UK's Moscow medal hopes • [Eriksson's out, who's in?]

[dunedine]

By the way, the competition for heptathlon places for London hots up as Kelly Sotherton has made a shock return to the multi-events after spending a year in the 400m!

http://www.espn.co.uk/london-olympics-2012/sport/story/117727.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

[bushop]

Proud moment for Paula as marathon girl to become first athlete selected for Team GB
16th November 2011
Chief coach Charles van Commenee confirmed that world record-holder Paula Radcliffe is certain to be chosen when the selection of marathon runners is made early next month.

Michael Johnson warns of home 'disadvantage' at London 2012 Olympics
Thursday, 17 November 2011
"People assume there is an advantage with the home Olympics, but there isn't," Johnson told BBC Sport. Being too familiar with where you are may relax you a little bit too much."

[IanS_Liv]

Hmmmm. Michael Johnson's usually right. But the British media spotlight has just turned on to Britain's athletes in all sports, who are featuring heavily in sponsor's ad campaigns right now. It's going to take some serious PR management on behalf of the BOA and the various sports' governing bodies to give athletes the chance to relax.

[bushop]

Cram - One gold needed
November 18, 2011
"So I think it is going to be a really good Games for athletics and I hope at least one of the guys can convert it into a gold medal. We do want to win at least one gold medal but with a bit of luck and a fair wind it could be two or three, if not more."
What Brits have shot at gold?
• Jess Ennis
• Mo Farah
• Dai Greene

[dunedine]

To my mind, Britain look to have five to six good gold medal shots at the moment provided they're all fit and healthy:

Mo Farah (5000 & 10000m), Phillips Idowu (TJ), Jess Ennis (Hept), Dai Greene (400mh) and, why not, Paula Radcliffe (marathon).

From there on, I think that the duo of Hannah England and Lisa Dobriskey have very much as good a shout as anyone in the women's 1500m as things look at the moment.

My potential surprise packages of next season? Jack Green (400mh), Yamile Aldama (TJ), Greg Rutherford (LJ) and maybe Holly Bleasdale (PV).

[mump boy]

To my mind, Britain look to have five to six good gold medal shots at the moment provided they're all fit and healthy:

Mo Farah (5000 & 10000m), Phillips Idowu (TJ), Jess Ennis (Hept), Dai Greene (400mh) and, why not, Paula Radcliffe (marathon).

From there on, I think that the duo of Hannah England and Lisa Dobriskey have very much as good a shout as anyone in the women's 1500m as things look at the moment.

My potential surprise packages of next season? Jack Green (400mh), Yamile Aldama (TJ), Greg Rutherford (LJ) and maybe Holly Bleasdale (PV).

I also think there are 3 relays with a possibility of a medal, Tiffany Ofili, a hungry and very local PSD and i would never count out TBO (in a stagnant event)

[72]

real rational, objective stuff from the British experts I suppose that there are a few great athletes from elsewhere who may get in the way of the 5/6 Gold Medals mentioned??

Surprise package .. what pray does that mean.... that they medal or make final or what?

The special trick of the AW flaggies is to state that all Brits may do better than we have a right to expect from a cool examination of their current levels of performance, on the basis that they can crow/brag if one comes through. Known as the art of "Isabring".

I could just as well state that every athlete in the British team next year will do a PB and amaze us all on the basis that one at least will do so and then I can ignore all the underperformances and brag about how knowledgeable I am, like at least one well known fan

[dunedine]

Gold medal chances cited is something substantially different to gold medals predicted in London next summer, which is striking out a mile above.

Second, by 'surprise package' I meant people that I think could even strike gold next year. Again, that doesn't mean any number of golds predicted.

Personally I think that Britain will win three, and maybe even four golds there and around 10 medals overall.

Finally, as concerns the one-PB-to-boast-thing, that doesn't bear on reality even by a light year and you know that yourself very well.

[dunedine]

By the way, Mara Yamauchi came the fifth Briton to gain the Olympic A qualifier in the marathon as she placed third in 2h27:24 in Yokohama, going through the halfway mark in 73:03.

Louise Damen dropped out very early just after the 10km so apparently wasn't feeling well.

[Powell]

What about those plastic Swedes, those hurdlers; they are no more Swedish than Ofili is British...

