World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023

Apologies for being a bit tardy getting this put up.

One of the highlights so far, Tsh1te has qualified for the Mens 1500m.

Perhaps his siblings could sign for WFC.

Oh, and time for my usual annual rant about the BBC employing UK non-contributer Paula Radcliffe again.

 

The sprinting accountant, on leave until the end of the month, has won his heat in the Men's 100m.

He's full of beans, no doubt after he's counted them.

 

Perhaps he's off to the pharmacy?!

 

Congrats to the 4 x 400m GB&NI Mixed Relay Team on your silver, despite it being an event cooked up to give the US another good chance Of Gold.

To have 2 Dutch female athletes, in 10,000m and in the relay, within touching distance of a Gold medal to then trip over your own legs at the same location at the same stage of the race is absolutely unbelievable.

 

Yes, she could do even better in the throwing events with some tweaking.

 

You would have thought that with the UK obesity epidemic we could find a few who would be decent in the throwing events.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_the_United_Kingdom

 

Michael Johnson is such a classy pundit in the studio. Everyone else not so.

 

Zharnel Hughes, outside chance of a medal?

Flying Accountant didn't disgrace himself.

Pressed-cod floundered.

 

KJT should deliver, might even be Gold. I hope she'll be too exhausted to speak afterwards, there's only so much high-pitched Scouse I can take.

The no fastest losers change to the middle-distance races has made the heats much more interesting.

 

Winning the Gold by 20 points in such a close contest. Excellent entertainment.

Zharnel now with an individual Bronze.

One medal of each colour after 2 days. Great start to the Championship.

It certainly hasn't been dull on the track.

 

There should be an on screen cliche counter for every time something similar to "can you put into words what was going through your're mind", the b@stard variant of Gunnell's classic "How ya feelin, Grate, Yeah" is mentioned.

 

"When you were tracking her, what was going through your mind?", Kerching.

 

Oh dear, GB 100 m girls, one chokes and the other squeezes through by a gnat's chuff.

Anything can happen in the final but it doesn't look good.

 

Shame we didn't get to see more of the Discus competition. Cracking climax to it. Instead, we get more vacuous studio tittle-tattle.

Shame that the loudest and bombastic of the US team are the ones taking the Titles.

Shame the Young Jamaican Triple Jump contender pinged his hamstring.

Daryll Neita chokes again. Something similar happened in the Championship Events last year. A habit is starting to form.

Wondering if there will be some vague excuse ir random blame for Dina Asher-Smith as has happened in the recent past.

Michael Johnson hits the nail squarely on the head with some valid points about how she's come off the track without an answer about why thinks went wrong. That great athletes know exactly went wrong and what exactly happened and that used to be her. She used to be able to come off the track and say what she needed to do. She needs to discover that ability and mindset again. The others look glumly into the camera wondering what trite nonsense they can spout as an excuse.

Nothing worse than seeing a talent treading water or just going through the motions. Looks like we'll have to settle for a decent stab in the relay with the occasional time when the stars align to get an individual podium finish. Such a shame.

 

This might be a handy link over the coming days.

https://www.athleticsintegrity.org/

 

Shame we don't get anything like this on the Beeb. Instead, it's usually some bland filler bigging up one of the soon to be disappointments.



And here it is:

https://www.eurosport.com/athletics...salute-and-sub-20-200m_vid1973344/video.shtml

 

I didn't see so can't comment but form comes and goes in any event, discipline.

Injuries for sprinters are a curse and how many of those on the podium are clean I wonder?

 

Indeed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/66539194

"Nigerian 100m hurdles world record holder Tobi Amusan has had her suspension lifted after she was found not to have broken anti-doping rules over missed tests.

The 26-year-old was set to miss the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, which start this weekend.

But she can now defend her world title after an Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) disciplinary tribunal hearing.

She had been accused of missing three doping tests.

The double Commonwealth Games gold medallist denies taking performance-enhancing substances.

In a statement the AIU said: "A panel of the disciplinary tribunal, by majority decision, has today found that Tobi Amusan has not committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation of three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period.

"AIU head Brett Clothier has indicated the AIU is disappointed by this decision and will review the reasoning in detail before deciding whether to exercise its right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport."

So accused by the AIU.cleared by the disciplinary tribunal, which is usually stuffed with lawyers and bystanders often with a vested interest, and now set for a potential appeal by AIU head.

It'll now be classed as a Western conspiracy against African athletes.

How can you get away with missing 3 doping tests?

What a joke.

 

Scandalous.

How can anyone believe her?

"Once is unfortunate,twice smacks of carelessness".

Thrice?

Cheat.

 

Great shot of the moon over Budapest from the Stadium.

 

The tribunal report is also confidential. The lack of transparency is a big problem.

 

A really clean, clinical race says the BBC interviewer without a hint of irony, to the hurdler under the spotlight, Tobi Amusan.

Denise Lewis adds her tuppence worth. Nobody is any the wiser.

Steve Cram talking about really great Threesomes. Eyebrows raise.

 

To be fair, missing out of competition tests happens very frequently and at any one time there are loads of athletes in all sports on two missed tests knowing that a third will triggering an anti-doping rule violation.

These are not tests conducted after events. These are tests conducted at random.

Athletes who are subject to the World Anti-Doping Agency code have to submit one hour of availability every single day of the year into the ADAMS computer system. You can change the location up to an hour before the specified time if your plans change.

*But* the location has to be 100% accurate. I know of athletes who have been at a training camp and have got the address slightly wrong. The testers go to the address listed and (quite rightly) don't go searching or double-checking. If you're not there, it's marked down as a missed test.

I know of an athlete who forgot they'd put down, say, 5pm to 6pm, and went to the supermarket. The athlete's partner had to call the supermarket and tell him to get home sharpish when a tester arrived.

Most of the time, it's fairly straightforward and when they're at home they'd put down 6am to 7am every day. But travel, changes of plan, being at events or training camps, going on holiday, it all throws in variable factors that can very easily lead to missed tests for innocent athletes.

I've studied the WADA code and the ADAMS system and it's complicated and can be unreliable. But, as with all strict-liability rules in sports anti-doping, it's up to the athlete to get it right.

Sure, you get three strikes and you're out and, obviously, there are athletes who might be deliberately evasive but it's a blunt instrument and one that needs properly reviewing.

 

Nice loosener for Laura Muir for her 5,000 M.

Another good Discus Final. Shame we didn't see more of it.

Gabby Logan doesn't bring anything to the Party apart from the usual trite time filler.

Jake Wightman was alright when he was allowed to speak.

He's in utter peril being sat next to soul stealer Denise though. Yet again, the sofa cushion offered more insight.

 

Nice to see the BBC employing Ernest Penfold as their newest pundit.

 

The coverage on Eurosport is excellent. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a studio/talking heads bit.

 

Why is Grace Jones wearing sunglasses in the 400m ?