Australia dominates and we ain’t seen nothin’ yet

A column by Len Johnson - 23/07/21 The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games haven’t even started and Australia is dominating. Some hours before the Opening Ceremony, as this is written, Australia is already up and about. In women’s football, goals to Tameka Yallop and the talismanic Sam...

Faster than Flo-Jo? | A column by Len Johnson

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah share many similarities. Both Jamaican. Both quick-silver fast. Both double-double Olympics champions. And both women may be wind-legal faster than the current world record holder in the 100 metres, though it appears the chance of either of them being thus...

A Tale Of Zwei Weltklassen | A Column By Len Johnson

Zurich’s fabled Weltklasse meeting has often been dubbed “the Olympics in one day.” It’s a fair call. Usually staged within a week of the conclusion of the year’s major championships – Olympic, world or European – Zurich re-packages the just concluded championship as three hours’...

Marjorie Jackson – flash, flier, tornado but always a superstar | A column by Len Johnson

Marjorie Jackson, who celebrated her 90th birthday on 13 September, was Australia’s first athletics superstar. Our first women’s Olympic gold medallist, our first women’s world record holder, Jackson surged to international recognition with a double in the 100 and 200 metres at the Helsinki 1952...

When too many marathons are . . . too many marathons?

A column by Len Johnson This columnist has always been a big fan of the Rampaging Roy Slaven and H.G. Nelson observation that “too much sport is barely enough”. But, I wonder, what about when five of the world’s biggest marathons – Berlin, London, Chicago, Boston...

On the whole, I’d rather run 2:17:57 | A column by Len Johnson

Angela Tanui and I share one thing in common: we both set out to run the Boston Marathon but neither of us got there. On the whole, though, I’d rather share her 2:17:57 marathon personal best. Seeing Angela’s got the better PB, let’s begin with...

Ollie Hoare: the New Chairman of the Boards?

A column by Len Johnson Back in the day, Ireland’s Eamonn Coghlan was known as Chairman of the Boards, a nickname which acknowledged his mastery of indoor track racing. Good enough outdoors to have won the gold medal over 5000 metres at the first world championships...

A Detailed Dive Into The Training Of Jim Walmsley

  Jim Walmsley is a legendary ultra runner, known for his multiple wins in the JFK 50 miler and Western States 100 miler, and considered by many to be the greatest American ultra runner in history. So, what does it take to train like one...