Larissa Iapichino broke the world U20 indoor record in the long jump with a leap of 6.91m at the Italian Indoor Championships.

Iapichino breaks world U20 indoor long jump record with 6.91m in Ancona

Larissa Iapichino broke the world U20 indoor record in the long jump with a leap of 6.91m at the Italian Indoor Championships in Ancona on Saturday.

On the evening of 3 January, 1989, Huwe Burton, then 16, walked into his home on the third floor at 3515 Eastchester Road in the Bronx. He had attended Evander Childs High School that day and, after coming home briefly in the afternoon, went to a friend&rsquo;s house. His mom&rsquo;s car was not there that afternoon, so Huwe (pronounced Hugh) had guessed that she was at a store. That evening, he found it odd that her car was still not back. Odder still was that he had not heard from his mother and that she didn&rsquo;t seem to be home. Then he nudged open her bedroom door.
His mother, Keziah Burton, a 59-year-old registered nurse, was lying facedown on her bed, naked from the waist down with two stab wounds in her neck. Burton&rsquo;s mother was dead.
From there, things moved quickly. Burton called 9-1-1. He was questioned by detectives that evening and stayed with his godmother because his father, Raphael, was away in Jamaica. On 4 January he was questioned again. And again on the 5th, late into the night. On the third day of questioning in as many days, detectives said Burton confessed to killing his mother.
In a statement, Burton allegedly wrote that he had stabbed his mother in the neck and stole $200 that he owed a drug dealer. A New York Times headline on 9 January read: &ldquo;Son Kills Mother Over Crack Money, Police Say.&rdquo;
Two years later, he was found guilty and received a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
In prison, Burton took up running. He started because he wanted to get in shape for the prison football league but stuck with it because he found he loved it. He said running helped him feel free.
Freedom was something Burton had long dreamed of. Almost immediately after writing his confession in the late hours of the night only days after his mother&rsquo;s murder, Burton recanted. He has maintained his innocence since.&nbsp;
When he ran in the New York City Marathon in 2016, he did so while on parole and still fighting his case. In 2019, however, Burton ran the marathon as a free man&mdash;exonerated and, for the first time in 30 years, believed.
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**
I first met Burton across the street from the Armory on 168th Street in New York in August 2015. I had heard his story from Laura Cohen of the Rutgers Law School Criminal and Youth Justice Clinic, and was shocked that he had been convicted in the first place.&nbsp;
Burton&rsquo;s &ldquo;confession&rdquo; included little that matched the merits of the case. The most glaring omission was that he never mentioned Emanuel Green, a downstairs neighbor of the Burtons and a convicted felon who was found with Keziah Burton&rsquo;s car just one week later. Green was killed in an unrelated shooting a few months after Keziah Burton&rsquo;s death, but that was after he provided police with a statement saying that Huwe Burton had killed Keziah. Portions of the statement proved implausible and barely matched the story Burton had been fed by detectives, but it was still used to convict Burton in 1991.
When Burton and I met in 2015, however, we did not chat much about the case. Instead, we got to know one another. He was released on parole in 2009, and was living in Manhattan&rsquo;s Washington Heights neighborhood and working as a mechanic for an elevator installation company. The running that he had taken up while in prison? He was still doing it. He told me he was a momma&rsquo;s boy, and he talked about music, which he said was the world&rsquo;s universal language. I had been a runner since middle school, and I told him I thought running was the universal language. &ldquo;How else would he and I be connecting?&rdquo;
Burton laughed and half-heartedly agreed with me. Then we talked about the New York City Marathon. Burton said he used to watch it on television when he was in prison. Then, a few times he ran a prison version when the Otisville Correctional Facility would stage a marathon on the same day as New York City. He wanted to run the full thing. And he wanted to do it as a free man.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6031284e4e5491b5abc81147.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
I told him I would help as much as I could. In May of 2016, I heard from a contact at New York Road Runners that Burton would have a spot in the marathon if he wanted it. He was going to run the marathon he had dreamed of racing since his early days of running laps around a prison yard in upstate New York.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m crying tears of joy,&rdquo; Burton texted me when I told him the news.&nbsp;
Cohen and students at Rutgers, meanwhile, were helping Burton in his exoneration fight, researching the case and pursuing old leads. The Innocence Project, an organization committed to exonerating individuals who it believes have been wrongly convicted, began backing Burton in 2016.
In my dream world, Burton was going to be exonerated sometime before the November 2016 race. But instead, it seemed the case had barely progressed by the time Burton toed the start line.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a hopeless optimist,&rdquo; Burton told me the day we met. He had believed since 1989 that the truth of his mother&rsquo;s murder would eventually emerge, that he would one day be exonerated. The timeline was slower than he would have hoped, yes, but he was not going to begin doubting that the truth would prevail.&nbsp;
And so, on the first Sunday in November 2016, Burton took a bus to Staten Island, ran across the bridge, trudged through Brooklyn and Queens, jogged through the howling tunnel of noise that is First Avenue, tried to ignore the pain of his blisters in the Bronx, and finished the New York City Marathon in just over five hours.&nbsp;
He was not yet officially free, but running the marathon was a moment of joy even as his fight for exoneration persisted.&nbsp;
**
On a January night in 2019, just over 30 years after Keziah Burton&rsquo;s death, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Burton. He asked me if I was free in a few days, and if I could be at a courthouse in the Bronx.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been exonerated,&rdquo; he wrote. I read the rest of the message through eyes welling up with tears. &ldquo;This Thursday will be the official court date. They suspect a lot of media, so my guests are asked to arrive around 11. I would love for you to be there to share this moment with me!!!&rdquo;
The courthouse was packed with people who had followed Burton&rsquo;s case. The hearing was a formality.&nbsp;
In 2017, the Bronx District Attorney&rsquo;s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) agreed to examine the case, focusing on Burton&rsquo;s confession and Emanuel Green.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/603128814e5491b5abc8114a.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
Since 1991, scientific and scholarly research has confirmed that psychologically coercive techniques used by detectives can and do produce false confessions. On the day of his confession, Burton was 16. He was isolated from his father and his guardian, was threatened with additional criminal charges, and was offered leniency if he confessed to the crime. At the time, such tactics were commonly used by detectives seeking certain answers - especially when questioning juveniles.
It was found that detectives from the 47th Precinct, who had investigated the case, had a habit of using those techniques.&nbsp;
The CIU investigation also focused on Green. It was learned that the detectives investigating the case in 1989 did not look into Green&rsquo;s criminal history, which included convictions for a knife-point robbery and violent rape. The CIU and Burton&rsquo;s legal team discovered that Green had repeatedly lied to investigators in the rape case, much like he had in the Burton murder case. The re-investigation also uncovered that a psychologist who evaluated Green determined he had a &ldquo;schizoid personality disorder of adolescence, with depressive and aggressive trends, and underlying trends toward explosiveness.&rdquo; The more that was discovered about Green, the harder it became to believe he was telling the truth about the murder of Keziah Burton.
On January 24, 2019, a Bronx judge finally said what Burton knew all along: that he did not kill his mother.
He was exonerated.&nbsp;
I was there in the crowd that day. Burton was thrilled. He smiled. He spoke to reporters. He gave out hugs. And he announced he was going to run the marathon again.
**
The first Sunday of November 2019, Burton took a shuttle out to Staten Island, ran across the bridge, trudged through Brooklyn and Queens, jogged through the howling tunnel of noise that is First Avenue and stopped to say hello to some friends he saw along the way, ran through the Bronx briefly, and, after traversing over the hills of Central Park, finished the New York City Marathon in just over 5 hours, 52 minutes.
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Burton told me many times that his case had to have been for something. Now that he is free, he is making the most of it. Burton is putting his case, and others like it, in the spotlight. He knows he is not the only one who has been wronged.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s amazing how running affected me,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;A person can find running even in the circumstance I was in, and it&rsquo;s like you can just see freedom on a face, even when you&rsquo;re running around a prison yard.&rdquo;&nbsp;
He started running because he could own it. He has continued running because it&rsquo;s a connection to others. Like music, it is a universal language for him now.
He ran a marathon for the Innocence Project. He ran the marathon for the Rutgers Law School clinic. He ran the marathon for his mom and his dad.&nbsp;
And yes, he ran the marathon for himself.&nbsp;
Liam Boylan-Pett for World Athletics

Huwe Burton’s journey from wrongfully convicted to runner. 

