The Eurovets site and World Masters Athletics report: “Polish masters athlete Wieslaw Pietka has been found guilty of an anti-doping rule violation after testing positive during the European Veterans Championships Stadia in Zittau, Zgorzelec and Hradek on 23rd August 2012. In conformity with the disciplinary decision of 17th January 2013, the Polish Athletics Federation (PZLA) has suspended the athlete for a period of two years, from August 23, 2012, until August 22, 2014. The results of 23rd August 2012 are consequently also disqualified.” According to results still posted, Wieslaw won the 5K and 3K steeplechase in 15:12.78 and 9:37.09, respectively. Not sure what they found in his system. I’m checking it out.

Jerry Bookin-Weiner, meet director of indoor nationals, writes: “Last night was the ‘on-time’ deadline for entries to the USA Masters Indoor T&F Championships in Landover. As of this morning we have 937 people registered. That does not count the foreign athletes (we have 14 that I know of so far) or those entering relays only (we have 5 of those that I know of so far). So we have 956 entries in hand with the late entry period running until next Wednesday at noon eastern time. In addition to those 956 there is also an unknown (to me at this point) number of mail-in entries that still must be entered into the system — the mail will be picked up this morning and there will be two days worth in the box. Therefore, it is probably safe to say that we have already surpassed the largest indoor championships already (964, also in Landover in 2009). In fact, given past history of late entries, there is a very strong likelihood we will have more than 1,000 entries in the indoor championships for the first time ever.”

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Want to rabbit a world record? That’s the request from Hal Lieberman in the Big Apple, who writes about an M70 attempt to crack the WR in the 4×800 relay on Tuesday, March 5. Hal is on the team that also includes the legendary Sid Howard, Norman Goluskin and Dom Rappazzo. He writes that this is part of the New York Road Runners-sponsored Night at the Races at the Armory track on 168th Street. Says Hal: “We need competition for the record to count. Hence, our request that you put this information out there in the hope of recruiting another team or two to compete against us. They don’t have to be over 70, of course.” The listed M70 record of 12:09.35 was set in March 2008 in Boston by Jerry LeVasseur, Christopher Rush, Joe Cordero and Bill Spencer. Here’s the track:

Canadian superstars Christa Bortignon and pal Olga Kotelko opened their season with a pair of world records over the weekend in Kamloops, British Columbia. On Feb. 16, 93-year-old Olga upped her own high jump indoor WR to 0.77 (2-6 1/4) from 0.76 (2-6) and 76-year-old Christa went 7.54 (24-9) to beat her own triple jump WR of 7.43 (24-4 1/2). The meet was the Van Ryswyk Invitational. (See complete results.) Also notable was the return to competition for long-sprint legend Harold Morioka. He’s now 70. He entered the shot, where he tossed the 4-kilo ball 10.06 (33-0 1/4), but scratched from the 200 and 400. In 2009, Harold had quadruple-bypass heart surgery.

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All right. Forget about little Mary Cain and her latest high school record. At Saturday’s Millrose Games, Houston Elite’s Bill Collins, Horace Grant, Rick Riddle and Charles Allie averaged quarter-miles under 60 seconds in shattering the listed M60 world record in the indoor 4×400 with a sensational 3:59.09. Their ages and splits: Collins (62) opened with 58.53, followed by Grant (60) at 58.53, Riddle (61) at 62.44 and Allie (65) at 59.21. That broke the listed WR of 4:03.24 by a 2008 team that included Allie, Roger Pierce, Larry Barnum and Ralph Souppa. Later, M35 Darvis “Doc” Patton took down the oldest masters age-group record at 60 meters, clocking 6.50 to win the elite race and beating the listed M35 WR of 6.51 by Britain’s Linford Christie in 1997. The listed M35 American record was 6.98 by Mitchell Lovett in 1998. Also notable at Millrose (again run at the Armory) was Bernard Lagat scorching two miles in an American record 8:09.49 — at age 38! Lemme know if I missed any other masters records. Good show, geezers!

