"Saudi Arabia's First Female Olympians" by Joboy Quintos

This is historic. Saudi Arabia will be sending two female athletes to the London Olympics. The oil-rich Middle Eastern kingdom was the last to heed the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) moves to end sexual discrimination in sport, following Qatar and Brunei. Judoka Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani and middle distance runner Sarah Attar will the first Saudi female Olympians.

Read: "Olympic first as Saudi Arabia names two women in London 2012 team"

Early this month, reports surfaced that the U.S.-born equestrienne Dalma Rushdi Malhas will be London-bound. The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) clarified the rumors. It turns out that Malhas' horse sustained an injury, ruling her out of the London Olympics.

Read: "Dalma Rushdi Malhas (SAU, Equestrian)"

Although this is a groundbreaking move, the fact still remains that the rights of women in hardline Saudi Arabia are not at par with that of the more liberalized nations.

On a wider perspective, the statistics look promising. The IOC, according to a CNN report, noted the gradual rise in female participation in the Olympics through the years. The first time London hosted the quadrennial event in 1908, women comprised 1.8% of all athletes. The percentage rose to 9.5% in 1948 and, most recently, 42% in Beijing.

Article by Joboy Quintos

Source: 

CNN

"Kathrine Switzer the Pioneer" by Joboy Quintos

In 1967, Kathrine Switzer became famous as the first female runner to complete the Boston Marathon. A furious race organizer tried to stop Switzer from completing the race, shouting "Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers." Her boyfriend came to the rescue and shoved the official aside.

Fast forward to 2012, 45 years after that incident in Boston, women outnumber men 269 to 261 in the U.S. Olympic Team. 

That's what you call progress!

Article by Joboy Quintos

Sources
Kathrine Switzer's Wikipedia Profile
Huffington Post

"10-for-10: Katherine Kay Santos" by Joboy Quintos

Despite the peaks and troughs of the Philippine athletics scene, Filipino women have competed with distinction in the long jump for more than two decades. Since Elma Muros-Posadas’ maiden long jump win in the 1989 edition of the Southeast Asian Games, the Philippines had fallen short of the title only once. The last Filipino to win an Asian Games medal was the evergreen Muros-Posadas in 1994. Marestella Torres‘ emphatic win at the 2009 Asian Championships was the most high-profile achievement of a Filipino track & field in recent memory.

Article by Joboy Quintos

Click this link to read the full article...

"Dara Torres: An Inspiration!" by Joboy Quintos

Dara Torres at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (Photo from Bryan Allison)

Dara Torres is a veteran of five Olympic Games, from the Seoul in 1988 all the way to Beijing in 2008. She had amassed a total of 12 Olympic medals, four of them gold. The then 41-year old Dara won three silver medals in Beijing. At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, the 45-year old placed fourth in the 50m freestyle finals, narrowly missing a ticket to her fifth straight Olympics.

Article by Joboy Quintos

Click here to read the full article

Track Beauty of the Week: Denise Groot

Denise Groot is this week's Track Beauty!

Photo from Erik van Leeuwen

Groot is a pole vaulter from the Netherlands. Coached by George Friant and 2005 World Champion Rens Blom, Denise has been a consistent 4.00m vaulter since 2007.[1] Groot had a sterling career in age-group competition. While still only a youth athlete, Denise won a silver medal in the Dutch National Championships in 2007, clearing a height of 3.61m.[2] She followed this up with another silver medal, soaring over 3.90m in the European Youth Olympic Festival the same year.[3]

She has improved consistently in the successive years. In 2010, Groot set a new personal best of 4.35m - only five centimeters from the Monique de Wilt's Dutch national record.[4] To date, she has won a total of two Dutch outdoor titles on top of single national indoor crown. The Dutch pole vaulter placed seventh at the 2011 edition of the European U23 Championships, where she had a best mark of 4.20m. [5]

The year 2010 should have been Groot's breakout season, having qualified for the European Championships in Barcelona. However, the prodigious young talent fell short of expectations. She could only better 4.05m, thirty centimeters from the lifetime best she set earlier that year.[6]

References

1. "Denise Groot." http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_Groot. Retrieved 2-6-2013.
2. Ibid. 
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.

Track Beauty of the Week: Molly Beckwith

Molly Beckwith is this week's Track Beauty!

The United States is not just the world's last remaining superpower, it is also the world's foremost athletics nation. A strong testament to this lofty standing is the American resurgence in middle- and long-distance running - events that have been dominated for so long by East and Northern Africans and the occasional Russian talent. 

Photo from Molly Beckwith's Website

The United States is bristling with middle distance talent. Case in point is Molly Beckwith.

