Day 54: 30 April
'Wake-up call', by Joan Chelimo
"She was always smiling. That’s the thing I remember most about Agnes Tirop. She was a very quiet person, but said hi to everyone, showing them that shy, sweet smile that everyone came to love.
"I had known her since she was a junior, and years later we trained together in Iten, though we ended up taking different paths: I moved to the marathon; she stayed at 10K.
"When she was killed, I couldn’t run for a week. For days, I just couldn’t believe it."
Day 53: 29 April
Australia’s Tiana Boras clinched the nation’s second medal at the World Athletics Under 20 Championships on the sixth and final day in Cali, Colombia – winning triple jump bronze to apply polish to a strong campaign that has demonstrated the elusive nature of global medals in athletics.
After a four-centimetre personal best in the qualifying round, Boras piled on a further 16cm with the opening jump of the women’s triple jump final, leaping 13.30m (-0.1) to propel herself into medal contention and never look back – finishing third on countback.
Day 52: 28 April
Zsivoczky-Farkas Györgyi hétpróbázóként három olimpián képviselte a magyar színeket, a legtöbb sikerrel Rio de Janeiroban, ahol nyolcadik lett, jócskán felülmúlva a 2008-as 28. és a 2012-es 22. helyezését.
Azon kevés magyar atléták egyike, akik négy világbajnokságon is rajthoz állhattak. Ennek a sorozatának a legsikeresebb állomása Peking volt, ahol 6389 pontos egyéni csúccsal az előkelő hatodik helyen végzett. Fedett pályán is voltak jelentősnek nevezhető eredményei, így például 2017-ben Belgrádban, a „tető alatt” megrendezett Európa-bajnokságon bronzérmet vehetett át. Ennél többre is vihette volna, ha megússza azokat a sérüléseket, amelyek közül az első 2017-ben, a második pedig 2019-ben kényszerítette leállásra és hosszú edzéskihagyásra. Beszakadt vádlival, majd részleges farizomszakadással csak várakozni tudott, majd azzal szembesülni, hogy a világ legjobb hétpróbázóit már nem tudja megszorítani.
Day 51: 27 April
Nina Kuscsik, a trailblazer for women’s running, will receive the Abebe Bikila Award, an honor which is presented each year from New York Road Runners (NYRR) to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the sport of distance running. The award will be presented to Kuscsik at NYRR’s Night of Champions during TCS New York City Marathon race week.
Day 50: 26 April
For many young people from underprivileged backgrounds, athletics is a way out of poverty.
On the tiny island of The Bahamas, at a time when the country was yet to find Olympic success, Pauline Davis – a young woman born and raised in the poor neighbourhood of Bain Town – would emerge as the Golden Girl of The Bahamas, and pave the way for young women from her country to follow in her footsteps.
In a new book titled ‘Running Sideways’, Davis-Thompson shares her journey of how she fought through poverty, inequality and racism to beat the odds and become a two-time Olympic gold medallist.
Day 49: 25 April
Met een Europese titel en finaleplaatsen op Europese en Wereldkampioenschappen op zak mag Olympiër Eline Berings trots terugkijken op haar carrière.
Tijdens een uitgebreid interview keken we terug op enkele memorabele wedstrijden en nam Eline ons mee doorheen haar carrière vanaf haar eerste kennismaking met de horden, de eerste overwinningen, terugvechten na blessures en hoe het voelt om deel uit te maken van de beste atleten ter wereld.
Day 48: 24 April
Age was no barrier at the Queensland Masters Athletic Championships last week, where for the first time it was held in conjunction with the Oceania Athletics Championships in Mackay, north Queensland.
Maurice Dauphinet was one of 200 competitors, aged 30 years and older, who took part in events from the pole vault to the hammer throw, high jump and steeple chase.
His runner wife Christiane, 91, was another.
They joined a masters athletic club 34 years ago in 1988, and have not looked back.
