FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/UCSD Pole Vaulter Dies After Missing Landing Padhttp://www.fanhouse.com/2009/09/06/ucsd-pole-vaulter-dies-after-missing-landing-pad/http://www.fanhouse.com/2009/09/06/ucsd-pole-vaulter-dies-after-missing-landing-pad/http://www.fanhouse.com/2009/09/06/ucsd-pole-vaulter-dies-after-missing-landing-pad/#commentsFiled under: ,

Leon RoachLA JOLLA, Calif. -- A college pole vaulter has died after missing the landing pad during practice at the University of California, San Diego's La Jolla campus.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office says 19-year-old Leon Roach landed head first on concrete during a training jump Saturday.

Roach immediately became unresponsive, according to the coroner's report.

He was pronounced brain dead at a hospital. An autopsy is pending.

A school spokeswoman issued a statement about the accident, but wouldn't release any details, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

"A tragic accident involving one of our talented scholar athletes occurred on campus during a track and field workout yesterday," the statement read. "Words cannot begin to express our sorrow. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of this remarkable student."

A memorial service will be held this week in Huntington Beach, where Roach graduated from Marina High School.

Information from the Associated Press and the San Diego Union-Tribune was used in this report.

UCSD Pole Vaulter Dies After Missing Landing Pad originally appeared on FanHouse on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>FanHouse NewswireSun, 06 Sep 2009 17:30:00 EST U.S. Men Disqualified From Sprint Relayhttp://www.fanhouse.com/2009/08/21/u-s-men-disqualified-from-sprint-relay/http://www.fanhouse.com/2009/08/21/u-s-men-disqualified-from-sprint-relay/http://www.fanhouse.com/2009/08/21/u-s-men-disqualified-from-sprint-relay/#commentsFiled under:

The U.S. men's 4x100-meter relay team ran the fastest qualifying time during Friday's semifinal heats at the world track and field championships. But the Americans won't run in the final, as they were disqualified for passing the baton outside the permitted zone.

Although the final pass, in which Shawn Crawford handed the baton to anchor Darvis Patton, initially appeared to be OK, track officials ruled that the pass had taken place out of bounds. The U.S. appealed, but the ruling stood. It's the latest in a long string of relay disappointments for the American track and field program. At last year's Olympics, both the men's and women's 4x100 teams were disqualified for dropping the baton.

Benita Fitzgerald Mosley of USA Track & Field released the following statement:
"Our men's 4x100 relay had great preparation for this meet, including practicing at relay camp and competing with this exact lineup at Cottbus, where they ran a world-leading time of 37.85. Everyone involved in the relay, including athletes, coaches and administrators, were mindful of doing everything in our power to ensure the relay succeeded. To be disqualified is something that is hard for all of us to accept, but at this point we can only use it as inspiration for our remaining three relays, and as a lesson for future championships.
The disqualification of the Americans makes the Jamaican team, led by Usain Bolt, an even heavier favorite to win the gold at Saturday's final. The Jamaicans qualified Friday without Bolt, who was taking a day off after breaking his own world record in the 200 meters Thursday.

U.S. Men Disqualified From Sprint Relay originally appeared on FanHouse on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Michael David SmithFri, 21 Aug 2009 19:13:00 EST Usain Bolt Wins 200 Meters in World-Record Time of 19.19 Secondshttp://www.fanhouse.com/2009/08/20/usain-bolt-wins-200-meters-at-world-track-and-field-championship/http://www.fanhouse.com/2009/08/20/usain-bolt-wins-200-meters-at-world-track-and-field-championship/http://www.fanhouse.com/2009/08/20/usain-bolt-wins-200-meters-at-world-track-and-field-championship/#commentsFiled under:


The world's fastest man has struck again, as Usain Bolt (pictured above center) cruised to victory Thursday in the 200-meter final at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin, setting a world record in the process with a superhuman time of 19.19 seconds.
More Coverage: Watch Bolt's Latest Record Run

Bolt, the Jamaican who dominated the 100 and 200 at last year's Summer Olympics, was already the story of these World Championships after he won the 100-meter world title, topping his own world record with a time of 9.58 seconds. Now he has another world record to add to his collection.

The field was a fast one, with four men breaking 19.9 seconds, but Bolt made the rest of the pack look like they were running in slow motion. Bolt grimaced down the home stretch, then looked at the clock as he crossed the finish line, breaking into a wide grin when he saw his time -- a time that will earn him a $100,000 world record bonus, just as he earned $100,000 for winning the 100 meters.

"I'm tired as hell now, but I got my work done, so I'm OK," Bolt said. "This is what we work for, me and my coach. We work for championships."

There's no question now that he's far and away the best track athlete in the world; the question now is simply what he can accomplish. The 100 in under 9.5? The 200 in under 19? Move on to dominate the 400 meters? Anything seems possible. Bolt will turn 23 on Friday. He's already track's biggest superstar, and he's showing no signs of slowing down.

