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AUGUSTA, Ga. – For those hoping to see some awkwardness, a little tension, maybe even a few early fireworks between the PGA Tour faithful and the 18 LIV players teeing it up at this week’s Masters Tournament, they were surely disappointed Monday at Augusta National.

No, the environment was very much cordial.

Dustin Johnson played a practice round with Gary Woodland, Brian Harman and Kevin Kisner, one of many mixed groupings out on the course.

Cameron Smith was laughing and shaking hands at the tournament practice area.

Bryson DeChambeau gave defending champion Scottie Scheffler a hug.

“I was telling Kenny [Harms], my caddie, saying that it feels like it's been longer than a year since I've been here,” said Kevin Na, who planned on a Par 3 Contest grouping with buddies K.H. Lee and Si Woo Kim. “I think part of the reason why is I haven't seen some of my friends that play on a different tour, and I haven't seen everybody in a long period of time. Maybe that's the reason why.”

The warm feelings, at least from outside the ropes, seemed mutual. Even Fred Couples, who last month called Phil Mickelson a “nutbag,” told reporters that he’d “love to be paired” with the three-time Masters champ.

“He loves this place as much as I do,” Couples added, “and if we did [play together], we'd look at each other on the first hole and we'd have a good time.”

As players have kept the gloves on, the question Monday turned to how the LIV players will fare this week at Augusta National.

How will they adjust to a different Masters lead-up?

Was last week’s LIV event, played on a flat, public layout, a proper tune-up?

And what are the chances we’ll see a LIV vs. PGA Tour battle down the stretch on Sunday?

Let’s start with the pre-tournament cadence. Johnson, for example, played six events last year before the Masters; this year, he’s competed in only the three LIV tournaments, at Mayakoba (late February), Tucson (three weeks ago) and Orlando (last week). Patrick Reed had nine pre-Masters starts in 2022 compared to six this year. DeChambeau has teed it up in just one fewer event this year, but he's certainly one of the exceptions.

“I think next year our schedule will be tailored a little bit differently,” DeChambeau said, “but again, it's a learning curve for all of us.”

At the same time, a few of the LIV guys talked about feeling fresher with the slightly lighter load, even if they hadn’t normally played the week before the Masters.

“I feel ready this week,” Reed said. “I feel energized. I feel like I have more in the tank this time than I have in the past.”

And no one seemed concerned about the change of format, as LIV events feature 54 holes, a shotgun start and a team component.

“I feel like I'm tournament-ready,” Smith said. “It's just I've got a few tweaks here and there to do, and like I said before, I feel like this course made me find some of those things, and it just comes naturally.”

Perhaps the biggest adjustment, though, will be the switch between Nationals, Orange County National last week and the venerable Augusta National this week.

Different grasses. Bermuda vs. bentgrass.

Different topography. Impressively undulating vs. fairly level.

Different conditioning. Immaculate vs. a wee bit scruffy.

Cam Smith believes that he and other LIV guys need to 'be up there' on the leaderboard this week at Augusta.

Different, well, pretty much everything. Phil Ritson, Isao Aoki and David Harman don’t exactly have the same credentials as Dr. Alister Mackenzie and Bobby Jones.

“There's no comparison,” Johnson said. “… I don't think you could have those in the same sentence, other than I played there last week and I'm playing here this week.”

Other players were more specific about the stark contrast, though they did note that Crooked Cat’s greens were firmer and faster than some may give them credit for.

Joaquin Niemann: “I think the main thing will be the lies, just hitting over downslopes, upslopes, left to right, right to left.”

Jason Kokrak: “I'll have an easier time chipping, and this place, there's not a blade out of place.”

Reed: “Here at Augusta, you play more break than what you see on the greens, and there, it was almost like what you saw, you played less.”

And Abraham Ancer: “They’re completely different golf courses, so I'm not banking on any of that input. It's just we have three days to get adjusted, and I think most of us, we've been here quite a bit of time.”

The LIV crop isn’t short on confidence – or from the sound of it, motivation. Though few openly expressed it, they’re aware some people aren’t taking them seriously this week, writing them off, maybe actively rooting against them to play well.

And they’re determined to prove that they’ve still got the goods to win a green jacket come Sunday.

“I think it's just important for LIV guys to be up there because I think we need to be up there,” Smith said. “I think there's a lot of chatter about these guys don't play real golf; these guys don't play real golf courses. For sure, I'll be the first one to say, the fields aren't as strong. I'm the first one to say that. But we've still got a lot of guys up there that can play some really serious golf.”

Added Na: “Look, it doesn't matter what tour you play; there are always great players. No matter what people say, there's a lot of champion golfers on the LIV tour and still in their prime and still peaking…

“I'll tell you what, I think the fans and the media are making it more interesting, but if you have a LIV vs. PGA Tour coming down the stretch, it'll be fun.”

Maybe we’ll even see some fireworks.

Stellini backs Kane after Everton 'cheater' chants

Published in Soccer
Monday, 03 April 2023 18:31

Interim Tottenham Hotspur coach Cristian Stellini brushed aside chants from Everton fans calling Harry Kane a cheat after his dust-up with Abdoulaye Doucoure saw the Mali international sent off at Goodison Park.

Michael Keane's late strike from distance cancelled out Kane's penalty on 68 minutes in the 1-1 draw, but it was an incident 10 minutes earlier that drew the ire of the Merseyside faithful when the England captain fell to the ground following a swipe to the face from Doucoure.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Fans sang out that Kane was a "cheater," but Stellini, overseeing his first match as Spurs coach since Antonio Conte left the club, said it was an obvious sending off for Doucoure.

"The fan [reaction] is normal," Stellini said. "They are unhappy, but in my opinion it was a clear red card. It happens sometimes, it's normal."

Stellini seemed more concerned by his side's inability to see out a game when they had the lead from Kane's penalty and a man advantage after Doucoure's red card.

"The approach of the game was good. The only problem?" Stellini said. "When you find the way to score, and you are leading the game 1-0, you have one extra player, you have to be much more lucid in the way you keep the ball."

The draw against a team which is battling to avoid relegation was a disappointment for Stellini, who watched his team jump out to the lead through Kane's spot kick after Keane brought down Cristian Romero in the box.

Keane made up for his blunder in emphatic fashion with a blistering goal in injury time, sending Spurs home with just a point in their race for a top-four finish.

"We didn't lead the game with the ball," Stellini said. "After the red card, we had the chance to control the game better than we did. And you have to do it with the ball, because you have one extra player and you have to lead the game.

"But sometimes we were rushed and frantic, we have to improve in this aspect. We know very well it's a long process and we don't change in one night."

Tottenham are fourth in the standings with 50 points from 29 games. Newcastle United and Manchester United also have 50 points, but have played two fewer games.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Gordon Sargent was walking around the grounds at Augusta National on Sunday morning when he decided to stop by player dining for a quick bite. He wasn’t wearing his badge, though, and was immediately stopped by security, which not only questioned whether he was a player but also if he was really 20 years old.

“I think they thought I was in the Drive, Chip and Putt,” Sargent said.

They clearly had never seen Sargent drive a golf ball.

Sargent, the Vanderbilt sophomore and world’s top-ranked amateur who is competing this week on a special invitation, destroys the golf ball with an ability to get his ball speed past 200 mph.

In Monday’s practice round, Sargent didn’t just routinely drive it past his playing competitors, Justin Thomas and Max Homa. It was dang near every time.

“I don’t know, I stopped counting,” Homa said.