The 25-year old Beckwith is an American middle distance runner. She dabbled in both football (soccer) and athletics in her high school days, before focusing on track career in college.[1] Beckwith attended Indiana University and competed in the tough U.S. NCAA circuit from 2005 to 2009.[2]

Molly has a personal best of 1:59.12 in the 800m, which she set in Italy back in 2011.[3] She was perched in the 23rd place at the 2012 outdoor 800m rankings, thanks to a classy sub-2:00 clocking she set in New York City last June 2012. [4]

References:

1. "Molly Beckwith." http://www.iuhoosiers.com/sports/c-track/mtt/beckwith_molly00.html. Retrieved 2-4-2013.
2. Ibid.
3. "Molly Beckwith." http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/molly-beckwith. Retrieved 2-4-2013.
4. Ibid.

Track Beauty of the Week: Brianne Theisen

Brianne Theisen is this week's Track Beauty!

Photo from Pac12 SportsWatch

Theisen is a world-class heptathlete, having had stints at the World Championships and the Olympic Games. As a 16-year old, she made competed at the 2005 World Youth Championships, finishing in 17th place in an event won by future World Champion Tatiana Chernova Татьяна Сергеевна Чернова.[1] Brianne also wound up in the same ranking spot a year later at the World Junior Championships in Beijing.[2]

The Canadian attended the University of Oregon for college, where she distinguished herself in tough NCAA competition. Theisen has won three NCAA titles apiece in Indoor and Outdoor events in her collegiate career, with a 4x400m relay gold in 2010 as icing on the cake.[3]

Brianne went above the 6,000-point barrier for the first time in 2009.[4] She made her major championship debut at the Berlin World Championships that same year. In 2012, Theisen's points tally leapfrogged from 6094  in 2011 to an impressive 6440, thanks to new personal bests in four events.[5] [6] Her indoor campaign was even more fruitful, as she broke the 30-year Canadian national record in the pentathlon (4555 points).

Theisen scored 6383 points in her Olympic debut and finished in a respectable 11th place.

References

1. "Brianne Theisen." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brianne_Theisen. Retrieved 1-23-2013.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. "Athlete profile for Brianne Theisen." http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/canada/brianne-theisen. Retrieved 1-23-2013.
5. "Brianne Theisen." 
6. "Athlete profile for Brianne Theisen."

Track Beauty of the Week: Élodie Ouédraogo

Élodie Ouédraogo is this week's Track Beauty!

Photo from She.be

Ouédraogo is a Belgian athlete who competes in both the sprints and the intermediate hurdles. The high point in her career came at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she won the 4x100m silver together with Belgian sprinting great Kim Gevaert, Olivia Borleé, and Hanna Marien. The quartet stopped the clock at a new Belgian record of 42.54s.[1] Élodie was also part of the Belgian squad tha won bronze at the Osaka World Championships.

Ouédraogo has personal bests of 11.40s, 23.11s, and 55.29s in the 100m, 200m, and 400m hurdles, respectively.[2]

Élodie originally represented Burkina Faso, her parents' country of birth.[3] As a young sprint hurdler, she competed for the African nation at the 2000 World Junior Championships, but switched allegiance to her country of birth that same year.[4]

Her IAAF biography is a portrait of athletic versatiltity. As a youngster, she competed primarily in the 100m hurdles and the 100m dash, with occasional forays in the long jump. She made her major championship debut at the Osaka World Championships in the 400m hurdles.[5] Since then, Élodie had reached the World Championship semifinals twice (Berlin and Daegu) in an event she had specialized in relatively late. She placed sixth at the 2012 European Championships. A month later, the Belgian made it as far as the semis in the London Olympic Games.

References

1. "Élodie Ouédraogo." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89lodie_Ou%C3%A9draogo. Retrieved 1-17-2013.
2. "Athlete profile for Élodie Ouédraogo." http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/belgium/elodie-ouedraogo. Retrieved 1-17-2013
3. "Élodie Ouédraogo."
4. Ibid.
5. "Athlete profile for Élodie Ouédraogo."

Track Beauty of the Week: Zuzana Hejnová

Zuzana Hejnová is this week's Track Beauty!

Photo by Miaow Miaow/Wikimedia

The Czech 400m hurdles specialist has made significant impact in her event the past two years. Coming into the 2011 season, Zuzana had a personal best of 54.13s and a fourth-place finish at the 2010 Barcelona European Championships to her credit. [1] Towards the end of the year, the Czech had lowered her personal record by almost 1 second to 53.29s.[2] More importantly, she gained valuable experience as she crossed the line in a competitive 7th place at the Daegu World Championships.

