It was a Caribbean sweep at the IAAF World Athlete of the Year Awards in Monaco on Sunday.

Photo credit: AP

None other than Usain ‘Lightning’ Bolt won the Male Athlete of the Year Award – naturally. Who can argue with 9.58 and 19.19?

No-one – ever?

Exactly. And we bet the big man is going to fulljoy himself next week at his 9:58 Super Party in Kingston – this is just icing on the cake of his superlative year.

The Female Athlete of the year was Jamaican-born US Athlete Sanya Richards, who finally snagged her first individual gold medal at the World Championships this year, fulfilling the promise expected of a woman who has the most sub-5o second 400 metres of any female in history.

Sanya said that seeing how her countrymen (the Jamaican ones, not the US ones) like Usain enjoyed their running, helped inspire and lift her to that first gold this year in Berlin.

“These athletes were just having so much fun. I was so focused on winning, the medals and the money and everything that came with being a champion that I forgot the simple enjoyment and fun of track and field. …I just felt like I was running a lot lighter, the races became a lot easier,” she told the AP.

I know nuff yaardies have up Sanya for running for the US of A when she lived in Jamaica half her life (she migrated to Florida when she was 12 years old and she’s 24 now) but she doesn’t leave out JA, neither in word or deed.

Actually, just this month she was in the island for her third Fun 4 Kidz Fast Track programme event, which provides literacy training and extra-curricular activities for children in downtown Kingston high schools.

So big up yuself Sanya and congrats to all our island athletes both here and in the diaspora who continue to make us proud.
Caribbean to the worrrrld!

I keep hearing a lot of chatter and speculation about Boise State’s BCS bowl hopes and if the Broncos are headed to the Fiesta Bowl.

But something tells me that Boise State’s bowl destination shouldn’t be the biggest concern right now. A more pressing worry for the Broncos might be figuring out to how win the Western Athletic Conference title.

The Broncos’ BCS hopes could be trampled by the red-hot Nevada Wolf Pack, perhaps the best running team this side of the Jamaican 4 x 100 relay team led by Usain Bolt.  

Nevada leads the nation in rushing (373.2 yards per game) and has three players over 1,000 rushing yards, the first time that has ever happened in major college football history.

Vai Taua has 1,185 yards, quarterback Colin Kaepernick has 1,129 and Luke Lippincott has 1,028. Nevada has topped 300 rushing yards in eight consecutive contests and has accumulated more than 500 in two of the past three games.

The Wolf Pack has won all eight of those games and are 8-3 overall and 7-0 in the WAC. They are technically a half-game ahead of Boise State (11-0, 6-0). Nevada has scored 278 points over the past five games, an amazing 55.6 average.

Count on Boise State to be tested. The Wolf Pack rank as the second-best team the Broncos have played this season — Oregon, which Boise State beat, qualifies as the best.

At least the Broncos are playing a quality opponent that ranks a few steps ahead of their typical schedule, a slate that I believe has included Gingerbread State University, Cupcake University and Cotton Candy Tech.

Nevada not only belongs on the same field as Boise State, but it wouldn’t rank as a surprise if the Wolf Pack prevails.

Boise State, behind quarterback Kellen Moore, is a much better passing team and has two impressive wideouts in Austin Pettis and Titus Young. Nevada has struggled to stop the pass, allowing 286.3 yards per game, so it figures that the Broncos will score a bunch of points.

The last time these two teams played in Boise, the game went four overtimes in 2007 with Boise State prevailing 69-67.

Yeah, that really is a football score — not a basketball encounter.

So it should be an exciting night of fireworks at Bronco Stadium and the winner will be celebrating a WAC title. There’s just uncertainty on whether that will be Boise State … or if it might be Nevada.

Set aside the BCS talk and stop with wondering whether Oklahoma State will get a Fiesta Bowl bid over the Broncos. None of that matters if Boise State doesn’t beat Nevada.

We are very happy to see Usain Bolt and Sanya Richards win the Athlete of the Year award.

An envious achievement indeed!

Now, we are thinking: why not put an Indian in that league? Why not make an Indian athlete win the Athlete of the Year Award? Is it enough to see only Indian cricketer’s win Player of the Year Award?

Be the Athlete you wanna be!

What does it take to be a world class, or what we call – Super Power Athlete? Is it the determination? Power?  Endurance? Stamina? Training?  Nutrition? What exactly does it take?

As a specialist in Performance Nutrition, we will be the first to tell you that unless you have the drive to win, no matter what training or world class nutrition you take, you are never going to be world class. You won’t make a dent in the Sports Universe.

But then, if you think, if you believe that you have it in you to win. If you have this crazy attitude to win no matter what the odds, then yes, Training and Nutrition will get you world class.

We won’t comment on Training. That, we leave it to you and your coach. You have to sweat it out to condition your body to be world class. Let’s talk about Performance Nutrition then, shall we?

Performance Nutrition: when world class is not enough

When you mix Crazy attitude to win with Training, you get a world class athlete. But world class is not enough.

You have to beat the best. You have to keep winning. You have to change the rules of the game. You have to be the High Performance – Game Changer t.  To be there, you need to bring the 3^rd element in the troika (Attitude and Training being the other two) – Performance Nutrition.