Added Homa’s caddie, Joe Greiner, who was trailing his player as they headed toward the parking lot: “Holy s---!” Sargent said he hit driver on every hole but Nos. 7 and 10, where he hit 3-wood. He had a mid-iron into No. 10, but only because he failed to get his ball chasing down the hill. From the new back tee box at the par-5 13th, Sargent had just 200 yards in and hit 6-iron.

As for the other par 4s, the longest clubs Sargent had in was an 8-iron on No. 5 and 9-iron at No. 11, where he was 25 yards past Thomas.

“I couldn’t let them just hit it past me,” Sargent said with a grin. “JT said something about how far I hit it by him on 11, but yeah, I guess they got used to it or something.”

Sargent, one of seven amateurs in the field, is planning on staying in the Crow’s Nest on Monday night. He’ll look to get some rest before gearing up for another practice round on Tuesday, this time alongside Rory McIlroy.

“Hopefully, he's real,” Sargent said.

And hopefully Rory doesn’t mind a college kid hitting it by him.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – On paper, the new tee at Augusta National’s 13th hole is 35 yards longer for this year’s Masters, but it may as well stretch all the way to Macon based on how the teeing ground has been scrutinized.

The irony is that this year’s change at the par 5, colloquially known as Azalea, is, in fact, the fifth time the venerable club has tinkered with that tee box since 1967. That year, the Masters tee was extended forward 5 yards before officials moved it 5 yards back seven years later.

And on it went – in ’75, the club extended the tee 7 yards, and in ’02, during the “Tiger-proofing” of the course, the tee was moved back 20 to 25 yards.

The subtle brilliance of Augusta National is that the club is always tinkering, whether it's new tee boxes or the Par 3 Course, which was almost entirely rebuilt for this year’s Masters. The difference this time around is how the change might impact the fabric of what makes Masters Sunday so special.

By most accounts the additional yardage to the 13th hole will likely not have much of an impact on the overall scoring average of the hole, which has historically played as the easiest hole (4.775).

“If anything, it will make a lot more people lay up. It may be less double [bogeys]. It will be a lot more neutral scoring. There won’t be as many doubles and eagles,” Bryson DeChambeau said.

During last year’s Masters, there were the same number of eagles (six) and double bogeys (six) and in 2018 it was nine eagles versus seven double bogeys – the statistical definition of risk/reward. That, many contend, will change with the additional length that will prompt more players to play the hole in three shots, which seems to be the overriding motivation.

While scoring might remain unchanged, there is the situational element of the 13th hole, which is at the trailing end of Amen Corner and in the heart of a second nine that has been the canvas of so many special Sundays.

“With adding that extra length, you can't cut as much of that corner. You can't get far enough down that left side,” Patrick Reed said. “I think it'll take a little bit of the excitement out of that on 13, and then adding [20 yards in 2022] to 15, if it's into the wind, guys aren't going to hit 3-woods into that green because it's hard to hold that thing, and long is so dead at tournament speed.”

Changes to both Nos. 13 and 15 are significant because par 5 performances are directly related to success at the Masters. Four of the last five Masters champions finished inside the top 5 in par-5 scoring, with the exception being Tiger Woods in ’19, when he finished 27th.

Whether that paradigm continues with the reimagined 13th hole remains to be seen, but at the very least, the additional 35 yards will force players to make a decision which hasn’t necessarily been the case in recent years.

“I think they made the tee shot easier because you don't really have to do anything with the tee shot anymore. Just hit it sort of straight up the chute. The second shot, much more difficult,” Rory McIlroy said. “I used to hit 8-iron from a flat lie into 13, and now, I hit a 5-iron from the ball way above my feet. Just makes you think a little bit more about the second shot, which I think is good.”

An example of this theory was on display Monday during a practice round that featured McIlroy, Woods, Tom Kim and Fred Couples. Although the threesome represented an interesting cross-section of the overall field, it also provided a glimpse into how No. 13 will play this week.

“Today was a day where the ball wasn't really going as far, and we teed off at 9 [a.m.]. Rory hit one bomb there, and I think he went at the green with a 5 [iron] maybe. But Tiger and I laid up, Tom Kim actually knocked it on with a wood. It's reachable; it's just a very good hole,” Couples said.

Based on early reviews, the new tee box will selectively challenge individual styles.

“It makes it a lot tougher for me for sure,” said Dustin Johnson, who played the 13th hole in 3 under in 2020, when he won the fall Masters. “Over the last couple of years it’s gotten tougher. They’ve pulled those trees in so guys who cut the ball there’s nowhere to start it.”

Johnson said he’s tinkering with a “stronger” 3-wood that would allow him to potentially work the ball around the corner at the 13th hole, but like most players, he’s anticipating a much different test this year.

In the larger narrative of how far modern professionals hit the golf ball, and a recently proposed rule to dial back the golf ball at the elite level, Augusta National is regularly cited as one of the few clubs with the resources to match the distance gains with new tee boxes. Although officials would probably balk at that cause-and-effect explanation, some see the new tee at 13 as a direct response to how Watson played the hole during the final round in 2014.

After slinging a drive around and over the tributary of Rae's Creek, Watson had just 140 yards in for his second shot, a 56-degree sand wedge that set up a two-putt birdie and a three-stroke lead.

“Nobody has ever Bubba-proofed a golf course,” Watson laughed when asked his thoughts on the new tee box at No. 13.

Whatever the intended motivation to move the 13th back, the only consensus is that it will be different.

Mets' Carrasco gets violation before first pitch

Published in Baseball
Monday, 03 April 2023 17:35

MILWAUKEE -- New York Mets right-hander Carlos Carrasco got a pitch clock violation before he attempted his first pitch of the game Monday.

The Mets' clock issues continued the rest of the afternoon as they ended up with more violations (four) than hits (three) in a 10-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Carrasco got two violations, while Omar Narvaez and Mark Canha had one each at the plate.

Mets manager Buck Showalter said after the game the clock seemed to have a different pace than it did in their season-opening series at Miami. Showalter said the Mets didn't adapt well to the change and said he'd be looking at video of each violation to see what went wrong.

"Everybody's going through an adjustment period," Showalter said. "It's umpires. It's clock operators. It's us. It's the teams we're playing. You'd better figure it out because it's not going away."

Showalter wasn't casting any blame Monday. When he was asked about the umpiring, Showalter noted that home plate umpire Alan Porter is one of the best in the game.

Over objections from players, Major League Baseball's 11-man competition committee adopted a pitch clock this year of 15 seconds with no runners on base and 20 seconds with runners. Batters must be in the box and alert to the pitcher with at least eight seconds on the clock. Batters can call time once per plate appearance, stopping the countdown.

There had been 41 pitch clock violations across MLB in the first 50 games of the season. Of those, 29 were on pitchers, 11 on batters and one on a catcher.

Canha noted a scoreboard issue contributed to his violation, which resulted in a ninth-inning strikeout.

Facing a 2-2 count, Canha looked at the scoreboard in hopes of finding out the velocity of the previous pitch he'd seen. Canha said it took longer than usual for velocities to be recorded on the scoreboard Monday. By the time he stopped waiting and stepped into the batter's box, he received a violation that resulted in his third strike.

"There's no way that the stadium operations people are going to be linked up with the pitch clock guy," Canha said. "It's on me. I've got to figure out a way to change. Got to keep the pitch clock on the forefront."

Carrasco's first violation came when Milwaukee's Christian Yelich was at the plate to lead off the bottom of the first inning. Carrasco took too much time before throwing his pitch and received the violation, giving the leadoff hitter a 1-0 count. Yelich struck out.

