Usain Bolt could run 100m in 9.4 seconds, says Michael Johnson

Four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson believes Usain Bolt can run 100m in 9.4 seconds - but only if the Jamaican refines his sprinting style.

The 25-year-old broke his own world record with a time of 9.58 secs at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

Doping shame: Two more athletes fail test

The doping scandal in Indian athletics grew in proportion today with two more athletes, including the country's new golden girl Ashwini Akkunji, testing positive for anabolic steroids hours before the departure for Japan for the Asian Championships.

Apart from Akkunji, quartermiler Priyanka Panwar also returned positive for anabolic steroids in the dope tests conducted on June 27 by National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) at NIS Patiala, taking the tally of dope offenders to eight in the last few days.

The development is all the more shocking as Akkunji, who had won gold in Commonwealth and Asian Games last year, and Panwar were to leave for Japan for July 7-11 Asian Championships by an 11.30pm flight from Delhi along with 35 other athletes.

Athletics Federation of India has provisionally suspended both the athletes pending a hearing by a NADA disciplinary panel.

"It is sad to announce that two more athletes -- Ashwini Akkunji and Priyanka Panwar -- tested positive for anabolic steroids. We have provisionally suspended them. Next, they will be called for 'B' sample tests and then the necessary procedure will be followed," Dogra told reporters.

Akkunji and Panwar were named in the 4x400m relay team for the Asian Championships and Dogra said two other athletes in the 37-member team will take their places.

"We cannot send any replacement of the two athletes now but we will field a relay team in Japan. Two other athletes (besides Tintu Luka and Mrudula Korada) from the team will run in the relay," he said.

Ashwini was a member of the 400m relay quartet that won gold in the Commonwealth Games. She had returned with two gold in the Asian Games, winning the yellow metal in 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay.

Panwar's best international result was the bronze she won in the South Asian Federation Games in Dhaka last year. She had won a bronze in the 100m sprint in the National Games in Ranchi in February. She made it to the relay team after finishing fourth in the National Inter-state meet in Bangalore.

The same methandienone had been found in the samples of other CWG and Asian Games gold-winning relay quartet members Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose as well another qaurtermiler Jauna Murmu.

Another qaurtermiler Tiana Mary Thomas had tested positive for anabolic steroid epimethandiol.

Long Jumper Hari Krishnan Muralidharan and shot putter Sonia were the other athletes who have tested positive in the last few days.

With the dope flunk of Akkunji, three members of the Indian 4x400m relay quartet that won gold in the Commonwealth and Asian Games last year have tested positive.

Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose had returned positive for the anabolic substances in the tests conducted by IAAF on May 25 and by NADA during the National Inter-state Meet in Bangalore this month respectively. Only Manjeet Kaur remained out of the dope net.

Dope-tainted athletes Mandeep Kaur & Sini Jose shown the door

Dope tainted athletes Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose got the axe as Athletics Federation of India on Sunday named a 37-strong team for the Asian Championships starting on July 7 in Kobe, Japan.
Mandeep and Sini, members of the Indian quartet that won 4x400m relay gold in Commonwealth and Asian Games last year, were caught for doping for anabolic steroids in the dope tests conducted by the IAAF. Four more athletes also tested positive for anabolic steroids in NADA tests.

Another member of the Commonwealth and Asian Games 4x400m relay squad Ashwini Akkunji, who also won gold in the 400m hurdles in Asian Games, has been named in the team.
In the absence of Mandeep, Sini and Manjeet, who has been also left out of the team, national record holder in 800m Tintu Luka has been named in the 4x400m relay squad besides being selected in her pet event.

Priyanka Panwar and Mrudula Korada were the other two named in the 4x400m relay squad. Ashwini will also run in the 400m and 400m hurdles.

Commonwealth Games gold medallist discus thrower Krishna Poonia, Asian Games gold medallist long distance runner Preeja Sreedharan and Kavita Raut also made it to the team.

Also in the team, which had 16 women, are Asian Games 3000m steeplechase gold winner Sudha Singh and the country’s top long and triple jumpers MA Prajusha and Mayookha Johny.
Asian Games 400m hurdle gold medallist Joseph Abraham, national record holder discus thrower Vikas Gowda, top shot putters Om Prakash and Saurabh Vij will lead the challenge among men.