Here are the full 200-meter final results:
1. Usain Bolt 19.19
2. Alonso Edward 19.81
3. Wallace Spearmon 19.85
4. Shawn Crawford 19.89
5. Steve Mullings 19.98
6. Charles Clark 20.39
7. Ramil Guliyev 20.61
8. David Alerte 20.68

Usain Bolt Wins 200 Meters in World-Record Time of 19.19 Seconds originally appeared on FanHouse on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Usain BoltUsainBoltMichael David SmithThu, 20 Aug 2009 14:35:00 EST Video: Usain Bolt in 9.58 Secondshttp://www.fanhouse.com/2009/08/17/video-usain-bolt-in-9-58-seconds/http://www.fanhouse.com/2009/08/17/video-usain-bolt-in-9-58-seconds/http://www.fanhouse.com/2009/08/17/video-usain-bolt-in-9-58-seconds/#commentsFiled under:

Usain Bolt 9.58 seconds videoIf you couldn't believe Usain Bolt ran the 100 meters in 9.58 seconds, the video proof is below. Bolt is truly the fastest man on the planet after dominating his competitors at a pace 0.11 seconds faster than the mark he set last year at the Beijing Olympics. He also came eerily close to the 9.55 time that a Stanford professor estimated he could've gone had he not slowed down in Beijing.

American sprinter Darvis Patton said it best when describing Bolt: "He's like a created game person."

Video: Usain Bolt in 9.58 Seconds originally appeared on FanHouse on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>usain boltTom HerreraMon, 17 Aug 2009 02:50:00 EST Usain Bolt Smashes 100-Meter Record at Track and Field World Championshipshttp://www.fanhouse.com/2009/08/16/usain-bolt-smashes-100-meter-record-at-world-track-and-field-cha/http://www.fanhouse.com/2009/08/16/usain-bolt-smashes-100-meter-record-at-world-track-and-field-cha/http://www.fanhouse.com/2009/08/16/usain-bolt-smashes-100-meter-record-at-world-track-and-field-cha/#commentsFiled under:

Usain Bolt World Track and Field ChampionshipsBERLIN -- Usain Bolt crossed the finish line, saw his record-setting time on the clock and spread his arms as if he were soaring like a bird.

About all this guy can't do is fly. And by saving his celebration until after the finish line this time, he showed how fast a man really can go on two feet.

The Jamaican shattered the world record again Sunday, running 100 meters in 9.58 seconds at the world championships to turn his much-anticipated race against Tyson Gay into a one-man show.


Video: Watch Bolt Shatter World Record

That was 0.11 seconds faster than the mark he set last year at the Beijing Olympics - the biggest improvement in the 100-meter record since electronic timing began in 1968.

Gay, his closest rival, broke the American mark with his 9.71 performance and still looked like he was jogging - finishing a few big strides behind Bolt in second place.

Bolt's only competition these days is the clock.

And when he's really trying, not hot-dogging it over the line the way he did in China, even time itself doesn't stand a chance.

"I don't run for world records,'' said Bolt, who crossed the line with a slight breeze at his back.

Yet those records always seem to find him.

He thinks he can go even lower.

"I know I said 9.4,'' Bolt said, grinning. ``You never know. I'll just keep on working.''

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=528805&pid=528804&uts=1250497815
http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf
Incredible Sports Feats
Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt shattered his own world record by running 100 meters in 9.58 seconds at the World Athletics Championships. Click through to see more amazing sports feats.
David J. Phillip, AP
David J. Phillip, AP

Incredible Sports Feats

    Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt shattered his own world record by running 100 meters in 9.58 seconds at the World Athletics Championships. Click through to see more amazing sports feats.

    David J. Phillip, AP

    One year after becoming the first girl in Texas state history to win a team title solo, Bonnie Richardson single-handedly beat 56 other schools to win a second state championship trophy all by herself.

    Jack Plunkett, AP

    Kyle Maynard, seen here in a 2004 photo, earned an ESPY for "best athlete with a disability" that year after compiling a 35-16 record as a high school wrestler.

    John Amis, AP

    Patrick Schuster of Mitchell High School in New Port Richey, Fla., threw four no-hitters in a row -- a string that was finally broken up in late April. Incredibly, the national record for consecutive no-hitters by a high school pitcher is six.

    Chris O'Meara, AP

    High school wrestler Jesse Gunter started 15-1 on his Ohio high school wrestling team and had a 4.0 GPA, despite being blind in one eye and having only limited vision in the other.

    Ed Suba Jr, Akron Beacon Journal/AP

    Dale Davis, a 78-year-old legally blind man from Iowa, nailed 12 consecutive strikes in May en route to a perfect game during league play. Nicknamed "The Hammer", Davis can't see out of his left eye and has limited peripheral vision in his right eye.

    Lorri Glawe, Storm Lake Pilot Tribune / AP

    At 5-feet-7 inches, Spud Webb became the shortest person to compete in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Webb won the event in 1986 by beating Dominique Wilkins with two perfect 150-point scores in the final round.

