By Alpheus Finlayson, BAAA
The other day we heard talk by the Russian athletics federation president Valentin Balakhnichev of the effect on ticket sales on the Moscow World Championships by star athletes like Tyson Gay testing positive for banned substances.
Everybody was looking forward to the clash between Usain Bolt and the fit Tyson Gay in Moscow.
For whatever reason, whether the athlete did not make their nation’s team, because an athlete is injured, not allowed to participate by their federation, banned due to doping, or now retired, several top athletes we are accustomed to seeing will not be competing in Moscow.
And we will surely miss them!
For those who have retired we thank them for their contribution and excitement they brought to our sport!
The Sprinters
There were four prominent sprinters who tested positive for banned substances in the last month. They are Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell Brown, Sherone Simpson, Asafa Powell, and the USA’s Tyson Gay.
Powell had not qualified for the Jamaican team. Gay’s star was on the upswing.
Then Jamaica’s Yohan Blake had a bye into the 100m but was not fit and decided to shut his season down.
The Bahamas’s Chandra Sturrup did not participate in Daegu and announced her retirement last month.
We have provided some competition statistics for these athletes we feel you would appreciate:
Tyson Gay, USA
Age 30
Double World Champion, Osaka, 2007
100m, 200m
Bests- 9.69sec, 2nd all time, Shanghai, 2009
19.58sec, 5th all time, NYC 2009
44.89sec Gainesville, 2010
Asafa Powell, Jamaica
Age 30
100m
Former World Record Holder
Best- 9.72sec 4th all time, Lausanne, 2008
Yohan Blake, Jamaica
Age-23
100m, 200m
Daegu World Champion, 2011 -100m
Bests- 9.69sec tied second best Lausanne 2012
19.26sec, second best all time, Brussels 2011
Kim Collins, St. Kitts & Nevis
Age- 37
Paris World Champion, 2003 100m
Bests- 9.97sec Lausanne 2013
20.20sec Edmonton 2011
Veronica Campbell –Brown, Jamaica
Age-30
100m, 200m
Olympic Champion Athens and Beijing(( 200m)
World Champion Osaka(100m) and Bejing(200m)
Bests- 10.76sec 8th all time, Ostrava, 2011
21.74sec 9th all time, Beijing 2008
Chandra Sturrup, Bahamas
Age-41
100m, 200m, Long Jump
Bronze medalist 2001 Edmonton
Bronze medalist 2003 Paris
Bests- 10.84sec 2005 Lausanne
22.33sec
6.70m LJ
Sanya Richards-Ross, USA
Age-27
200m, 400m
Olympic Champion, London 400m
World Champion, Berlin 400m
Bests- 48.70sec 7th all time, Athens 2006, Continental Cup
22.09sec NYC, 2012
Middle Distance
David Rudisha, Kenya
Age- 24
800m
Olympic Champion, London
World Champion, Daegu
Bests- 1:40.91 London, WR
Caster Semenya, South Africa
Age-22
800m
World Champion, Berlin
Best-1:55.45 13th all time best, Berlin 2009
Hurdles
Liu Xiang, China
Age- 30
110m Hurdles
Olympic Champion, Athens
World Champion, Osaka
Best- 12.88sec, Lausanne, 2006, WR
Dayron Robles, Cuba
Age- 27
110m Hurdles
Olympic Champion, Beijing
Best- 12.87sec, Ostrava, 2008, WR
Angelo Taylor, USA
Age-34
400m Hurdles
Olympic Champion Sydney and Beijing
400m
Best- 47.25sec 8th all time best Beijing, 2008
44.05sec
Jumps
Trevor Barry, Bahamas
Age-30
High Jump
Bronze medalist Daegu 2011
Best- 2.32m, Daegu 2011
Yargelis Savigne, Cuba
Age- 28
Triple Jump
World Champion Osaka and Berlin
Best 15.28m Osaka 2007 Triple Jump
Long Jump
6.91m
Christian Olsson, Sweden
Age- 33
Triple Jump
Olympic Champion Athens 2004
World Champion Paris 2003
Best- 17.97m Athens 2004
Nelson Evora, Portugal
Age- 29
Triple Jump
Olympic Champion Beijing 2008
World Champion Osaka 2007
Best-17.74m Osaka, 2007
Walter Davis, USA
Age-34
Triple Jump
Long Jump
World Champion Helsinki 2005
Best-17.71m Indianapolis, 2006
8.36m
Phillips Idowu, Great Britain
Age-34
Triple Jump
Best-17.81m Barcelona 2010
Leevan Sands, Bahamas
Age-31
Triple Jump, Long Jump
Best- 17.59m Beijing 2008
8.13m 2005
Throws
Adam Nelson, USA
Age-38
Shot Put
Olympic Champion Athens 2004
World Champion Helsinki 2005
Best-22.51m Portland, 2002
Chris Cantwell, USA
Age- 32
Shot Put
World Champion Berlin 2009
Best- 22.54m Gresham, Oregon,
Reese Hoffa, USA
Age-35
Shot Put
World Champion Osaka 2007
Best- 22.43m London 2007
We hope that this has provided you with a better appreciation of these athletes.
These are some of the stars you will not see participating in Moscow for one reason or the other.
Some of them you will see at the Beijing World Championships in 2015 or even at meets after Moscow.
We will miss those star athletes who do not compete but for the most part, the competition will be stiff, what with some new stars.
That’s just how it is.
Just prior to the championships we will tell you of some people to watch in Moscow, especially new talent.