Meanwhile, NADA director general Rahul Bhatnagar said that results of samples of a few athletes are yet to come, including that of Akkunji.

Commonwealth Games gold medal winner fails dope test

India's quarter-miler female runners Mandeep Kaur and Juana Murmu have been suspended for testing positive for anabolic agents in an out-of-competition test conducted by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

ML Dogra, director of Athletics Association of India (AAI), told IANS that the two athletes were tested May 25 by IAAF out of competition. Their B sample, which was opened Monday, also tested positive.

Mandeep, who won the 400m relay gold in the Commonwealth and the Asian Games, tested positive for methandienone and stanozolol while Juana, who missed a podium finish in the 400 metres in the Asian Games, tested positive for methandienone.

Both substances fall in the category of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) in WADA's prohibited list. Stanozolol is one of the oldest anabolic agents since American sprinter Ben Johnson took it in 1988.

"The two athletes were on World Anti Doping Agency's (WADA) whereabouts list and the tests were done randomly. Their B sample has also tested positive and they have been suspended," Dogra said.

Dogra said the disciplinary committee of the IAAF will meet next month to decide on the quantum of the bans to be imposed on the two athletes.

Two top Indian athletes flunk dope test

Doping came back to haunt Indian athletics with two top women quarter-milers returning positive for a banned substance in tests conducted by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

The 'A' samples of the two 400m runners taken by an international agency -- International Doping Tests and Management of Sweden -- on behalf of the IAAF at NIS Patiala and tested at National Dope Testing Laboratory had returned positive for prohibited substance, a NADA source said.

One of the two was a member of the women's 400m relay quartet that had won gold in the Commonwealth Games here last October and in the Asian Games in Guangzhou last November. The other had missed out a podium finish in the 400m race in the Asian Games.


The banned substance is expected to be revealed only after 'B' sample test results. Both the athletes had their 'B' samples tested on Monday at the NDTL.

The development is a huge setback for the country as both were in the yet-to-be-announced Indian team for the Asian Athletics Championships to be held in Kobe, Japan from July 7.


They will have to be dropped from the team if their 'B' samples test positive.

The IAAF is expected to impose a provisional two-year suspension if the 'B' sample results also test positive for the banned drug.

Gay clocks stunning 100m in China

Tyson Gay equalled the second fastest time ever over 100m with 9.69 seconds at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix.

The American has struggled with a groin injury of late but still won a Worlds silver medal behind Usain Bolt.

At China's end-of-season meet, Gay, 27, equalled the world record Bolt set when he won Olympic gold last year before he reduced it to 9.58 secs in Berlin.

American Carmelita Jeter ran 10.64 secs to overtake Marion Jones as the world's second fastest woman over 100m.

Only the late Florence Griffith-Joyner has run faster having run 10.49s.

Gay, who has been suffering from a strained groin and is set to have an operation, admitted at the start of the month he had been "running on one leg".

After running the third-fastest 100m in history, 9.71, at the World Championships, where he had to pull out of the 200m, Gay beat Jamaican Asafa Powell by 0.16s in China with American Darvis Patton in third (9.89).

Gay revealed afterwards he intends to challenge Bolt's world record when he returns to full fitness.

"I'm not too motivated because I've not been fully healthy," he said. "I ran my run so well, even though my groin hurts."

The Chinese crowd saved their biggest cheer for former world and Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang as he returned to action for the first time since limping out of the Beijing Bird's Nest last year.

"Being back on the track is a pivotal step for me," Liu said ahead of the 110m hurdles race.

The 26-year-old 2004 Olympic gold medallist had an operation in the United States in December to repair the Achilles tendon that forced his agonising Olympic withdrawal during qualifying.

However, the local superstar was pipped on the line by American Terrence Trammell with both men clocking 13.15s.

"I didn't expect I could run so fast, but once I stepped on the track I could not hold back," Liu said.

Meanwhile, Russian Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva failed in three attempts to improve her own pole vault world record of 5.06m.

