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| Monday, July 2 Updated: July 7, 11:16 AM ET |
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| The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming! By Jeff Hollobaugh Special to ESPN.com | ||||||
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Is anyone else wondering what the heck is going on in Russian women's
distance running? I don't expect that many of you rolled out of bed this
morning wondering -- as you stumbled to the bathroom -- "What sort of new training
techniques are they using in Cheboksary these days?"
I wonder such things, though. That's why I get invited to so many barbecues
over the summer. I am fun to converse with. I say things like, "Did you catch
the results of the Golden Gala Grand Prix meet last week? Hey, are you going
to finish that steak? What's up with that women's 3,000?"
Maybe you missed that result. It was noteworthy, though perhaps not
appropriate for every backyard barbecue conversation. Gabriela Szabo, the
Romanian whiz who dominates such distances on the world stage (she won the
Olympic 5,000) ran 8:26.44. That's a fantastic time! Szabo has run faster on
four occasions herself, but among other mortals, only Mary Slaney and
Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan have done so.
(Among nonmortals, Tatyana Kazankina ran faster; she ended up testing
positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Then there were five Chinese
runners, with bests ranging from 8:06 to 8:22, who did so under shady
circumstances all in a two-day period in 1993.)
What is remarkable is that Szabo was beaten to the finish line in Rome by
three Russians who had no business running that fast! Spectators, amazed
enough by the Szabo's loss, were further stunned after pounding their
stopwatches against their foreheads in an effort to determine whether the
timepieces malfunctioned.
Olga Yegorova won in 8:23.96. Yelena Zadorozhnaya placed second in 8:25.40,
and Tatyana Tomashova was third in 8:25.56. Yegorova is the only one known as
an accomplished distance runner, yet she has seen dramatic improvement in the
last two seasons. She is now 29, which is getting a little old for such
drastic leaps in fitness.
Zadorozhnaya has gone from bests of 9:15 to 8:51 to 8:25 in the past three
seasons. She is 24. She also leads the world 5,000 meter list by more
than nine seconds. Tomashova's improvement is a bit more plausible, from 8:52
to 8:34 to 8:25. She is 26.
Curious stuff. I wish I could say that I've never seen any precedent for such
a striking transformation among a group of runners from one nation but I
have, unfortunately. These women are worth watching.
What could the explanation be? I don't have a clue. I know that if we saw a
similar surge in performances in the shot put, fans would be screaming
"Drugs!" But in distance running, we apply a different set of standards.
After all, 43 of the top 50 men's marathon runners ever have gotten their
best times in the past four years, and all we say is, "My, my, isn't everyone
fast these days."
In reading quite a bit of training theory for distance running
lately it doesn't seem dramatically different from the theory of
20 years ago. And I have a hard time believing that the many great runners of
today are training harder than the Derek Claytons and Alberto Salazar were
years ago. So what's made the difference? I am anxious to hear your opinions.
Other things I can't figure out Two items from recent IAAF media releases have me befuddled. One is a bizarre notice that Cathy Freeman, the Olympic 400 meter champion from Australia, has come out in favor of Beijing hosting the 2008 Olympics. The writer makes the connection that Freeman had a great, great grandfather from China. Dismissing even the Chinese problem with human rights, I can't figure why it would be newsworthy what city an athlete supports, especially considering that athlete's career will likely be over by then. Is this announcement some sort of IAAF sop to the Chinese? And what about Ethiopian Olympic champion Million Wolde and his adventures ice skating? Wolde, the 5,000 meter champ in Sydney, went ice skating with teammate Hailu Mekkonen in Rome as part of the IAAF's Elite Athletes Program. Said Wolde, "This is the first time for me, it is very difficult but it's great to have the chance to try a sport I will never find back in my country." Granted, but why is the IAAF sending top runners ice skating? And why is it newsworthy? Upcoming meets This week is a busy one on the Grand Prix circuit. Wednesday the big horses race in Lausanne, and Friday in the Paris suburb of St-Denis. Closer to home, one announcement hailed the fact that California pre Ryan Hall, hoping to become the fifth high schooler to break the four minute mile, will run the 1,500 meter at the New Balance Maine Distance Festival. In case you're wondering why he's not running the mile, it probably has something to do with other runners in the field wanting to make the World Championships "A" standard. The Mailbag Michael Roth: "I have to agree with the comments on pacing by Dave Bentz. The solution is simple. The administrators of the HS sport must come into the 20th century and realize it is in the best interests of the athletes (who the whole idea of sport is supposed to benefit) to change the rule not allowing the distance athletes to wear a watch during competition. This is the easiest and most responsible way to help these athletes learn how to pace themselves appropriately in their races. If the kids can wear them in practice, why not during the race?" Dan Botez: "In the August T&F News, a departing Michael Johnson couldn't resist uttering cheap parting shots at Ato [Boldon], [Konstadinos] Kederis and Mo [Greene], thus showing once again that the "class image" that he's been trying to project all along was nothing but a mask hiding a monstrous ego. Here are my parting shots to MJ. Michael: 1) You made a fool of yourself running severely injured in the Sacramento trials' 200 meter final, wiping the 'champion above to media hype' image; and 2) You are NO Carl Lewis, in spite of your "passing-of-the-torch" declarations during the Atlanta Games? Great performances throughout the years, but a deplorable exit show." Jeff Hollobaugh, former managing editor of Track and Field News, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached by e-mail at michtrack@aol.com. | |
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