the inagural world championships in Rome. On the same token, may Stefan Holm be justly rewarded for deciding this autumn to stick with the event two more years.

Finally, as the light dims on 2006, and the dawn of a new year is upon us, may one brave soul cast away the shadows which darkened the sport from 2003-2006 by means of drug scandals and set permanently the cornerstone upon which clean sport will thrive and shine from this day forward.

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.

2006 Female Indoor Performance of the Year

Story written by EPelle

The stories poured in and stuck faster than the time it took her to react to her historic achievement.

Headlines spread throughout the world at such a frenzied pace, one had a difficult time finishing one article before the next bold summary flashed beneath the screen:

Bergqvist Jumps 2.08WR.

If you have ever been mesmerised by one single athletic performance that nothing else short of the second coming could awaken you from the awe which struck at your physical and mental faculties, then you know what it's like to be stuck in your tracks worried that if you blinked, the replays would change the original outcome.

Kajsa Bergqvist demonstrated a tremendous resolve in returning to the world's high jump elite when she returned from a career-threatening achilles tear she suffered in Båstad, Sverige in May 2004.

She won every competition in which she entered in 2005 - including the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki. Riding an emotional roller coaster on an overcast day, she was nearly flawless throughout the competition, clearing 2.02m on her first attempt for the win. A first-attempt miss at 2.00m was her only set-back in the competition.

Having been crowned champion among her peers, Bergqvist rode out the wave to an attempted 2.10m WR. The world record would have been the brightest crown adorning Bergqvist's career, but she failed on each of her three chances to manage this height. Breaking Stefka Kostadinova's 18-year-old world record would have placed Bergqvist on a pedastal among the all-time track & field athletes of all-time.

Bergqvist was left wanting, however, too emotionally charged to gather herself to give the record her undivided attention. She took some time to recover, went back to her rigorous training and strength routine, and looked forward with great optimism to the opening of the 2006 season.

Bergqvist mentioned last winter she had three main goals in mind for 2006: competing for the IAAF Golden League jackpot, winning the European Championships on her home soil here in Göteborg and etching her name next to the world record. (See SVT video discussing Bergqvist's world-record ambition).

She failed to translate her 2005 outdoor dominance into mastery over her competitors outdoors in 2006, but her defiance of the odds indoors on day in February set her apart from any and all of her peers - age, rank, nationality and generation notwithstanding.

I don't specifically remember what I was doing on Saturday, 4-February-2006. The skies outside were miserable, and the only thing I do recall was that television reports were busy discussing how Iran had curbed inspections of its neclear power plants.

The fourth of February had been historic on several other occasions - notably the the Battle of Stalingrad ending 63 years before Bergqvist laced up to jump in Arnstadt, Germany, and the French abolishing slavery throughout its territories 149 years earlier.

It was fitting that Bergqvist was able to end the reign of one long-time record-holder, Heike Henkel, in front of Henkel's home crowd - with Henkel in attendance.

Bergqvist woke up that morning with a feeling that something special could happen. She went through her normal routines, checked into competition, and tried containing her composure. She had the added pressure of competing against fast-improving Blanka Vlasic, who would wind up second with a 2.01m clearance, and four more athletes with bests at 2,00m or higher.

"I was really motivated", Bergqvist said to reporters after her jump. "I am sure that was worth a centimetre or two extra." (See her record jump here).

Bergqvist's agent, Daniel Wessfeldt, put the performance into perspective, saying: “By beating a 14-year-old world record, with Kajsa's injury background, she will be recognised as one of the biggest track and field athletes ever.”

No doubt.

Bergqvist's magical jump - a personal best clearance by four centimetres - is my personal selection as Female Indoor Performance of the Year. She netted 1281 points on the IAAF Scoring Tables of Indoor Athletics, a points mark which led all female indoor world-record setters.