There were other victories for Wallace Spearmon in the 200m, while Britain's Rob Tobin impressed in second place behind Lashawn Merritt in the 400m.

Tulane and LSU end football series

Tulane and LSU have mutually agreed to end their football series after this season, Tulane University director of athletics Rick Dickson announced Tuesday.

The teams will play the fourth of what was to be a 10-game series on Oct. 31 at Tiger Stadium. The teams also agreed to play one final game in New Orleans on a future, undetermined date.

The Tulane-LSU series dates back to 1893, the first year of varsity football for both schools. LSU leads the series 68-22-7 and Tulane hasn’t defeated the Tigers since 1982. Tulane has suffered 17 consecutive losses since that time.

Weary Bolt looking forward to some rest

He swayed to the music of "Zorba the Greek" before his race, and afterward took time to sign autographs for a swarm of children at Kaftanzoglio stadium.

Now that his record-breaking season is over, Usain Bolt said yesterday he has one remaining priority: "Sleep!"

The Jamaican is looking forward to six weeks of quiet after he flies home to Jamaica today - following a season that saw the 23-year-old smash his own 100 and 200-metre records at the world championships last month.

Yesterday, Bolt added another easy win at the World Athletics Final, taking the 200 in 19.68 seconds. Wallace Spearmon of the United States was second in 20.21, and Brendan Christian of Antigua third in 20.65.

"I was running on fumes. That was the last race this year. ... It was the last energy I had," Bolt said. "I'm just happy the season is over ... I was really tired. Hopefully I'll get lots of rest. I'm not looking forward to any one thing. I just want to go home."

In Greece, Bolt skipped the 100 race on Saturday, but still did his best to be a crowd-pleaser. He visited a local school and ran onto the track at Kaftanzoglio Saturday just to make an appearance.

This week, he pulled out of meets in China and South Korea because of fatigue, stretching his break to six weeks.

"I usually get a month, so six weeks is even better," he said. "When you run 10 and a half months out of 12 months, you don't really miss running. ... When it's coming close to a race you think, 'Ah, here we go again."'

Instead of training, Bolt said he's hoping to enjoy doing ordinary things.

"I'm looking forward to playing video games, going to the club, that's pretty much it," he said. "I'm the kind of guy who stays home, plays music and chills out."

Eric Murphy returns for Tobago Classic

Former three-time runner-up Eric Murphy is coming back to Tobago for the 2009 edition of the Tobago International Cycling Classic.

Murphy, who suffered a serious crash in the 2005 edition of the race, will again team up with local favourite and seven-time winner Emile Abraham.

Both will ride for Team BarCode in Division One. Also scheduled to ride for BarCode are Englishmen Pete Williams and James Sampson and Canadians  Danille Defrancheschi and Jean-Michel Lachance.

So far, eight other teams from Europe and the Caribbean have registered for the five-stage race which will be contested from September 30 to October 4. However, not yet certain to take part is last year's winner, Keith Blackgrove of New Zealand.

In addition to the international race, there will again be competition  in the juniors, masters and ladies categories.

Following are the confirmed riders and teams  in Division One:

Team Racing Students (Germany)- Christoph Kindle, Andreas Feistel, Michael Schweizer, Florian Geyer, Valentin Holtz, Benjamin Diemer, Jonathan Obländer.

Team SVL Sportassekuranz (Sweden)- Karsten Gerhard, Karsten Eggert, Jan Van Puifelde, Jorg Scherf, Axel Hauschke, Sebastien Mensebach.

 Austrian National Team (Austria)- Werner Riebenbauer, Franz Grasmann, Andreas Graf, Georg Tazreiter, Andreas Muller, Christian Lademann.

Team Saxony (Germany)-Erik Mohs, Sasha Damrow, Julian Rammler, Timo Scholz, Roland Wenz.Â

Team BarCode (Composite lnternational)-Emile Abraham- Trinidad and Tobago, Eric Murphy-US, Pete Williams-England, James Sampson-England, Danille Defrancheschi-Canada, Jean-Michel Lachance - Canada.