Carrasco noted after the game that long innings are more tiring now for pitchers because they don't have the opportunity to step off the mound because of the pitch clock.

"It's one of those things," Carrasco said. "It is what it is right now."

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said the quicker pace of the game will cause challenges for everyone involved as they adapt to these new rules.

"The umpires are really challenged with it," Counsell said. "The game has just picked up so much. It's challenging, and it's going to bite people here and there. That's the way it is. You've truly got to be alert to it at all times. It sounds easy to do, but you can understand why it's going to happen."

Carrasco also had issues with his PitchCom device later in the first inning, leading to a brief stoppage in play.

PitchCom allows catchers to push buttons on wristbands to call for fastballs, curves, changeups and anything else, along with the location. The pitcher can hear the result on an earpiece inside his hat.

Dean Richardson and John Wright break world records while Paul Forbes and Dave Clarke claim UK marks as Britain enjoy a strong end to championships

British athletes had a great final two days to take the gold count up to 49 and only two nations gained more medals – hosts Poland and neighbours Germany – over the championships (March 26-31).

Britain didn’t just win golds, many of the athletes also set record times.

World masters records are not always clear. While the BMAF are quick to ratify, the world body (WMA) are often slow and ponderous in dealing with complicated forms and often the marks in the race programme or announced in the stadium are not always up to date.

The 1500m proved particularly successful for British and Irish athletes.

Dean Richardson had not competed internationally since winning the M45 world 1500m title here in 2019 and had suffered from injury and a bad bout of Covid. He therefore didn’t compete on the track at all in 2021 and 2022 but was now back in shape and out to win his first international M50 title.

He led all the way passing 200m in 31.98, 400m in 65.55 and 800m in 2:13.61 but he still had company in 800m champion Robert Celinski and 3000m champion Anthony O’Brien.

After passing 1000m in in 2:47.00 he accelerated from the front with laps of 32.82 to drop O’Brien and then a 30.73 lap got rid of the Pole – he carried on at a fast pace and a perfect dip at the finish saw him clock 4:06.02.

That last 300m, which he ran in 46.21, produced a final mark of 4:06.02, taking a second off Sean Wade’s world record of 4:07.01 in the process. It was three seconds off of Mark Symes’ UK mark set when winning the European title last winter.

There were also two British records.

Paul Forbes had won the earlier 800m at a canter at his M65 world record distance. However, he did get beaten over 1500m at the European Indoors in Braga last winter.

Here he was up against 3000m and 5km world record-holder Alastair Walker who had set a world 10km record of 34:18 but had clearly been working at his speed.

Walker set off fast with a 35.90 opening 200m – which if he’d carried on at that pace would have taken 15 seconds off of Cees Stolwiks’ world mark.

At this stage Forbes was a few seconds back as Walker passed 400m in 75.18 and 800m in 2:32.63 as Forbes gradually closed.

Walker gradually picked up again with laps of 38.78, 37.87 and then 36.55 but Forbes followed and then kicked past in the last 50 metres to win in a UK record 4:43.43 – less than half a second from the Dutchman’s record time.

Walker – who finished third in the standings – was close by and inside 4:44 but was harshly disqualified due to the fact he he had clipped a bollard during the race, even though he never went inside the line.

However, there is no doubt that he could easily break the 1500m record in a open race where he would get more assistance and a more cautious opening lap.

Northern Irelander Dave Clarke, who had been third in the earlier 800m and 3000m sat back with the first lap a pedestrian 39.22.

Then Sweden’s 3000m silver medallist Hakan Eriksson picked the pace up with a string of 36 second laps to pass 800m in 2:29.25 and 1200m in 3:40.31 but Clarke held on as they got away from France’s 800m winner Xavier Lefay.

Clarke then shot down the straight to claim a championships and UK record of 4:33.59 from Erikkson, Lefay and Canadian Mark Pinckard, who had beaten him in the other races.

There was a world record in the women’s events but curiously by the athlete who was fourth across the line, who was eventually given the bronze.

Susan McDonald W60 record-breaker

Susan McDonald of America had turned 60 during the championships and took four seconds off of Virginia Mitchell’s newly set W55 800m mark. Here, she bettered the 1500m time of Lidia Zentner by just over a second with 5:08.88. The actually W60 title was won by Soain’s Esther Pedrosa in 5:32.29.

That W60 record looked in doubt as the W55 field jogged the first 200m in 45.46 and 400m in 42.78.
Then 3000m champion Michelle Rohl, reeled off the next few laps at around world record pace with 37.98, 37.67, 37.06 and 36.12 which dropped McDonald but German 800m winner Eva Trost stayed close.

Eva Trost was first across the line in the W55 1500m but was later disqualified

On the final straight, Trost, who won the W50 double in 2019, kicked but ultimately gold went to Rohl as Trost had stumbled earlier and put her foot momentarily in the line, meaning she received a harsh disqualification. That allowed Richardson to move up one place to fourth.

Alison Bourgeois W65 1500m winner

The only British women’s win came from Alison Bourgeois who sauntered to a very easy 16-second W65 victory in 6:02.59.

Former multi-world and European champion Ros Tabor, in her first track race for three years years following two replacement hips took second in the W70 race, while Iris Hornsey – who had also not raced internationally since Torun 2019 –  followed up her 800m gold and 400m bronze with a silver to give her a full set here.

Laura Haggarty (W35 bronze), Elke Hausler (W60 bronze) and Stephen Allen (M55 bronze), also medalled but M35 Mike Cummings, M40 Gareth Price and W40 Zoe Doyle just missed out in fourth.

Pick of the other winners were Ireland’s Joe Gough. The M70 ran the last 200m in 30 seconds including a wave to the crowd as he completed the double in 5:13.84 while M85 Angel Cano Alcolea and M90 David Carr also completed their doubles in impressive style.

Ireland also won a W45 gold.

Jane Horder, the world 300m hurdles outdoor champion, had won the W65 60m on the flat earlier in the championships against the legendary Karla Del Grande and it was no surprise she won the 60m hurdles.

In fact it was more than a win as her 10.00 left the opposition almost two seconds in arrears. That time is faster than her listed world mark of 10.29 set last winter though the BMAF have ratified her 9.98 from Loughborough earlier this winter as a British best.

The other British winner was former AW Master of the Year Joe Appiah. Two months ago the reigning world outdoor and European indoor hurdles champion ran a time of 8.23 to better American Derek Pye’s world M50 mark of 8.24. That mark was ratified as a British best by the BMAF though the WMA still list Pye’s time as first on the list.

In the final, Appiah clearly won in 8.39 with UK team-mate Gary Smith second in 8.64.

Pye destroyed the M55 world record of 8.56 with 8.41 in his heat and was on his way to another fast time and clear victory when he fell at the last hurdle and got up to finish sixth in 10.48 as Canadian Yannick Le Mouel won in 8.86.

M65 Tennyson James and W50 Paula Williams both came within a metre of victory in silver while other UK hurdle medallists were Gaye Clarke (W60 silver), Jean fail (W70 silver), Liam Collins (M40 bronze), Des Wilkinson (M60 bronze), Cat Pennet (W35 bronze) and Caroline Marler (W70 bronze).

The latter, who competed in the 1976 Olympic Trials 800m where she set her 800m PB of 2:06.9, was one of the busiest competitors here as she was also second in the pentathlon and 400m and fifth in the 60m and eighth in the shot put.