Zuzana ran the race of her life at the London Olympic Games, as she grabbed the bronze medal (53.38s) behind Natalya Antyukh Наталь Антюх (52.70s) and Lashina Demus (52.77s).[3]

A quick glance at Hejnová's IAAF curriculum vitae indicates that she is a born hurdler. Zuzana has been competing at the highest level of the intermediate hurdles since her debut at the 2002 World Junior Championships.[4] Despite being only 15-years at that time, Hejnová wound up in an impressive fifth place in the final (58.42s).[5] A year later, she bagged the World Youth title in 57.54s.[6]

References

1. "Zuzana Hejnova." http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/czech-republic/zuzana-hejnova. Retrieved 1-10-2013.
2. Ibid.
3. "Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics - Women's 400m Hurdles." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Women%27s_400_metres_hurdles. Retrieved 1-10-2013. 
4. "Zuzana Hejnova."
5. Ibid 
6. Ibid

Track Beauty of the Week: Melissa Breen

Melissa Breen is this week's Track Beauty! 

Photo from Trailpilot/Wikimedia

The 22-year old is a top-ranked Australian elite sprinter. Breen had won national titles in both the 100m and the 200m since 2009.[1] To date, her major championship curriculum vitae include stints at the Commonwealth Games, the World Championships, and most recently, the 2012 London Olympic Games.[2]

Her progression from 2007 to 2008 was particularly impressive, where the then 17-18 year old Breen shaved off 0.41s from her 100m time best (11.74s to 11.33s).[3] To date, she has personal bests of 11.27s and 23.30s in the 100m and 200m, which she both set in 2012.[4]

Breen finished 6th place in her 100m dash heat, registering a time of 11.34s in her Olympic debut.[5]

References

1. "Athlete Bio - Melissa Breen." http://melbreen.com/athlete. Retrieved 12-29-2012.
2. "Melissa Breen." http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/australia/melissa-breen. Retrieved 12-29-2012.
3. "Athlete Bio - Melissa Breen."
4. "Melissa Breen."
5. Ibid.

Track Beauty of the Week: Vira Rebryk Віра Вікторівна Ребрик

Vira Rebryk is this week's Track Beauty!

The 23-year old Ukrainian is the reigning World Junior record holder for the javelin throw. She set the U20 standard of 63.01m at the World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz back in 2008.[1] Naturally, her track record as an age-group athlete was immaculate, having won World Youth and World Junior silvers and the European Junior title on top of her World Junior gold medal.[2]

Photo from TrailPilot/Wikimedia

Despite runner-up finishes at the Universiade and the European U23 Championships and a finals appearance at the Berlin World Championships, the Ukrainian javelin prodigy had struggled in her transition to the senior ranks.[3] Rebryk failed to progress beyond the qualifying rounds of the 2010 European Championships and the 2011 World Championships. 

Vira finally made her breakthrough at the Helsinki European Championships this year, where she threw the javelin to a new personal best 66.86m.[4] Her monster throw propelled the Ukrainian to joint fourth place in the 2012 top list. Unfortunately, she failed to replicate her stellar form at the London Olympic Games a month later.

But then again, her performance in Helsinki has emphasized the point that Rebryk will be a major contender in the event in the years to come.

References:

1. "Vira Rebryk." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vira_Rebryk. Retrieved 12-29-2012.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.

“Forever Alone Guy Meets His Dream Athlete”

Check out this  cool clip from LMAOfy! Featuring our favorite hurdler, Michelle Jenneke, and the Forever Alone guy.

Track Beauty of the Week: Elizaveta Savlinis Елизавета Савлинис

Elizaveta Savlinis Елизавета Савлинис is this week's Track Beauty!

Photo from Rifat Junisov/Рифат Юнисов

Savlinis specializes in the 200m dash. Her breakout year in the half-lap came in 2012, when she went under the 23-second barrier for the first time in her career. Elizaveta has a personal best of 22.62s, which she set in 2011 and 2012.[1]

The 25-year old is a fixture in the formidable Russian relay squad. She was part of the 4x100m relay team that finished in fifth place at the Daegu World Championships.[2] Although the Russian women were surely capable of bigger things in light of their stories pedigree in the team events, they did set a season's best of 42.78s in the qualifying round. 