 Windward Islands (Caribbean)-Tyron Thomas-Grenada, Sydney-Grenada, Kurt Maraj-St Lucia, Sammy Joseph-St Lucia, Sydney Charles-St Lucia, Winston Williams-St Lucia.

Team Heatwave (Caribbean)-Guy Costa-Trinidad and Tobago, Marloe Rodman -Jamaica, Jude Bentley- Guyana, Steve McEwen- Scotland, Atze Dijkhuis- Holland.

 Team Trek (Caribbean)-Colin Wilson- Trinidad and Tobago, Linford Blackwood -Jamaica, Dean Martin- Jamaica, Oneil Samuel- Jamaica, Phillip Clarke- Barbados, Jason Perryman-Barbados.

Team Foundation (USA)-Joshua Alexander-Trinidad and Tobago, Adam Alexander-Trinidad and Tobago.

Humans can't run 100m faster than 9.2 sec, claims expert

Usain Bolt believes he can race past the 100 m sprint finish line in 9.4 seconds, and experts seem to agree with him. However, if the Bolt time limit is compressed to 9.2-second mark, analysts cast doubts.

Raphael Brandon, of the English Institute of Sport, believes the 6 feet 5 inches tall Bolt can inspire athletes of a similar built on the track, which would further bring down the time for the finish.

However, he points out that running faster means sprinters have to have their feet on the ground for a certain time in order to generate the speed.

The BBC quoted Brandon as saying: "I think there will come a point where to run any faster you will have to spend so little time on the ground that you won't actually be able to generate the speed."

Brandon thinks its unlikely someone would get past the 9.2 seconds barrier, but also confesses that such limits had been drawn in the past only to have been broken.

Another 100m sweep - Fraser, Powell land marquee events at Rieti meet

Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser and Asafa Powell won the 100-metre events and headlined a whopping six Caribbean victories at the IAAF Rieti International track and field meeting yesterday.

Olympic and world champion Fraser won the women's race, clocking in 11.18 seconds into a stiff headwind of 2.4 metres per second and Powell encountered minus 1.5 metres per second wind in landing the men's race in 9.99 seconds.

Windy conditions prevailed and slowed times were recorded throughout the meet, which saw in-form Jamaicans Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Dwight Thomas claim victories in the sprint hurdles, while their teammate Kerron Stewart captured the women's 200 metres and Bahamian Leevan Sands landed the men's triple jump title.

Beaten by American Carmelita Jeter at the Brussels Golden League meeting on Friday, Fraser rebounded quickly with a fine front-running victory, coming home well clear of fellow Jamaican Sherone Simpson (11.37).

Strong headwind

Fraser admitted she was hindered by the wind.

"I was not getting the technique properly today. I really felt the headwind," she said.

Powell, on the track where he set his last world record (9.74) in 2007, was also strong as he easily repelled fellow Jamaican Nesta Carter (10.08) to repeat as 100-metre champion here, going under the 10-second barrier for the 57th time in his career.

"It was a very strong wind," Powell said. "When I felt the wind blowing today I was like, 'It's not going to be a fast race'."

No runner in history has more sub-10 clockings than Powell, who admitted after the race that he is motivated to restore his top billing after giving way to phenomenal world-record holder Usain Bolt, his Jamaican teammate.

"To be running these fast times is outstanding. He (Bolt) really needs some strong competition, he's running 9.5, so we need to get there too to put on a good show," Powell said. "Before, I was the man to beat. Now I have someone in front of me, so I really have to push myself."

Powell wouldn't commit to running at next year's Commonwealth Games in India.

"We're not sure about all the plan for next year but I'm always looking forward to run," said Powell, who will now return to his in-season training base in northern Italy to prepare for the season finals in Greece.

Britain's Simeon Williamson was third in 10.18 seconds and Jamaican Michael Frater, a World Championship sprint relay gold medallist - with Powell, Bolt and Steve Mullings last month in Berlin - was fifth in 10.30.

Olympic and World Championship medallist Stewart received a late-race test from Jamaican 400-metre specialist Shericka Williams, but was stronger at the finish for a 22.62 win against a 2.0 mps wind.

Williams (22.69) was just a step behind in second and the Jamaica-born American Debbie Dunn was third in 22.73.