Aurora Perez, who holds the W50 world indoor record at 1500 meters, turned 55 in November and didn’t waste time going after the W55 global best. She got it Feb. 3, says the Eurovets site, “in the city of Antequera (Spain) with a time of 4:58.13 – a tremendous race, a great record! Congratulations! See you in San Sebastian (at the Eurovets indoor championships) on the track again!” Aurora was named Best Veteran of 2011 for Europe. “Though Aurora Perez could not compete in Sacramento at the World Masters Championships (caused by an injury), her performances have been so outstanding that she won the sixth time the election as best Spanish woman,” said the EVAA. Aurora broke the listed W55 indoor 15 best by American Hall of Famer Kathy Martin, who ran 4:58.7 in 2007. The listed outdoor WR for W55 is 4:57.4 by Britain’s Carolyn Oxton in 1998. That should fall.

Old straddlers never die. They just break their own records. So we see from Swedish press reports (relayed by Anthony Treacher). According to this Swedish site, barefoot-lead-leg Carl-Erik Särndal lifted his own M75 world indoor record in the high jump to 1.52 meters (4-11 3/4) in late January. Here’s the crappy Google translation: “It was in the district competitions Atleticum in Malmö this weekend as 75-year-old Carl-Erik Särndal struck and set the world record – one centimeter higher than the former at the 1.51. There he set himself a few weeks ago. It is unique that a 75-year-old can jump so high. He is way ahead of everyone else, says Magnus Andersson, active veteran athletes on the MAI in Malmö. Magnus Andersson also says that Carl-Erik Särndal a few years ago was named Europe’s best vereran-athlete. Särndal, former professor of statistics, vying for IFK Lund, but now lives in Ystad. In February waits indoor Championships in Karlskrona, later in the spring, he will compete in the European Championships in Spain.” The listed M75 indoor WR, BTW, is 1.41 (4-7 1/2) by Denmark’s Henry Andersen.

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Brad Barton won the masters mile invitational at the week-ago New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston in 4:24.14, beating Hartshorne Mile victor Scott Weeks in the process. He fell short of his M45 indoor WR goal. But cut him some slack. He was sicker than sick. As he details in his amazing blog, he had a “nasty chest cold too. Horrible hacking, wet cough and an almost healed foot.” He later wrote me: “Still not sure about Landover (masters indoor nationals). I’d love to come, but I have a speech on Saturday that might make it very tough. I am diligently trying to work this out.” In any case, grok on his Boston mile narrative.

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M55 sprinter Jason Purcell, perhaps off-put by my reporting from 80-degree all-comers meets in San Diego, shared this photo of himself with Junior Olympian Jenna Spanswick, getting ready for the Wisconsin Indoor Track and Field Championships. “This is how sprinters train in Chicago!” Jason wrote. “You’ve got to wear your spikes in this stuff!” I asked where the photo was taken and how he trains. He graciously replied: “The shot was taken at Highland Park High School’s track just north of Chicago. I coach Jenna, so I just had her run 1×200 and 2×100 at 80%. It was only 16 degrees, so I let her sit in her mom’s car between sets. I ran 2×400 and called it a day. Part of my workout was shoveling the track twice that morning.” That’s serious dedication. See you in Olathe, where it may be 80 degrees warmer.

Sunday in Stockholm, M40 pentathlon WR holder Mattias Sunneborn long-jumped 7.59 meters (24-11) at the indoor Raka Spåret meet (which translates to “straight track”). That beats the listed M40 world indoor record of 7.52 (24-8 1/4) by Britain’s Barrington Williams in 1996. Results of the Swedish meet are here. According to Wikipedia, “Mattias Sunneborn (born 27 September 1970 in Bunge, Gotland) is a Swedish long jumper. His personal best jump is 8.21 metres (26-11 1/4), achieved in June 1996 in Malmö. This is the current Swedish record. He still competes on national level.” Congrats to Mattias, and thanks to Anthony Treacher, who shared the news from Sweden.