Golds in the 200m were also unusually hard to come by. John Wright had just missed the M60 world record in the 400m as he blasted the first 200m in 24.70 but slowed to 30.95 for his second lap but still set a British and European best.

In the 200m final, drawn on the outside lane, ran his fastest electrical time for 12 years indoors or out as he sped to a 24.28 clocking to shade American Bill Collins’ 12 year-old record of 24.31 and he won by almost a second. According to Power of 10, the 63 year-old Wright has never run faster indoors.

Wright also led off the British 4x200m relay to an easy team gold in 1:43.66 along with fellow finalists Pat Logan and Mike Vassiliou plus Peter Ilo.

Wright to me was the sprint performance of the weekend but the run that got all the attention was the remarkable 92 year-old Hiroo Tanaka. The Japanese showed incredible leg speed to run a world M90 record of 38.79.

The resulting tweet of his run has currently been viewed around 40,000 times.

Allan Long, in his first year of indoor competition in the M80 age group, followed up his 60m gold here with a near two second win in 32.51 though he did not approach his UK record set at the British Masters.

Long also won a third gold as he competed in the inaugural mixed 4x200m relay and together with Barry Ferguson – one of Britain’s greatest ever masters hurdlers but sitting out here plus two other champions here Iris Hornsey and Kathleen Stewart, they won in 2:46.69.

The hugely supported relay (14 nations contested the V50 event alone) only saw one other UK medal for the V60 team which came second.

It took a world record to beat Caroline Powell in the 200m. In her final year in the W65s, the British sprinting all-time great was up against the Canadian Del Grande whom she had beaten in a classic battle in the 400m.

The slightly older Canadian had become a W70 out in Torun and set a W70 world mark in the 400m heats and she did so again in the 200m heats with 31.65.

In the final, Powell was drawn in lane six and seemed to have the narrow advantage most of the finishing straight but while in the 400m final the Canadian had wilted and stumbled, this time she finished strongest and edged by to win in 31.18 to 31.20 to improve the W70 world mark though next year .

Powell, who also won a 4x200m gold along with Horder, will also have that time as a W70 target in 2024. Del Grande still holds the W65 record at 29.73 and did hold the W60 world record at 28.23. That W60 mark though was easily eclipsed in Torun.

Eight years after she set the W55 record of 26.13 on the same track, another sprinting legend Nicole Alexis of France ran 27.70 in her heat and then a superb 27.34 in the final as she won by over a second.

Stacey Downie (W35 silver), Lisa Boland (W40 bronze from tight lane two after only being fifth fastest in qualifying), Anne Nelson (W70 bronze), Kathleen Stewart W80 silver), Dot Fraser (W80 silver) and Liz Finlay (W85 bronze) were the other UK women 200m medallists.

The W60 4x200m joined the W65s of Nicola Buckwell, Jeanette Ashton, Horder and Powell as champions.

A strong lead off leg from Virginia Mitchell, who had earlier in Torun set world 400m and 800m records, gave them a good lead and Angela Kelly, Sandra Mitusch and Melanie Garland combined to give them a 12 second win in 2:08:47. The W65 team ran 2:12.16 which was quicker than all bar the Brits in the W60s.

Virginia Mitchell helped GB to a W60 4x200m win

The W80 team of Stewart, Hornsey, Betty Stracey and W85 Dot Fraser won the W80 title unopposed in 3:36.96.

Britain picked up further women’s relay medals with silver for the W40s and W70s and bronzes for the W35.

Britain provided four of the six finalists in the M45 race but were not surprisingly unable to challenge Lion Martinez who after an earlier 60m world record bettered the 22.30 world mark with 22.23 in his semi-final.

Almost everyone ran slower in the final as the Swede ran 22.42 with Dominic Bradley (23.16) and Gavin Stephens (23.36) following him home and Tam Ossai and Ian Horsburgh all ran faster in their heats.

Most of the quartet combined though with Ciaran Harvey coming in to replace the injured Horsburgh, to dominate the 4x200m relay where they won gold in 1:34.06 compared to USA’s 1:35:45.

Simon Barrett won M70 silver but went one better in the relay where the British team beat the USA 1:54.14 to 1:54.95.

Mike Coogan (M50 bronze) also medalled individually.

Antony Daffun pulled off a great M35 triple jump victory as his final round 14.75m moved him from fourth to first and he won gold by 13 centimetres.

A more predictable winner was former Commonwealth Games representative Irie Hill.

Since a fifth place finish in the 2008 World Indoors, the now 54-year-old has claimed an astonishing 20 successive world or European indoor or outdoor titles and won here with a 3.10m leap.

Sue Yeomans has almost been as dominant in recent years and the W65 world outdoor champion was making her W70 debut but had to settle for second with a below-par 2.20m jump.

Other UK pole vault medallists on the last two days were Dash Newington (W35 silver), Stacey Gonzalez Betancourt (W45 silver) and Rosalind Zeffert (W60 bronze).

Jodie Albrow won W40 gold four years after winning W35 gold in Torun. Second after a 9.26 hurdles, she won the high jump with a 1.45m leap, threw 9.10m for third best in the shot, won the long jump with a 5.11m leap and was second best at 800m with 2:32.59 which gave her gold by 178 points.

Niabari Rutter won the W35 silver and Jeanette Ashton the W65 bronze.

The half-marathon yielded some additional success.

W55 half-marathon winner Sue McDonald

UK W55 marathon record-holder Sue McDonald was the only individual champion as she followed up her 10km success with a 83:49 clocking, confusingly coming on the same day as an American also named Sue McDonald had won a W55 bronze in the 1500m, setting a world W60 mark.

As in the 10km following her home was team-mate Clare Elms. The reigning European champion, who won multi-gold here in 2019, was sitting out the track this year as she is in her last year in the W55 age group, felt better after illness in the 10km and though not at her very best, her time of 1:24:40 will be a three minute British W60 record if repeated at the end of the year.

Elms finished alongside Ireland’s W50 champion Cathy McCourt who has coached Alastair Walker to his recent successes and together with W60 Susan Payne, McDonald and Elms won team gold by over half an hour and beat the times of W35 and W55 winners Poland. McDonald had also won a cross-country team gold which gave her four golds and an individual cross-country bronze from her weekend.

Lisa Finlay won the W50 silver in 1:25:49 and won a silver W45 team medal.

Other UK medallists were M80 Phil Brennan and W45 Sibel Recber Latchman and the M75 team of Geoff Newton, Ken Black and Brennan also won a team gold.

M65 Paul Hughes missed out on a medal by a second while British and Ireland M60 International cross-country champion Steve Watmough matched his fourth place in last summer’s World 10km and half-marathon Championships.

The Belgian M35 Justin Mahieu was the overall winner in 66:44 while the women’s race was headed by the hosts W45 Agnieszka Gortel-Maciuk’s 75:30. The Pole has a 2:30:28 marathon PB.

With a rush of team golds in the walks and cross-country, Poland easily topped the medal table with 83 golds to Germany’s 74 but the latter had the most medals at 234 to Poland’s 202.

USA were third on 56 golds with Britain enjoying a strong last few days to get 49 golds but outscore the USA in medal terms – 156 to 151. Ireland were an excellent seventh with 28 golds and 75 medals as altogether 58 teams medalled. 45 nations won a gold including San Marino.

The event is generally a logistical nightmare with 25 age groups, and as well as indoor events (including 20 plus pentathons), outdoor throws, walks and road races and cross-country and you could argue only the latter is a true winter event but the other events attract extra entries and income to the organisers and local hotels, shops and restaurants.

