Sport.co.uk freelancer beats Canadian Timber wolf in 30m sprint
Athletics story by sport.co.uk, Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:52:58GMT

When the offer to race a 60kg Canadian Timber wolf was passed around the sport.co.uk office, it was pretty obvious that the only candidate to face off against the fearsome beast was freelance writer Andy Wilson - just to clarify itrsquo;s not because we wanted the wolf to do him any harm, but merely because hersquo;s pretty nippy out of the blocks (if not bed). Organised in association with Timberland Mountain Athletic footwear and taking place in the chilly shadows of Wembley...

Wellington crowned Sportswoman of the Year 2009
Athletics story by sport.co.uk, Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:52:55GMT

Record-breaking triathlete and Ironman champion Chrissie Wellington was yesterday crowned the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year for 2009. Beating off strong competition from World Champion heptathlete Jessica Ennis and Olympic cyclist, and 2007 winner, Victoria Pendleton, the 32-year-old from Norfolk exclusively told sport.co.uk of her pride at winning the prestigious award: ldquo;It feels absolutely surreal. ldquo;Itrsquo;s like winning the World Championships all over again, I have to pinch myself to believe it. Itrsquo;s a huge honour.rdquo; Wellingtonrsquo;s victory capped an amazing afternoon, in which...

Radcliffe targets third success
Athletics story by sport.co.uk, Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:02:36GMT

Paula Radcliffe hopes to be fit enough to take part in next months New York Marathon despite being forced to pull out of the World Half-Marathon Championships in Birmingham.The 35-year-old has been victorious in New York for the last two years but has been blighted by a series of injury and illness problems recently and is currently suffering from tonsillitis.She said: "I hope Ill be fine (for New York). I dont know what it will do to me mentally if I...

Tadese makes it three in a row
Athletics story by sport.co.uk, Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:02:34GMT

Eritrean runner Zersenay Tadese secured his third successive World Half Marathon title by surging to victory in Birmingham on Sunday.He set a new championship record of 59 minutes and 35 seconds to beat Kenyan Bernard Kipyego into second spot while Dathan Ritzenhein of the United States was third.Kenya took the team title while Eritrea were second and Ethiopia third.In the womens race, Kenyan Mary Keitany showed why she was the favourite to win the title by leading from start to finish.She...

Radcliffe to miss Birmingham
Athletics story by sport.co.uk, Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:37:14GMT

Paula Radcliffe has been forced to pull out of Sundays World Half-Marathon Championships in Birmingham due to illness.The three times former champion and marathon world record holder is suffering from tonsillitis."Im devastated not to be able to compete in Birmingham," said Radcliffe, who also missed the recent World Athletics Championships due to injury.The 35-year-old added: "The world half-marathon is a great opportunity for our athletes to compete in front of a home crowd and Im disappointed I cant be part of...

Usain Bolt: Not just the quickest man ever
Athletics story by sport.co.uk, Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:24:14GMT

quot;I just blew my mind and blew the worlds mind.quot; ndash; Usain Bolt. On the commute home from work the other day I happened to stumble across the celebrity gossip section of a free London paper. There looking quite the cool cat was a picture of Usain Bolt donning a leather jacket and some comedy sunglasses rocking out in a Mayfair night spot. With an apparent dance-off with Chelsea star Didier Drogba and other celebrities done and dusted it would be fair...

Visa to sponsor GB athletes
Athletics story by sport.co.uk, Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:24:13GMT

Great Britains Olympic and Paralympic athletes will be sponsored by Visa in what has been described as a "ground-breaking" deal.Visa has agreed to become the presenting partner of Team 2012 and will sponsor all 1,200 athletes in the build-up to the London Olympics.The money will be used to help athletes train in the run up to the games in three years time."Todays launch of Team 2012 is a ground-breaking moment for British sport," said Lord Sebastian Coe, who is chairman of...

A Superhuman effort by a Superhuman Man: Unique boat for transatlantic row unveiled
Athletics story by sport.co.uk, Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:24:11GMT

Six desert marathons down, one single-handed TransAtlantic row to go! An lsquo;amateur supermanrsquo; today unveiled the revolutionary new boat that will take him across the Atlantic Ocean to complete his challenge to become the first person ever to run 151 miles in six days in the Sahara Desert and then row the Atlantic single handed within the same year.nbsp;nbsp; Charlie Pitcher, 46, was at HMS President next to Tower Bridge in London to publicly unveil the one-of-a-kind lsquo;InsureandGorsquo; ndash; named after his main...

Linford Christie talks gold medals 2012 and Usain Bolt
Athletics story by sport.co.uk, Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:35:48GMT

Linford Christie took time out to chat abou the Olympics in 2012, the emergence of Usain Bolt and winning gold. Sport.co.uk were present at the BGC Charity Day. Set up to remember those lost in the World Trade Centre attacks, the day has now been running for five years and has also already amassed over $23 million for numerous charities...

Semenya to keep gold medal
Athletics story by sport.co.uk, Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:48:50GMT

The IAAF have confirmed that South African Caster Semenya will almost certainly retain her World Championships 800m gold medal, irrespective of the outcome of gender tests.Communications Director Nick Davies has said that as the case is not drug-related, there is no ground for disqualification. "This is a medical issue and not a doping issue where she was deliberately cheating," said Davies. "These tests do not suggest any suspicion of deliberate misconduct but seek to assess the possibility of a potential medical condition which...