Huwe Burton’s journey from wrongfully convicted to runner

During his 19 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, Burton said, 'running helped me feel free'.

Blanka Vlasic, a two-time world high jump champion and the second-highest jumper of all-time, announced her retirement on Friday.
Vlasic, the world champion outdoors in 2007 and 2009 and indoors in 2008 and 2010, had been struggling with injuries for much of the past decade, but still managed to take world silver in 2015 and Olympic bronze in 2016. She hasn&rsquo;t competed since the Rio final but was hoping that a fifth Olympic appearance in Tokyo later this year might be possible. Finally, at 37, Croatia&rsquo;s finest athletics star decided it wouldn&rsquo;t come to pass.
&ldquo;Ever since Rio, I have been trying to overcome injury, a full four years of hope that I will stand in front of the bar and challenge myself once again,&rdquo; Vlasic said, in an open letter released this morning.
&ldquo;Before I won bronze in Rio many people told me to give up as I have already done a lot in the sport. But if I had listened to them, I would not have won another Olympic medal, a medal that has a special meaning to me because I won it literally with one healthy leg. That competition took everything out of me, even what I didn't know I had.&rdquo;
Since then, she said, &ldquo;the years that followed brought an unending circle of innumerable rehabilitation treatments, hope, and then disappointment. Yet, although it would be evident at first glance to an outside observer that it was time to dedicate myself to new life challenges, the decision had to be mine.&rdquo; 
<h2>A rising star at 16</h2>
 Vlasic was still a teenager when she first attracted the world's attention, making her Olympic debut in Sydney in 2000 and then taking the world U20 title three weeks later, both before her 17th birthday. She made her first senior World Championships appearance in 2001, successfully defended her world U20 title in 2002 and topped 2.00m for the first time before a sold-out home crowd in Zagreb in 2003.
By 2006 she became a major force in the event.&nbsp;
She won the first of two successive world outdoor titles in Osaka in 2007, improving to 2.07m that year. Olympic silver followed in Beijing and another world title in 2009 before she improved to 2.08m, again before a raucous home crowd in Zagreb, a leap that elevated Vlasic to No2 on the all-time world list. She's remained there since. Vlasic pieced together a 34-meeting unbeaten streak between 23 June 2007 and 22 July 2008, and eventually topped two metres a staggering 165 times in 106 competitions.
One of her brightest personal moments came at the 2010 Continental Cup, hosted by her hometown of Split on Croatia&rsquo;s Adriatic coast. The poster girl for the event, Vlasic drew more a crowd of more than 30,000 to the second day of competition, won the event with a first attempt clearance at 2.05m before ending the afternoon with three tries at a would-be 2.10m world record. Her first and third attempts were well off the mark but her second was a solid effort. She also won the European title that summer and was named World Athlete of the Year.
She took silver at the 2011 World Championships but injury sidelined her for the entire 2012 season. She bounced back to take another world silver in 2015 before capping her career in Rio the following year.
During her prime, there was no bigger sporting star in Croatia. For two years running, Vlasic managed to attract a crowd of more than 12,000 to Split's Spaladium arena for an annual women&rsquo;s high jump competition, in both cases the largest indoor athletics gatherings in Europe in those respective seasons.
&ldquo;Every athlete will understand me - parting is not easy,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We leave behind great emotions, conquered peaks, victories over ourselves, and magnificent moments that cannot be described in words. But it all remains a part of us - a part we carry into the future.&rdquo;
While she&rsquo;s hanging up her competition spikes, Vlasic said she has no plans of fading away.
&ldquo;I will always stay in the sport,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;With my experience and knowledge, I want to permanently and actively contribute to the further development of world athletics and sports in general.&rdquo;
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics&nbsp;

Blanka Vlasic, a two-time world high jump champion and the second-highest jumper of all-time, announced her retirement on Friday.

Vlasic, two-time world high jump champion, announces retirement

Eliud Kipchoge will make his final marathon appearance prior to his Olympic title defence at the NN Mission Marathon in Hamburg on 11 April.
The one-off marathon, organised jointly by his management firm Global Sports Communication, the NN Running Team and the Hamburg Marathon, carries the tagline &lsquo;The fastest way to Tokyo&rsquo; and is an effort to provide another much-needed competitive opportunity for athletes to not only run a fast race in the lead-in to the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but in many cases to help them achieve the qualification standard.
The race, which will take place around a looped 10.5-kilometre city centre course, is expected to attract about 100 invited elite athletes.
Kipchoge, the world record-holder, will of course attract the bulk of the attention. His appearance will come after a disappointing eighth place finish at the London Marathon last October where he clocked 2:06:49.
The Kenyan kicked off his marathon career in 2013 with victory in the Hamburg Marathon, and said he's delighted to return to compete in the northern German.
"In Hamburg, I am going back to the genesis of my marathon career," he said. "I hope to inspire many people around the world by running a beautiful race in the streets of this beautiful city."
Kipchoge, 36, has gone on to win 11 of his 13 races over the classic distance and has produced two of the three fastest performances of all-time, topped by his 2:01:39 world record at the 2018 Berlin Marathon.
One year later, Kipchoge became the first athlete to break the two-hour barrier in the event, when he clocked 1:59:40 at an exhibition event in Vienna.
In Tokyo, Kipchoge will aim to become just the third man to win back-to-back Olympic marathon titles.
Organisers for World Athletics

Eliud Kipchoge will make his final marathon appearance prior to his Olympic title defence at the NN Mission Marathon in Hamburg on 11 April.