Curiously though over 80 half-marathon entries did not start. For those who think Masters athletic events should start at 40 and not 35, were given credence by a lack of real quality over most of these age group events and many world titles were won by athletes outside the top 50 in their age group worldwide.

Some of the older events are not necessarily the very best in their age group but the best who can afford to travel to Poland for close on a week.

However, there is no denying though that some are the very best in the world such as Gough, Wright, Forbes, del Grande, Alexis, Richardson, Horder, Hill and Mitchell are competing and it is a very much a true world championships and deserves more coverage.

Joe Gough

M35:
200: 1 A Couffe FRA 21.90 (21.70 SF); 6 CRAIG COX GBR 23.51 (23.11 SF, 22.99 ht). SFs: MICHAEL DICKENS 23.70 (23.32 ht)
1500: 1 M Husted USA 4:02.00; 4 MIKE CUMMINGS GBR 4:05.97 (4:12.29 ht)
60H: 1 D Siegel GER 8.18; 6 MICHAEL LOUISE 8.50 (8.59 ht). Hts: MAXIM HALL GBR 8.74
TJ: 1 ANTONY DAFFURN GBR 14.75; 2 O Bulak UKR 14.64
4×200: 1 POL 1:31.32; 3 GBR 1:32.92
10kmW: 1 R Sikora POL 43:25
TEAM: 1 GER 2:40:23
HM: 1 J Mahieu BEL 66:44
TEAM: 1 ESP 3:36:48

Antoine Echels wins the M40 200m

M40:
200: 1 A Echols USA 22.33. SFs: RICHARD BEARDSALL GBR 23.05 (23.23 ht)
1500: 1 A Tayebli IRN 4:04.53; 4 GARETH PRICE GBR 4:06.96 (4:09.90 ht). in hts: GURMIT SINGH GBR 4:29.53
60H: 1 J Hinton CAN 8.15; 3 LIAM COLLINS GBR 8.90 (8.93 ht)’ 7 CLINT NICHOLLS 9.49 (9.69 ht)
TJ: 1 L Sobora POL 14.63; 7 JOHN BOWDEN GBR 10.48

Lucasz Sobora M40 triple jump winner

4×200: 1 USA 1:33.31; 5 GBR 1:42.11
10kmW: 1 J Morales Del Castillo ESP 43:38
TEAM: 1 ESP 2:27:51
HM: 1 M Akaouch FRA 66:50
TEAM: 1 POL 3:35:04

M45:
200: 1 L Martinez ESP 22.42 (22.23 SF); 2 DOMINIC BRADLEY GBR 23.16 (22.84 SF, 22.92 ht); 3 GAVIN STEPHENS GBR 23.36 (23.10 SF, 23.09 ht)); 5 TAM OSSAI GBR 23.85 (23.21 SF, 23.39 ht)); IAN HORSBURGH GBR DNF (23.06 SF, 23.12 ht). SFs: CIARAN HARVEY GBR 24.65 (24.52 ht). hts: DARREN TOWART GBR 24.59
1500: 1 A Canton Gomez ESP 4:14.63. hts: ANDY BROWN 4:24.91
60H: 1 F Ruiz Gonzalez ESP 8.52 (8.50 ht); 7 TOWART GBR 9.74 (9.69 ht)
TJ: 1 S Okantey USA 13.60; 6 GRANT STIRLING GBR 12.52
4×200: 1 GBR (BRADLEY, STEPHENS, HARVEY, OSSAI) 1:34.06; 2 USA 1:35.45
10kmW: 1 E Sikuku KEN 44:11
TEAM: 1 POL 2:41:00
HM: 1 J Diaz Carretero ESP 68:02
TEAM: 1 POL 3:35:37; 5 GBR 5:13.06

M50:
200: 1 J Mack USA 23.48; 3 MIKE COOGAN GBR 23.94 (23.83 SF, 23.99 ht)). Semis: GUISEPPI MINETTI GBR 24.31 (24.31 ht). Hts: DARREN SCOTT 23.98; CRAIG BEECHAM 25.89
1500: 1 DEAN RICHARDSON GBR 4:06.02 (4:20.45 ht); 2 R Celinski POL 4:09.76; 3 TONY O’BRIEN GBR 4:11.21 (4:19.67 ht)

Dean Richardson led the M50 1500m to set a world record

60H: 1 JOE APPIAH GBR 8.39 (8.41 ht); 2 GARY SMITH GBR 8.64 (8.89 ht); 3 G Allen GER 8.76
4×200: 1 POR 1:38.02; 2 SWE 1:39.39; 3 GBR (MINETTI, BEECHAM, BELTRAMO, COOGAN) 1:39.74
10kmW: 1 T Lipiec POL 46.41
TEAM: 1 AUT 2:46:45
HM: 1 J Nsimirimana ITA 70:09
TEAM: 1 POL 3:48:15; 4 GBR 4:55:17

M55:

Claudio Fausto wins the M55 200m

200: 1 C Fausti ITA 24.10 (24.10 sf). Hts: IAN ALLEN 26.42; WOLE ODEJE GBR 26.49
1500: 1 C Novak USA 4:22.67; 3 STEPHEN ALLEN GBR 4:24.55 (4:28.89 ht); 7 DAVE COWLISHAW GBR 4:27.20 (4:30.51 ht); 8 ANDREW RIDLEY GBR 4:27.48 (4:36.30 ht); 11 ADRIAN HAINES GBR 4:31.59 (4:28.93 ht). Hts: ROB McHARG 4:37.42; COLIN WILLIAMS 4:40.28

Andrew Ridley leads the M55 1500m from Stephen Allen

60H: 1 Y Le Mouel CAN 8.86. Hts: D Pye USA 8.41 (WR); BARRIE MARSDEN GBR 9.16
4×200: 1 POL 1:40.39; 4 GBR 1:44:44
10kmW: 1 M Carvajal Ortega ESP 47:58; 2 DAVID ANNETTS GBR 48:22
TEAM: 1 ESP 2:43:12
HM: 1 P Poblocki POL 75:31
TEAM: 1 POL 3:55:27

M60:

John Wright

200: 1 JOHN WRIGHT GBR 24.28 (WR) (24.93 SF, 26.00 ht); 2 P Carnier FRA 25.22; 4 MIKE VASSILOU GBR 26.20 (25.66 SF, 26.01 ht); 5 PAT LOGAN GBR 26.21 (25.55 SF, 25.95 ht). Semis: STUART LYNN GBR 26.94 (26.79 ht); PETER ILO GBR 26.99 (26.75 ht). Hts: PAUL GUEST GBR 26.88
1500: 1 DAVID CLARKE GBR 4:33.59 (UK rec, CBP) (4:50.11 ht); 2 H Eriksson SWE 4:34.31; 8 JOHN THOMSON GBR 4:49.50 (4:51.49 ht). Hts: JED TURNER GBR 5:02.42; ANDY GANNAWAY 5:10.29

Dave Clarke in second at the bell

60H: 1 V Zaniauskas LTU 9.34; 3 DES WILKINSON GBR 9.62 (9.46 ht); 4 NEIL TUNSTALL GBR 9.71 (9.72 ht); 6 GLEN REDDINGTON GBR 10.00 (9.96 ht); 8 IAN CRAWLEY GBR 10.67 (11.03 ht)
4×200: 1 GBR (WRIGHT, LOGAN, VASSILIOU, ILO) 1:43.66; 2 USA 1:45.08
10kmW: 1 M Perianez Garcia ESP 49:56
TEAM: 1 ESP 2:41:56
HM: 1 I Kasprzak POL 75:57; 4 STEVE WATMOUGH GBR 80:56

