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≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡
● Athletics ● Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili, the 2022 Commonwealth Games women’s 200 m silver medalist, and sixth at the Paris Olympic 200 m, ran the fastest 150 m on record at 15.85 (+2.0) to win the Atlanta City Games “street meet” on 17 May.
TSX correspondent Karen Rosen noted some split-time data from French coach and historian P.J. Vazel about en route marks in two famous 200 m races:
● 1988 Olympic Games: American Florence Griffith-Joyner set a world record in winning the Olympic 200 m in 21.34 (+1.3), passing 100 m in 11.11 and 150 m in 16.10.
● 2021 Olympic Games: Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah moved to no. 3 all-time in winning the Tokyo Olympic women’s 200 m in 21.53, passing 100 m in 10.99 and 150 m in 16.06.
Clearly, 200 m is a lot further than 150 m, but 15.85 is pretty hot. Ofili’s 200 m best is 21.96 from 2022, so is she poised to drop that substantially?
≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● From star statisticians Hilary Evans (GBR) and Bill Mallon (USA) comes this:
There have been 44 U.S. Olympians who have also been NFL players, across five sports. The five are bobsleigh (1: Herschel Walker), handball (1: Randy Dean), rugby sevens (1: Nate Ebner), wrestling (5) and track & field (36).
There will now be more with flag football added for 2028.
● Archery ● World Archery announced that in view of the addition of the Compound Mixed Team event for Los Angeles 2028 – with 24 athletes – but with the same athlete quota of 128, the number of Recurve teams at the L.A. Games will be reduced from 12 to eight for 2028 only, with the approval of the International Olympic Committee.
By reducing the number of teams, more individual archers can qualify, in a format to be confirmed, assuring a larger number of participating countries in 2028.
● Athletics ● Polish high jumper Norbert Kobielski was banned by the Athletics Integrity Unit for two years “from 23 July 2024 for Presence/Use of Prohibited Substances (Pentedrone norephedrine metabolite).” His results were nullified as from 26 May 2024.
He tied for sixth at the 2024 European Championships, a finish now wiped out. He’s 28 and has a best of 2.33 m (7-7 3/4) from 2022. He also had a three-month doping at the end of 2020 into early 2021.
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The AIU also reported appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport of Japanese walk star Koki Ikeda, the Tokyo 2020 men’s 20 km silver winner, and Spain’s 2023 Worlds men’s 5,000 runner-up Mohamed Katir.
Ikeda was banned for four years over readings against his Athlete Biological Passport, and was suspended as of 1 November 2024. Katir was banned for four years from 7 February 2024 for tampering, offering faked travel documents to cover a “whereabouts” failure.
● Cycling ● The second Individual Time Trial of the 108th Giro d’Italia was on Tuesday, with Daan Hoole (NED) covering the flat, 28.6 km ride to Pisa in 32:30.48, with British riders Joshua Tarling (+6.90 seconds) and Ethan Hayter (+9.94) in second and third.
Race leader Isaac Del Toro (MEX) was 36th (+2:22) and lost some of his lead, now 25 seconds over Juan Ayuso (ESP) and 1:01 over Antonio Tiberi (ITA). Slovenian star Primoz Roglic moved back into contention in fifth place (+1:18); American Brandon McNulty is sixth (+2:00).
At Wednesday’s 11th stage, the 2019 champion, Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz, attacked with 9 km remaining on the 186 kg ride from Viareggio to Castelnovo ne’ Monti and won in 4:35:20, ahead of race leader Del Toro (+0:10) and Guilio Ciccone (ITA: +0:10).
Del Toro got a six-second time bonus for finishing second and extended his lead over Ayuso to 31 seconds, with Tiberi (+1:07) in third. Roglic remains fifth (+1:24).
● Ice Hockey ● Pool play concluded on Tuesday at the IIHF men’s World Championship in Sweden and Denmark, with Canada winning Group A after a 5-3 victory on Tuesday over Sweden in front of 12,530 at Stockholm’s Avicii Arena.
So, the Canadians finished at 6-1 and 19 points, trailed by Sweden (6-1: 18), Finland (6-1: 16) and Austria (4-3: 10).
The U.S. finished their Group B play with a 5-2 win over the Czech Republic, so Switzerland won the pool at 6-1 (19), with the U.S. second and the Czechs third (both 6-1: 17). Denmark (4-3: 11) by beating Germany, 2-1, in a shoot-out after a 1-1 tie after overtime!
In the quarters, Canada will face Denmark and Switzerland will play Austria in Herning, and the U.S. will meet Finland and Sweden will play the Czechs, both in Stockholm, all on the 22nd. A re-seeding will be done for the semifinals, on 24 May, both in Stockholm.
● Shooting ● In another step toward reinstatement, the International Shooting Sports Federation announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes under age 21 will receive “neutral status to all affected athletes under the age of 21 who apply, without the requirement of an examination on the applicant’s background.”
According to the ISSF:
“The ISSF would still be allowed to conduct a background check on any of these athletes if knowledge is obtained that may raise concerns that would not allow an AIN status to be granted.
“Amendments were proposed due to the cost attached to background examinations, which are carried out by an external specialist agency, with this recommendation coming from the IOC to save International Federations’ resources.”
● Ski Jumping ● Norway’s Robert Johansson, 35, noted for one of the great handlebar moustaches in sports history, announced his retirement on Tuesday, while still on suspension by the International Ski & Snowboard Federation for jump-suit irregularities at the 2025 Nordic World Championships, in Trondheim (NOR).
Johansson won a Team event gold at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, plus bronze medals in both individual events. He also won two World Championships silvers and a bronze, along with three World Cup victories.
● Swimming ● Nine-time Olympic Backstroke medalist Ryan Murphy of the U.S. is taking time off, writing on Instagram:
“I want to share an update that I won’t be competing this summer. Instead I’ll be able to spend more quality time with [wife] Bridget and [daughter] Eevi and dive into career interests beyond swimming.
“I’ve joined the Growth Equity team at Norwest focusing on sports investment opportunities. …
“I still have unfinished goals in the sport and will keep the door open for what’s next. Can’t wait to cheer on Team USA this summer!”
Now 29, Murphy has been a U.S. stalwart: a three-time Olympian in 2016-20-24 and a Worlds medalist in 2015-17-19-22-23. Sounds like a year off to recharge for the dash to 2028.
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Another stunning swim for China’s 12-year-old Zidi Yu, who won the women’s 200 m Butterfly in 2:06.83, zooming up to no. 5 on the 2025 world list! She is also now in the top 60 all-time … at age 12!
● Wrestling ● Another Russia doping positive from data retrieved in 2019 from the Moscow Laboratory Information System of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency during the state-sponsored doping program from 2011-15, as the International Testing Agency is asserted a violation against Khadzhimurat Gatsalov. Now 42 and retired, he is provisionally suspended.
He won the Athens 2004 men’s Freestyle 96 kg gold and five Worlds golds from 2005-13, but is now alleged to have used the banned growth hormone ipamorelin, at a test in 2015.
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