Kipchoge's final pre-Tokyo marathon outing set for Hamburg

Few would assume that a town called &lsquo;Boring&rsquo; would produce one of the most exciting sporting prospects in the world.
But take just one look at Olympic champion Ryan Crouser &ndash; a mighty and dynamic 201cm (6ft 7in) powerhouse &ndash; and it&rsquo;s easy to see why the US shot putter from Oregon has long been tipped to break world records.
At the end of 2019, in the aftermath of a remarkable shot put final at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Crouser sat at fifth place on the world all-time list, just 22 centimetres shy of the world record.
Although his PB improved by just one centimetre last year to 22.91m, he consistently threw well beyond 22 metres and &ndash; in terms of sheer distance achieved &ndash; produced the greatest shot put season in history.
No other man in the world threw beyond 22 metres in 2020. At the conclusion of the outdoor season, the undefeated Crouser had surpassed the 22-metre line on 36 occasions &ndash; more than any other shot putter has achieved across a whole career span. To say he dominated his discipline in 2020 would be an understatement in the extreme.
When he took a brief break from training in December last year to compete at a low-key indoor competition in Manhattan, Crouser was encouraged by the result. His &lsquo;shortest&rsquo; throw of the series landed at 21.71m, while his best was 22.58m &ndash; just eight centimetres shy of the long-standing world indoor record.
With a few more weeks to prepare for his first real competitive outing of 2021, he knew he stood a great chance of breaking the 22.66m standard set by Randy Barnes in 1989.
&ldquo;The competition in December was just a check mark to see where things were at,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I was still in heavy training, doing sets of eight and six in the weight room, so I really didn&rsquo;t expect to throw that far. I just wanted to get out there and compete and have some fun.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not a super high intensity thrower in practice, so I always like competing to see where I&rsquo;m at, especially in the middle of the off season. I definitely learned from that meet and I feel like it set me up really well to know what I needed to focus on in that first American Track League competition.&rdquo;
But even Crouser was surprised by what happened at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting in Fayetteville. In his first competition of 2021 and with his first throw of the series, he sent his shot out to 22.82m, smashing the world indoor record by 16 centimetres. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60172faadd27822ce75c3172.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="634" /> Ryan Crouser in action in Fayetteville (&copy; Kevin Morris)
&nbsp;
&ldquo;That first throw was a great first-round throw,&rdquo; said the 28-year-old. &ldquo;Usually that&rsquo;s one of the things I tend to have a little bit of trouble with. It put a lot of pressure on me to build from there, but I was really content to follow it up later in the series with a 22.70m and 22.48m.
&ldquo;It still hasn&rsquo;t really sunk in,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;It has been a goal for me, but it feels more like a stepping stone to the outdoor world record and the 23-metre mark. I&rsquo;m always looking forward, so I&rsquo;m just really happy to throw an indoor PR and be so close to my outdoor PR in the very first meet. I&rsquo;m obviously ecstatic to break the world indoor record and really happy with where I&rsquo;m at, but it still just feels like a building block to getting that 23.12m. I&rsquo;m still hungry to get that.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m also just happy to have the chance to compete again. It&rsquo;s been a long year, so I&rsquo;m happy to see track and field making a comeback, and showing that meets can be fun and safe.&rdquo;
One week after his record-breaking performance, Crouser returned to the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville and won with 22.66m &ndash; the same distance as the pre-2021 world indoor record &ndash; and had throws of 22.65m, 22.43m and 22.26m in his series.
And this is from an athlete who hadn&rsquo;t even tapered for the competitions.
&ldquo;There are some really good takeaways from that first competition,&rdquo; said Crouser. &ldquo;Firstly I&rsquo;ve got a lot of power in the ring, and secondly there&rsquo;s still a lot to improve on with my consistency.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re still in heavy training and we haven&rsquo;t started tapering at all,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re lifting heavy in the weight room, I&rsquo;m throwing a lot, especially with heavy shots. Once I start to work with some lighter balls and get in some speed work, I&rsquo;m really excited by the possibilities moving forward.
<h3>Destined for throws success</h3>
 Crouser was born into a throwing dynasty.
His father Mitch was a 67.22m discus thrower and 20.04m shot putter who narrowly missed out on making the US Olympic team in 1984. His uncle Dean was also a good all-round thrower with a shot put PB of 21.07m and discus best of 65.88m. Another uncle, Brian, was a javelin specialist with a PB of 95.10m (with the old model) and represented the USA at two Olympic Games.
Brian&rsquo;s son and daughter, Sam and Haley, are also accomplished javelin throwers: Sam is a two-time NCAA champion with a PB of 83.33m while Haley held the North American U20 record at 55.22m back in 2012.
It&rsquo;s little surprise, then, that Crouser ended up as a thrower. But his sporting success wasn&rsquo;t just a case of winning the genetic lottery; ever since his days as a leading high school athlete, he has been driven by a desire to continually improve. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/602e48eabe70daa3c6cb2d67.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="492" /> Ryan Crouser at the 2009 World U18 Championships, where he won shot put gold and discus silver (&copy; Getty Images)
&nbsp;
He went from winning the world U18 title in 2009, to breaking US high school records in 2011 and then breaking the Olympic record just five years later when he won in Rio with 22.52m. After that breakthrough on to the global stage almost five years ago, Crouser has gradually extended his PBs indoors and outdoors.
In his quest for continual improvement, Crouser relocated 2500km from San Diego to Fayetteville in 2020 to train with Arkansas throws coach Mario Sategna and help out with the university&rsquo;s track and field team. Now that he has settled into his coaching role and his new location, Crouser is pleased with how his training is going, but it took a while for him to adjust.
&ldquo;I feel like right now I&rsquo;m in a much better place than I was at this point last year,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a completely different year for me.
&ldquo;Last year I felt like I was actually struggling a little bit. It was just a big change, moving from the Olympic Training Center to Fayetteville. I was coaching a lot and I was really happy with how life was going in general but it was a learning process.
&ldquo;But now I feel like I&rsquo;ve hit my stride and I&rsquo;m where I want to be in terms of my training and my diet, I&rsquo;m happy with my body weight.
&ldquo;The distance I&rsquo;m now throwing is more, but I feel like in general the foundation is even better than what the distance shows,&rdquo; he adds. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m really happy to break the world indoor record and I&rsquo;m really excited to continue to build on that. I feel like there&rsquo;s even more to come.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/602e4464a3004af3352a5108.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" /> Ryan Crouser at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 (&copy; Getty Images)
<h3> Fourth time lucky in Belgrade</h3>
 There are few athletes who have broken a world indoor record while having also never competed at a World Indoor Championships.
Crouser is part of that very exclusive club, though not necessarily by choice.
He was still a collegiate athlete when the World Indoor Championships was held on home soil in Portland &ndash; his city of birth &ndash; in 2016. The NCAA Indoor Championships that year was scheduled for the same weekend as the US Indoor Championships, so Crouser didn&rsquo;t have the opportunity to earn selection for Portland.
He was in great shape heading into 2018 but picked up a hand injury, ruling him out of the indoor season. In 2020 he won the US indoor title in 22.60m, narrowly missing the world indoor record, but then the coronavirus pandemic struck, forcing the postponement of the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing.
&ldquo;I like indoor track and field in general because it&rsquo;s a controlled environment, so you know the weather&rsquo;s going to be good!&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Reaching the World Indoors just hasn&rsquo;t worked out for me in recent years, but I&rsquo;m going to continue to hope that I can do one. Hopefully I&rsquo;ll make it to an indoor championships some time before my career is done.&rdquo;
Crouser will have to wait until next year to make his World Indoor Championships debut when Belgrade hosts the event. And, if all goes to plan this year, he hopes he&rsquo;ll be heading to the Serbian capital as a two-time Olympic gold medallist. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/602e4434a3004af3352a5105.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" /> Ryan Crouser at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 (&copy; Getty Images)
&nbsp;
Before then, though, he will use the final American Track League fixture of 2021 &ndash; set to take place in Fayetteville on Saturday (21) &ndash; as his big target for the current indoor season.
&ldquo;This is essentially the extent of my indoor season, so I&rsquo;ll start to taper down a bit now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I know the foundation is there, so I just need to execute some of the technical aspects.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to treat the final American Track League competition like it&rsquo;s the US Championships or World Indoors,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to throw far at that one and try to do the best I can with what the indoor season has given me.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Few would assume that a town called ‘Boring’ would produce one of the most exciting sporting prospects in the world.