What most Indian Athlete lack is not talent or training? That we have in plenty. We have 1 Billion in population, we can’t go wrong there. What most, no, all athletes lack is Nutrition!

Because nutrition is that fundamental element in making sure the athletes win matches and win it on a consistent basis.

BODYFUELZ and Performance Nutrition:

BODYFUELZ enjoys making professionals athletes win matches through Performance Nutrition. We did it with Sushil Kumar and he won the Bronze Medal at Beijing Olympics (the second Indian to win a match – the last one was in 1952 at Helenski). We are going to make sure Sushil wins the Gold in the next Olympics at London

Today, BODYFUELZ is working with  hundreds of athletes preparing for Common Wealth Games and London Olympics (2012) in shaping their foundation and Performance Nutrition. Our commitment to the Indian Athletics to support athletes aim for the Gold in every match they play.

Our strength is Performance Nutrition through Amino Nutrition.

If you are an athlete, sports player, or you know someone who belongs to the sporting arena, get in touch with us at 1800-200-4500 and tell us how determined you are to win matches and we will show you how it is done .

El jamaicano Usain Bolt, con tres medallas de oro en Berlín, en 100 metros, 200 metros y 4×100 metros relevos, y la estadounidense Sanya Richards, ganadora de los 400 metros en ese Mundial, recibieron el domingo en Mónaco el galardón de mejores atletas del año de la Federación Internacional de Atletismo.

Bolt, de 23 años de edad, y Richards, de 24, y también con orígenes jamaicanos, ya habían sido distinguidos anteriormente por la IAAF, en 2008 y en 2006, respectivamente.

Los ganadores cobrarán un cheque de 100.000 dólares (80.000 euros) de la Federación Internacional de Atletismo (IAAF).

El ‘rayo’ Bolt, considerado por muchos como el modelo del atleta del siglo XXI, competía para el galardón con el etíope Kenenisa Bekele, ‘emperador’ del semifondo, pero el jamaicano era claramente favorito.

“Ha sido un año por completo excepcional, sorprendente. Y eso que mi accidente en abril me hizo perder el comienzo, y también perdí entrenamientos. Tuve que concentrarme mucho para recuperar el retraso. Después, me preparé bien para el resto de la temporada y el Mundial”, señaló el velocista. En cuanto al premio, destacó: “es una motivación suplementaria”.

Richards, por su lado, dijo: “mi objetivo en 2010 sera superar mi récord nacional (48.70), que data de 2006. Espero correr en 48 segundos. Y, ¿por qué no? en unos años la plusmarca (mundial). Michael Johnson esperó 32 años para ver caer el suyo. Tengo todavía ocho años por delante para intentarlo”.

Richards se casará el próximo 26 de febrero en Austin (Texas) con un jugador de fútbol americano.

Consultado antes al margen de la gala, Bolt, triple campeón olímpico y del mundo, aseguró el domingo en Mónaco que no sabe cómo habría reaccionado en lugar de Thierry Henry en el polémico gol ante Irlanda que aseguró la clasificación de Francia para el Mundial-2010. “Es muy triste pero el jugador reaccionó en plena acción. Y yo no sé cómo habría reaccionado si hubiera estado en su lugar”, dijo el hombre más rápido del mundo y uno de los deportistas más conocidos del planeta. “Mi agente (Ricky Simms) es irlandés y le hubiera gustado que dijera que los franceses tienen que pedir perdón”, añadió el ‘rayo’ jamaicano.

A Bolt le gustan el cricket y el fútbol y dice que ahora es hincha del Real Madrid, aunque todavía sigue al Manchester United.

Fuente: Eurosport

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and Jamaica-born 400-meter runner Sanya Richards (who runs for the United States) won their second IAAF World Athlete of the Year awards on Sunday in Monaco. Bolt retained the honor by winning the 100- and 200-meter finals in record times at the World Championships in Berlin, matching his 100-200 double from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He won a third gold in the 400-meter relay. “It’s been an amazing year for me,” said Bolt, whose training was hampered after he injured his foot when he crashed his car in April. “I had to refocus my goals and put in a lot of hard work. I did extremely well and I’m proud of myself.”

Richards, the 2006 winner, got her first major individual gold medal at the worlds in August. She also won at all six Golden League meetings in Europe to claim a share of the $1 million jackpot given to athletes who swept their event. “I am so excited and overwhelmed,” said the Jamaican-born Richards, who was a favorite in Beijing but took bronze. “You work so hard to be a world champion. It’s right up there with winning the title in Berlin.”

Lamine Diack, president of track and field’s world governing body, praised Bolt for raising his performances to “an unimaginable level.”

“We need stars in the sport,” the IAAF chief said. “He brings a lot of prestige to our sport and is one of the best-known people on the planet.”

The 23-year-old Bolt said he aimed to go unbeaten through the 2010 season, when he will compete at seven of the 14 meets that will make up the new global Diamond League circuit. He has signed a contract to race against Tyson Gay of the U.S. and fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell — the three fastest men in history who went 1-2-3 in Berlin. “A lot of people are going to watch out for the showdowns,” Bolt said.

