Sheena’s 2025 Athletics Thread

Sheena

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First time in a while I’ve had to ACTUALLY START MY OWN. SLACKERS!
 
Anyway, European Indoors this weekend. And for the first time in a loooong time, I won’t be there. First Euro indoor champs other than Covid that I’ve missed since the early 2010s (can’t be bothered to look it up- 2013?). A combination of “arse end of nowhere” and exorbitant ticket/ accommodation prices have made me decide to sit this one out. With the random World Indoors this year as well, feel the fields might be as strong as they could be. (WIs in Nanjing, by the way- also not going).

Looking forward to a bit of tv watching, but noticeably I’m also away this weekend so won’t be watching much live. No reflection of my overall love- already booked in for Tokyo outdoors later this year- but a reflection of needing a little break after the mania of the last few years, maybe? Who knows. I’m just kinda looking forward to actually getting commentary! :D
 
The British team is a big one- though everyone trumpeting that we’ve finally booked as a full team as possible is forgetting they usually do for European Indoors to blood the younger athletes.

Nevertheless, really interested to see how some new names do here. There’s a good 50% I’ve never even heard of!
 
This thread has reminded me - a couple of months ago I was looking up the 100 metres Olympics champions & after looking at the now vacant slot for Sydney 2000, I'd totally forgotten that TAYNA LAWRENCE was a medallist behind those NASTY DOPERS Jones & Thanou.

I don't remember ever hearing of her before or since - is there also a cloud of doping suspicion on her? Or was she just beset by injuries?

You could make a very reasonable case she should really be the gold medallist for that race. Which would surely make her one of the most OBSCURE 100m champions EVER.
 
The British team is a big one- though everyone trumpeting that we’ve finally booked as a full team as possible is forgetting they usually do for European Indoors to blood the younger athletes.

Nevertheless, really interested to see how some new names do here. There’s a good 50% I’ve never even heard of!

I watched the British champs the other week, so expect I may recognise some even if the names don't ring a bell. Looking forward to it.
 
^ Tayna Lawrence suffered from stress fractures in 2001 and I believe had to have surgeries on her leg a couple of years later so was derailed by injury, I haven’t heard of any suspicions on her.

I just remember the Merlene Ottey furore from that year with her pretty much forcing herself into the team, I’m glad she at least ended up with another medal in retrospect but so still wish she had an Olympic gold.
 
^ Tayna Lawrence suffered from stress fractures in 2001 and I believe had to have surgeries on her leg a couple of years later so was derailed by injury, I haven’t heard of any suspicions on her.

I just remember the Merlene Ottey furore from that year with her pretty much forcing herself into the team, I’m glad she at least ended up with another medal in retrospect but so still wish she had an Olympic gold.
1996 with Gail just edging Merlene in the closest finish possible was agonising (& I loved Gail but as she'd already won in 1992 & also had the hurdles I was rooting for Merlene there).
 
It was even more gutting because Devers had won a world gold in ‘93 in the 100m, getting the decision by one thousandth of a second over Merlene so Atlanta was horrible deja vu. Thankfully Merlene eventually got those world 200 golds even though she almost stuffed up her finish on the first one.
 
I'd forgotten about the 1993 race. My main athletics memory from that one is Sally Gunnell breaking the world record.
 
This thread has reminded me - a couple of months ago I was looking up the 100 metres Olympics champions & after looking at the now vacant slot for Sydney 2000, I'd totally forgotten that TAYNA LAWRENCE was a medallist behind those NASTY DOPERS Jones & Thanou.

I don't remember ever hearing of her before or since - is there also a cloud of doping suspicion on her? Or was she just beset by injuries?

You could make a very reasonable case she should really be the gold medallist for that race. Which would surely make her one of the most OBSCURE 100m champions EVER.

Never any suspicion around Tayna Lawrence other than the fact that the Jamaicans were UP TO THEIR EYES in it for a bit generally.

She was injured seriously and never really got back to that 2000 form in a championship year, though she ran 10.93 (her PB) in 2002.

I love that as a quiz question- who is the Olympic Champion in the 2000 Olympics. Or why isn't there one as an alternative. I've used it in quizzes loads.
 
Good old Thanou. They don't make them like HER anymore. You could have grated cheese on her face, with the steroid acne :disco:
 
^ Tayna Lawrence suffered from stress fractures in 2001 and I believe had to have surgeries on her leg a couple of years later so was derailed by injury, I haven’t heard of any suspicions on her.

I just remember the Merlene Ottey furore from that year with her pretty much forcing herself into the team, I’m glad she at least ended up with another medal in retrospect but so still wish she had an Olympic gold.

That "forcing onto the team" was a bit of a mess. No one reported that the athlete they removed (Peta-Gaye Dowdie) was actually injured. She wanted to still give it a go but the team doctors realised it wasn't worth it and they were leaving a potential medallist at home. It's a shame that Dowdie didn't really do anything else and never made an Olympics at all, but it was far too much hoopla for what was an injured athlete who really shouldn't have been in Sydney anyway.
 
I ALREADY HAVE FOMO. I know all those Irish people they keep showing on the tv. BAH.
 
Oh dear at things not panning out for our two biggest hopes today. A bronze for the always elegant Revée though and wow at the hurdling Kambundji.
 
What a fucking shit show this team is. I’m appalled.

And do you know what? Not at the team. This is a result of our stupid recent selection policy meaning we have a completely inexperienced team and failure then breeds failure.
 
Well the 60m yesterday helped a bit. Andy Robertson's Scarborough cheesecake and last minute call up was a nice story.

Really enjoyed the heptathlon too.
 
New NR for our girls, can't ask more than that, although complete with dodgy last takeover :o
 
Amber looked so good in her semi, then I felt nervous when it didn't go to plan at the break but she fought for that.

The face on Holmes afterwards :D
 
Happy for Saga Vanninen winning the gold in heptathlon in both European and World Championships even though many of the greats were missing. She had a tough summer because of back pain and hired a new coach in the autumn — Estonian Olympic Champ Erki Nool. They changed her training to support the back and so far it has worked wonders as she has improved her record in all disciplines but shot put, like a 21-year-old should. 4922pts is respectable and oddly counts as the U23 European Record even though Kluft and KJT have done better but they didn’t register U23 European Records at the time. :confused: Hoping to see her improve to over 6600 in the summer.
 

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