After smashing world indoor record, Crouser sets his sights on outdoor mark

Anthony Zambrano emerged as a world-class athlete in 2019, earning 400m silver at the World Athletics Championships in Doha in a South American record of 44.15 in Doha.
In the final part of our Doha to Tokyo mini-series, we put the spotlight on the 23-year-old Colombian sprinter.
&nbsp;
The world is gripped by a global pandemic, so how are you feeling emotionally at this moment about the season ahead?
Anthony Zambrano: I'm extremely happy to be able to race again, improve my times, chase my dreams and put all my focus into the Olympic Games.
&nbsp;
In 2019 you made a huge leap forward in your career; what factors contributed to that?
AZ: It was the best year. My life changed completely. I was able to finally have a home of my own, I enjoyed good sponsorship &ndash; all of which led to a hugely successful season.
&nbsp;
Leading into the 2019 season what were your aims and expectations?
AZ: I knew I was strong. I had started training with coach (Nelson) Gutierrez and assembled a proper team around me who believed in my strengths.
&nbsp;
Were you surprised by the huge national record of 44.68 you set in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 2019?
AZ: It was, obviously, a gratifying surprise, but I knew it was possible because I&rsquo;d enjoyed a great competitive US season in March/April and my training had gone according to plan.
&nbsp;
What memories do you have of winning the 2019 Pan American title and how much confidence did it give you?
AZ: I knew I was bound for a medal, I just didn't know the colour! I was constantly improving my times and the micro-cycle of training I did prior the Pan American Games got me in the right condition to challenge the podium as we set the aim to run around 44.60 (Zambrano won the Pan American 400m title in Lima in a time of 44.83).
&nbsp;
What were your hopes and expectations leading into Doha?
AZ: I was expecting to be in the final and my hope was to fight for a medal. I owe a huge thanks to my team &ndash; my coach, physio, manager, agent &ndash; and the love of my family and country that I was able on to win a silver medal.
&nbsp;
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9cRBJV0RcSo" width="100%" height="480" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddLqYqUjTNo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: full coverage of the men's 400m final at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019</a>
&nbsp;
When Kirani James went flying past you on your inside in the World Championships final, what were your thoughts? How did you keep composed?
AZ: I have a deep respect for Kirani, he is an athlete I have studied closely. In consultation with my coach we discussed a pre-race strategy that if Kirani did pass me, to follow him closely and then change gears in the final metres. I work hard every day on the mental focus in order to compete well.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
How did you feel in the final 100 metres of the World Championships final? You were flying.
AZ: That is a strong part of my race, and since the group was within range, I just went for it! In my mind, every sacrifice I made in training &ndash; the pain, the muscle cramps and occasional tears &ndash; was worth it at this moment. The fuel I needed in those final few metres was just picturing the look of happiness on my mother&rsquo;s face when I picked up a medal.
&nbsp;
What did it mean to you to win Colombia&rsquo;s first track medal at the World Championships and set a South American record?
AZ: Extreme happiness. When I was injured for most of 2017 and 2018, I told myself that if I recovered, I was going to put in all the effort necessary to become the best athlete in Colombia. The silver medal and South American record is just the beginning of something bigger.
&nbsp;
Colombia also set a national record of 2:59.50 to place fourth in the 4x400m at the World Championships. How special was this moment for you?
AZ: It was a great feeling to place fourth in Doha and win the Pan American 4x400m title in August. We didn&rsquo;t train very often together but I know in the near future we will be able to produce even better results.
&nbsp;
Why is Colombia so strong in 400m sprinting at the moment?
AZ: Because I was able to overcome many difficulties in my life, and choose wisely the best team around me (coach, physio, manager and agent). That motivated me every day to aim high, to lead by example, and inspire others.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/602d1549a37f51bc9cee78cb.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="635" /> The Colombian 4x400m team at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 (&copy; Getty Images)
&nbsp;
How did winning that medal change your life?
AZ: Everything changed. After Lima and Doha, I was able to buy my mum a home, buy a car, sign new sponsorship deals and grow as a person. If all that was with a silver medal, I can't imagine what's next for me when I win a gold!
&nbsp;
You pay credit to you coach Nelson Gutierrez and physio Caridad Martin who fed you when you had nothing. Can you explain more?
AZ: You know the quality of a human being by their generosity of heart. When I didn't have a penny in my pocket, shoes to train in and many injury worries, I almost retired from the sport. But both coach Nelson and Caridad sheltered me and embraced me like a son. They shared wisdom, care and helped rebuild me. They had total confidence in me and I moved to train in Ecuador with them.
&nbsp;
Where is your training base and can you explain a typical training week for you?
AZ: When I&acute;m not in my hometown (Barranquilla) or training and competing abroad, I live and train in Quito, Ecuador
My typical week is focused on strengthening my body to avoid injury. Monday: strength and sprint work. Tuesday: longer track reps in the morning and weights in the afternoon. Wednesday: track work. Thursday: am: strengthening and track work, plus gym in the afternoon. Friday: high intensity track work. Saturday: weights.
&nbsp;
What are your qualities as a 400m athlete?
AZ: I am a good starter and very strong in the closing stages.
&nbsp;
Can you explain what you love about the 400m?
AZ: It involves both speed and strategy. I like the fact you have to grasp the pace of the field and adapt your tactics accordingly.
&nbsp;
When the global pandemic hit, how did it impact on your training?
AZ: It greatly impacted me. I was feeling very strong and getting ready to start the US outdoor season and then suddenly a full stop was put on the season. I had to return to my hometown of Barranquilla, tracks were closed both in Colombia and Ecuador and I was basically confined to my home for six to eight months with very little space to workout.
&nbsp;
What was your reaction to the news that the Olympic would be postponed for a year?
AZ: I think it was the smart thing to do. Athletes like me would not have been in the best shape to perform well.
&nbsp;
Why did you decide not to compete in 2020?
AZ: I was just not in a position to compete. As I said, tracks were closed, I was not able to train or travel and I was confined to my home for months.
&nbsp;
Many athletes&rsquo; motivation waned in a difficult 2020. Who helped keep you motivated during these difficult times?
AZ: My faith in God, composure, strong mentality and happiness for life.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/602d158fa37f51bc9cee78ce.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" /> Anthony Zambrano anchors Colombia to 4x400m gold at the Pan-American Games (&copy; Getty Images)
&nbsp;
When did you return to full training for 2021 and how has your preparation gone?
AZ: Back in late November (2020). I'm still a few months in but very happy with the results so far.
&nbsp;
How do you think you have improved as an athlete since the World Championships in Doha?
AZ: I have been focused on improving some key areas of the race between 200 and 300m.
&nbsp;
When do you expect to compete once again, and when that is the case, can you describe your emotions?
AZ: I hope to race again during the US outdoor season. My coach has the final word on specific dates. Also the calendar is not very clear at the moment because of Covid.
&nbsp;
What are your aims and ambitions for 2021?
AZ: To be a finalist in both the Diamond League and Olympic Games. I&rsquo;m just hoping for a full calendar of races in the US, Europe and Asia.
&nbsp;
How do you hope your achievements will impact Colombian athletics?
AZ: I would like to see Colombia develop into an athletics powerhouse. I hope to inspire my countrymen to believe that sport can be a vehicle of change and to nurture a philosophy to aim high, and that there are no limits.
 Steve Landells for World Athletics