Day 47: 23 April
🚨 En este HILO:
— atletismoRFEA (@atletismoRFEA) March 8, 2022
🔟 historias de valentía, de sueños, de inspiración.
🔟 historias de mujer.
En BeAthletics Women, #WeGrowAthletics #8M #IgualesEnElDeporte #WeCallItIgualdad https://t.co/Z8AH84tN5l
Day 46: 22 April
Through a thick South African accent, there is no mistaking Anne Marie Van Daalen’s love for athletics. With a passion for people and the patience for progress, the Queensland coach is one of many unsung heroes building the sport from the ground up.
On a casual commute some time ago, Van Daalen cranked the radio. Rather than bobbing her head to her favourite song, the South African expat was shaking her head to the results of a survey – soon becoming a catalyst for change.
“The turning point for me was when I was in the car one day listening to the radio. They had results on the radio from a youth sport survey and specifically about girls’ participation in sport, and how girls are leaving sport during their teenage years at a rate much faster than boys,” Van Daalen says. “I thought to myself being a parent to a daughter, maybe I can do a small part in that. I went and did the courses at Athletics Queensland.”
Day 45: 21 April
By the time Ashia Hansen arrived in Munich to compete at the 2002 European Athletics Championships she was the world indoor record-holder in the triple jump and had an impressive list of titles to her credit – but not so much as a single medal in that competition.
By the time she left that anomaly had been corrected in golden fashion.
Day 44: 20 April
When Wyomia Tyus became the first runner to win back-to-back 100m Olympic titles, the historic feat passed relatively unnoticed in an era when female athletes – especially black women – received scant recognition.
Now, more than 50 years later, Tyus can only marvel at the spotlight being shone on the female stars of track and field, including the trio of Jamaican sprinters who are dominating the 100m as if it were their private domain.
Few people are more qualified to assess the advancement of female athletes than Tyus, one of the famed ‘Tigerbelle’ runners who unexpectedly won gold in the 100m at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics at the age of 19 and successfully defended her title at the 1968 Mexico City Games.
Day 43: 19 April
To mark International Women’s Day (8), a World Athletics Heritage Plaque recognising the career of Germany’s Lina Radke, who in 1928 became the first women’s Olympic 800m champion, has been unveiled in Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium.
Radke’s plaque is permanently displayed next to the Marathonpoort in which the Wall of Fame of the Dutch golden Olympic medal winners are eternalised.
Day 42: 18 April
Kelsey-Lee Barber is on top of the world once more, becoming the first Australian athlete since Catherine Freeman to win back-to-back world titles when taking out the Women’s Javelin final at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA.
30-year-old Barber rewrote the history books with her third round throw of 66.91m to become the first woman worldwide to defend a javelin world title. Her feat sees her become world lead, and her throw was also her furthest since securing the gold medal at the Doha edition of the Games in 2019.
Day 41: 17 April
La Fédération Française d’Athlétisme a appris le décès de Josiane Bordellier, qui s’en est allée le jeudi 10 novembre à l’âge de 83 ans. Pour lui rendre hommage, nous publions une interview d’elle parue dans le numéro de février-mars 2020 d’Athlétisme Magazine.
Ce n'est pas tout d'avoir de l'expérience, il faut savoir la transmettre. En 1965, après une belle carrière de lanceuse de poids (15 sélections internationales), Josiane Bordellier décidait de transmettre son savoir en bousculant les codes. Elle devenait entraîneure de lancers, notamment au marteau, épreuve qui ne deviendra officiellement mixte qu’en 1995. Elle avait pris sa « retraite » à l’automne 2019, à l’âge de 80 ans.
Day 40: 16 April
A pioneer on and off the track. 🙌
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) March 8, 2022
🏃♀️ Irena Szewinska 🇵🇱 is the most successful athlete in European Champs history with 10 medals.
🧑🏻💼 From 1997 until 2009, she served as the first female President of the Polish Athletic Federation. #IWD #BreakTheBiaspic.twitter.com/WrHJWnt2fU
Day 39: 15 April
Sometimes the worst moments can, over time, be seen for what they are: a place from which the only way is up, an opportunity to change, grow and to come back stronger.