Richards credited Bolt and other Jamaican sprinters for inspiring her in Beijing with their obvious love of the sport. “These athletes were just having so much fun,” Richards recalled. “I was so focused on winning, the medals and the money and everything that came with being a champion that I forgot the simple enjoyment and fun of track and field.” Richards said she began to relax during races after she and her parents watched videos of her running as a 7-year-old. “I just felt like I was running a lot lighter, the races became a lot easier,” she said. Richards said her goal for 2010 is to break the U.S. record of 48.70 she set in Athens three years ago. Her next main event is getting married to New York Giants cornerback Aaron Ross in Austin, Texas, on her 25th birthday in February.

Bolt topped a short list that included sprint rival Gay and three other world champions: 5,000 and 10,000 winner Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, pole vaulter Steven Hooker of Australia and Norwegian javelin thrower Andreas Thorkildsen.

Richards beat world champions Valerie Vili, the shot putter from New Zealand, Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic and Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk, who set a world record in winning the hammer throw title, plus Russian pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva.

Votes were cast by nearly 1,800 athletes, officials and journalists.

For the original Associated Press report go to http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gNED2lPa-2_H-LILEgXp6ntZvYxQD9C4Q2U00?index=0

The AP in Johannesburg reports that the South African sports ministry says 800 world champion Caster Semenya will keep her gold medal.

Caster Semenya has been under humiliating public scrutiny for several months now, when it was made public that the gold medal winning world champion female runner was suspected of having been born with male sex organs and had an unusual amount of testosterone for an actual woman.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex

Caster was forced to take a gender test, and the alledged test results were leaked, and falsely reported internationally.The leaked results stated that Caster was rumored to have been proven to be a male, and a female at the same time.The report of the results were confusing at best.

The actual results of the gender test will remain closed and confidential, saving Caster from any more intimate public scrutiny,it is truly the right thing to do in this case.

The South African sports ministry pushed the IAAF to keep the recent gender test results strictly between patient and doctor. Once the IAAF agreed, the ministry announced today the confidentiality and urged South Africans and media to please respect Semenya’s privacy.

She will also be allowed to keep the prize money winnings she earned in August at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin in where she won the gold medal by blowing out the competition. That is where suspicion grew about her actual gender, based on her deep voice, and muscular build.

A quote reported in the Huffington Post explains the Caster Semenya’s gender qualifications test situation as follows….

She was tested for not being female enough even though the kind of conditions required to disqualify a self-identified girl from competing in boys sports are quite extreme. In fact, according to the IAAF’s own policy document on gender verification (2006), women can compete even if they are genetically male:

Conditions that should be allowed: (a) Those conditions that accord no advantage over other females:
- Androgen insensitivity syndrome (Complete or almost complete – previously called testicular feminization);
- Gonadal dysgenesis (gonads should be removed surgically to avoid
malignancy);
- Turner’s syndrome.

As well, athletes who choose to have sex changes are permitted to continue to compete in sport as long as they have completed a mandatory number of months in hormone therapy…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-rubysachs/semenyas-struggle-teaches_b_363668.html

I did not know that there were rules that governed intersex athletes in international sports, but, given that they do exist, and some may excel in sports, I think that the International Sports authorities have shown some proactive leadership in specifying the qualifications for the intersex athlete around the world.

The official ruling clears Caster Semenya and the South African Sports association of any wrongdoing, or malicious intent, like the violations of doping and steroid abuse that seems to be so prevalent among international athletes covering a wide range of sports.

I personally look forward to Caster continuing in her chosen field of sport, and I am sure that she will continue to set new world records, and represent her country well in the coming Olympics, should she choose to compete.

For more information on the life and times of world champion runner Caster Semenya, please follow this link…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caster_Semenya

Millions of lightbulbs, loudspeakers, big screens, not to mention a giant flame… The Olympic games is a black hole of energy consumption and where that energy comes from is an issue of extreme importance if the UK is to lead the way in reduction of greenhouse gases as Boris Johnson would have us believe.

A state of art energy centre is being constructed in the Olympic park to solve all of our energy problems. The centre which is being branded by Olympic officials as “Lean, Mean and Green” is going to reduce the carbon emissions of the games by over 1000 tonnes in 2012 and is even being praised by Greenpeace.

It is to be housed primarily inside an old Victorian building which would have otherwise stood derelict. This ultimate show of recycling is truly a step in the right direction and proves that the Olympic committee have really listen to environmentalists who were concerned that London 2012 would leave more than just a sporting legacy lingering over the city.

The proposed energy centre

ODA Director of Infrastructure and Utilities Simon Wright said: “Sustainability is at the heart of the 2012 project and the Energy Centre will ensure a lasting legacy of green power in the Olympic Park for generations to come. The state-of-the-art Energy Centre will be one of the largest in the UK and the lean, mean and green sustainability features that underpin this project will set a model for future urban regeneration schemes.”

Biomass boilers will use sustainable biomass fuels to generate heat, contributing to a 20 per cent renewable energy target across Olympic Park and zero carbon renewable energy sources used such as biofuel. Of course both of these things are important and exciting new developments but the idea which really captured my imagination was the waste water scheme which proposes that waste water from the Olympic park and village will be used to cool the energy centre.

This means that the water used in the pool that Michael Phelps swam to gold in could then help to light the arena in which Chris Hoy powers to victory. The water that Usain Bolt’s pots and pans were washed in could then help run the timer that records his new world record.

