The American, one of four men to win three sprint gold medals at an Olympic Games, is remembered as much for the infamy his business dealings provoked as his glorious running styleFour men have won the sprint triple at the Olympics and, chances are, you know three of them: Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt. Then there is Bobby Joe Morrow, who died last Sunday at the age of 84. When Morrow won the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m at the Melbourne Games in 1956 he was, briefly, as famous as any of the other three. He was a guest on the Ed Sullivan show, same episode as Marcel Marceau, and Arthur Godfrey and His Friends, he made the...
Everyone remembers the cricket but few recall the day John Walker took to the track in MelbourneIt started with a tweet. On 4 March 2018, reacting to the news that barrier-busting miler Roger Bannister had died, Mike Selvey – the long-term lord of this manor – posted the following: “The great John Walker ran a sub-four-minute mile on a track laid out on the outfield of the MCG during the Centenary Test in March 1977.”Hold up. He did what? During the most fondly recalled Test ever staged at the G? Continue reading...
Amateur pastimes provide fair entertainment when the alternative is staring at the wall or, worse, watching the newsIf you know one thing about CB Fry, it’s that he was a man of many talents. He made a Test century against Australia, tied the world long-jump record, took a five-wicket haul at Lord’s, won a cap for England at right-back, started an FA Cup final for Southampton and played three games on the wing for the Barbarians.His CV reads like a schoolboy’s daydream. But there is nothing in it quite so unlikely as his ability to make a standing leap on to a mantelpiece. Fry is the man who declined the throne of Albania and tried to forestall the war by...
The 50km walk may be unglamorous and a little absurd but seven female athletes’ legal fight with the IOC is worth backingTo Lausanne then, home of the International Olympic Committee, and the source last week of an exciting press release about the latest developments in its “global licencing strategy”. The IOC has teamed up with the toy manufacturer Mattel, which has designed a set of Olympic-themed Barbie dolls. “The collaboration with Mattel is a great way to engage with an important audience, our younger fans and their families, and through these high-quality products to connect them with the Olympic brand and values” sayzzzzz, sorry, says Timo Lumme, managing director of IOC television and marketing servicezzzzz. The new line is designed...
New regulations have tried to limit the impact of Nike’s race-changing footwear but the sportswear giant is sprinting clearStop me if you’ve heard this before. An athlete smashes the world record in special shoes that L’Équipe says act as “little trampolines” and Sports Illustrated warns “take advantage of the easygoing old rules”. But the athlete in question is not Eliud Kipchoge or Brigid Kosgei. And the shoes are not Nike Vaporflys, with their platforms that could have been borrowed from the Bay City Rollers. Related: World Athletics gives seal of approval for controversial Nike Vaporfly shoes Related: Controversial Nike Vaporflys to escape ban but running shoe rules will tighten Related: Kenenisa Bekele to face Eliud Kipchoge in London Marathon for...