Section:GDN PS PaGe:10 Edition Date:080602 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 1/6/2008 20:06 cYanmaGentaYellowblack

10 | Monday June 2 2008 The Guardian | Monday June 2 2008 11 Athletics

Speed kings How the m world mark has fallen Ankle trouble Slogger gives Ennis A sideways glance at cricket a headache Doctor’s diagnosis Comeback corner sec 1Armin 0Hary (West. Germany)0 for Flintoff on the phone If Chris Lewis can do it... June 21, 1960

Flintoff Yeah hello, is that NHS direct? Sir Jack Hobbs, Surrey Michael Phillips Götzis Nurse Yes it is. How can I help you The hordes sitting around for a today? fortnight waiting for a twinkle-toed Flintoff I’ve got a number of ailments veteran to score his hundredth Jessica Ennis left this small Austrian but by far the worst is that every time hundred has been good for the brown town at 4am yesterday to head back to I drink a mug of tea I get this terrible caps’ coff ers, but they could do with 9Jim Hines. (US)95 Britain in search of answers to the ankle stabbing pain in my eye the scoring feats of a man who passed Oct 14, 1968 injury which has disrupted her plans for Nurse Righto. Have you tried taking that landmark and went the . Ennis was forced the spoon out? on to raise his bat 97 to withdraw from the at the Flintoff I’ll give it a go. The real more times. IAAF Challenge Hypo-Meeting after the reason I’m calling you is that I get this fi rst day, having aggravated the problem dreadful pain in my side when I try to Cricket for during the high jump. bowl fast She had been in second position when Nurse Rest is the best cure for strains. football fans she decided on Saturday evening, after 9Calvin Smith.9 (US) 3 I suggest you take a complete break four of the seven events, that she did not July 3, 1983 from cricket for a month and then see Stuck for a to follow want to risk further damage. The Sheffi eld how it goes this summer with no British teams athlete re arranged her fl ights, travelling Flintoff Oh alright, If I have to. But at Euro 2008? Look no further. You’ll back with the UK Athletics physio Neil what happens if it comes back when I fi nd a home from home in cricket — why Black, and she will have a scan today. She start playing again the two national are almost the received encouragement from Britain’s Nurse Then I’m aafraaidd you mighg t needeed same ... Denise Lewis, who won Olympic hep- surgery tathlon gold in 2000 9Ben Johnson.7 (Canada)9 Flintoff Will I be ableable toto despite achilles play the trombonembone after Football has …David Beckham Sept 24, 1988 and calf injuries the operationn? Former captain, left out (later ruled invalid) that saw her hob- Nurse I don’t see why by a new coach in a media- ble across the not friendly symbol of a fresh line at the end Flintoff That’’s greagreat,t, approach and then recalled of the 800m with I never could before.before. to save his bacon after defeat her leg strapped up. “It reminded me of Toodle-oo what happened going into Sydney,” said Cricket has …Andrew Strauss 9Carl Lewis. (US)8 6 Lewis yesterday. “The difference was I Former captain, left out Aug 25, 1991 couldn’t even walk. It all depends on the by a new coach in a media- diagnosis when Jessica gets the scan. She Hullo. friendly symbol of a fresh scored well on Saturday with an injured NHS Direct? approach and then recalled ankle and she has to remember that. What to save his bacon after defeat Jessica needs is to be calm and listen to what is being said to her. In another life: how Monty would look as a ... “It will be going around in her head, ‘What if this means I can’t go to Beijing?’ 9Leroy Burrell.8 (US) 5 Lollipop man It’s bound to. But if she is told to rest, then July 6, 1994 rest and do not worry about competing in any more events in between now and the Games if the advice is against that. There are lots of times when you are not fully fi t and you still have to go out there and do it. It’s the grit and determination you need to be a champion and Jessica has that.” 9Donovan .Bailey8 (Canada)4 Ennis, who was fourth at last summer’s July 27, 1996 World Championships in , sustained the injury during training last week. “I spent last night trying to work out if we had made any mistakes and wondering if we could have done anything diff erently,” said her coach, Toni Minichiello, yester- day. “But we don’t really know anything 9Maurice Green.7 (US) 9 until we see the result of the scan. The June 16, 1999 feeling is that it is nothing too bad and all this is precautionary.” Her setback adds to what is threatening to become a diffi cult time for Britain’s main Olympic medal hopes as the Games in Bei- jing draw closer. Paula Radcliff e, the mar- athon world record-holder, is battling to recover from a stress fracture while Nicola The future of Four Pimm’s