An exciting prospect, no? And if it helps the environment and the green credentials of the games then this new power plant really should be given more publicity.

The centre is due to be completed in Spring 2010.

World and Olympic champion sprinter, the Hon. Usain Bolt, O.J., was awarded the prestigious Vanguard Award by the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS), at the 16th Annual Caribbean American Heritage Awards Gala, on November 13, at the Renaissance Marriott Hotel, in Washington, D.C. Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Anthony Johnson, made the presentation to Mr. Bolt’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wellesley Bolt, who accepted the award on behalf of their son, who was unable to attend.

Presenting the award, Ambassador Johnson said that Jamaica has defied the imagination and produced some of the greatest athletes in the world and Usain Bolt’s performances have single-handedly changed the trajectory of games. “One would have to be on another planet to be untouched by the tremendous achievements of Usain Bolt. This outstanding Jamaican athlete has single-handedly revitalised the sport of track and field by his strength and charisma,” he added.

Accepting the award on behalf of his son, Mr. Wellesley Bolt thanked the institute for recognizing his son’s athletic contribution. He apologized for Usain not being able to attend personally to accept the award, as he had a prior engagement. “As parents of Usain, we are very proud of his accomplishments and wish we had two Usains,” he said.

Some three weeks ago the 23-year-old Bolt became the youngest Jamaican ever to receive the Order of Jamaica (OJ). He is the first man in Olympic history to break the 100m and 200m world records, which he did at last year’s Beijing Olympic Games. He also broke both records at the World Games in Berlin, Germany, in August, with times of 9.58 seconds in the 100-metre dash and 19.19 seconds in the 200 meters.

Heritage Gala Chairman and President of the ICS, Dr. Claire Nelson, explained that the ICS was more than honored to present its premiere recognition on behalf of the Caribbean American community to Usain Bolt, recognizing the phenomenal success of this world class Jamaican athlete, along with the other outstanding recipients

For the original report (and photos) go to http://www.jis.gov.jm/foreign_affairs/html/20091116T110000-0500_21895_JIS_USAIN_BOLT_RECEIVES_VANGUARD_AWARD.asp

Usain Bolt. No more appropriate name could there be for the fastest man on the planet, with the possible exception of Flashy McSpeed. The Lightning Bolt. The slickest, coolest, quickest cat on the block. From the preening and posing – done with a boyish glee and bravado suitable to someone who genuinely is the best and knows it – to the globally-recognised lightning-strike celebration, Usain Bolt has every star quality in spades. Not only that, but he is a winner, and everyone loves a winner. Everyone loves watching someone outdo themselves, exceed expectation time and again, win not just easily but in mind-blowing fashion.

In Dublin Airport, on 20th August 2009, I sat in a bar waiting for a flight to Edinburgh and watched, admired and applauded as the world record for 200m was smashed by the brightest star in the athletics galaxy. The Berlin crowd went wild, everyone in our bar moved a little closer to the screen to check and recheck that time. 19.19 seconds. “Sweet Jesus!” “Incredible” and the wonderfully understated and unnecessary “Fuck, that’s fast.”

Athletics has had a rough time of it of late. Doping scandals are not quite as rife as they were during the horror years of the 80s and early 90s, when the likes of Ben Johnson and his 1988 Olympic 100m co-finalists were almost all disgraced, Flo-Jo’s superhuman times and early retirement left more than a whiff of suspicion around her greatness, and the Iron Curtain nations spewed out wave after wave of specially-created, steroid-filled robots. Yet they are still there, and still claim the high-profile names.

One such name is Marion Jones, an athlete universally admired at her peak for her enduring spirit, undeniable talent and apparent “clean-ness”. My granny – a huge fan of Jones – and I were surely not alone when Marion was found to be a cheat and forced to hand over her Olympic medals from Sydney. We had watched those games and marvelled at this engaging and gifted young woman who had carried all before her in a 5-medal haul. She was a shining beacon for fair play, or so we all thought. Then, in 2005, she was brought into disrepute along with the likes of Kelli White and Tim Montgomery in the course of the BALCO investigation, finally confessing to taking performance-enhancing drugs prior to the Olympics in 2000. She forfeited all results dating back to September of that year.

BALCO played a massive role in the continuing sorry tale of athletics cheats. Nowadays, many people watch athletics with a certain cynicism. Any athlete who displays great muscle mass, a sudden burst of form or an unprecedented success are sneered at with suspicion. Certainly, the scenes in the Cube at Beijing 2008 left many feeling cold and hollow, as China swept to gold medals left, right and centre, especially in the women’s events, some achieved by swimmers heretofore ranked beyond the top-20 in their discipline and by phenomenal margins. Witness again the furore surrounding Caster Semenya at the World Championships only a few short months ago, and it seems no champion is safe from the finger of suspicion and the taint of rumour.

Except, possibly, Usain Bolt. When a champion is JUST THAT GOOD, he is even more heavily scrutinised than those who have come before. He cannot go anywhere without being heavily drug tested; there is too much riding on him. With athletics on the ropes, Bolt is the Messiah viewed by all who love the sport as its saving grace. Here is a charismatic character, a surprisingly articulate and down-to-Earth speaker, and a superhuman runner. He is as Sea The Stars is to flat racing – the pinnacle of athleticism thus far, the greatest that has yet to be seen. He strolls past high quality fields which, in any other era, would be breaking records of their own. He is, quite simply, the perfect sprinter, with a long, easy stride and more gears than a spare-part shop.