The Colombian sprinter talks about life since taking world 400m silver

Doha to Tokyo: Anthony Zambrano

When he&rsquo;s got a spare minute, Toshikazu Yamanishi likes to read Agatha Christie novels.
There will be no mystery if the bespectacled world champion adds Olympic gold to his Doha triumph.
The Japanese race walker has been in the vanguard of top race walkers since he won the 2013 world U18 title. But go back a decade, and Japan was race walking&rsquo;s support cast.
There was Yusuke Suzuki, long before his 20km world record and 50km world title, charging off at the front against stellar fields only to be reeled in when it mattered.
Now, in Olympic year, Suzuki and teammates are ready to take centre stage, not just at the beginning, but also at the middle and the end in their tilt for glory.
Whether anyone will be allowed to see Yamansihi and co triumph on home soil is still a matter of debate. But one way or the other, nothing is going to get in the way of the race walker who turns 25 today (15 February).
&ldquo;It would be great to have spectators,&rdquo; Yamanishi said. &ldquo;There are sometimes big crowds in Japan, sometimes not. Domestic attention differs greatly.
&ldquo;But in the Olympics, it&rsquo;s a chance to be seen and interested in by many people in Japan. If spectators are not allowed it will be a shame of course, but whether spectators are permitted or not, what I do, I hope, is my best performance.&rdquo;
If he performs anywhere near his &lsquo;best&rsquo;, Yamanishi will stand a great chance of taking gold. 
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Carousel2/a211fc7c-1519-4620-8a25-fbe66819d1de.jpg?cachebuster=bddff0ee-4ca0-412d-8e9e-a9049de67815" alt="" width="950" height="570" /> Toshikazu Yamanishi en route to the Japanese 20km race walking title in Kobe (&copy; Getty Images)
&nbsp;
Later this week, the 104th Japanese 20km Race Walk Championships will take place in Kobe with a strictly domestic race.
Rewind 12 months and the birthday boy became the first race walker to dip under 1:18:00 four times when he broke the Kobe tape in 1:17:36, denying Eiki Takahashi a sixth straight win. The first four men finished inside 1:20:00, and 55 got under 1:30:00.
Yamanishi, who has led the world 20km race walk rankings for 98 weeks, has a theory why Japan has come to the fore as a race walking nation. Athletes in other disciplines will nod knowingly at his reasons.
&ldquo;Firstly, we have well-developed coaching systems where detail and attention are important,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Secondly, there are many rivals. If you are always in tough competition in Japan where nobody gives an inch in all races, you always have to be at your best. To get to that level, training under precise coaching to improve skills and performances is all important.&rdquo;
As it happens, Yamanishi&rsquo;s coach, Takayuki Uchida, only meets up with his charge twice a month on average. In between, the race walker sends him training reports that include films of his workouts.
&ldquo;We meet mostly in training camps, but otherwise it&rsquo;s about sending each other information and using that to improve,&rdquo; Yamanishi added. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e74uZHbbmGQ" width="100%" height="450" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 So far, advice about wearing glasses in training or even during races has been absent.
At the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, all race walkers drenched themselves from head to foot throughout as they fought the heat and humidity even in the dead of night. It looked as if Yamanishi needed a pair of mini windscreen wipers on his specs, something akin to the eccentric pair worn by rock star Elton John back in the day. The race walker laughed off the idea.
&ldquo;Actually, it doesn&rsquo;t bother me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And no, I&rsquo;ve never given contact lenses a thought. Why should I? I don&rsquo;t think twice about the glasses.&rdquo;
On the theme of water, Yamanishi was like a duck to same soon after watching his first event.
A friend was race walking, and 15-year-old Yamanishi was curious about this strange event and decided to give it a go. Within three years Yamanishi had clocked 41:53.80 for 10,000m to win the world U18 title in Donetsk. 
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Carousel2/4fe510e3-c777-4785-8334-07df51b95c37.jpg?cachebuster=6e3da47d-ff10-4746-9791-81724dfe4a49" alt="" width="1000" height="600" /> Toshikazu Yamanishi wins the world U18 title in Donetsk (&copy; Getty Images)
&nbsp;
Since then, apart from Doha, he has won the Asian Championships in Nomi City in 2019 where he clocked a personal best of 1:17:15, making him the fourth-fastest man in history for the distance.
Remarkably, it&rsquo;s still shy of Suzuki&rsquo;s superlative 1:16:36 world record set on the same course four years earlier.
What all top Japanese race walkers have is outstanding leg speed.
A phalanx at the front in races like Kobe and Nomi is just a blur of bees' wings, and all moving in excellent style.
It&rsquo;s another testament to coaching methods, where the best can cover a lap of the track in 1:20.
At the Juntendo Meeting at Inzai in November, arch-rival Takahashi did just that in a 10,000m race for 37:25.21 that shattered the world best.
One wondered whether Yamanishi can or has bettered a 1:20 circuit?
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know, I haven&rsquo;t tried it for a while, but I&rsquo;ve done 1:20 in a race,&rdquo; he said.
The reason why the champion and athletics tracks have been strangers over the past year is down to Covid-19. Rare was the reason that allowed race walkers on a track, even if you&rsquo;re a man with an Olympic title in sight. Indeed, there were occasions over the past 12 months when Yamanishi was restricted to weights and other indoor exercises. It meant the 2020 bulk of his build-up had to be on the road.
&ldquo;Stadiums were closed, so we couldn't practice on the track&rdquo; he explained. &ldquo;It meant being restricted to road training and mobility training indoors.&rdquo;
The man from Kyoto understands he&rsquo;s an Olympic favourite for all that. 
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/3a0f6a7f-2a10-453e-90ba-fb23a8e432c4.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" /> Wang Kaihua, Koki Ikeda and Toshikazu Yamanishi in action at the World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018 (&copy; Getty Images)
&nbsp;
Apart from teammates Takahashi, 2018 World Race Walking Team Championships winner Koki Ikeda and Yuta Koga, the other race walker in that Inzai burn-up to sprint a 1:20 lap, Yamanishi says there are others waiting to cause an upset.
&ldquo;Those with good chances? Vasiliy Mizinov was second in Doha. Perseus Karlstorm was third, and I respect and admire Eider Arevalo,&rdquo; he said.
The latter was world champion in 2017 when he charged through on The Mall in London to break the tape.
Swede Karlstrom somehow weaved his way past the pandemic last year to race and win frequently all over the world. And no one should write off Mizinov, world ranked third, who boasts a PB of 1:18:32.
Even so, Team Yamanishi knows how to properly prepare and triumph.
His winning time in Doha, 1:26:34, might have translated to about two kilometres slower than his best, but it&rsquo;s crossing the line first that counts.
Japan awaits with bated breath &ndash; not only for an Olympic green light, but on its gold medal favourites.
Meanwhile, Yamanishi will train hard, race when he can, and chill out with a good book.
&ldquo;I spend my spare time reading,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I especially like mystery and Agatha Christie. It helps me to relax&rdquo;.
Murder is pushing it too far, but this Orient express intends to make competitors suffer in Sapporo.
Paul Warburton for World Athletics

When he’s got a spare minute, Toshikazu Yamanishi likes to read Agatha Christie novels. There will be no mystery if the bespectacled world champion adds Olympic gold to his Doha triumph.

Meticulous planning and strong domestic opposition the key to Yamanishi’s success

Beatrice Chepkoech broke the world 5km record at the Monaco Run on Sunday (14), clocking 14:43*.
The performance by the 29-year-old Kenyan bettered the previous record in a mixed gender race of 14:48 set by Caroline Kipkirui in 2018, and is also one second faster than Sifan Hassan's 14:44 record for a women's-only race, until this morning the fastest time ever produced over the distance since the 5km was introduced as a world record event in November 2017.
Chepkoech battled strong winds during the early stages of the race along the Monaco coastline but fought on over the latter stages to claim a second world record, this one joining her 8:44.32 record in the 3000m steeplechase set in 2018, also in Monaco.
"I'm so happy because I didn't expect it," said Chepkoech, the 2019 world champion in the steeplechase. "It was cold and there was a lot of wind, but I tried to follow my pace maker and everything was perfect."
She may not have had the world record in mind initially, but Chepkoech did set her sights on victory from the outset.&nbsp;
Despite the winds, Chepkoech had already forged a six-second lead just 500 metres into the race, before reaching the first kilometre in 2:57, 15 seconds clear of Meraf Bahta, her nearest competitor. Splits of 2:59 for the second kilometre and 3:01 for the third followed before she and pacesetter Luuk Maas decided to up the tempo as they approached the Larvotto Tunnel portion of the course, at the northeastern edge of the Principality's main port, a second time.&nbsp;
Since the winds had died down, she said, "my pacemaker told me &lsquo;we can do it, let&rsquo;s push it&rsquo;."
She did.
After a 2:57 fourth kilometre, Chepkoech ended her morning's work with a 2:47 closing kilometre to take ownership of the world record.
Chepkoech had already illustrated her strong early 2021 form with an 8:34.21 career best over 3000m indoors in Lievin on 9 February. She'll race next at the Copernicus Cup leg of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting series in Torun, Poland, on 17 February before returning home to resume her training.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eX2rF7ldugE?feature=youtu" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Joshua Cheptegei, who set the men's world record of 12:51 at this race last year, successfully defended his title, clocking 13:13.
The 24-year-old Ugandan ran at or near the front from the gun but it was clear early on that the conditions would not be conducive for a serious assault on his year-old record.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60290b261e3bf102aa403a1b.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
"The wind was incredibly difficult," said Cheptegei, who covered the opening kilometre in 2:44, 13 seconds behind the pace that propelled him to the world record last year. Kilometre splits of 2:41, 2:37 and 2:38 followed before he closed with a 2:32, the fastest of the race.
Kenyans Bethwell Birgen and Davis Kiplangat clocked 13:17 and 13:19 to round out the top three with Morhad Amdouni of France fourth in 13:19, one second outside of the European record set by compatriot Jimmy Gressier at this race last year.
*pending the usual ratification procedures
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics

Beatrice Chepkoech broke the world 5km record at the Monaco Run on Sunday (14), clocking 14:43*.