pundit 9Asafa Powell.7 ()4 Sanders, the 400m world silver-medallist, New teams revealed Today’s talk Sept 9, 2007 is a doubt for this Sunday’s Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, because of a Room at the top of the order knee injury and Kelly Sotherton, Britain’s England’s one-day squad was Olympic heptathlon bronze medallist, dull apart from persisting missed Götzis with a kidney problem. with the idea that they can Dave Collins, UK Athletics’ national experiment by making an performance director, said last night: opener out of someone with no track 9Usain Bolt. (Jamaica)72 “P eople will get pressurised and they will record of doing it at international level. May 31, 2008 get tweaks, so they will take sensible pre- Yep, Alastair Cook’s still in it. cautions, this year more than ever. I have Where an athlete has broken the world record more than once, only his fastest time is included Main picture: Gary Hershorn/ A town that already uses bits of absolute faith in Toni Minichiello and Neil chopped-up trees to entertain itself is Revealing too much Black; she couldn’t be in better hands. She clearly ripe for its own franchise. England’s Graeme Swann went out and did a lifetime best in the First XI Dickie Bird, Richie Benaud, is singing in a band called shot, so she couldn’t be that bad.” Andrew Flintoff , Salman Rushdie, Dr Comfort and the Lurid Ennis ended the fi rst day with 3,894 Cherie Booth, George Monbiot, Revelations. Perhaps he Bolt’s breathtaking run blows away the clouds over sprinting points, 36 behind the Russian Anna Bog- Christopher Hitchens, JK Rowling, ought to ask Kevin Pitersen to join danova. But it was another Russian, Tat- Fay Weldon, that bloke off Newsnight, after the batsman revealed this week yana Chernova, who established herself as Peter Rabbit that he likes to cook in the buff . favourite for gold in Beijing by winning the Jamaican beats world , once the proud occupant of Something special was half expected an initial . His height might give The fastest in 2008 was just one race. There is a whole lot be a 200m in Ostrava on Thursday week competition yesterday with 6,618 points, What am I bid for? Flipper’s farewell the title now held by Bolt, will learn if he at this grand prix on a small track at the him a psychological advantage but it can more to go.” before the Jamaican Olympic trials, where ahead of Ukraine’s Lyudmila Blonska with Stuart MacGill’s champion in New York has won his latest appeal against a dop- on Randall’s Island to the work against him in other respects. A key At 16 Bolt became the youngest per- he will meet Powell, who had taken the Bogdanova third. Ennis has a personal The next IPL superstars announcement of his ing ban. In between comes a performance east of Manhattan as Bolt met the world to classic 100m sprinting is staying low Best 100m in the world this year son to win the 200m at the World Junior world record to 9.74 in last Septem- best of 6,469 and Sotherton 6,547. retirement shocked Australia Stunning record falls from an athlete whose run will no doubt champion, . But in the initial drive phase but Bolt never Jam 9.72 May 31 Championships when he triumphed on his ber. That should be something now. now looks set to 2. Robert Croft yesterday. Not the news itself raise eyebrows because of the sham cre- even the meeting organis- looked awkward. He made a fi ne start and Usain Bolt 9.76 May 3 home track in Kingston in 2002. He was so Bolt’s arrival has set up the probability make his return to the 100m in Kalamata, Anyone who lists his interests and but his bowling during the fi rst Test in between drug scandals ated by so many who have hurtled down ers could never have imag- his powerful leg reach and thumping steps Tyson Gay US 9.85 May 31 much the star of the show that supporters of a three-way chase for Olympic gold in Greece, on Wednesday as he chases the relaxations as “everything” has got to Jamaica suggested he had retired from the track before him with the aid of per- ined, when theyy arraannged took him clear at 50m. He was never going Usain Bolt 9.92 May 17 were climbing the walls of the stadium to Beijing between Gay, Powell and himself 10.85sec needed to run at next month’s be broadminded enough for the new international cricket long ago. Michael Phillips formance-enhancing substances. a post-event to be caught, leaving Gay, the gold med- Richard Thompson Tri 9.93 May 18 catch a glimpse of him. Since then he has and a dress rehearsal for that race is set Olympic trials in Birmingham. league. OK, he took only one wicket If an event ever needed cleansing, this is c oncert for the 6,000 allist from Osaka last summer, second in Travis Padgett US 9.96 May 10 become an athlete often left in the shad- to happen at the grand prix at and scored 17 runs in