So Usain Bolt CANNOT be a cheat. It is too important for athletics that he is a freak of nature (in the nicest possible way!) and nothing more. People who don’t always watch athletics will often watch the Olympics. It is rare that the World Championships would garner even half that attention, yet there were millions glued to the races featuring Bolt, both in that airport bar and around the world. He is the hottest ticket in town, the biggest draw the sport knows and the most vital part of an uncertain future. People WANT him to win, because they want to be able to say “I saw Bolt”. And they want him to be clean, because they want to be able to say “I saw Bolt, and he was the best, beyond doubt”.

If Bolt is clean, he will be remembered as a god by all who saw him, just as golfers remember Nicklaus or Hogan and will remember Woods, just as footballers remember Pelé or Maradonna and will remember Kaka, just as rugby players remember Willie John or Campese and will remember O’Driscoll. If he is clean, athletics will grow again, with new trust invested in its biggest names and a new generation of competitors all inspired to compete in one of the world’s oldest sporting traditions with a spirit of fair play on which the Olympics were founded. If he is clean, he will have single-handedly saved a dying sport, and a great sport.

If Bolt is a cheat…well, maybe it’s time for the majority of competitors to give up the game, because there will never be any joy in competing against peers you can no longer trust in front of dwindling crowds who, quite frankly, no longer care.

An online debate was sparked by Josh Pettitt in the Cardiff Journalism School newsroom which has spread across WordPress and Twitter flaming debate.

The Greatest Sporting Icon of the Noughties is the issue, and personally I feel there is only one possible choice.

Men such as Michael Schumacher, Lance Armstrong and Ricky Pointing have all been hugely successful since 2000.

Though Michael Brown’s suggestion of Usain Bolt raised a very valid point, and one which goes straight to the crux of the issue.

Bolt, since blasting onto the sprinting scene with his blistering world-record times at Beijing of 9.69s (100m) and 19.30s (200m), has seen the Jamaican become a sporting icon: as an example to youngsters; a remarkable and unique physical specimen; but also with his trademark bolt stance.

Usain and his trademark Bolt

Icons

Cathy Freeman was iconic at the Sydney Olympics. In her head-to-toe suit she carried the hopes of Australia and her Aboriginal heritage.

Freeman iconic at Sydney in 2000

There are many images of Andrew Flintoff during the 2005 Ashes, from celebrating wickets to consoling Brett Lee at Trent Bridge after the Australian tail-end almost pulled off a remarkable victory.

There are many other examples but frankly only David Beckham can really justify the tag of The Greatest Sporting Icon of the Noughties.

The Player

For a start: the cornrows, the shaved head, the mohawk and now the mullet.

Beckham’s hair alone and the attention it has received and inspired others to follow is probably enough to give him this accolade, but his actions have been far more important over ten-years.

Since scoring from the half-way against Neil Sullivan’s Wimbledon on 17th August 1996, he was an instant superstar.
His last-gasp-goal at Old Trafford against Greece in 2001 shattered the ill feeling the nation felt towards him after that incident against Argentina in 1998.

Steve McClaren’s decision to leave him out of his teams for the failed qualification campaign for the 2008 European Championships was later seen as a huge factor in England’s poor performance; and the reinstatement of Beckham to win a record number of caps for an outfield England player (109) by Fabio Capello – a world renowned manager and judge of ability – shows the class the man oozes.

He has played for four of the most glamorous clubs in the world: Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and LA Galaxy and enjoyed success at all (the Galaxy having just reached the final of MLS).

Although the latter may not be the most famous or decorated club, the money they spent on Brand Beckham put previous feeble attempts by US franchises to promote the sport with the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Pele, Johan Cruff and George Best – some of the greatest players to have ever played the game – into perspective, and demonstrate the importance the man carries as an icon and player second.

He has been BBC Sports Personality of the Year, inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame and twice runner-up in FIFA’s World Player of the Year.

The Brand

His marriage to Posh Spice propelled him even further into superstardom in 1999, for a decade which was to see Beckham move the attention on footballers from the back pages to gossip columns and magazines.

He has fronted multi-million pound advertising campaigns from Police, Calvin Kline, Gillette to even Sharpie pens, and was even reportedly bought by Real over Ronaldinhio because of his ability to sell shirts as a world-wide sporting icon.

He was one of football’s pioneers to negotiate image rights into his contracts: simply, put a picture of David Beckham and any other sports star to anyone in the world – and Beckham will be recognised considerably more.

He was named in the Time 100 last year, has been recognised by the Queen with a CBE and has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.

***

Beckham may not be the most loved, or may not have won the most amount of football’s prizes since 1st January 2000, but as a sporting icon, he is light-years ahead.

Though he may not be the sharpest knife in the draw

The other contenders:

Roger Federer

Ryan Giggs

Zinedine Zidane

Lance Armstrong

Michael Schumacher

Usian Bolt

Cristiano Ronaldo

Shane Warne

Following a post on a colleague’s blog debating the sporting icon of the decade - I thought it was time I stuck my oar in.