The Russians were especially strong indoors in 2006, with Yelena Isinbayeva setting the last of her 2006 pole vault records - indoors or outdoors - of 4,91m in Donetsk nine days after Bergqvist lifted off for a postal code in the elite neighbourhood; Lilija Shobukhova set a 3.000m world record (8.27,86) in Moscow at the Russian Championships two days after Isinbayeva's achievement; and Yelena Soboleva set a world record time of 3.58,28 in the 1.500m final the following day.

The Russian Women's 4x400m team began the indoor record-haul with a world-record - 3.23.37 - in Glasgow on 28-January.

Isinbayeva has had her share of world records, having amassed an incredible combined 18 individual ones indoors and out. She has had the figurative bar set higher than any athlete currently competing in athletics. Isinbayeva is expected to make world record attempts every time she competes in a meeting.

Shobukhova suprised the world, to say the least, with her 3.000m performance. In any given year where Bergqvist had not stolen the spotlight, Shobukhova would have been at the tip of the iceberg in consideration, having translated 4.03,78/8.34,85/14.47,07 personal bests into the single fastest indoor 3.000m time ever - a time which equals 8.14,17/14.22,17 outdoors - or a hint above 2,06/5.01 indoors. She eclipsed Bergqvist's old personal best on the IAAF indoor tables, and was far ahead of Isinbayeva on the same chart.

Soboleva was second in all indoor world-record holder scoring with a 1273 scoring - a tally which fell short of Bergqvist's 2.08, landing at an equivalent 2.075. Isinbayeva would have to vault just under 5.04m and Shobukhova to run 8.25,20. Soboleva competed twice indoors at 1.500m, running her world-record time, and a 4.05,21 the following month for 2nd at the World Indoor Championships. She also ran a 1.000m race in 2.32,40, a time which would still beat Bergqvist's previous indoor personal best by 2cm, and an 800m in 1.58,53 - or 2,03i on the Bergqvist scale.

I grappled with this for a short while, deciding how I could categorically declare Bergqvist's performance the better of the two considering Soboleva competed in three separate events in which she set near to Bergqvist's single effort.

One part of the deciding factor for me was the combination of IAAF points from the top-two finishers in each of their world-record events, compared with the margin of victory points over their respective runners-up.

The Bergqvist-Vlasic combination had a 2485 total (1281+1204), with Kajsa's margin of victory 77 points ahead of Vlasic.

The Soboleva-Yuliya Chizhenko combination netted a 2521 (1273+1248), with Yelena's margin 25 points ahead of Chizhenko.

Soboleva appeared to have more push at the end than Bergqvist was afforded by her runner-up, but the IAAF tables closed the book on that thought. Vlasic cleared 2.01m, passed 2.03m, and took an attempt at 2.05m - fouling out at this height. Bergqvist made this height on her 2nd-attempt. The equivalent would have been Chizhenko pushing at 4.01,28 pace before Soboleva made her last drive for home. Chizhenko ran 4.01,26 - or 0,02 seconds faster - than that comparison. Bergqvist had the same push and drive as did Soboleva.

So how did I come to my conclusion apart from Kajsa having more point value worth than Sobolova?

Bergqvist had the world-record purposefully in mind on her last attempt. Soboleva ran a world record after pushing home for the victory. Bergqvist had three attempts to knock Henkel off the charts, and did so in her first attempt. Had she failed once at the height, I would have rolled out the honorary red carpet to Soboleva.

However, in as much as Bergqvist specifically sought to break the world record outright after clearing 2.05m, and did so on her first attempt, I gave the nod to her. Her points chart total told the rest of the story.

I look forward to 2007 with much more enthusiasm than I did in 2006 - despite the European Championships being contested in my own backyard.

Bergqvist is a world-record holder, Soboleva has run as well outdoors as she did indoors, and Isinbayeva is always a threat to set a record in any competition in which she decides to participate. The thrill of being crowned world champion is on the line for Soboleva, with Bergqvist and Isinbayeva both defending their respective titles.

Wishes For a Successful 2007 Season

Story written by EPelle

Good riddance 2006.