I hope you're speaking of Ludmila Enqvist, coz if you mean the Kallurs, then what you wrote makes no sense at all.

[IanS_Liv]

What's the latest on the Kallurs anyway? Haven't heard anything about them for ages.

[Speedster]

What's the latest on the Kallurs anyway? Haven't heard anything about them for ages.

Jenny - retired, injuries.

Susanna - on the come back trail again.

The thoughts of a healthy Lolo, Susanna and Sally in one race would be incredible.

[bushop]

Greene questions desire of some GB athletes
November 23, 2011
"The 25-year-old [Dai Greene] believes some athletes have underachieved in their disciplines, either because they just don't set their sights high enough or because they crumble in the face of pressure and expectation."

[John G]

Greene questions desire of some GB athletes
November 23, 2011
"The 25-year-old [Dai Greene] believes some athletes have underachieved in their disciplines, either because they just don't set their sights high enough or because they crumble in the face of pressure and expectation."

Interesting thoughts from him also on the affect of getting too much funding too soon and the unfairness of relay squad members receiving full funding.

It may be coincidence but the three athletes who have surprised me most since the last Olympics have been Jenny Meadows, Helen Clitheroe and Andy Turner. All, at various points, came off funding and yet seemed to become hungrier than ever.

[bushop]

Cram Says Funding System Will Bring Brits Glory
24 November 2011
"The talented athletes have always been there. The funding helps to keep them in the sport, to get them into the right events, to identify the talent. We have the best high-performance system in the world, on a pro-rata basis."

[dunedine]

Talking of London contenders, first selections on the team are due next Monday with the marathon panel meeting for the first of two times. Paula Radcliffe appears set to be named, as I gather Scott Overall should on the men's side.

Andrew Lemoncello runs in Yokohama and he could snatch a spot himself just on the eve of the meeting, putting in an encouraging late run in Portsmouth

From there on, there is a number of options for CVC to take. Here are some throughts of what could happen on the women's side which is more competitive for places at the moment.

http://athleticsstargate.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/marathon-dilemmas-facing-van-commennee/

[nevetsllim]

Paula Radcliffe set a course record of 32:05 in a 10km race in Monaco. It was a last-minute decision to compete as she just got back from a training stint in Kenya.

http://www.iaaf.org/news/newsid=63147.html

It would make my year (well, decade actually ) if Paula took a medal next year.

[26mi235]

What about those plastic Swedes, those hurdlers; they are no more Swedish than Ofili is British...

I hope you're speaking of Ludmila Enqvist, coz if you mean the Kallurs, then what you wrote makes no sense at all.

A bit of sarcasm. However, the difference might not really be all that big, even if the cases feel rather different. From what I remember (and the memory is vague), they may have been born in the US and spent a lot of time here. You likely remember/know a lot more of the particulars.

[72]

The Kallur women are dual nationality cos daddy was playing ice hockey in the USA at the time they were born.They went to school and college in the States but they are not similar cases to certain "British" athletes like our short hurdler who competed for USA at Junior level, I believe, and our new Triple Jumper, who represented Cuba, Sudan and now UK.

[Powell]

The Kallur women are dual nationality cos daddy was playing ice hockey in the USA at the time they were born.They went to school and college in the States

I believe they only lived in the US for the first few years of their lives, until their father retired from the NHL. They started their running careers in Sweden, and have been training there pretty much ever since, except for a brief stint in the NCAA (AFAIR they only spent one year in college in the US). Questioning their Swedishness is utter nonsense.

[John G]

I've just read Gerard Hartman's excellent autobiography. As most of you will know he has been the physio to Radcliffe, Holmes, O'Sullivan, Kiptanui .. .. .. . the list goes on and on. It's an inspiring book which leaves you feeling that with perseverance and belief in yourself anything is possible. Really uplifting. He writes a lot about his relationship with Paula (he worked with her 25-30 hours a week during her training camp prior to London 2003). In the context of so much positivity however, his comment on her chances for next year seemed really bleak: " She will need belief beyond belief to succeed and plenty of luck." Perfectly realistic of course, but as a Paula fan I was hoping for more cause for optimism!

Disappointed that she didn't have a bash at the Euro XC but the 10k win at the weekend was encouraging.

[dunedine]

Not actually a medal contender but an interesting return to the fray nevertheless; Jade Johnson, seventh in both the last two Olympics in Athens and Beijing.