For me it is unquestionably the one and only Usain Bolt.  He has that X-Factor no other sportsperson on the planet possesses.

He has done more in the last two years than anyone else (certainly that I can think of)  has done in this decade.  No-one else has cleaned up and dominated their respective sports the way that has Bolt has in Althletics.

Also, we are talking sporting icons.  Not necessarily the best although quite clearly Bolt is, but someone who stands out above the rest for not only their abilities but simply the way they are.

Muhammad Ali is quite clearly a sporting icon and is synonymous with boxing.  Jonah Lomu and what he did in Rugby before his health problems is another.

With his charisma and confidence Usain Bolt is a sporting icon of the highest order.

Ok, Bolt only really burst on the scene in 2008 and is only in the early years of his career.  But in the last two years the 23 year old has totally blown away all competition.  Any race he is in seems to be a foregone conclusion and this is a sport where sprinters are said to peak in their early thirties.

Bolt announced himself to the athletics world in 2002 when he became the youngest gold-medal winner in the history of the Junior World Championships. At just 15-years-old he recorded a 20.61 sec 200m effort.

Then in 2008, Bolt truly hit global superstardom at the Beijing Olympics.  He became a three time Olympic Gold Medallist, winning and breaking the record in the 100m, 200m and as part of the Jamaican 4×100m.

Bolt then followed this feat up in 2009, at the Berlin World Championships, where he beat his own World Records and became the first man to hold the World and Olympic 100m and 200m titles.

He was also named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Sportsman of the year for 2009 and joins the likes of Rodger Federer, Tiger Woods, Michael Schumacher and Lance Armstrong in winning that acolade.

But it is not just Bolt’s track success.  It is the way he wins with ease, on many occasions he has jogged and show-boated the last few metres, the confidence and care freeness he exuberates before races, and of course the Usain Bolt stance.  He is not part of a team (well apart from in the 4×100m).  He is on his own, all his achievments are his not a teams.

Usain Bolt is synonymous with both Athletics and Sport, and this is why I believe he is th­­e sporting ­­­­­­­icon of the noughties and potentially our generation.

Bolt’s World Records.

Usain Bolt tribute

The other contenders:

Roger Federer

Ryan Giggs

Zinedine Zidane

Lance Armstrong

Michael Schumacher

Shane Warne

Steven Gerrard

David Beckham

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The world’s fastest man has received another top honor in his Caribbean homeland. Sprint superstar Usain Bolt was named an ambassador-at-large by Jamaica Prime Minister Bruce Golding during a ceremony in the capital, Kingston, on Thursday. He was also granted a diplomatic passport. At 23, Bolt is the youngest person to receive the honor.

Last month, he received the Order of Jamaica. His homeland has also renamed a highway after the lanky Olympic and world 100 and 200-meter champion and record-holder.

Bolt said he will try his best “to live up to the high expectations.”

For the original report go to http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2009-11-12-2448526991_x.htm

One of the best things about any athletic activity is seeing progress. Whatever level of ability you have you can always get better.

Often times progress is not straight-line: your progress varies from a little bit one week, to a whole lot the next week.

If you look closely at the progression of world records in athletic events over time, you will see a very similar pattern. Advancement of world records does not happen in a consistent and regular way. Big jumps in performance are followed by longer periods of much less progress.

Why is the rate of progress – in world records, and your own performance – not constant?

By looking at world record performances in athletic events over time we can answer this question.

And along the way we will discover a little thing called breakthrough performance.  

Men’s 100m sprint times have progressed rapidly over the last few years, thanks mainly to the achievements of Usain Bolt. Bolt has set the last two world record times, and each time has taken the record significantly lower. In fact, Bolt has taken the record below what historically many have thought was ever going to be possible.

Bolt has created performance breakthrough.

The graph below shows the world record times recorded over the last 100 years

The graph shows obvious progress towards reduced time. But it’s not a straight-line progression.

There are clear and repeated ‘steps’ along the way, where in a very short period, the record time has dropped dramatically. These drops are then followed by a much longer time period where the record time has dropped much less. There are breakthroughs and plateaus.

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How do breakthrough points happen?

Whenever someone like Usain Bolt comes along and creates a breakthrough, there are always the same 3 reactions:

1. the athlete is a genetic ‘freak’
2. modern scientific training and nutrition techniques lead to better performance
3. performance-enhancing drugs are being used

Certainly, for any world-record holder the first two ideas are always true. Performance-enhancing drugs are a sometimes a reason.

In any case, what’s more interesting is the fact that the athlete’s performance takes the old mark to an unexpectedly improved level. It’s like punching a hole through what was a perceived ceiling in performance.

Usain Bolt creates breakthroughs in 2008 and 2009

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Perception and barriers

Thresholds of performance are like ceilings of achievement. Because breaking a threshold is a great feat, thresholds are sometimes seen as barriers.

One such barrier exists in the 100m sprint, as described in Wikipedia:

The 10-second barrier is a term used in track and field athletics which refers to the physical and psychological barrier of completing the men’s 100 metres sprint in under ten seconds. The achievement was traditionally regarded as the hallmark of a great sprinter, but its significance has become less important since the late 1990s as an increasing number of runners have surpassed the ten seconds mark.