Marion Jones bugs me. Trevor Graham annoys me. BALCO won't go away despite how long people try keeping their heads in the sand. Drugs and performance-related issues about drugs have filled up the headlines for the greater half of the year, that I wish that one could put a lid on the media and go one about his life.

But then the skurks would get away with it, having fallen from grace, and slipped from the spotlight to live in obscurity.

My Christmas wish for this year involves opening next year (wow, check that, can it really be only 13 days away?) with a clean slate across the boards. No "Made Marion" filling up my RSS feed, no more conspiracy theories from Trevor Graham, and please, no more athletes who didn't have a clue about their sleeping medications/nasal sprays/Ben Gay/etc. They've ruined the honesty of the sport, and have forced fans to lock the doors behind them at night.

Considering dreams and wishes are only gossamer mind fiction, and this thing I really want is at one moment right at my finger tips, and the next minute, it's gone, here's my top-five wish list for 2007:

1. Clean sport. We're far from it, but seem to be closer to it all the while. If any athlete decides he wants to get caught for performance-enhancing drugs in 2007, please sign up by the grace period ending 31-December. A special cocktail party will be held in your honour, and you won't have to worry about where you got spiked. Great alibi for the WADA/USADA folks, and IAAF may decide this special circumstance actually works in your favour. You'll be able to hold one-on-ones with news reporters, and you can leave with a clear conscious - instead of amnesia and a later recollection of murky waters that Jesus, Himself, would have trouble turning into wine. Exiting quietly away will be unnecessary press conferences by bewildered athletes who want to get to the bottom of their inadvertant positives, and athletes having troublee keeping dibs on their whereabouts can relax as well.


2. This is a long stretch, but I do certainly hope that Alan Webb stays injury-free in 2007. I feel for the kid. Make that man. He's tough. He's got iron lungs and a powerful will. He doesn't compete for "also ran"/"also competed" showings. He's there to lay it all down on the line from start to finish, over two laps to 25 laps. Key for this young lad will be to stay away from the long stuff just yet. He proved in 2006 that he is capable of running 6x1.600m and change without stopping at a very good clip. His workout at Stanford early in the year netted him a 27.34,72 ahead of his old high school nemesis, Dathan Ritzenhein, who set his own PB with a 27.35,65. Webb got his revenge over his long-time battle buddy in 2005 with his AR 2-mile run at the Pre Classic. He needs to keep things tightened under the belt for a bit longer, and keep focussed on the 800m/1.500m/mile distance a good two more years before spreading his talents over the longer distances. I'd like to see Alan Webb, the high-priced NIKE miler, put out some great efforts next summer in the mile (or 1.500m) - right where he left off before the great experiment which was 2006. Let him live and learn from this season and focus back on getting race-smart, developing late-inning stretch wheels, and knocking placers off their goals in Osaka come World Championships time.


3. I am very excited that Stefan Holm has decided to stay with the sport through Beijing in defense of his Olympic title. The man will hit the 100 marker for 2,30m or higher jumps this indoor season. Stefan Holm has a fighting chance of being the superstar of 2008 if he can get over his injury-woes from 2006, translate his strength (he had never felt stronger in any season as he did in 2006) from the training track in Karlstad to a field near you in 2007, and find that little extra which he has commanded this century to stay in the high jump mix. The high jump is a terrific event which is regaining its world-wide popularity. Russia always has an oiled machine awaiting Holm at every juncture, and a André Silnov-Jaraslov Ribakov/Holm-Linus Thörnblad team battle could challenge for the highlight reel of any meet. Stefan Holm has once jumped 2,40m - at the 2005 European Indoor Championships. He has international competition knocking at the door in the aforementioned Rybakov and Silnov, who have taken attempts at some very high, respectable marks, and who both have beaten Holm in 2006 on good occasion. His backyard competition has sprouted up like a bad weed in Thörnblad - a kid who refuses to give up or lose no matter how much one tries to keep him out of the medal hunt. I'd like to see Holm loaded from his self-studies, away from the media pressure which often portrays him wrongly here in Sweden, and injury-free in 2007.