Glamorgan’s That’s snout it and Bolt could be the man to do it. He has fans, that the vast 9.85 and his American team-mate Darvis Richard Thompson 10.0 April 5 ows, making steady but unspectacular Crystal Palace on July 25. Gay and Powell innings defeat by Leicestershire Interesting that the IPL Usain Bolt is 6ft 5in and 21. No holder of arrived at this stage after a junior career number of Jamai- Patton third in 10.07. AHO 10.0 April 12 progress, yet that is his nature. have been confi rmed for London and this yesterday but the veteran twirler has fi nal was contested by the the world record has been so which created its own landmark and his cans among them “I knew the track was fast,” said Gay. “I JS Ndure Nor 10.01 May 9 Like Gay and Powell, he is quiet too, week the presence of Bolt is expected to already demonstrated that he will Chennai Super Kings and the tall or so young in the modern era but the strength, astonishing leg-muscle move- would have such knew a 9.7 was possible. This is defi nitely Darrel Powell Tri 10.02 May 9 with none of the brash, bolshie, “I-am-the- be announced . Hours before Bolt’s per- be immune to being poached by the Rajasthan Royals. What’s the Jamaican might have done more than just ment and towering ambition ha ve never reason to party. great for the sport. Obviously I have some Usain Bolt 10.03 March 8 man” approach that drove on the American formance Tyrone Edgar ran 10.06, the Indian moneybags league — he turned betting that new franchises will be the take sprinting into a new age in New York been in doubt. His progression has seen Bolt looked inn work to do. Right now it’s hats off to Bolt. Jam 10.04 Feb 21 Maurice Greene, one of his world-record joint-sixth fastest time by a Briton, when down the opportunity to tour there Mohali Marlboros and the Barrackpur on Saturday night. him make such an impact at the 100m in a diff erent class Today was his day. We were on the same Preston Perry US 10.04 May 25 predecessors. He was almost forgotten he won in Geneva inside the Olympic “ A” with England in 2001. Benson & Hedges? Bolt’s blistering run of 9.72 seconds to the past four weeks that he will take some after the runners were rhythm, his stride was covering more Tyson Gay 10.05 May 18 as the 200m silver medallist behind Gay qualifying time. Also on Saturday, at the beat the old mark of 9.74 by his compa- stopping at the Olympics in Beijing in less called back at 20m affterter ground. He’s run 9.7 before, so his body Trindon Holliday US 10.05 May 18 in Osaka in what was his specialist event fi rst Golden League meeting of the season Harmyometer How close to retiring this week? triot Asafa Powell arrived on a track mois- than three months’ time. knows what it feels like.” before his decision to test out his speed in , was sixth in tened by rain at a meeting which had been “This world record doesn’t mean a thing The US triple worldorld “I was glad for the fi rst false start,” said And the best of British again in the 100m this year has seen his 10.18 as , of Jamaica, won in delayed because of the threat of thunder unless I get the Olympic gold medal or win champion Tysonn Bolt. “My fi rst start wasn’t that good and I Tyrone Edgar 10.06 May 31 career, and life, transformed. 10.08. The British team captain was all too and . The 100m, it seems, cannot at the world championships,” said Bolt, Gay said the knew if I got Tyson on the start I’d get him. Tryone Edgar 10.11 May 10 He began the 100m seriously aware of the impact of Bolt’s run. “I wish escape its dark clouds. who clocked 9.76 in Kingston, Jamaica, arrival of sprinterer My coach said concentrate on the drive Harry Aikines-Aryeety 10.18 May 11 last season as a base for the 200m. He him all the best,” said Devonish. “Just as I At the end of last week the controver- at the start of May and, in the build-up to Usain Bolt was phase and that’s what I did. I had a lot of Marlon Devonish 10.18 May 31 had a best time of 10.03 but, when he fi rst am getting closer to everyone, he goes out sial coach Trevor Graham was found this 100m, revealed he had been tested a good thing support. They’re pretty happy right now. Gerald Phiri 10.20 April 19 showed signs of this talent, he was run- and runs a time like this. I dread to think Seven Sussex wickets and a hat-trick suggests the radar has been recalibrated guilty in court on one charge of lying about fi ve times this year and has never used for athletics “ I wasn’t looking for a world record ning the 400m at school. Bolt will now what he might do when he turns his atten- Jessica Ennis runs in the 100m hurdles his links to a drugs supplier. On Friday performance-enhancing substances. but it came to me and I’ll take it. This double up in Beijing and his next race will tion to the 200m.” before her precautionary withdrawal