As greater levels of performance become more commonplace, a greater level of achievement becomes expected. In this way, a barrier becomes broken more frequently. Wikipedia goes on:

A number of athletes broke the barrier during the 1980s but the 100 m final at the 1991 World Championships represented a new zenith in the event: six athletes ran under ten seconds in the same race, and winner Carl Lewis lowered the world record to 9.86 seconds

That single race in 1991 changed the perceptions about the 10 second barrier.

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Individual perceptions change as performances improve

Tyson Gay ran a 100m time of 9.68 secs in June 2008, beating the previous record of 9.74 secs (Gay’s time does not qualify as a world record because of the tailwind of 4.1 meters per second — above the 2.0 allowable for records). Afterwards he said:

““I didn’t really care what the wind was,” Gay said. “I’m glad my body could do it. Now I know I have it in me.”

He learned what it felt like to run a 9.68 time. And this gave him the belief that it was possible.

Second in the race was Walter Dix, who ran a 9.80:

“Tyson ran a great race,” Dix said. “I was just trying to run him down. Now he knows how it feels to run a 9.6 and I know what it feels to run a 9.8. That will favour us. We know how it feels in your legs…”

Dix and Gay both experienced something significant in the progress of performance: when a level of performance that recently seemed unreachable becomes an experienced level of performance.

Tyson Gay in Berlin, World Championships 2009

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Defying the curve

Analysts spend time predicting the maximum level of performance that will one day be possible based on human physiology. They also make predictions using historical data on how world record performances will progress.

When a massive breakthrough performance occurs however, predictions often need to change. Like when Usain Bolt ran 9.58 in 2009.

Bolt broke the mathematical model that had fit 100m record data for almost a century. His performance that day could reset how fast researchers believe humans ultimately can run.

“This trend seems to defy simple curve fitting,” wrote Tatsuo Tabata, director of the Institute for Data Evaluation and Analysis in Japan.

Statisticians have used a lower limit for 100-meter times of about 9.45 seconds, according to Tabata and other researchers. The exponential curve seen above — which is drawn from an equation calculated to fit the world record data — had been quite successful at predicting the steady progress of faster and faster 100-meter times. But Bolt’s recent string of world records was clearly not an expected event: The model didn’t predict a
9.69 (the time Bolt ran in 2008) until almost 2030.

See Bolt’s 2009 world record set here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nbjhpcZ9_g

Bolt's new world record

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There are patterns of changing performance: barriers, plateaus and breakthroughs

Before a breakthrough event (or sequence of events) there is often a plateau of performance. A plateau is where the rate of improvement is low.

The graphs below show the world record marks for different running events. On these, we can see the trend of both plateaus and breakthroughs.

In times of performance plateau, it can be tempting to think that maybe the limit of performance has been reached.

But you never know when the next Usain Bolt might come along.

What we do know is that performance improvements have been made even when we have historically thought that limits have been reached, at least for the events we have looked at here.

So if there is a plateau for a long period of time, rather than thinking that the limits of performance are fast approaching, sometimes it may be more useful to think that a breakthrough performance is fast approaching.

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Our own breakthrough performances

Individually we can all experience breakthrough performances in our athletic endeavours. It works in exactly the same way:

1. Your conditioning and fitness improves
2. Your overall perception of what you can achieve shifts
3. You have a singular experience of performing at a new level, which reinforces that this new level is actually possible

You may be starting a new event. Maybe you have a new 5km running route that you have started doing. Or maybe a new type of interval training. If you persist with this same type of training over at least, say, 10 times you will notice breakthroughs and plateaus.

Here’s what often happens:

1.   Initial progress then plateau

Over the first five or so times you will make some advancements, and you will then plateau. There will be a time taken or a distance run that seems to be about ‘it’.

2.   Breakthrough

One day out, often at an unexpected time, you’ll break-though the ‘it’. You’ll perform in a way that stands way-out from what you have been doing.

3.  Plateau at new breakthrough level

After that breakthrough event (or couple of events), you will continue to progress slowly of plateau at that new level. You and your body now know you can perform at that level, and it will now become more normal, and even expected, that you will perform like that.

Recently my cardio training has involved three 1km sprints back-to-back. I have found that my performances have improved, but not in a constant way.

By looking at my performance over time we can see that the concept of a breakthrough applies just as much to our individual efforts as it does to world record performances.  

The graph shows my average running time for 1km of the 3 runs I do, graphed against the number of times I have run over an 8-week period.  

What you experience in your own training might well follow a similar pattern – much the same as how world records are broken.

And just like world records, there will be a limit as to how you can perform. It’s just that we don’t really know where that is, and we should remain open to all possibilities.

Cheers to chaos, confusion and mayhem. Here’s to all the people that bring it to our doorstep. They are among the best at what they do and make it look effortless. Their moments of brilliance don’t always last very long, yet they can claim to have brought millions to their feet.  Below they stand, frozen, with everyone watching, in anticipation for a moment that is worth nothing less than the storm that follows.

Tiger Woods

Cristiano Ronaldo

Michael Jordan's 1998 Championship Winning Shot

Kimi Räikkönen - Belgian Grand Prix

Annika Sorenstam

Alexander Ovechkin

Roger Federer

New England Patriots

Lance Armstrong

Serena Williams

Santonio Holmes - Game Winner

Georges St-Pierre

Federica Pellegrini

Wayne Gretzky

Usain Bolt

Lebron James

David Ortiz

Danica Patrick

Alex Rodrigues

Glasgow's new £18m Athletics Stadium built for the Commonwealth Games

By David Henderson

Scottish sport will benefit from Glasgow’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games for decades to come, according to the Scottish Secretary.  