Cydonie Mothersill of the Cayman Islands was fifth in 22.98.

Controlled win

Undefeated since her fabulous gold medal success at the Berlin World Championship last month, veteran Foster-Hylton posted a controlled win in the 100-metre hurdles in 12.78 seconds in a Jamaican one-two finish, Nickeisha Wilson chasing her to the line in 12.84 seconds against 2.5 mps wind.

Jamaica's former Commonwealth Games champion Lacena Golding-Clarke was fourth in 13.22.

In the 110-metre hurdles, Thomas clocked 13.36 to win ahead of Commonwealth Games champion Maurice Wignall (13.48) in another Jamaican sweep of the top two spots.

Olympic bronze medallist Sands emerged with the triple jump crown at 16.77 metres, defeating Frenchman David Girat (16.67m). Grenada's Randy Lewis was fifth at 16.53 metres.

The 19-year-old Jamaican Nickel Ashmeade clocked 20.54 seconds for the runner-up spot in the men's 200 behind American Wallace Spearmon (20.27), with Antiguan Pan American Games champion Brendan Christian third in 20.57 seconds.

Football and wrestling top list of school sports injuries

As the kids head back to school they'll also head back to team sports. So brace yourselves, moms and dads, for the injuries that can come with that.

A new study sheds some light on which sports are more likely to produce severe injuries, derailing athletic participation for weeks.

Injury data on nine sports were collected during the academic year from 2005 through 2007 in 100 high schools nationwide by researchers from the Ohio State University College of Medicine and the Center for Injury Research and Policy in the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, both in Columbus. A severe injury was defined as one that resulted in losing three weeks or more of sports participation. During that time, 1,378 severe injuries were noted, comprising 14.9% of all high school sports-related injuries. Severe injury rates were higher in competitions than during practices.

Football was No. 1, with the highest injury rate -- 0.69 per 1,000 athletic events (with an "event" defined as one practice or competition). Second was wrestling, then girls' basketball and girls' soccer.

While the injury rate was higher in all boys' sports versus all girls' sports, when injuries in certain sports (soccer, basketball, baseball/softball) were directly compared, the results were different: Girls had a higher severe injury rate overall than boys, and girls' basketball ranked higher in injuries than boys' basketball.

The study also described which parts of the body took the most hits. Knees were on top, followed by the ankle and shoulder.

The most common diagnoses were fractures, complete ligament sprains and incomplete ligament sprains. Among all the severe injuries, 28.3% needed surgery.

The study appears in the September issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

Lightning Bolt strikes 200m gold in record time

Usain Bolt set a World record of 19.19 seconds on Thursday to add the World championship title in the 200 metres to his gold in the 100m.

Exactly one year after taking gold at the Beijing Games with a record of 19.30, Bolt had an even greater run. Like the record in the 100m on Sunday, he shaved .11 seconds off his previous mark.

Alonso Edward of Panama was second, a massive .62 seconds behind. Wallace Spearmon of the United States took bronze.

“I never expected a World record tonight,” said Bolt. “I was really tired but I told myself I had to just try and do my best - now I am tired. I was too upright. It wasn’t a good race, but it was a fast one.”

Usain Bolt clone emerges in Jamaica

Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt may have set the race tracks around the world on fire with his record breaking feats, the latest being three golds at the World Championships in Berlin, Germany, but there is a replica in the making back home.

The Jamaican Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) has zeroed in on 13-year-old Shawn Salmon, who also hails from Bolt's hometown Trelawny.

According to the Sunday Express, Samon possesses the same steely determination and muscular build that top sprinters need.

But the comparison doesn't stop there. He also holds the 100 metres record at Bolt's old school, Waldensia All-age in Trelawny, and he is in the sprint team at William Knibb Memorial High School, where Bolt was also a pupil, under the watchful eye of his old coach Dwayne Jarrett.

Like his hero, Shawn also competes in both the 100 metres and 200 metres events.
"Shawn has got great potential and there are a lot of similarities to Usain when he was his age," said a member of staff at William Knibb.

Shawn admitted he hopes to emulate his hero one day. "He is my idol and I want to be just like him when I grow up," he said.