14:43! Chepkoech breaks world 5km record in Monaco

Joshua Cheptegei returns to the setting of his 12:51 world 5km record on Sunday (14) to headline the Monaco Run 5km - and you can watch the live stream right here.
The stream begins at 9:45 local time (8:45 GMT) and the race gets underway at 10:00 (9:00 GMT).
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eX2rF7ldugE?feature=youtu" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Joshua Cheptegei returns to the setting of his 12:51 world 5km record on Sunday (14) to headline the Monaco Run 5km - and you can watch the live stream right here.

Watch the Monaco Run 5k

One year on, Joshua Cheptegei returns to the scene of his 12:51 world record run. Beatrice Chepkoech leads the women's race.

Uneven terrain, a 50-metre-long water and mud section, tough competition and a new winner in the men&rsquo;s race all characterised the Kenyan Cross Country Championships in Nairobi on Saturday (13).
Rodgers Kwemoi and defending women&rsquo;s champion Sheila Chelangat fed off stiff competition and cold conditions to win the senior titles on a course that was made more challenging following a heavy downpour on Friday night. The two races were both tactical but played out in different ways.
The women&rsquo;s race was compact through the first two-kilometre lap. Chelangat took on the race in her typical style &ndash; running from the front, only to slow down at the water section. Chelangat forced the pace until a lead pack of just five women had broken away from the rest of the pack at about 6km.
With four kilometres to go, Daisy Cherotich took the lead and Chelangat dropped back to third place. Chelangat, a world U18 bronze medallist in 2015, took command again before the bell and opened up a 50-metre gap on her way to retaining her national title in 34:56. An exhausted Chelangat collapsed to the ground soon after and briefly needed medical attention.
In the battle for second place, Cherotich held off world marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich, 35:00 to 35:03.
&ldquo;I developed a headache and a minor stomach ache, and by the time I finished the race I was so tired,&rdquo; said Chelangat. &ldquo;The National Cross Country is hard in Kenya; almost everyone is in good shape, everyone is training hard. It was a tough competition, the race today was hard, but I worked hard for this win.
&ldquo;There were so many obstacles, I struggled through the water and mud,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;They were tough, but I managed to regain my speed on the rest of the course. I&rsquo;m glad I have made the team for the African Cross County Championships.
&ldquo;I had prepared well, knowing very well that, due to coronavirus, athletes haven&rsquo;t competed much, therefore I came expecting very tough competition. Everyone wanted to test their shape.&rdquo;
Chelangat was among the athletes who would have competed at the cancelled RAK Half Marathon on Friday, but she will now turn her attention to the African Cross Country Championships.
The men&rsquo;s race played out differently with 5000m specialist Michael Kibet taking on the lead half way through the first lap. He opened a 30-metre gap, stringing along a pack that included world half marathon record-holder Kibiwott Kandie, two-time world cross-country champion Geoffrey Kamworor and 2019 Kenyan 5000m champion Daniel Simiu.
Kibet eventually tired and Kandie closed the gap, hitting the front about half way into the race. He continued to lead until just after the bell. All the while, Japan-based Kwemoi had been working his way through the field, going from 15th to seventh and then to third with two kilometres to go. Sensing fatigue in Kandie, Kwemoi unleashed his kick with about half a lap left and opened up a gap on the long-time leader. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/602845562962cd8df61d4e6f.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /> Rodgers Kwemoi after winning the Kenyan Cross Country Championships (&copy; Michelle Katami)
&nbsp;
Kandie closed in on Kwemoi down the homestretch, but Kwemoi held on to cut the tape in 31:04, finishing two seconds ahead of Kandie. Bett completed the podium in third in 31:11. Kamworor and Bedan Karoki dropped out of the race after two laps.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really happy to win the senior men&rsquo;s race,&rdquo; said Kwemoi, the 2016 world U20 10,000m champion and fourth-place finisher at the 2019 World Championships. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t expecting to win but after the second lap (4km) I felt like I could win. I realised some of the athletes in front of me, including Kamworor and Kandie, were getting tired.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m usually a front runner but this time I opted to sit back so that I could reserve my energy. And now I am 100% sure I can win the gold medal in Lome (at the African Cross Country Championships).&rdquo;
The U20 men&rsquo;s 8km and U20 women&rsquo;s 6km races were won by Gideon Rono (24:44) and Purity Chepkurui (20:51) respectively. In the mixed relay, Hellen Obiri anchored her Kenya Defence Forces team to victory.
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men (10km) 1 Rodgers Kwemoi 31:04 2 Kibiwott Kandie 31:06 3 Edwin Bett 31:11 4 Nicholas Kimeli 31:13 5 Phenus Kipleting 31:15
Women (10km) 1 Sheila Chelangat 34:56 2 Daisy Cherotich 35:00 3 Ruth Chepgnetich 35:03 4 Agnes Kibet 35:08 5 Everlyne Chirchir 35:10

Uneven terrain, a 50-metre-long water and mud section, tough competition and a new winner in the men’s race all characterised the Kenyan Cross Country Championships in Nairobi on Saturday (13).