Steve Watmough

TEAM: 1 POL 4:04:47; 5 GBR 4:30:31

M65:
200: 1 G Zorn GER 26.00 (25.87 SF). Semis: TENNYSON JAMES GBR 26.77 (27.07 SF)
1500: 1 PAUL FORBES GBR 4:43.43 (5:11.57 ht); 2 O Bernes NOR 4:55.94; 7 BRIAN GREEN GBR 5:03.62; 10 PETER MOUNTAIN GBR 5:23.46 (5:19.73 ht); ALASTAIR WALKER DQ (4:43.94) (5:22.43 ht)

Alastair Walker with an early lead over Paul Forbes

60H: 1 W Musial POL 9.68; 2 TENNYSON JAMES 9.78 (10.07 ht). hts: BRIAN SLAUGHTER 10.38
4×200: 1 POL 1:49.61; 4 GBR 2:01.95
10KmW: 1 E Alfieri ITA 54:18; 12 IAN TORODE GBR 68:22
TEAM: 1 ITA 2:59:24
HM: 1 J Kauppila FIN 81:37; 4 PAUL HUGHES GBR 85:38; 8 GAVIN BAYNE 87:57
TEAM: 1 UKR 4:19:31; 4 GBR 5:02:00

M70:

M70 200m final

200: 1 M Kish USA 26.91 (26.72 ht); 2 SIMON BARRETT GBR 27.79 (27.63 SF); WALWYN FRANKLYN DNF (29.16 SF, 29.13 ht). Semis: ADRIAN ESSEX 29.87 (29.10 ht). Heats: DAVID HINDS GBR 29.53
1500: 1 J Gough IRL 5:13.84

M70 1500m final

60H: 1 T Wilson USA 9.73
TJ: 1 A Aartola FIN 10.05
4×200: 1 GBR (FRANKLYN, HINDS, ESSEX, BARRETT) 1:54.14; 2 USA 1:54.95

M70 4x200m relay

10kmW: 1 J Camarena Lopez MEX 57:31; IAN RICHARDS GBR DQ
TEAM: 1 GER 3:15:18
HM: 1 C Stolwijk NED 1:29:51
TEAM: 1 ESP 4:59:36

M75:
200: 1 C Allie USA 28.43 (29.07 SF, 29.07 ht)
1500: 1 H Smeets NED 5:44.20; 2 G Patton USA 5:44.71

M75 1500m

60H: 1 M Beliansky SVK 11.39 (10.92 ht)
PV: 1 V Cela LAT 3.02
TJ: 1 O Borg SWE 9.79
4×200: 1 GER 2:10.99
10kmW: 1 E Formentin ITA 63:51
TEAM: 1 GER 3:45:59
HM: 1 L Lubenskiy EST 1:46:27; 4 GEOFF NEWTON GBR 1:51:38; 8 KEN BLACK GBR 2:10:52
TEAM: 1 GBR (NEWTON, BLACK, BRENNAN) 6:03:27; 2 POL 6:29:04

M80:
200: 1 ALLAN LONG GBR 32.51 (33.31 ht); 2 L Karlsson SWE 34.33; 4 ANTHONY TREACHER GBR 35.28 (34.39 ht)
1500: 1 J Esnault FRA 6:31.58; 9 BARRIE ROBERTS GBR 8:37.16
60H: 1 N Back SWE 13.86
4×200: GER dq
PV: 1 E Korlko POL 2.20
TJ: 1 J Tennasilm EST 8.27; 2 LONG GBR 8.06
10kmW: 1 W Giese GER 71:03
HM: 1 K Trumper GER 1:56:50; 3 PHIL BRENNAN GBR 2:01:00
TEAM: 1 GER 6:02:19

M85:

M85 200m won by Karl Mey

200: 1 K Mey CAN 38.60
1500: 1 A Cano Alcolea ESP 8:19.50
60H: 1 P Makkonen FIN 14.10
PV: 1 Makkonen FIN 1.90
TJ: 1 J Johansen NOR 6.42
10kmW: 1 D Parrish 92:43
HM: 1 K Wittig GER 2:04:45
4×200: 1 GER 3:01.92

M90:

M90 200m winner Hiroo Tanaka

200: 1 H Tanaka JPN 38.79
1500: 1 D Carr AUS 9:10.13

W35:

Stacey Downie finishes second in the W35 200m as Sara Wiss falls across the line

200: 1 S Wiss SWE 25.15 (25.15 ht); 2 STACEY DOWNIE 25.31 (25.34 ht); 4 JOANNE RYAN GBR 27.00 (26.71 ht)
1500: 1 S Michalak POL 4:31.95; 3 LAURA HAGGERTY GBR 4:45.22; 4 ALEXIS DODD GBR 4:49.08
60H: 1 N Chroudi TUN 8.84; 3 CATRIONA PENNET GBR 9.17
4×200: 1 USA 1:49.78; 3 GBR (RYAN, HAGGERTY, DODD, RUTTER) 1:54.38
PV: 1 E Rossi SMR 3.20; 2 DASH NEWINGTON GBR 3.00
PEN: 1 N Chroudi TUN 3942; 2 NIABARI RUTTER 3261
3kmW: 1 E Varoquier FRA 58.26; 3 NEWINGTON GBR 65:10
TEAM: 1 POL 3:20:30
HM: 1 M Brzozowska POL 1:16:43
TEAM: 1 POL 4:47:49

W40:

Lisa Boland takes third in the W40 200m

200: 1 S Caravelli ITA 25.48; 3 LISA BOLAND GBR 25.85 (26.04 SF, 25.85 ht). in ht: CLAIRE SPURWAY GBR 27.60
1500: 1 B Bieganowska-Zajac POL 4:45.66; 4 ZOE DOYLE GBR 4:49.34
60H: 1 S Caravelli ITA 8.91
4×200: 1 USA 1:48.40; 2 GBR (BOLAND, DOYLE, ALBROW, SPURWAY) 1:49.94
PV: 1 P Hidalgo-Fortes ESP 3.10; 4 GILLIAN COOKE GBR 2.90
PEN: 1 JODIE ALBROW GBR 3675; 2 M Figueroa CHI 3497
10kmW: 1 G Njue KEN 51:37
TEAM: 1 ESP 2:54:10
HM: 1 A Lund USA 77:54
TEAM: 1 USA 4:22:00

W40 half-marathon winner April Lund

W45:
200: 1 A Gheorghiu ROM 25.89; SUE McLOUGHLIN GBR DNF (26.50 SF, 26.60 ht). Semi: YVETTE HENRY GBR 27.26 (27.67 ht). Ht: KAREN BURLES 26.48
1500: 1 M Leech IRL 5:02.79
60H: 1 M Hristova BUL 8.96
4×200: 1 POL 1:50.37
PV: 1 B Capellini ITA 3.00; 2 STACEY GONZALEZ BETANCOURT GBR 3.00
PEN: 1 J Gartmann 4028
10kmW: 1 V Molnar-Birone HUN 52:29; 9 CAROLYN DERBYSHIRE 63:18
TEAM: 1 POL 3:06:09
HM: 1 A Gortel-Maciuk POL 75:30; 3 SIBEL RECBER LATCHMAN GBR 84:34
TEAM: 1 IRL 4:12:41; 2 GBR 4:18:36