"I believe if I train hard, one day I will be able to run at the Olympic Games," he added.
The high school has a great track record in athletic success. Apart from Bolt, Olympic sprinter Michael Green is also a former pupil. Such has been Jamaica's success that it is being called the Isle of Might.

Chambers aims for European mark

Sprinter Dwain Chambers will use the Birmingham Games on Saturday to achieve the British qualifying standard for the European Indoor Championships in March.

Chambers will be targeting 6.65 seconds for the 60m, but cannot compete at the Aviva International match in Glasgow.

He is banned from competitions organised by the EuroMeets Consortium after his drug test failure.

"I realise that my races will be limited due to this ban, so I aim to compete locally," said Chambers.

Instead, Chambers will be racing at the National Indoor Arena to improve on his performances.

"It will help build up my relationship with the press and the general public who come and watch me compete," said Chambers, who ran 6.52 seconds to take silver in last year's World Indoor Championships.

"I'm in good shape - now I aim to run as fast or quicker."

The European Indoor Championships take place in Turin from 6-8 March.

Home Depot to end Olympics sponsorship

After 16 years as an Olympic sponsor, Home Depot is hanging up its rings.

On Wednesday, the world’s largest home improvement retailer informed 98 employees in its Olympic jobs program that it is ending its sponsorship of the Olympics and Paralympics.

The innovative jobs program had allowed Olympic athletes to work part-time at Home Depot while enjoying full-time pay and benefits, gaining time to train.

Three Georgia athletes will be affected. They are in Morrow, Savannah and Athens, said Home Depot spokeswoman Jean Niemi, who couldn’t immediately provide their names.

Over the course of the retailer’s 16-year sponsorship, more than 660 athletes participated in the jobs program; 300 Home Depot athletes made Olympic and Paralympic teams; and they brought home nearly 150 medals, 95 of them gold.

Athletes will be paid through March 2. After that, they can stay in their current positions for part-time pay, apply for full-time jobs that become available, or leave the company.

Home Depot had been a U.S. Olympic Team sponsor since the 1992 games in Barcelona, followed by the 1996 games in the company’s hometown of Atlanta.

Home Depot, a publicly traded company, doesn’t disclose how much it spends on sports sponsorships. Niemi wouldn’t specify Wednesday night how much money it invests in the Olympic jobs program. “We don’t disclose that at all.”

While other companies also sponsor Olympic athletes, Home Depot’s program was high-profile: It had used its athletes in advertising campaigns.

In May, prior to the summer Olympics, 137 athletes were in the program. At the time, the company had said it was weighing whether to continue its Olympic sponsorship.

Home Depot’s announcement could signal a cascade of ending sports sponsorships, as some big brand names and retailers are suffering from the economic downturn.

Niemi said Home Depot’s decision wasn’t based on the economy, but rather on finding “new ways” to reach out to customers and staffers.

“We came to the decision the time was right to move on and look at other opportunities,” she said. “There are no plans in place as of now as to what to do with the money.”

Summer Olympic games in recent years have been in farflung locations, from Sydney to Athens to Beijing, where the big-box chain has no presence, or only a small one, like its dozen or so fledgling stores in China.

Meanwhile, the company has added on expensive sponsorships for NASCAR and other popular American sports, like college and professional football.

These sports appeal to the main customer base of Home Depot, as the majority of the chain’s stores —- just under 2,000 out of about 2,274 —- are in the U.S. market. Its other three markets are Mexico, Canada and China. Still, the bulk of the company’s revenue and profit comes from its U.S. stores.

Patrick Rishe, director of Sportsimpacts, a St. Louis sports marketing firm and a marketing professor at Webster University, wasn’t surprised Home Depot was cutting back.

“In tough times like these, companies are going after things that are not essential, like marketing and goodwill initiatives,” said Rishe, noting Atlanta-based UPS’ rival FedEx’s decision not to advertise at this year’s Super Bowl. He said the economic and public relations backlash probably won’t be too severe. “I’d like to the think, given everything that’s going on, the general public are probably more likely to cut them some slack,” he said. “If the economy was going well, people might scratch their heads a little, but not now. Besides, a lot of people may not even notice because they’re too busy dealing with their own situation.”