Kwemoi and Chelangat crowned Kenyan cross-country champions

KC Lightfoot topped 6.00m on the second day of the Texas Tech Shootout in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday (13), to become the first US collegiate athlete to join the six-metre club.
Lightfoot, 21, who had improved to 5.95m on 30 January, sailed clear on his third attempt to become just the 13th man to top the still formidable barrier indoors and the 25th to do so in any conditions. Lightfoot then retired after three tries at 6.02m.
"There's really nothing more to say than it was magical, for sure." Lightfoot said. "I've worked my whole life for that bar, and to finally get it takes a huge relief off my shoulders.
"There's still some more in the tank, though," he added. "I'm just not sure for what height, anymore. I guess the American record is the next big goal."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
6 METERS‼️‼️‼️ <a href="https://t.co/UKNYktS5RS">pic.twitter.com/UKNYktS5RS</a>
&mdash; Baylor Track &amp; Field (@BaylorTrack) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaylorTrack/status/1360692902830239744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
&nbsp;
<h2>Hauttekeete breaks world indoor U20 heptathlon record</h2>
 Jente Hauttekeete of Belgium tallied 6062 points* to win a combined event competition in Frankfurt on Sunday (14), to become the first U20 athlete to crack the 6000-point barrier in the U20 heptathlon indoors.
Hauttekeete, 18, who finished second in the decathlon at the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2019, opened the competition with a 7.07 performance in the 60m to equal his personal best. He then followed up with a 7.33m leap in the long jump, a 15.64m effort in the shot put before capping the first day with a 2.10m clearance in the high jump - all personal bests - for a 3476 first day score.
Hauttekeete opened the second day with an 8.06 run in the 60m hurdles before scaling 4.70m in the pole vault, 20cm higher than he'd ever jumped before, according to <a href="https://www.lesoir.be/355112/article/2021-02-14/athletisme-le-belge-jente-hauttekeete-18-ans-bat-le-record-du-monde-u20">Le Soir</a>. He sealed the win and the record with a 2:46.71 run in the 1000m to break the previous record of 5984 points set by Spaniard Eusebio Caceres in 2010.
[<a href="https://ergebnisse.leichtathletik.de/Competitions/MultiResultList/236902/4220">Results</a>]
*pending the usual ratification procedure
&nbsp;
<h2>Teare clocks 3:50.39 mile in Fayetteville</h2>
 University of Oregon student Cooper Teare made a huge breakthrough on the first day of the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville on Friday (12), smashing his outright mile PB with 3:50.39 to move into the world indoor all-time top 10.
There were huge PBs across the board as his teammates Cole Hocker (3:50.55) and Charlie Hunter (3:53.49) finished second and third.
In an all-Oregon line-up, Angus Folmi and Reed Brown set the early pace, going through 600m just inside 1:26 and 1000m in 2:24.3. Teare, Hocker and Hunter maintained that tempo for the final two laps with 21-year-old Teare kicking to victory in a collegiate record of 3:50.39. His time ranks him seventh on the world indoor all-time list, just behind fellow US athletes Bernard Lagat and Johnny Gregorek, but ahead of Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz.
Hocker, aged just 19, crossed the line in 3:50.55 &ndash; the fastest indoor mile ever recorded by a teenager and good enough for eighth on the world indoor all-time list. Hunter&rsquo;s 3:53.49, meanwhile, took a second off his own Australian indoor record, set just two weeks prior on the same track.
The en-route 1500m splits of 3:35.46, 3:35.63 and 3:36.94 respectively were also outright PBs for all three men.
Isaac Grimes produced another world-leading mark in Fayetteville. The 23-year-old long jumper went out to 8.04m in round two then improved to a lifetime best of 8.27m in round five. He went even farther in the final round, sailing out to 8.33m. He now ranks just outside the US indoor all-time top 10. JuVaughn Harrison was second with 8.09m.
Elsewhere in Fayetteville, Bryce Deadmon sped to an indoor 400m PB of 45.22, the third-fastest time in the world this year, to win comfortably from Champion Allison (45.99).
The sprint hurdles finals were swift, too, with teenager Grace Stark winning the women&rsquo;s race in 7.96 from Pan-American Games silver medallist Chanel Brissett (7.98), while former world U20 record-holder Trey Cunningham ran 7.55 to win the men&rsquo;s event.
Fast 400s were the highlight of the first day of the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson on Friday (12). 20-year-old Randolph Ross won the fastest heat in a PB of 45.21, finishing just ahead of Jacory Patterson (45.24) and Trevor Stewart (45.55). Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Dwight St Hillaire took the second heat in 45.64 with 400m hurdles specialist Kyron McMaster placing second in 45.92.
Jamaica&rsquo;s 2015 world champion Danielle Williams won the 60m hurdles in 7.87, while Tavarius Wright was the men&rsquo;s 60m flat winner in 6.57.
At the Texas Tech Shootout in Lubbock, world U20 silver medallist Twanisha Terry trimmed her 60m PB to 7.13, while Brendon Stewart won the men&rsquo;s short sprint in 6.58. Teenager Bailey Lear set an outright PB of 51.94 to win the women&rsquo;s 400m.
Over in Europe, Germany&rsquo;s Rebekka Haase produced a pair of swift times over 200m. The 28-year-old ran 22.96 in the heats and 22.83 in the final &ndash; a time that no European sprinter other than herself has bettered in the past seven years.
Corinna Schwab was second in both races, clocking 23.07 and 23.00. 
<h2>Gill extends winning streak</h2>
 New Zealand&rsquo;s Jacko Gill continued his run of good form at the Porritt Classic in Hamilton, notching up his fourth successive victory over 2017 world champion Tom Walsh.
In what turned out to be a near exact copy of the results from their last encounter one week prior in Christchurch, Gill emerged the winner in an equal PB of 21.52m while Walsh was second with 21.45m &ndash; just one centimetre shy of his mark from last week.
Both men were extremely consistent, producing 10 throws beyond 21 metres between them. Walsh had the upper hand in the first round, 21.39m to 21.32m, but Gill responded with 21.52m in round two. Walsh came close in rounds two (21.45m), three (21.33m) and four (21.41m) but couldn&rsquo;t catch his younger rival.
There was another exciting domestic duel in the women&rsquo;s hammer as Lauren Bruce took on Julia Ratcliffe, her predecessor as Oceanian record-holder. Bruce opened with 68.66m but Ratcliffe responded in the second round with 71.39m, equalling the second-best throw of her career. It only lasted a matter of minutes as the leading mark, though, as Bruce threw 71.75m at the end of that round.
Ratcliffe didn&rsquo;t improve but landed two more throws beyond 70 metres. Bruce, meanwhile, saved her best for the final throw of the day, sending her hammer out to 73.22m &ndash; just 25 centimetres shy of her Oceania record. Since their first ever clash &ndash; which came exactly five years ago at the 2016 edition of the Porritt Classic &ndash; it&rsquo;s the first time Bruce has defeated Ratcliffe.
Elsewhere in Hamilton, Portia Bing dominated the 400m hurdles to win in 55.99, while Valerie Adams threw a season&rsquo;s best of 18.68m to win the shot put from world U20 champion Maddison-Lee Wesche (17.43m). 
<h2>Clay&rsquo;s momentum continues</h2>
 One week after setting a PB in Brisbane, Australia&rsquo;s Liz Clay chopped another chunk off her lifetime best to win the 100m hurdles at the Australia Capital Territory (ACT) Championships in Canberra on Saturday (13).
The 25-year-old sped to victory in 12.72, moving up to second on the Oceanian all-time list behind 2012 Olympic champion Sally Pearson. Former heptathlon specialist Celeste Mucci was second in 12.98, her first sub-13-second clocking.
Elsewhere in Canberra, Brooke Stratton won the long jump with 6.72m, Rohan Browning took the men&rsquo;s 100m in 10.23 and world javelin champion Kelsey-Lee Barber opened her season with 55.93m.

University of Oregon student Cooper Teare made a huge breakthrough on the first day of the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville on Friday (12), smashing his outright mile PB with 3:50.39 to move into the world indoor all-time top 10.

Lightfoot joins six-metre club, Teare clocks 3:50.39 mile in Fayetteville

KC Lightfoot tops 6.00m in Lubbock, Hauttekeete breaks indoor U20 heptathlon record