For Peru’s Kimberly Garcia, that’s exactly what happened at the Tokyo Olympics. The 28-year-old race walker had gone to the line in the 20km event in Sapporo thinking she could be a contender. She left it downbeat, disillusioned, having stepped off the course around the 15km mark, her body going into shutdown after she tried – in vain – to keep up with the world’s best.
Day 38: 14 April
Před dvěma dny se vrátila česká výprava z úspěšného vystoupení na mistrovství světa v horských bězích v thajském Chiang Mai. O nejlepší český výsledek se postarala Barbora Macurová, která vybojovala v závodě Short Trail stříbrnou medaili. S jakými dojmy přiletěla zpět do České republiky?
Day 37: 13 April
For Olivia Sandery, race walking is an art. Where some see an unglamorous athletic pursuit, she sees a war of attrition characterised by silent suffering and pin-point precision – a sport that demands patience, rhythm, and economy.
Conceding that her start the sport was defined by sore shins and minor success, the 19-year-old South Australian has blossomed into one of the Australia’s most exciting young prospects - selected for next weekend’s World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships to be held in Oman.
Day 36: 12 April
Yalemzerf Yehualaw may have only made her marathon debut six months ago, but the Ethiopian 23-year-old has already made huge strides in the 26.2-mile event. A 2:17:23 run in Hamburg, which at that time was the fastest ever women’s marathon debut, was followed by a 2:17:26 London Marathon win and she now sits eighth on a rapidly evolving world all-time list with two of the 13 fastest ever women’s marathon performances to her name.
A name – Yalemzerf – that in Amharic means ‘edge of the world’. When it comes to the world of road running, she has worked her way to the top of it.
Day 35: 11 April
Fifty years ago, eight women made up the first official women's field for the Boston Marathon. This year, one of those original runners, Val Rogosheske, will run the race again. This news segment is worth watching. https://t.co/AyJvQWAjsA
— Fast Women (@fast_women) March 23, 2022
Day 34: 10 April
Asha Philip has been appointed to the European Athletics Athletes Commission following the election process at the European Championships in Munich.
The Committee will comprise of eight members, six elected by the competitors at the European Athletics Championships and two appointed by the European Athletics President.
To compose a strong committee and to truly hear the wishes of the athletes, the President of European Athletics completed the committee with the fourth most voted woman and the fourth most voted man, which were Asha Philip (GBR) and Oleksiy Kasyanov (UKR).
Day 33: 9 April
Une fois de plus, elle remporte la victoire pour le Kenya, pour sa fille et pour toutes les mères du monde. Quand beaucoup pensent qu’être mère et athlète professionnelle ne va pas de pair, Faith Kipyegon prouve au monde entier que la maternité fait d’elle une meilleure coureuse.
À l’occasion de ces Championnats du monde de World Athletics Oregon 2022, l’athlète a décroché son quatrième titre mondial dans la finale du 1500m féminin dans le stade d’Hayward Field.
Day 32: 8 April
The 1972 Olympic Games began and ended in triumph for home athlete Heide Rosendahl as she earned long jump gold on day one of the Games and anchored the 4x100m relay team to a final-day victory in a world record of 42.81 ahead of a mighty East German team anchored by Renate Stecher.
Had it not been for the indefatigable competitiveness of Great Britain’s Mary Peters, the West German would have made it a historic hat-trick of gold medals in a dramatic pentathlon competition.
Day 31: 7 April
Despite currently holding both the Australian women’s indoor and outdoor 800m records, Catriona Bisset is resigned to the fact that her times will one day be eclipsed – which is why her pursuits are fuelled by an unwavering determination to win.
Speaking of her national record marks of 1:58.09 outdoors and 1:59.46 on indoor debut, Bisset acknowledges that the achievements sit pretty next to her name for now, but is already thinking ahead to when she is introduced as a “former” national record holder – what will she have left?