W50:
200: 1 C Sanulli ITA 26.40
1500: 1 M Camps ESP 4:50.79
60H: 1 T Schilling GER 9.66; 2 PAULA WILLIAMS GBR 9.71 (9.79 ht)
4×200: 1 AUS 1:54.21; 5 GBR 1:57.33
PV: 1 IRIE HILL GBR 3.10; 2 M Eskelinen FIN 3.00

Irie Hill (Tom Phillips)

PEN: 1 T Schilling GER 4528
10kmW: 1 A Savarese ITA 55:25
TEAM: 1 FRA 2:52:58
HM: 1 C McCourt IRL 1:24:40; 2 LISA FINLAY GBR 1:25:49; 4 JEANNIE BRADY GBR 1:28:16
TEAM: 1 POL 4:55:39

W50 half marathon winner Cathy McCourt and W55 runner-up Clare Elms finishing

W55:
200: 1 J Brims AUS 26.92 (26.60 SF). Semis: JULIET SIDNEY 29.17 (29.20 ht); FIONA STEELE 30.03 (30.08 ht)
1500: 1 M Rohl USA 4:53.07; 3 S McDonald USA 5:08.88 (W60 WR); 5 ANNA CRITCHLOW GBR 5:20.82; E Trost GER DQ
60H: 1 P Bajeat FRA 9.75
4×200: 1 USA 1:56:37
PV: 1 M Prat Grau ESP 2.80
PEN: 1 B Gahling GER 4219
10kmW: 1 K Bodorkos-Horvath HUN 55:44
TEAM: 1 POL 3:11:59
HM: 1 SUE McDONALD GBR 1:23:49; 2 CLARE ELMS GBR 1:24:40; 3 L Pushkina UKR 1:32:51
TEAM: 1 GBR (McDONALD, ELMS, PAYNE) 4:29:25; 2 GER 5:02:52

W60:
200: 1 N Alexis FRA 27.34 (WR) (27.70 SF – WR)

Nicole Alexis celebrates her W60 record

1500: 1 E Pedroso ESP 5:32:29; 3 ELKE HAUSLER GBR 5:40.44; 5 CHRISTINE ANTHONY 5:45.60; 9 SHARYN RAMAGE GBR 6:06.85
60H: 1 M Escribano Checa ESP 10.46; 2 GAYE CLARKE GBR 10.85
4×200: 1 GBR (MITCHELL, KELLY, MITUSCH, GARLAND) 2:08:47; 2 GER 2:19:58
PV: 1 B Van de Kamp NED 2.70; 3 ROSALIND ZEFFERTT GBR 2.10
PEN: 1 M Escribano Checa ESP 3910; 2 B Van de Kamp NED 3465
10kmW: 1 J Luniewska POL 62:26
TEAM: 1 ESP 3:19:54
HM: 1 M Slocum IRL 89:39; 2 I Clements IRL 90:13; 6 SUSAN PAYNE GBR 1:40:59
TEAM: 1 POL 5:02:29

W65:

Karla del Grande

200: 1 K Del Grande CAN 31.18 (World W70 rec); 2 CAROLINE POWELL GBR 31.20
1500: 1 ALISON BOURGEOIS GBR 6:02.59; 2 T Bernett USA 6:19.27
60H: 1 JANE HORDER GBR 10.00; 2 U Karneback SWE 11.97

Britain’s winning W65 4x200m team

4×200: 1 GBR (BUCKWELL, ASHTON, HORDER, POWELL) 2:12.16; 2 USA 2:19.15
PV: 1 R Hanscom USA 2.20
PEN: 1 A Akkerman-Smits NED 3377; 3 JEANETTE ASHTON GBR 2984; 6 NICOLA BUCKWELL GBR 2699
10kmW: 1 J Flipsen CAN 61:54
TEAM: 1 CAN 3:16:53
HM: 1 C Kennedy USA 91:38; 2 P Moran IRL 93:51
TEAM: 1 USA 5:09:06

W70:
200: 1 A Micheletti ITA 33.68; 3 ANNE NELSON GBR 35.69 (35.95 ht)
1500: 1 E Westphal GER 6:47.15; 2 ROS TABOR GBR 7:08.97

W70 1500m podium including Britain’s Ros Tabor

60H: 1 E Piret FRA 12.07; 2 JEAN FAIL GBR 12.89; 3 CAROLINE MARLER GBR 12.96
4×200: 1 GER 2:34.19; 2 GBR (McMAHON, AHMET, NELSON, MARLER) 2:34.35

Caroline Marler chases the German team in the 4x200m relay

PV: 1 U Ritte GER 2.30; 2 SUE YEOMANS GBR 2.20
PEN: 1 1 E Piret FRA 3537; 2 CAROLINE MARLER GBR 3421
10kmW: 1 M Orlete Mendes POR 62:38
TEAM: 1 USA 3:26:55
HM: 1 M Goettnauer GER 1:44:05; 6 JANE GEORGHIOU GBR 1:55:34

W75:
200: 1 I Meier GER 35.54
1500: 1 E Widelund SWE 7:41.13
60H: 1 G Rivenes NOR 14.53
4×200: 1 USA 3:54.96
PEN: 1 C Joannes BEL 2653
10kmW: 1 A Tyshko UKR 69:26
HM: 1 M Nittel GER 2:03:44
TEAM: 1 GER 7:12:22

W80:

Kathleen Stewart in W80 4x200m medal action

200: 1 1 R Dijkman NED 38.91; 2 KATHLEEN STEWART GBR 40.60
1500: 1 J Flores POR 8:35.14; 2 IRIS HORNSEY GBR 8:58.03
4×200: 1 GBR (STEWART, HORNSEY, STRACEY, FRASER) 3:36.96
PV: 1 K Viitanen FIN 1.50
PEN: 1 V Holmberg FIN 1897
10kmW: 1 L Schickert AUS 89:53

W85:
200: 1 J Rosinska POL 54.87; 2 DOT FRASER GBR 57.14; 3 ELIZABETH FINLAY GBR 91.91

Mixed 4×200 Relays
V35: 1 POL 1:36.99; 8 GBR 2:00.14
V40: 1 GER 1:37.68; 4 GBR 1:43.66
V50: 1 GER 1:45.25; 12 GBR 1:59.32
V55: 1 USA 1:47.15; 7 GBR 1:58.57
V60: 1 USA 1:53.30; 2 GBR 2:00.62
V65: 1 SWE 2:03.75
V70: 1 JPN 2:20.09; 4 GBR 2:34.38
V75: 1 USA 2:53.00
V80: 1 GBR (FERGUSON, HORNSEY, STEWART, LONG) 2:46.69; 2 FIN 3:01.28

MEDAL TABLE
1 POL 83 67 52
2 GER 74 73 87
3 USA 56 57 38
4 GBR 49 49 58
5 ESP 37 40 38
6 ITA 33 23 19
7 IRL 28 23 24
8 FIN 27 18 14
9 FRA 26 24 34
10 SWE 22 22 14
11 AUS 12 7 11
12 NED 11 9 11

Read about GB successes at 800m here

for details of Alastair Walker’s world M65 10km record click here

Mercyhurst hockey dismisses Briere after incident

Published in Hockey
Monday, 03 April 2023 15:56

Carson Briere was dismissed from the Mercyhurst University men's hockey team, the school announced Monday.

The decision to remove Brier, a son of Philadelphia Flyers interim general manager Daniel Briere, from the program comes a little more than three weeks after a video posted to social media showed Briere and another Mercyhurst student-athlete pushing an unoccupied wheelchair down a staircase.