    Andrew D. Bernstein, Getty Images

    Former New Orleans Saints kicker Tom Dempsey, who was born with no toes on his right foot, set an NFL record for the longest field goal when he kicked a 63-yarder in 1970.

    Darryl Norenberg, WireImage.com

    Two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi suffered a horrific crash which caused amputation of both of his legs in September 2001. But with the aid of two prosthetic limbs and a modified car, Zanardi returned to racing in 2003.

    Mark Thompson, Getty Images

    In May 1991, legendary pitcher Nolan Ryan threw the seventh no-hitter of his career at the age of 44 against the Blue Jays. Ryan still owns the record for the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a no-hitter.

    Louis DeLuca, Getty Images


Last summer at Beijing, Bolt shut his race down early, waving his arms and celebrating about 10 meters before he got to the line. Some, like Jacques Rogge of the International Olympic Committee, viewed it as a sign of bad sportsmanship. Most saw it as a welcome sigh of relief for a sport that needed some good news after years of doping and scandal.

Even this week, the Jamaican track team was making headlines for the wrong reasons - a complicated doping case. Then a group of athletes who were uninvited to the worlds by the country's track officials because they didn't participate in team training camp got reinvited at the request of international officials.

Bolt made everyone forget about that and showed, once again, what a great sport track can be when the focus is on the track, not doping control and the meeting rooms.

Bolt ran his latest unforgettable race at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, the history-filled home of the 1936 Olympics where Jesse Owens became the world's biggest track star. Bolt lives in Owens' stratosphere now, having set the 100 world record three times and also owning the 200-meter record thanks to the 19.30 he ran in Beijing to break Michael Johnson's 12-year-old mark.

Now he has added the world championship, last won by Gay in 2007, to his Olympic title.

A Stanford professor estimated he could've gone 9.55 if he'd run full out through the line in Beijing. Bolt almost made that guy look like a genius.

"He's like a created game person,'' American Darvis Patton said. "I can't imagine going 9.71 and not winning. That will win every race in history except for today (and at the Olympics).''

It's easy to see why Bolt is such a crowd favorite. He's a colorful character who loves to entertain. The track is his stage and he didn't disappoint Sunday.

Before climbing into the blocks, Bolt gave spectators a quick wave and did his trademark bow-and-arrow pose.

That drew big applause.

Then the real show started.

Unlike the Olympics, when he skidded from the blocks, Bolt burst out this time in his yam-colored Pumas, opening a sizable lead on the field after 20 meters.

From there, it could have been a stroll in the park. But there was no letting up this time. Before crossing the line, he glanced to his right to check on Gay once - not in the picture - and then back at the clock. His face lit up as he spotted the digits ``9.58'' appear on the screen next to the track.

The party was on. He grabbed a flag and did a victory lap with countryman Asafa Powell, who finished with the bronze (9.84).

They even stopped midway down the track and did a little dance number. Too bad the song wasn't from rapper Akon, who wrote about the sprinter in a song, the lyric going, ``Quicker than Usain Bolt, the fastest thing runnin'.''

Next came pictures - lots of flashes popping - and hugs as Bolt greeted everyone who called his name - and they were numerous. The entire victory lap took about 20 minutes.

Or about 19:50.42 longer than it took to run his 100.

Standing back at the finish line, waiting for him to finish up, was Gay. He paced around, clearly agitated.

Not in anger at losing, though.

No, he wanted off the track, but wasn't allowed by an official. Gay was quite complimentary of his rival in a race that lived up to the hype.

"I've been telling you someone could run 9.5,'' Gay said. "I'm happy he did it, it showed a human can take it to another level. Unfortunately, I wasn't the one to do it, but I still have confidence I can do it one day.''

Gay didn't have much of a chance. Not against Bolt. And certainly not with a groin injury that he admitted to Saturday. He said it was worse than he let on, but refused to use it as a convenient excuse.

FanHouse Main on Twitter"I showed a lot of heart,'' Gay said. "I put it together the best I could.''

Powell was right beside Bolt his entire journey around the track, then through the mixed zone.

For Powell, Bolt is a blessing. It takes all the pressure off his shoulders. He doesn't have to carry the weight of a country by himself.

"He really knows how to perform under pressure,'' Powell said. "I need to take a page out of his book.''

That might not be a bad idea for all the sprinters. British sprinter Dwain Chambers, who tested positive for the steroid THG in 2003 and served a two-year suspension, got to see Bolt's spectacle from the back of the field.

It was rather enjoyable.

"As you get older, you start to realize when you're put into these situations that you can't be upset,'' said Chambers, who wound up sixth. "You can't put that into words. Many guys said to me that it's demoralizing to be apart of a world-record race. For me, it was exciting.''

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Usain Bolt Smashes 100-Meter Record at Track and Field World Championships originally appeared on FanHouse on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Tyson GayUsain BoltWorld Track and Field ChampionshipsWorldTrackAndFieldChampionshipsFanHouse NewswireSun, 16 Aug 2009 16:14:00 EST