The company’s total advertising and marketing budget in 2007 was $1.2 billion, according to the 2007 annual report, the most recent available.

Several firms track the numbers. One, IEG Sponsorship Report, says Home Depot spent $60 million to $65 million on sports sponsorships in 2007.

The Nielsen Co. reported that Home Depot purchased $25.3 million and $30.1 million in ads during the 2004 Summer and 2006 Winter games, respectively. Nielsen also reports Home Depot spent nearly $12 million on NASCAR ads in 2007, while rival Lowe’s spent $7.7 million.

Utter chaos mars Pune Marathon

Utter chaos and mismanagement marred the 23rd Vodafone Pune International Marathon on Sunday, which saw the disqualification of as many as 15 athletes, most of them from abroad on grounds of “not following the official route”.

As many as 72 athletes from 12 countries participated in the 42.195 km marathon, which saw the participation of 558 athletes. Another 7600 people, mostly from the corporate, educational institutes and others participated in the 4.5 km AIDS charity run.

Kenya’s Nelson Kurwa Rotich completed the marathon in 2 hours 17 minutes and 45 seconds to grab the winning trophy and the prize money of Rs 3 lakh. In the women’s half-marathon (21km) category, Kenyan runner Caroline Chepponui Kilil clocked an hour 10 minutes and 17 seconds to emerge as the winner.

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt eyes world record domination

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt believes he can significantly lower his world records for the 100m and 200m.

Bolt clocked 9.69 seconds in the 100m in Beijing and then broke Michael Johnson's world record of 19.32 in the 200m final by lowering it to 19.30.

Asked how fast he thought he could run 100m, Bolt said: "Perhaps 9.52 seconds, but I must make progress in different areas, especially at the start."

Bolt's coach Glenn Mills is hopeful he can go under 19 seconds in the 200m.

"I believe, based on what he did in Beijing, given similar conditions, if he runs the 200m at a time when he is fresh, we are hoping that we can get under the 19 seconds barrier," Mills said.

"We are also hoping to take the 100m to somewhere where it will stay for a good while."

In winning the 100m, Bolt significantly slowed down as he approached the finishing line and Norwegian physicist Hans Eriksen has estimated the Jamaican could have run 9.55 seconds if he had finished at full pace.

Last week in the Journal of Experimental Biology, Stanford University biology professor Mark Denny concluded male sprinters could get the 100m record down to 9.48 and the 200m down to 18.63.

As well as his 100m and 200m wins in Beijing, the 22-year-old Bolt led Jamaica's 4x100m sprint relay to Olympic victory in a record time of 37.10.

Milkha didn’t know Mary Kom was a champion boxer

World champion says the athletic legend struck off her name from the list of Khel Ratna nominees as he hadn’t heard about her

MC Mary Kom may have been a three-time champion going into the World Championships at Ningbo City in China, but no one would have wagered on her taking gold once again. After all, she had been busy giving birth to and rearing her twin sons, a two-year hiatus not one that prepares a boxer for such a top-class competition.

But the diminutive 25-year-old from Manipur proved a widely believed theory — will power often makes up for any deficiencies in preparation. Mary’s actual dream run comprised avenging her loss in the final of the Asian Championships in September, putting it 8-3 across against Korean Ok Jong in the semifinals in China, and then powering her way to a 7-1 verdict against Romanian Steluta Duta in the final.

The fatigue of returning in the early hours of the morning may have subdued her voice a little, but the words were as precise as her punches.

“It was not as easy as it might seem. It is definitely the best of my four medals because I managed to win despite coming back after such a long lay-off. I had put in a lot of hard work during the last four months and it proved worth the effort,” said Mary, quick to thank her near and dear ones.

“But for their support, I could not have done it. I was a little disappointed after losing to Ok Jong in the final of the Asian Championships and I was also not taking well to the thought of leaving my children to go and compete,” said the champion 46 kg pugilist, who is fast becoming a household name.

Coach Anup Kumar was all praise for Mary, saying her cool mind and superior basics saw her cruise through.

