You gotta see this! A file-sharing site called blip.tv has posted a well-edited video of athletes and speeches (all in Italian), marching band and music at Riccione worlds. And fireworks, circus peformers and dance troupes! Athletes are having a blast — singing and dancing. Click right here to access this 8 1/2-minute video. As well, old reliable Toronto masters official and photographer Douglas J. Smith has already posted two albums of his images from worlds. What a great way to feel the joy!

Read the rest of this post »

The Puerto Rico 2003 world meet featured a tropical storm. But nobody expected Riccione 2007 to suffer high winds. Yet that’s apparently what delayed events (including the decathlon and heptathlon Day 1) yesterday at worlds. Some cross country races were postponed as well. In any case, results are now percolating online (and in a nice format). First you mouse-over an age group, and then you click on an event. (Events with results are slightly bold-faced.) Now we need to pray for better weather. (Here’s a site that gives a five-day forecast.) Hang tough, you guys!

The 17th World Masters Athletics Championships began today in Riccione, Italy, but results of the first day’s events (including Day 1 of the decathlon and cross country) aren’t online. Not that I can find, anyway. Sigh. This page appears to be the results page. But no links are live yet. Last night, I wrote to meet director Lamberto Vacchi, asking where results would be posted. No reply yet. In the meantime, you can study this glossary of Italian track terms. If anyone knows where the results are posted, please send me a note. Keep the faith. We might even see some photo galleries from Riccione soon, too.

Read the rest of this post »

Tom Langenfield of Minnesota, the M70 Orono HJ champion, reports an impressive world record in his age group by a Swede. Tom writes: “One of the many reasons I wanted very much to go to Italy for the world meet this year was to have a chance to jump against Sweden’s Carl-Erik Sarndal in the M70 high jump. As a 69-year-old, Sarndal had by far the best M65 high jump in the world this year at 1.58 — a performance that suggested he would blow away the M70 record as soon as he turned 70. Well, he turned 70 on July 17, and a month and a day later he won the Swedish M70 championship at 1.59 (just under 5-3), a new Swedish, Scandinavian and European record – and 7 centimeters (2¾ inches) over Bud Held’s 1.52 (4-11 3/4) world record!

Read the rest of this post »

On this Labor Day holiday (in the USA), I’d like to salute a labor of love. USATF Masters Rankings Chairman John Seto shares details on the improvements he’s made in mastersrankings.com — the database-driven Web site that he created for USATF Masters. Up until two or three weeks ago, only the top 25 performers were ranked. Now the site lists EVERYONE! How many? “There are 5,490 athletes who have results for 2007, including indoor and outdoor,” John says. “Overall, 10,900 athletes’ information (is) in the database.” Yowza!

Read the rest of this post »

Stan Perkins, the masters official who lost the last WMA prez race, offered some wisdom to fellow Aussies traveling to Riccione for this week’s World Masters Athletics Championships. These notes came after scoping out the place in March. He concludes happily: “Cost are reasonable and standards of accommodation, food and transport are acceptable. It is recommended that people learn some basic Italian as the locals speak primarily their native language and some have no English at all. This does not stop them as they talk continuously, wave their arms and smile a lot. Lovely people.”

Read the rest of this post »

Anthony Treacher’s relentless pursuit of justice continues. You remember him — the wronged British athlete from 2006 Linz worlds who was banned by the BMAF for being a pain in the neck? The latest development is chronicled in this Forum thread. In mid-August, Anthony was ordered to return the medals he won in a UK meet June 10. But Bridget Cushen, the BMAF secretary, wrote him Thursday, saying: “We have now investigated the circumstances regarding you competing in the EVAC Club Championships and I now write to confirm that we will be taking no further action against you. We hope to see you back in BMAF competition after 16 January 2008.” This sliver of sanity is replicated on the U.S. side of the Pond as well.

Read the rest of this post »

Nine days ago, I posted details of Sacramento’s bid to host the 2011 World Masters Athletics Championships. The same day, August 24, I sent email (with a Portuguese translation) to a dozen Brazilian masters track federations: Adilson_oses@hotmail.com; abrambrasil@abrambrasil.com; walter@marista-mcz.com.br; atletismoamapa@uol.com.br; feama@argo.com.bR; atletismomg@ig.com.br; fpat@zipmail.com.br; fap@atletismofap.org.br; fepat@elogica.com.br; figueiredo_jose@uol.com.br; fargrs@terra.com.br; feraatletismo@yahoo.com.br. I kind of thought I’d get a response. Silly me.

Read the rest of this post »

USATF’s Indy office has emailed entrants a notice about the Riccione worlds, and one cross country runner is worried about declarations. She writes: “This ‘Last Minute Details & Reminders’ notice went out from USATF last Wednesday (Aug. 22). About halfway down we are told: ‘You must declare your intention to compete in each event by turning in your declaration card (they will be in your registration package) by 6:00 pm the day prior for events starting before or at 1:00 pm and by 11:00 am on the day of competition for events after 1:00 pm. You will be automatically scratched from the competition if you do not declare!’ But what if one is running the 8k cross-country on Day 1 (Sept 4) and arriving the previous evening, due to an itnerary put together months ago? That’s my situation.”

Read the rest of this post »

I don’t pay much attention to the roadies, but I couldn’t overlook this note from Osaka: “Seteng Ayele , a 52-year-old Israeli, is the oldest competitor in history to finish any event at the IAAF World championships . . . He placed 19th in the men’s marathon with a time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, 27 seconds. He emigrated from Ethiopia in 1991. According to his biography posted on IAAF’s Web site, he has won 31 national titles in his career. Ayele’s personal-best time in the marathon is 2:14.21, set in Venice, Italy, on Oct. 26, 2003.”

Read the rest of this post »