Jim Murphy was speaking on an inspection visit to Scotstoun Stadium which has been given an 18 million pounds makeover for the 2014 games. He said: “Scotstoun has a proud name in Scottish athletics but the improvements here make it fit for the international athletes who will train and compete here in less than five years. Scots will benefit from facilities built for the Commonwealth Games for decades to come.”

The Games organisers hope that the new Stadium will host the world’s fastest man; Usain Bolt could represent Jamaica in 2014.  Glasgow City Council also want locals to benefit from the facilities, Council leader Steven Purcell said: ”This outstanding facility is testament to our commitment to provide a lasting legacy, not just for elite athletes but for all of our communities as we build a more active and healthy Scotland.”

The City Council invested 14 million pounds in Scotstoun, a further four million coming from sportscotland.

Para comenzar, debemos definir el concepto de esfuerzo, esto es, ”El esfuerzo es una variable unidimensional que se supone que es inobservable y cuya distribución depende del tipo, es decir, de las circunstancias del individuo” Javier Ruiz Castillo. La medición de la desigualdad de la renta: una revisión de la literatura.

A nuestro parecer, el esfuerzo es la causa última del éxito. Con la finalidad de tratar de aquilatar esta opinión, y sin la intención de gastar energía en elaborar una romántica teoría propia, vamos a aportar las opiniones de individuos socialmente relevantes. En ningún caso queremos realizar un ejercicio periodístico, simplemente advertir los pareceres de personajes con cierto éxito o predicamento en la actualidad.

Entrevista a Pedro Cavadas, se dedica a la reconstrucción microquirúrgica desde 1994, en El País 27/09/2009:

P. Realiza usted unas 1.500 operaciones al año, eso son más de cuatro al día, ¿cómo lo hace?

R. Eso es trabajar varias jornadas al día. Currar mucho. Los pacientes vienen y hay que hacerlo.

P. Pero en algún momento tendrá que desconectar.

R. ¿Que me encantaría tomarme ahora unas vacaciones? Pues sí, como el agua. Pero si no se puede, no se puede. A mí de pequeño me educaron en la cultura del esfuerzo: una cosa es lo que a ti te apetezca, y otra lo que tienes que hacer. Me educaron, o me eduqué yo así.

Entrevista a Usain Bolt en El Mundo 13/10/2008:

Describa un día normal para usted.

Normalmente voy al gimnasio por la mañana, me relajo a mediodía y voy a entrenar en la pista sobre la tarde noche. Cuando no entreno, me gusta desconectar con videojuegos. Salvo que el entrenador me cambié la rutina, claro.

Otra entrevista a Bolt de STEFAN L’HERMITE - Runaway Bay – 06/10/2008

P. Cuesta un poco entender cómo la atmósfera más bien indolente de Jamaica puede compaginarse con los rigores del atletismo.

R. Yo también era holgazán. Pero, con el tiempo, entendí que había que trabajar duro para tener éxito y alcanzar la cima. Y ahora soy yo el que tiene que pasar el testigo.

Fragmento de un post de Eduardo Punset, 16/02/2009:

El talento depende, por último, del coeficiente intelectual. De lo listo que sea uno. Eso es lo que se había creído siempre. Pues es falso. Resulta que el mejor jugador de hockey sobre patines lo es porque le ha dedicado al tema un promedio de diez mil horas. Lo mismo que el primer jugador de baloncesto del mundo. Lo mismo que Bill Gates a la programación de ordenadores. Sin dedicación y esfuerzo no hay talento que valga.

Ahora alguna cita célebre al respecto:

Nuestra recompensa se encuentra en el esfuerzo y no en el resultado. Un esfuerzo total es una victoria completa. Mahatma Gandhi

La civilización no dura porque a los hombres sólo les interesan los resultados de la misma: los anestésicos, los automóviles, la radio. Pero nada de lo que da la civilización es el fruto natural de un árbol endémico. Todo es resultado de un esfuerzo. Sólo se aguanta una civilización si muchos aportan su colaboración al esfuerzo. Si todos prefieren gozar el fruto, la civilización se hunde. José Ortega y Gasset

Ahí queda nuestra aportación que, en todo caso, no pretende ser exhaustiva. Puesto que hay multitud de ejemplos más que ahora mismo se nos escapan.

The world’s fastest man officially met the world’s fastest animal recently and the two have been friends ever since.  Usain Bolt recently adopted a cheetah and named him Lightning Bolt, in an effort to nurture the survival of the species.  For those of you who think it would be a novel idea to follow in Bolt’s footsteps, you might want to reconsider because Bolt spent nearly $14,000 to simply adopt the cheetah and will spend an additional $3000 annually for care accomodations to the faster “Bolt.”  Here is the article:  http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iTvtvKc42L1W4CRkF0g_2eIkHv3Q

Yet, even if your pockets are not as deep as Mr. Bolt, you can still find a way to make an impact by supporting the Zeitz foundation: http://www.zeitzfoundation.org/