4. The world won't see Kenenisa Bekele run in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, but that doesn't stop one from hoping he wins a double/double at the IAAF T&F World Champs. This kid has commanded my total respect for disabling competitors, yanking their chains, and playing catch with fire upon demand since his initial double-double IAAF Cross Country World Championships victories in 2001. He had a tougher time in a altered focus 2006, running miles and 1.500m events indoors and out to work on his basic speed. He fared poorly in his professional debut - an over-four-minute loss to Bernard Lagat in New York, and he took lumps along with a victory on the European Circuit during the summer. I love watching this kid surge 60-second lap splits during the middle of his races, churning lap after lap in a pre-meditated, first-degree assault on his competitors' will and drive to keep stride. He has been rewarded with two of the top-five fastest outdoor 5.000m times ever, including his 12.37,35 world record from 2004, and, in 2006, he became the first man to ever record six sub-13.00 times in one season. Bekele lacks some discipline in his races, however, having twice allowed faster sprinters to stay within striking distance over 5.000m during the past two championships. Bekele kept Eliud Kipchoge in striking distance in 2003, and Hicham El Guerrouj, the most decorated miler in history - as well as the WR-holder and 2nd-fastest 3.000m runner in world history - in the mix at the 2004 Olympics. He skipped the event two seasons ago in Helsinki in favour of winning his 2nd-straight 10.000m title (27.08,33). I'd love to see Bekele develop a kicker's kick to twice sting, hurt, bug, trample and trifle his opponents at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships.


5. The final golden moment of 2007 would be Kajsa Bergqvist jumping over 2.09m either indoors or out. I grappled a bit with the thought of including two Swedes on my top-five list, as so many other athletes come to mind whom I would pay a great many a kronor to watch any one time during 2007. However, Bergqvist gets my hope button alive with talk of improving her world record. She made it clear in no uncertain terms last winter that she was going to make an assault on the 16-year-old world record of 2.07m held by Heike Henkel. She eclipsed that mark with Henkel in attendance, jumping 2.08m in Arnstadt on 2006-February-4, and then made a pact to give a go at seriously attempting to take down Stefka Kostadinova's 2.09m from Rome set 19 years earlier. That perfect-day, best-ever jump was not to unfold outdoors in 2006, leaving Bergqvist even more loaded and focused from having missed nearly a year-and-a-half following her ruptured achilles injury suffered in the spring of 2004. Bergqvist jumped 2,00m and higher eight times in 2006, with her top-two marks, 2.05m and 2.04m respectively, leading the world. Her competition has also duly risen to the challenge, with Tia Hellebaut the latest to make a breakthrough (2.03m in Göteborg at the 2006 European Championships) and elevate the status of the event on par with the men's. My goal for 2007 is to see Bergqvist, Blanka Vlašic, Hellebaut, Chante Howard, Anna Chicherova and Yelena Slesarenko all on their "A" game at the World Championships, with 2.04m yielding only a bronze to the third-best of the group.

I may get an early wish granted, as the IAAF announced today that Hellebaut will take on an all-star cast of athletes indoors at the Golden High Jump Gala in the Belgian capital on 27 January 2007. Five 2,00m jumpers will participate: the European silver medallist Venelina Veneva, 32, of Bulgaria, Vlašic, 23, who was fourth in Göteborg, and has bests of 2.05m indoors/2.03m outdoors; Spanish and Hungarian recordholders Ruth Beitia and Dora Gyorffy, who both hold personal bests of 2.00m outdoors, respectively; and Chicherova, the reigning indoor European Champion who has twice jumped 2.04m indoors (=7 all-time), and has a 2.00m outdoor PB.

In case I am in a sportsworld coma in 378 days- shocked over the fact that drugs found their way into 2007 mainstream discussion groups, have my digital television programme recorder set for 21.40 Japanese time on Monday, 2007-August-27, when the first finalist of the above five events should start his medal chase.