Kathy Jager suspended 2 years (for second time) for Berea positive

In 1999, Kathy Jager was handed a two-year drug suspension after testing positive at Gateshead worlds for a menopause medicine (which she freely admitted to). Now she’s been sanctioned another two years for a positive test at Berea nationals. This changes things. How can she account for this? The Washington Post brief is here. More details to come. USADA’s press release from yesterday is below. This is second bust from Berea, following the punishment of thrower Craig Shumaker, who signaled his retirement from the sport. Geeezerjock magazine editor Sean Callahan wrote about Jager (JAY-ger) for Salon about six years ago.

read more http://masterstrack.com/2011/10/20348/

Nice digs: London shows off 2012 athletes village

LONDON (AP) – The apartment was gleaming, the view was to die for, and London Olympic officials could not have been more pleased. British officials showed off a new apartment Tuesday in the athletes village for the 2012 London Olympics as they announced a milestone – more than 2,012 of the units are now complete.

Actually, 2,300 were now finished – but who’s counting? Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Olympic Delivery Authority chief executive Dennis Hone declared the project firmly on schedule for the games that begin July 27 and last until Aug. 12.

“It’s a big day for us and a big day for the project,” Hone said after they took in the sweeping view of Olympic Park from the apartment’s balcony.

Some 17,000 Olympic athletes and 6,000 Paralympic athletes and officials will stay in the village, which will have 2,818 units when completed

read more http://www.universalsports.com/news-blogs/article/newsid=563774.html

Pac-12 Celebrates Success In Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are the biggest sporting event in the world and no collegiate conference in the country comes close to matching the Olympic success of the Pac-12. With more medals than all but three countries and just 10 months away from the start of London Games, the Pac-12 has announced that it will celebrate its rich heritage of Olympic excellence by launching the “Follow The Pac-12 To London” campaign.To help kickoff the campaign, the Pac-12 has created a microsite (www.pac-12.org/london) that will follow Pac-12 athletes in training for the 2012 Games as well as showcase profiles, stories, and videos on some of the most influential athletes and successful coaches ever to compete in the Conference.

read more http://www.pac-12.org/London/Tabid/2532/Article/138104/Pac-12-Celebrates-Success-In-Olympic-Games.aspx

World-class athletes: are they born or made?

“World-class athletes can be made, as I think we have demonstrated at UTech via the MVP Track Club in recent years,” said Davis, while making his presentation on the topic.

“At the beginning, we never went for stars who were very successful at, say, the annual Boys and Girls’ Champs. Instead, the coaching staff went for athletes who they thought showed promise and made them into world-beaters.

“This is a result of, like most sporting and athletic disciplines, the mechanics sprinting can be taught, and once an athlete shows a bit of potential and is willing to train hard they can achieve,” he added.

read more http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20111026/sports/sports3.html

Princeton brothers try unicycle pole vault

If they were a circus act, they could be the Flying Slovenskis. Brothers Steve Slovenski ’09 and Dave Slovenski ’12 have excelled as Princeton track athletes — Steve was one of the Tigers’ top decathletes, and Dave won the pole vault at the Ivy League Indoor Heptagonal Championships last February — but they appear even more impressive competing against each other in an event they created: the unicycle pole vault.The younger Slovenski first brought his unicycle to track practice to use it in warm-ups. (It’s similar to pedaling an exercise bike, he says, but it works more muscles.) When Princeton coach Fred Samara saw the brothers riding while carrying poles, he asked incredulously if they were planning to vault off of their unicycles.“That sounds crazy and dangerous,” Dave said.“Let’s try it!” Steve replied.The results of their creative combination can be seen in the YouTube video below, which shows the brothers clearing the bar at up to 10 feet while big-top theme music plays in the background.

read more   http://blogs.princeton.edu/paw/2009/09/unicycle_vault.html

Barriolhet Sets New FSU Decathlon Mark At Pan Am Games

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Gonzalo Barriolhet’s bid to bring some hardware home for the XVI Pan American Games came up short Tuesday, but did not keep the Florida State graduate student from establishing a new personal best and Florida State school record in the decathlon.

Buoyed by a personal best-tying 5.30 meter (17-4 2/3) performance in the pole vault – worth a whopping 1,004 points – Barriolhet finished fourth overall with 7,986 points. Though he came up short of his goal of 8,000 points, he shattered his own FSU mark of 7,907, set back in 2008 at the Texas Relays.

Read more http://www.wctv.tv/sports/headlines/Barriolhet_Sets_New_FSU_Decathlon_Mark_At_Pan_Am_Games_132595228.html

Ex-Duck Holliday vaults to bronze at Pan Am Games

Former Oregon star Becky Holliday captured a bronze medal in the women’s pole vault on the first day of track and field competition at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Tuesday.

Holliday, the 2003 NCAA champion for the Ducks, cleared 14 feet, 1 1/4 inches to finish third. It was the fourth straight Pan Am Games in which Team USA earned a medal in the women’s pole vault.

read more http://www.registerguard.com/web/sports/27081142-41/plum-ducks-oregon-assists-former.html.csp

USA Results: Pan Am Decathlon

USA Results –The decathlon concluded with Matt Johnson (Groves, Texas) and Mark Jellison (Reading, Mass.) finishing 10th and 11th, respectively, with 6,929 points and 6,550 points.

Despite running in lane eight, Jellison started off the day by running a personal best en route to winning the first heat of the 110 hurdles in 14.49. Johnson also ran a personal best in the 110 hurdles of 14.77. However, Jellison passed on the opening height of 3.80m/12-5.5 in the pole vault and then failed to clear the opening height of 3.90m/12-9.5. Johnson closed out the decathlon by running a personal best in the 1,500m of 4:59.60.

read more http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_news_frameset.html?http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news_2011/rw_news_20111026_USATF_Pan_Am.html