COULD SCOTLAND SOON COMPETE AT EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS?
Scottish Athletics is exploring breaking away from Great Britain and Northern Ireland and competing independently. The national body is said to have written to European Athletics enquiring about the possibility of independence. Scottish Athletics say the move is part of their plan for the future which looks at creating new opportunities for it’s athletes to represent the country. More from BBC Sport.
DAILY MAIL DIGS INTO HOME NATION SQUABBLES
The Daily Mail links the above story with disagreements between the home nations athletics bodies over UK Athletics Chairman Richard Bowker’s suggestion that UKA should take over the role of England Athletics at their joint headquarters in Birmingham in order to cut costs.
SUPPORT FOR GAY TEEN ATHLETE WHO IGNORED PARENTS ORDERS
A 19-year-old on an athletic scholarship at a new New York college has received support after her parents ordered her to come home because they found out she is a lesbian. Emily Scheck refused and more than $50,000 has since been raised to support her after friends up a fundraising page entitled “For Emily, Let her be herself”.
Initial concern that money raised using this method wouldn’t be allowed under NCAA rules, but bosses have since agreed that the Canisius College student can continue on the subsidised course as long as donations are monitored. Read the full story in Buffalo News.
SEMENYA WANTS TWO MORE OLYMPICS
Caster Semenya says she still has plenty left to achieve in the sport she has dominated over the last few years. The South African says she’d ideally like to take part in two more Olympic Games and five more World Championships. She says “I still want to run until I am perhaps 39”. More on RunBlogRun.
FOUR 400M THE TARGET FOR MASLAK
Czech international 400m runner Pavel Maslak is looking to become only the sixth person ever to win four European Indoor titles in Glasgow in the spring. The last person to do the quadruple in the same event was Great Britain’s Jason Gardener in he 60m. See the feature on Czech athletes on the European Athletics site.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRQKYb-BfH1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
CROSS COUNTRY RELAYS HOME UNDER THREAT
A petition to save Mansfield’s Berry Hill Park – the home of the Saucony English Cross Country Relays – received over 7,000 signatures in a few days. There is a planning application to build homes on a section of the park. Opposition to the development is believed to include worries about losing green space and further development happening subsequently. The Mansfield Chad has been following the story.
IAAF AWARDS SHAPING UP NICELY
More nominees have been announced in what’s set to be a hotly contested set of IAAF Athletics Awards. On the shortlist for the Female Rising Star include Celliphine Chespol, Kenya’s steeplechase silver medallist at the Commonwealth Games. Male Rising Star has a real fight between European champion and world junior record holder Mondo Duplantis, who is up against double gold medal winner in Berlin Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and IAAF Diamond League champion Selemon Barega. The awards take place in Monaco on 4th December.
🚨Alert🚨
💥#AthleticsAwards announcement💥
The 5 finalists for the Female Rising Star Award 2018 have been announced💫
Who’s your pick to win?🏆
More➡️ https://t.co/DU22rBfI3D pic.twitter.com/44leudoIpC
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) November 13, 2018
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RETURNING FROM INJURY
How do you stay focused mentally while out injured? Is there anything you can do to make sure your transition back to training and competing regularly again is as smooth as possible? Sports psychologist Louise Capicotto is an athletics throws coach and retired GB powerlifter, who works for Leicester City Football Club. She’s been passing on a few tips for you on runjumpthrow.com.