Her best finish in her specialist event is sixth place in the Daegu World Championships. She made her Olympic debut in London this year, but her qualifying time of 23.23s was good enough for only fifth in her heat.[2]

References:

1. "Elizabeta Savlinis." http://www.iaaf.biz/athletes/biographies/country=rus/athcode=239744/index.html. Retrieved 12-16-2012. 
2. "2011 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_World_Championships_in_Athletics_%E2%80%93_Women%27s_4_%C3%97_100_metres_relay. Retrieved 12-16-2012.
3. "Elizabeta Savlinis." 

Track Beauty of the Week: Marika Popowicz

Marika Popowicz is this week's Track Beauty!

Photo from Erik Van Leeuwen

Popowicz is a Polish sprinter who specializes in the 100m and 200m. Marika has a personal best of 11.38s and 23.15s in the aforesaid events, set during her breakout season in 2009.[1]

The young Polish speedster racked brought home multiple individual medals as well as a relay medal from the World Military Games and the World University Games.[2] That same year, she finished third place in both the 100m and the 200m at the European U23 Championships.[3] Marika was also part of the silver medal-winning Polish 4x100m quarter.[4]

Popowicz is a mainstay of Poland's formidable 4x100m relay teams the past few years. She made a smooth transition from the junior and U23 ranks to the seniors, having been part back-to-back bronze medal relay performances at the European Championships in 2010 and 2012. 

References:

1. "Marika Popowicz."  http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/poland/marika-popowicz. Retrieved 12-11-2012.
2. "Marika Popowicz." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marika_Popowicz. Retrieved 12-11-2012.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.

"The Fighting Filipinas: Toni Rivero and Annie Albania" by Joboy Quintos

As an athlete and a patriotic Filipino, it kills me to think that the Philippines has yet to win its first Olympic gold medal. The Philippines has a proud albeit forgotten sports tradition. Mediocrity has been the rule, not the exception. Back in the pre-World War II years, the Philippines - then a Commonwealth of the United States - had won bronze medals in swimming (Teofilo Yldefonso), athletics (Simeon Toribio and Miguel White) and boxing (Jose Villanueva). In the last half century, however, the Philippines had won only 4 Olympic medals, all from amateur boxing.

Read hurdler49's "World Beaters"

We had a couple of close shaves with the gold, with Anthony Villanueva (Jose Villanueva's son) and Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco yielding to their respective opponents at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Games, respectively.

Despite the dearth in Olympic-level talent, our best hopes for a landmark Olympic Gold are none other than our very own version of Superb Señoras. It's ironic to think that for a patriarchal society like the Philippines, the country's front liners in Olympic competition are its women.

Antoinette Rivero made her Olympic debut in Athens 2004. Even though she was just 16-years old at that time, her experience belied her competitive fire. In Athens, she narrowly lost to Greek fighter in the quarterfinals and to a South Korean in the repechage, missing out on a chance for an Olympic podium finish. 4 years later in Beijing, Rivero faltered in the opening round.

The inclusion of Women's Amateur Boxing at the 2012 London Olympics is a big boost to the Philippines' quest for a gold medal. The Filipina amateur boxers are bright hopes, with Annie Albania shining the brightest. Albania, fighting in the 51-kg category, is a three-time Southeast Asian Games medalist. In 2010, she beat hometown bet Ren Cancan to wrest the gold medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.

Let's just hope that Albania doesn't push through with her planned retirement.

Article by Joboy Quintos

Track Beauty of the Week: Tiffany Porter

Tiffany Porter is this week's Track Beauty!

Photo from SuperSport

Porter is an American-born sprint hurdler who competes for Great Britain. Before carrying Team GB's colors, Tiffany had won bronze for her country of birth at the 2006 World Junior Championships. [1] She started representing her mother's country in 2011, to some degree of controversy. 

Her impact on the British record books has been instantaneous, as she rewrote national sprint hurdling records many times over. Porter's personal best of 7.80s in the 60m hurdles is the standing British national record. [2] However, Tiffany's national benchmark of 12.56s in the 100m hurdles was bettered by the prolific Jess Ennis at the London Olympic Games. [3]

To date, Porter had won silver medals at the 2011 European Indoors and the 2012 World Indoors, on top of her 4th place finish at the Daegu World Championships.[4] With her appointment as British team captain for the 2012 World Indoors team, and the warm reception she received from British fans at her home Olympics, the so-called "plastic Brit" controversy seemed to have taken a back seat.

References:

1. "Tiffany Porter." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_Porter. Retrieved 12-2-2012.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.

Track Beauty of the Week: Olha Saladukha Ольга Саладуха

Olha Saladukha Ольга Саладуха is this week's Track Beauty!

Saladukha is one of the world's best triple jumpers. her first high caliber competition in the triple jump came in 1999, during the World Youth Championships, where Olha finished in 9th place with a 12.76m best mark. [1] She fared much better in the World Juniors three years later, improving four places to 5th in the final. 