“I’ve been thinking about Australian records now that I hold both the outdoor and indoor [800m]. I’ve always really felt like the records don’t belong to me, they belong to Australia and really all I’m doing is looking after them until I pass them on to the next Australian,” she said.
Day 30: 6 April
Isila Apkup was born 15 August 1998 at Ambunti Health Centre and raised in Waskuk Village, in the Ambunti District of the East Sepik Province. Her early endeavours in Athletics came when she was a student at Ambunti High School. She later moved to the “big smoke” of Wewak (the provincial capital) and attended Brandi High School.
Her school performances led to her being selected to be part of the East Sepik Team to the 2014 PNG Games, to be held in Lae, Morobe Province. She competed in the 400m event, winning her heat and semi-final and then place 3rd in the final behind two well credentialed athletes who had already represented their country. She was also part of the East Sepik 4 x 100m team that had come 4th and the 5th placed 4x400m team.
Day 29: 5 April
Some things shouldn’t be rushed. Wilma Murto always knew she could return to the remarkable heights she hit as a teenage pole vault prodigy, but she also knew that it would take time, care, dedication and trust. Trust in the process, as she tried her best to prevent the pressure and expectation from becoming overwhelming. Her own ambition was already enough.
Murto was 17 when she improved the women’s world U20 pole vault record to 4.71m in 2016. It’s a record that still stands. Reflecting on it now, as she sits in the Swiss sun towards the end of a hugely successful season, the 24-year-old describes that breakthrough clearance as “sort of an accident”. She was capable, of course – having the skill to soar over a bar balancing four metres and 71 centimetres above the ground doesn’t just happen – but testament to her tenacity, she set her sights on strengthening the foundations rather than being focused on five metres. Now she is a two-time Olympian and the European champion.
Day 28: 4 April
The Young Leaders Forum was held from August 17 to 22 within the framework of the European Championships organized in Munich, Germany. Representatives from other sports also participated in this forum, which has already become a tradition and was held during the European Championships.
In the event, which was attended by up to 130 participants from nearly 50 countries, our country was represented by Ahmadova Aziza, the senior specialist of the Azerbaijan Athletics Federation.
Day 27: 3 April
Robeilys Peinado bicampeona suramericana.
La venezolana Robeilys Peinado consiguió revalidar su título suramericano tras registrar 4 metros, 20 centímetros en el salto con pértiga en los Juegos del ciclo olímpico que se disputan en Asunción, Paraguay.
Peinado, medallista mundial, venció a las representantes de Brasil, Juliana De Menis e Isabel Demarco, quienes se llevaron las preseas de plata y bronce, respectivamente.
Day 26: 2 April
Op de laatste dag van het vorige jaar, overleed Suzanne Krol in Edegem. Suzanne zal altijd in het nationale atletiekgeheugen gegrift blijven als een van de pioniers van de Belgische vrouwenatletiek... Ze won tussen 1952 en 1959 liefst 8 nationale vrouwentitels bij de 'Alle Categorieën' en stond 15 keer op het erepodium van een BK voor seniores.
Pas halfweg de jaren ’50 van vorige eeuw, kwam de vrouwenatletiek in ons land goed op dreef. De eerste nationale kampioenschappen van de ‘moderne’ tijd werden toen (opnieuw) georganiseerd, en daarin speelde veelzijdige Suzanne Krol een voortrekkersrol. Als juniore won ze in 1952 haar eerste nationale juniorestitels in eigen Antwerpen op 27 juli.
Day 25: 1 April
By the time Anne Audain came to challenge for a place in the world record books, at the age of 26 in 1982, the New Zealander had already overcome a lifetime worth of trials and tribulations.
Born with a bone deformity in both feet, adopted as a baby, Audain almost lost the sight in one eye at the age of seven. She had quit athletics, launched a comeback and been banned from amateur competition for becoming a professional on the US road-running circuit – before mounting an attack on the world 5000m record in her home city, Auckland, New Zealand, on the evening of 17 March 1982.