Today &ndash; February 11 &ndash; marks the sixth annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science, established by the United Nations General Assembly &ldquo;in order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls&rdquo;.
According to data for 2014 to 2016 produced by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), only about 30% of all female students select fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics in higher education.
&ldquo;Long-standing biases and gender stereotypes are steering girls and women away from science related fields,&rdquo; the UN site adds.
But in recent years, World Athletics has worked with a growing group of women scientists who are bucking that trend. And to mark this special day, World Athletics has spoken to four of them:
Professor Louise Burke, chair of sports nutrition at Australian Catholic University and previously head of sports nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport, who jointly led a team of 50 experts to compile a comprehensive guide to sports nutrition for World Athletics in April 2019;
Lindy Castell, Visiting Research Fellow at Green Templeton College within Oxford University;
Joanna Harper, a transgender masters athlete now based at Loughborough University in the UK who worked with World Athletics to define the current rules regarding transgender and differences in sexual development (DSD);
Angela Cheruyiot, a Kenyan dietician and coach who has worked widely with elite athletes. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/602516843163c2d6c0e3c63c.png" alt="" width="868" height="250" /> Louise Burke, Lindy Castell, Joanna Harper, Angela Cheruiyot
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<h3>According to UNESCO research, only about 30% of female students take scientific routes in higher education, while enrolment for natural science, maths and stats jobs is about 5%. How can this change &ndash; are you helping to change it yourself, against the odds?</h3>
Louise Burke: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve just become aware of the under-representation of females in sports science &ndash; we are under-represented as researchers but also as participants in studies. I was shocked to read a survey which found that only about 3% of the subjects in studies of strategies to enhance sports performance are females.
&ldquo;I knew that it is easier to study males and just assumed that we can apply the findings to women. But I didn&rsquo;t realise just how one-sided we are! I did an audit of my own research activities and found that I was contributing to the problem which shamed me into action.
&ldquo;So I&rsquo;ve been able to set up two new PhD scholarships at Australian Catholic University to work on strategies to promote performance research in females athletes. We will work in collaboration with some international colleagues who are also committed to the cause &ndash; Dr Trent Stellingwerff from Canada, Dr Kate Ackerman from the United States and Dr Kirsty Elliott-Sale from the United Kingdom.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll choose some performance topics to attack from a female perspective, but also try to develop tools and protocols that make it easier for other researchers to tackle the imbalance.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s challenging to study female athletes &ndash; whether it be overcoming their reticence to be research participants in the first place to accommodating the special hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle in the study design.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s why experienced sports scientists need to pave the way for others to follow. We need to fast track a solution.&rdquo;
 Joanna Harper: &ldquo;There are various ways to make changes. Before I went back to university, I worked as a medical physicist in the United States. There was a very active women's professional group in the field, and by having female leadership and encouraging more women in the field, we grew the percentage of women from 10% to 30% over the space of 20 years.
&ldquo;Even more encouraging is that close to 50% of newly minted medical physicists are women. I was a local/regional leader in the field and approximately 50% of the physicists I hired were female. Here at Loughborough University, there is once again a very active organisation of women who support and encourage other women to enter and flourish within the scientific halls.&rdquo;
 Lindy Castell: &ldquo;I left school at 16 and attended day release classes in agriculture as my ambition was to work in farming. However, a back injury led to a change in direction.
&ldquo;Serendipity led me to a temporary post in the University Laboratory of Physiology at Oxford, where I eventually became a technician.
&ldquo;After two years working in the United States, I came back to Oxford, where Professor Eric Newsholme persuaded me to join his group in the Department of Biochemistry. His DPhil students in the lab (50% females) were always very supportive when I needed to learn new techniques.
&ldquo;Oxford agreed to let me embark on an MSc, and when Eric Newsholme retired, I took over running the Cellular Nutrition Research Group. This involved raising sufficient funds over nine years to allow our group to undertake further research. During this period I taught exercise immunology for the University&rsquo;s Sports Science course created by Sir John Bell: this led to more supervision of MSc student research projects which were thoroughly rewarding. I was also given MA Status.
&ldquo;Since retiring from active research, I have continued to collaborate with former colleagues and to write research papers. I was made a Research Fellow at an Oxford College, which enables me to continue contact with graduate students.&rdquo;
 Angela Cheruyiot: &ldquo;I followed this career path because I love science, sports and food. I feel like I can contribute to enhancing the lives and careers of athletes that I work with. I am working to fulfil that goal.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
<h3>Is there such a thing as &lsquo;a scientific mind&rsquo;?</h3>
Lindy Castell: &ldquo;I think there is no doubt of that. I&rsquo;ve talked with professional scientists who, for example, became besotted with biochemistry in their teens; to graduate students and post-doctorates involved in science whose innate curiosity drives them on, and who love to be steeped in conversations about many aspects of science.
&ldquo;Being involved in these conversations over the years has been very stimulating for me. It still gives me a buzz when a young colleague phones and says &lsquo;I&rsquo;ve had this crazy idea&hellip;.!&rsquo; To help nurture a scientific mind in the young, I strongly recommend a regular dose of New Scientist magazine from an early age&hellip;&rdquo;
 Angela Cheruyiot: &ldquo;A scientific mind is a curious and adventurous mind. As long as one is curious about any scientific field, one can explore the different options.&rdquo;
 Joanna Harper: &ldquo;Of course, everyone has their own personal inclinations, and my inclination is towards science, and maths and data analysis. However, even those people who might not be scientific &lsquo;naturals&rsquo; can improve their deductive abilities, maths, and analytical skills with practice. I think that success in science is as much about putting in the effort as natural inclination.&rdquo;
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<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60251b6fe13088e4d65f633c.jpg" alt="" width="850" height="567" /> Joanna Harper
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<h3>Can you name something in science that gives you the most satisfaction?</h3>
Joanna Harper: &ldquo;Those &lsquo;eureka&rsquo; moments are special. There are often problems that you struggle with for some time, and then something illuminates your mind, and the solution becomes obvious. It is such a glorious feeling when the light of understanding comes beaming in.&rdquo;
 Lindy Castell: &ldquo;Firstly, research data that proves what you hoped it would do! Having said that, I well remember one study which turned out to have the opposite effect of what I had proposed. Having &lsquo;licked my wounds&rsquo; for a few weeks, it occurred to me that there might be some mileage in what my data had actually showed, and I began to write it up.
&ldquo;Coincidentally, soon after I made this decision, a clinical group published a study with similar results to mine, which came to the same conclusion as I had recently done.
&ldquo;Secondly, data from a clinical study being undertaken by female medical students under my supervision turned out several years later to bear similarities to data from endurance athletes.
&ldquo;Thirdly I also found it very satisfying to have produced a comprehensive review on glutamine (the most abundant amino acid in the body), exercise and immunodepression.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
<h3>How have you been able to leverage your knowledge for the sake of athletics?</h3>
Louise Burke: &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t sure what I wanted to do, even when I was already at university. I was interested in food and nutrition so I directed my studies to those themes. My lucky moment was having a social conversation with one of my lecturers who told me about how he was altering his diet just before running a marathon. (This was back in the days when carbohydrate loading was just being developed).
&ldquo;Suddenly I knew that was how I wanted to explore the world of nutrition &ndash; to help athletes go faster, higher and stronger. Sports nutrition didn&rsquo;t really exist then, so there were plenty of opportunities to create new pathways. This branch of science has provided me with a lifetime of adventures. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60251b38e13088e4d65f6339.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" /> Louise Burke working on the Supernova study at the Australian Institute of Sport (&copy; Inaki Gomez and Evan Dunfee)
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&ldquo;I love exploring a new idea or tackling a challenge in sport via nutrition. Over the last years, my team has developed some new models for doing this &ndash; the research-embedded training camp. We work with the athletes and coaches to set up a training camp that promotes performance improvements through the environment of good facilities, support to allow athletes to train hard, and an environment of sharing knowledge and ideas.
&ldquo;Everyone is a collaborator in the research question we embed in the camp, and we all cooperate to find the answers. It&rsquo;s a great experience when talented athletes, coaches and sports scientist all provide blood, sweat and tears towards a common goal. It produces great fun as well as great science &ndash; a true win-win! My new crusade will be to make sure that females are equally able to benefit from these projects.&rdquo;
 Lindy Castell: &ldquo;In 2009 I decided to initiate a series of monthly articles on nutritional supplements for athletes in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. This continued until 2013, and I was very fortunate that Professor Louise Burke and Dr Samantha Stear agreed to join me in this venture.
&ldquo;The three of us then went on to produce a book (published in 2015) in the shape of an A-Z guide on nutritional supplements in sport, exercise and health: it comprised 138 topics and included 111 authors. Important features were efficacy index tables on supplements and sports foods, and advice on inadvertent doping.
&ldquo;In 2017 my colleague Professor Stephane Bermon and I co-edited a Consensus Statement on immunonutrition, which was published in Exercise Immunology Reviews. We subsequently collaborated with Louise Burke on producing the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/press-release/iaaf-consensus-statement-nutrition-for-athlet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2019 World Athletics Consensus Statement: Nutrition for Athletics</a>, which was gratifyingly cited during 2019 as being &ldquo;the most popular article&rdquo; in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
&ldquo;More recently I was pleased to be asked by colleagues in Japan and Iran to be a co-author on a review looking at physical activity during the first Covid-19 lockdown: my main contribution consisted of material relating to immunonutrition. This article was published in August 2020 in the Journal of Sports Science (UK).
 Joanna Harper: &ldquo;One of the most problematic questions for athletics is how to deal with transgender and intersex athletes. The fact that I am a scientist, an athlete and transgender has given me special insight into these questions.
&ldquo;I am not, however, suggesting that I have all the answers; merely that I am an important voice in the search for solutions to the issue of gender variant athletes.
&ldquo;I am grateful that World Athletics has given me the opportunity to be a worldwide leader in these very contentious issues. As an athlete I have found that my analytical skills have been useful in team competition situations where the ability to analyse the relative strengths and weaknesses of other teams has come in handy.
&ldquo;I would also like to say that women scientists have been uniformly welcoming to me as a trans woman. No one has suggested that I am taking the spot of another woman in the sciences. Rather, my success as a trans feminine scientist has always been perceived as an advancement for all women scientists.&rdquo;
 Angela Cheruyiot: &ldquo;I feel like I still have a long way to go in my career. The best thing is to keep learning and acquire more knowledge and implement what I learn to get good results.&rdquo;
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Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

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