Saladukha at the 2010 Barcelona European Championships. (Photo from Erik van Leeuwen)

The Ukrainian almost barged into the podium during her debut in the European Championships in Goteborg back in 2006, but her best leap of 14.38m fell behind the top three. Despite finals appearances in the 2007 World Championships, 2008 World Indoor Championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Olha seemed unable to nail a spot on the coveted podium - until the past two years.

As Olha matured as an athlete, her performance in major events became more impressive. She finally won her first senior title at the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona, thanks a classy 14.81m leap in the final, the best mark by a European athlete that year. [2] Saladukha came tatntalizingly close to the 15 meter barrier at the 2012 European Championships (14.99m) and the 2011 World Championships (14.94m), where she again topped the rest of the field.

Coming into the London Olympic Games, the reigning World and European Champion was the favorite to win gold. However, an in-form Olga Rypakova Ольга Рыпакова and an injury-free Caterine Ibarguen thwarted Olha's hopes for an Olympic gold. Saladukha's 14.79m was 0.20m short of her world-leading mark of 14.99m - good enough for a bronze medal.[3]

References

1. "Olha Saladukha." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olha_Saladuha. Retrieved 11-30-2012.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.

Track Beauty of the Week: Linda Züblin

Linda Züblin is this week's Track Beauty!

Photo from akiwitz

Züblin has been Switzerland's best multi-eventer the past few years. She has a personal best of 6,018 points, around 200 points short of Corinne Schneider's 27-year old Swiss record.[1] [2] Linda particularly excels in the hurdles, long jump and the javelin, having best marks of 13.55s, 6.24m and 53.01m, respectively.[3]

Her best season came in 2008, when she placed 46th in the world heptathlon rankings.[4] She made her Olympic debut the same year, notching a 30th place in Beijing with a score of 5,743 points.[5] Throughout her athletics career, the 26-year old has taken part in two editions of the World Championships (Osaka and Berlin) and at the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona.[6]

Züblin seems to have the knack of performing big-time in Götzis. Since setting her personal best in the Austrian multi-events mecca in 2008, Linda has set has come tantalizingly close to bettering her benchmark in the subsequent years in that very town. 

Unfortunately, a return to the 6,000-point territory has eluded the Swiss athlete. Nevertheless, she is just nearing the prime of her career. Götzis 2013, after all, is just around the corner!

References:

1. "Swiss Records in Athletics." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_records_in_athletics. Retrieved 11-25-2012.
2. "Linda Züblin." http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/switzerland/linda-zublin. Retrieved 11-25-2012.
3. Ibid.
4. "International Association of Athletics Federations - Records and Top Lists." http://www.iaaf.org/records/toplists/combined-events/heptathlon/outdoor/women/senior/2008. Retrieved 11-25-2012.
5. "Linda Züblin."
6. Ibid.

Track Beauty of the Week: Ingvill Måkestad Bovim

Ingvill Måkestad Bovim is this week's Track Beauty!

Photo from Chell Hill

Måkestad Bovim is Norway's best middle distance runner. She holds the Norwegian records in both the 800m (1:59.82, 2010) and the rarely run 1000m (2:36.7, 2011). [1] Ingvill's 1500m run personal best is 4:02.20, only two seconds from the legendary Grete Waitz's national record. As a junior, she specialized in the two-lap event before shifting to the longer distance as she grew older.

Despite notching respectably competitive times in her mid-twenties, Ingvill made the most impact as a 29-year old in 2011. The Norwegian barged into the Daegu World Championships 1500m final, finishing 6th overall with a time of 4:13.32. [2] Remarkably, this was her debut in the world stage. 

Måkestad Bovim was having a superb season prior to the London Olympic Games. She had been in the toughest of races last season, having been a fixture in the Samsung Diamond League legs. In fact, she had run an impressive 4:03.71 in July, [3] highlighting her great form ahead of London. However, an unfortunate injury forced the Norwegian to withdraw from the quadrennial event. 

References

1. "Ingvill Måkestad Bovim." http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/norway/ingvill-makestad-bovim. Retrieved 11-11-2012.
2. "Ingvill Måkestad Bovim." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingvill_M%C3%A5kestad_Bovim. Retrieved 11-11-2012.
3. Ibid. 

Cathrine Larsåsen in "God Morgen Norge"

Our favorite pole vaulter Cathrine Larsåsen appears on the show, "God Morgen Norge."

Read more about Cathrine: "Track Beauty of the Week - Cathrine Larsåsen"