“I was expecting her to finish in the medals bracket, though gold had seemed improbable. But she gave little chance to her opponents with her superb reach, speed and counter-attacks,” said Kumar.

“I think this is the best example that one can have of a comeback. Just imagine, returning to top-class boxing after two years, practicing for just four months and then producing such high class stuff! This is what dreams are made of,” he added.

Mary Kom though revealed that she was hurt about being ignored for the Khel Ratna award.

“I have won the World Championship four times on the trot. Mahendra Singh Dhoni gets a Khel Ratna for winning just one World Cup, I fail to understand why am I being ignored then. How can anybody expect an athlete to stay motivated if he or she is ignored like that?” Mary Kom said.

Mary Kom said that what hurt her the most was the fact that it was sheer ignorance about which sport she competes in that could have cost her the award. “Last year, when my name was recommended by the federation, I had been short-listed along with Dhoni but Arjuna awards selection committee chairman Milkha Singh struck off my name saying that he did not know which sport I competed in. That hurt me terribly,” she revealed.

“I want to ask him today, how many more titles do I have to win for him and for the country to believe that I deserve the honour?” she asked. “Don’t give me the award if you think I am not worthy but please don’t insult me with statements like that.”

Lisa Dobriskey slams 'Russian seven'

British 1500m star Lisa Dobriskey has backed her sport's move to give longer bans to the seven Russians caught cheating before the Beijing Games.

World athletics' governing body has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the bans handed to the seven by their national federation.

The Russian federation backdated the bans to get their athletes back for next year's world championships.

"I would definitely be angry if they were able to run," said Dobriskey.

"I'd feel cheated if I had to line up against any of them in Berlin next year.

"And I speak for the majority of women's 1500m runners because it has caused quite a big stir, and not only in our event but in athletics in general."

The seven women, who include double world 1500m champion Tatyana Tomashova and 1500m indoor world record-holder Yelena Soboleva, were provisionally suspended in July, shortly before this summer's Olympics, after being found guilty of tampering with their urine samples.

The suspensions followed a year-long investigation by the sport's governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), after it had grown suspicious they were being tipped off ahead of "no-notice, out-of-competition" tests and then manipulating their samples.

A trap was sprung at last year's world championships in Osaka when DNA in samples taken from the seven did not match the DNA in their earlier samples. Five of the women were in Russia's team for Beijing.

Having denied claims of systematic doping, the All Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) caused consternation last month when it finally announced details of the bans it was dishing out.

The athletes were given the mandatory two-year bans but those suspensions were backdated to the time of those first out-of-competition tests, April and May of 2007. This meant they would be eligible to compete in Berlin in August.

The IAAF, however, wants those sanctions to start no earlier than the day the athletes were provisionally suspended. It also wants the Lausanne-based arbitration body to extend the bans beyond the mandatory two-year minimum.

"It is unacceptable that these athletes, who have committed serious and deliberate breaches of our anti-doping rules, would receive an effective ban of approximately nine to 10 months and see them eligible to compete in the summer of 2009," said IAAF president Lamine Diack.

"What is more, I consider the circumstances surrounding these cases warrants the IAAF to seek extended bans."

The 25-year-old Dobriskey, who finished fourth in the women's 1500m Olympic final in Beijing, supports Diack's stance entirely.

"It would be very damaging to the sport if they are allowed to get away with this, simply because they've obviously cheated," she said.

"They need to be punished and be seen to be punished. We need to set an example and show people who are cheating, or who are thinking about cheating, that they can't get away with it."

The Loughborough-based star said she was particularly disappointed with Tomashova, one of the favourites for Olympic gold in Beijing and an athlete she had admired for many years.

"As it stands they will have missed only one season," Dobriskey added.

"OK, I know it was an Olympic season but people miss the Olympics through injury, when they haven't done anything wrong. So I think it would be very damaging if the Russians are allowed to compete next year, and very unfair."

The other athletes in question are middle-distance runners Svetlana Cherkasova, Yulia Fomenko and Olga Yegorova, former world champion hammer thrower Gulfiya Khanafeyeva and European discus champion Darya Pischalnikova.