She ran 7.87 secs in a low-key 60m last week, her first sprint race in nearly two years.

http://athleticsstargate.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/the-return-of-jade-johnson/

[dunedine]

More welcome returns to the fold as Simeon Williamson and Tyrone Edgar are back fully fit and will be competing indoors this winter.

http://athleticsstargate.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/williamson-aims-to-return-with-a-bang/

[bushop]

Charles van Commenee: Van the man guiding home nation's hopes
"Since Beijing, Farah, Greene, Ennis and Idowu have [won] titles at the last two Worlds. Van Commenee's concern is that not enough fringe contenders have graduated to medal-winning status... Van Commenee is too pragmatic a soul to rely on the Wilkins Micawber principle of something turning up. From his own experience as a one-to-one coach, however, he knows that Olympic medals can emerge from the most unlikely sources.

[26mi235]

Questioning their Swedishness is utter nonsense.

Did I question their Swedishness (BTW, I am essentially of 100% Swedish/Danish descent)?

[Powell]

Questioning their Swedishness is utter nonsense.

Did I question their Swedishness?

You certainly did, unless someone broke into your account and posted the below posing as you:

What about those plastic Swedes, those hurdlers; they are no more Swedish than Ofili is British...

[Flumpy]

Talk about a sense of humour failure

[dunedine]

Rob Grabarz has got off to a sound start this season as he cleared a world indoor qualifier of 2.29m, doubling as a total PB, in the high jump from the off at the High Jump Gala at the HiPAC in Birmingham today. He also had a narrow miss at what would have been an Olympic A qualifier at 2.31m (you can see it in a short video on the link below).

http://athleticsstargate.wordpress.com/2012/01/07/grabarz-nails-world-qualifier-from-the-off/

[dunedine]

Incidentally, Julien Raffalli's Katie Byres set a total UK U20 record of 4.36m at Aulnay in France last night as she eclipsed Holly Bleasdale's mark of 4.35m outdoors in Blackburn in 2010.

http://athleticsstargate.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/byres-sets-new-uk-u20-record/

That's just 4cm off the B olympic standard though she is effectively going to need the A (4.50m) to make the British team but nothing can be ruled out.

[nevetsllim]

That's a good performance and she moves quite high on the world junior all-time lists too. Looks like the UK is gradually catching up with the rest of the world in the pole vault.

[dunedine]

I speculate it was off 14 strides as well, at least that's the pattern Holly Bleasdale is currently executing on.

You can see Robbie Grabarz's clearance at 2.29 on the link below, found it today, and there's plenty of daylight between him and the bar. Looks like in some 2.32-2.33 form!

http://athleticsstargate.wordpress.com/2012/01/07/grabarz-nails-world-qualifier-from-the-off/

[dunedine]

Holly Bleasdale won on countback from Vanessa Boslak at 4.52m (4.33o, 4.52xo, 4.62xxx) and U20 Katie Byres was third at 4.33 (xxo) in Clermont Ferrand, France, today with Andrew Sutcliffe bettering a SB of 5.33m in the men - world U20 bronze in Moncton.

Sally Peakke also cleared a Welsh indoor record of 4.33 in Manchester, so things look promising for the event in the early days of 2012.

Jessica Ennis also threw 13.95m in the shot in her first, low-key, appearance up in Sheffield while Andrew Robertson and Laura Turner set UK-leading 6.68 and 7.41 secs in the 60m in Birmingham.

http://athleticsstargate.wordpress.com/2012/01/14/weekend-action-as-it-unfolds-2/

[John G]

Paula is in The Guardian today (see home page link) saying she thinks she can get into 2:18 or even 2:17 shape for the Olympics. I wish I hadn't read that. Speaking as a long time fan of English football and British athletics I can tell you that it isn't the disappointment that kills you .. .. .. ..it's the hope.

[Daisy]

Speaking as a long time fan of English football and British athletics I can tell you that it isn't the disappointment that kills you .. .. .. ..it's the hope.

I always thought it was the fear of penalty shoot outs!

[John G]

Speaking as a long time fan of English football and British athletics I can tell you that it isn't the disappointment that kills you .. .. .. ..it's the hope.

I always thought it was the fear of penalty shoot outs!

No - I've always abandoned all hope by the time it goes to penalties.