The March 11 video shows that Briere, a junior, was speaking with two people at a local bar. They were at the top of the bar's staircase next to the empty wheelchair. Briere momentarily sat in the wheelchair before standing up and pushing the wheelchair down a flight of stairs, then walking into the bar.

Briere and Patrick Carrozzi, who plays for Mercyhurst's lacrosse team, were charged March 20 with three misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief, criminal conspiracy to commit mischief and disorderly conduct. They are scheduled to appear in court May 22.

Briere later provided a statement to ESPN in which he said he was "deeply sorry" for his behavior while adding "there is no excuse for my actions."

Sydney Benes, who was identified as the owner of the wheelchair, filed a complaint. In her complaint, Benes stated that the fall down the stairs damaged her wheelchair's left brake handle, broke the right arm rest's plastic molding, bent a rear handle and caused the wheels to drag when moving forward. Benes said the wheelchair cost $2,000 when it was purchased a year earlier. Days after the incident, Mercyhurst said Briere, Carrozzi and the third person on the video were all student-athletes and were all suspended.

Mercyhurst, an Erie, Pennsylvania, school and member of Division I's Atlantic Hockey Association, also said in its statement released Monday on Twitter that it would not provide any further comment.

Briere, 23, just completed his third season at Mercyhurst, appearing in 30 games. His father, 45, played 17 seasons in the NHL.

After the incident, Daniel Briere, issued a statement saying, "I was shocked to see Carson's actions in the video that was shared on social media yesterday. They are inexcusable and run completely counter to our family's values on treating people with respect. Carson is very sorry and accepts full responsibility for his behavior."

Worth the weight: Sir Alex gets 40-year-old medal

Published in Soccer
Monday, 03 April 2023 15:39

Alex Ferguson is getting another medal to add to his extensive collection.

Forty years later, some of the key people behind Scottish team Aberdeen's win over Real Madrid in the European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1983 have been granted medals by UEFA.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

They include the 81-year-old Ferguson, the great Manchester United manager who coached Aberdeen to victory that night in Gothenburg.

Only the 11 Aberdeen players who started the game and five substitutes received winner's medals.

However, following a campaign by Aberdeen's heritage trust as well as the club's former chief executive Duncan Fraser, who is a UEFA delegate, European football's governing body agreed to provide six additional medals.

Aside from Ferguson, then-assistant coach Archie Knox and midfielder Dougie Bell, who missed the game because of injury, are among the others to receive medals.

"Given the significance all these individuals played to the Dons' success that night, these medals will now ensure they are all suitably recognized for the contribution they played and will further underline their place in the club's history," Aberdeen said.

Ferguson, one of the most successful managers in soccer history, won 48 titles in his coaching career including 10 with Aberdeen, where he started forging a strong reputation that earned him a chance at United.

Red cards fly in feisty Everton, Tottenham draw

Published in Soccer
Monday, 03 April 2023 15:50

Michael Keane made amends for giving away a penalty by scoring from a long-range strike in the 90th minute to earn Everton a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in a feisty English Premier League game on Monday that saw both teams finish with 10 men.

Some Everton fans jumped over the advertising hoardings to celebrate Keane's dipping strike that took their team out of the relegation zone and stopped Tottenham from jumping to third place in their first match since the departure of manager Antonio Conte.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Harry Kane put Tottenham ahead at Goodison Park, converting a penalty in the 68th for his 22nd goal of the season after a foul by Keane on Cristian Romero.

By that time, England captain Kane was being jeered every time he touched the ball because of his role in the sending off of Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure in the 58th.

Kane fell to the ground after being struck in the face by Doucoure as the two grappled in an off-the-ball incident.

Everton manager Sean Dyche likely wasn't alone inside Goodison thinking Kane made too much of an incident that saw Doucoure lash out at the striker after they grabbed each other's shirts following a rash challenge.

Tottenham couldn't take advantage of their extra man, with Everton finishing stronger after the visitors were reduced to 10 men when substitute Lucas Moura was also shown a straight red card for a studs-up lunge on Keane's ankle in the 89th.

Tottenham climbed one place to fourth place, the final Champions League spot, but will regard this result as two points dropped.

Spurs are on the same number of points as third-placed Newcastle United and fifth-placed Manchester United, but have played two games more than both rivals.

Everton climbed three places to 15th but were only a point above the bottom three with nine games remaining in a tight race to avoid the drop.

Play was paused midway through the first half so the three Everton players participating in Ramadan -- Doucoure, Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye -- could break their fast.

Azeem Rafiq open to meeting with Michael Vaughan

Published in Cricket
Monday, 03 April 2023 13:00
Azeem Rafiq has said he is open to meeting Michael Vaughan with a view to finding a way forward for the sport after the findings of the Cricket Discipline Commission's (CDC) racism hearings were published last week.
On Friday, Vaughan was cleared of using racist language towards Rafiq and three other players of Asian descent before Yorkshire's T20 match against Nottinghamshire in 2009. The former England captain was one of seven individuals formerly connected to Yorkshire who faced charges of bringing the game into disrepute over the alleged use of racist and/or discriminatory language. Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale, John Blain and Rich Pyrah had charges proved against them, while Gary Ballance pled guilty in advance.

Following the publication of the verdicts, Vaughan released a statement saying the dismissal of his case "takes nothing away from Azeem's own lived experience". He went on to state he would be willing "to help bring about positive change in any way".

On Saturday, the Telegraph, where Vaughan is a columnist, reported he would be open to meeting Rafiq again. The pair had originally done so 18 months ago, before charges were brought by the ECB. On Monday, Rafiq said he was willing to do the same.

"The one thing I've always tried to do is try to get in a room and have conversations because we're only going to get things better if humans start to have conversations with each other and get each other's perspective," Rafiq told the Press Association. "And from that point of view, I would always be open to that.

Rafiq also referenced the Independent Committee for Equity in Cricket report, which is expected to be published soon.

"I feel the game has an opportunity through the CDC findings. but also through the ICEC report. The game's got a very simple choice. It's either going to confront its failings and really make a commitment and drive forwards together or it's going to live in the level of denial that it has continued to for a long period of time and we're going to end up with another Azeem Rafiq in 20 years' time or probably not even that long."

"I'm not in any position to be making those decisions. [But] If there's a willingness [to meet] - absolutely."

Rafiq also revealed he has been subject to an increase in abuse since the CDC's findings were released. "The level of abuse since Friday has felt like the two-and-a-half years of it all put together in three days," he said. "I've repeatedly been called the P-word, I've had a few tweets where I've been called 'Rafa the K*****'." Both terms featured prominently in the hearings.

"I reported one to Twitter and I got an email this morning saying it doesn't violate the rules. We're having the same conversations again and again and it's just really sad."

Rafiq plans to step back and take stock after a harrowing few years since he went public with his experiences in 2020. He said he hoped his example will not discourage other whistle-blowers from coming forward in the future.

"It's been tough. The inside of me is broken to the absolute core. The level of trust that's been broken inside me - I don't know whether that will ever heal.

"The next bit of what I do is going to decide whether people will come forward and that's why I'm very determined to make sure that what happens to me moving forward is positive. In terms of the abuse and the attacks, quite clearly it's been a message to everyone else, 'don't come forward'.

"But my message to everyone else will be: 'Stand up for what you believe in. Don't be a bystander. Stand up for what you believe in and you'll have way more support than I did'."

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