Bolt: Gay should have received lifetime ban

Usain Bolt says Tyson Gay should have been "kicked out" of athletics after being found guilty of using a banned substance in 2013.

Gay's ban was reduced after he agreed to co-operate with authorities -- a decision Bolt describes as "the stupidest thing I've ever heard" -- and the American sprinter is now set to return to action.

Speaking to Runner's World magazine, six-time Olympic champion Bolt said: "I was really upset about that. He got a year just because he talked to the authorities about how it was done and who helped him.

"That sends the wrong message. 'If you do it and get caught, just tell us all you know and we'll lower your ban'.

"It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. The message should be: If you cheat you're going to be kicked out of the sport."

Bolt said he used to regard Gay, the joint-second fastest man in the world, as a rival but will no longer enjoy competing against the American.

"I'm not worried about him beating me," Bolt, who runs for Jamaica, said. "I think it's because I respected him so much over the years. He was a competitor, kept me on my toes and he pushed me to always do my best.

"Then to find out that he was on drugs -- it's a bit like I think parents must feel when they have a kid who does something bad and lets them down. I feel like he let me down and he let the sport down.

"It really bothers me."

Read More

Stowers stuns with win in Drake Relay hurdles

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The field for the women's 100-meter hurdle race at the Drake Relays was so stacked that hometown favorite Lolo Jones' late scratch was barely noticed.

All those stars couldn't touch unheralded Jasmin Stowers, who likely won't be an afterthought much longer.

Stowers blew past a field that included 2008 Olympic gold medalist Dawn Harper-Nelson and Queen Harrison, winning Saturday in a meet-record 12.40 seconds.

Jasmin Stowers reacts to her upset win in the 100-meter hurdles Saturday. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Harper-Nelson was second in 12.71, followed by Kristi Castlin in 12.72.

"The time that I ran was crazy to me," said Stowers, whose previous best was 12.71. "It shows me that I can do [well] for the world trials and make the world team and possibly the Olympics the next year."

The 23-year-old Stowers graduated in 2014 from powerhouse LSU -- just like Jones did -- as a seven-time All-American.

Stowers also won the 2015 U.S. Indoor championship in the 60 hurdles. But Saturday's race was her breakout performance outdoors.

"I knew she would be revved up and ready to go," Harper-Nelson said.

The miserably cold and windy conditions didn't affect defending world champion Francena McCorory either.

She set the meet record in the women's 400 -- breaking a mark that had stood for 28 years -- and posted a world-leading 50.13.

American star Sanya Richards-Ross was second, but she and top-ranked Novlene Williams were nearly a second slower than McCorory.

Cassandra Tate took the women's 400 hurdles in 55.68, holding off Georganne Moline by six-hundredths of a second. Lashinda Demus, the silver medalist in London, was fifth in 57.93.

The men's mile went to Leo Manzano, who held off Matthew Centrowitz to win in a world-leading 4:00.05.

Centrowitz had gotten the best of Manzano earlier in the week, beating him in an exhibition mile in downtown Des Moines.

"You never know what's going to happen, especially on days like today when it's windy and rainy," said Manzano, a four-time NCAA champion at Texas. "I didn't want the field to get too far away from me, so that's when I decided to kind of get back on track and catch the field, and that's when I brought it home."

ON THE TRACK

McCorory broke a record set by Lillie Leatherwood-King of Alabama in 1987 at 50.64. ... Arkansas hurdler Omar McLeod celebrated his 21st birthday by smashing the meet mark in the 110 meters, winning in 13.21. The previous mark of 13.48 was set four years ago by Terrence Somerville of Cincinnati. ... Chaunte Lowe, a four-time meet champion in the women's high jump, settled for fourth with a top mark of 6-1½. ... Oklahoma State won five of the meet's six distance relay events.

QUOTABLE

"I'm really happy for her. It means it's going to be a hot year," Harper-Nelson said about Stowers.

Read More

Team USA wins 4 of 6 events at Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA -- Porscha Lucas led Team USA to victory in the women's 800-meter relay at the Penn Relays on Saturday, and the Americans won four of six events in the U.S.A. vs. The World races.

Leslie Cole, Tawanna Meadows and Cambrya Jones also were on the relay team that beat Jamaica by seven-thousandths of a second in the first 800 relay at the meet since 2004.

The Americans finished in 1 minute, 31.972 seconds at Franklin Field.

Porscha Lucas powered home to help Team USA to victory in the women's 800-meter relay at the Penn Relays on Saturday. AP Photo/Rich Schultz

"Once I got the baton, I told myself I have to go and keep running past the finish line," Lucas said. "That's what I tried to do. Honestly, I didn't even know who won it; it was such a close race. I almost dove for the line, hoping I would cross first."

Team USA won the men's 800 relay more comfortably, with Joe Morris, Maurice Mitchell, Ameer Webb and Wallace Spearmon clocking in at 1:20.64 to beat Jamaica by eight-tenths of a second.

The Americans added relay victories in the men's 1,600 and 400.

Patrick Feeney ran his anchor leg in 44.84 in the 1,600 to hold off the Bahamas by two-tenths of a second. Bryshon Nellum, Brycen Spratling and Clayton Parros ran the first three legs for the Americans, whose winning time was 3:00.86.

Olympic gold medalist Justin Gatlin powered Team USA to the 400 win with a blistering second leg. Mike Rodgers and Isiah Young also ran fast legs to give anchor Ryan Bailey enough of a cushion that he said he "didn't see" Jamaican star Asafa Powell in their sprint to the finish.

The Americans won the 400 in 38.68. Jamaica was second in 38.88.

"Our depth and our talent is so vast," Gatlin said. "When we're focused, we're very deadly going forward against the world. We want to be able to say there's never a downtime for us. But right now, I think we're on the [upswing]. And I think the rest of the world should watch out, especially the Bahamas."

Jamaica edged the U.S. in the women's 1,600 and the women's 400, capturing the 1,600 title in 3:26.58 to end the Americans' 13-year winning streak in the event. The American team, anchored by three-time Olympic medalist DeeDee Trotter, finished second in 3:28.42.

U.S. anchor Kaylin Whitney, a 17-year-old who was missing her high school prom Saturday, nearly caught Natasha Morrison in the 400, but Jamaica held on for the win in 43.70, delighting the large contingent of Jamaican fans who make the annual trip to Philadelphia. The U.S. clocked in at 43.79.

"A few meters more, I could have gotten her," Whitney said. "But not today."

In the college events, Villanova won the men's four-mile relay in 16:18.07 as Jordan Williamsz edged Oregon's Edward Cheserek in a wild sprint. The Villanova women won their second relay of the meet -- and fifth in the past two years -- with a 3,200 title in 8:26.36.

Georgia Tech claimed its first championship in the men's 3,200, chasing down Villanova and beating Georgetown by two-hundredths of a second in 7:18.84.

In the 1,600 relay, LSU cruised to the men's title in 3:02.61. Texas won the women's race in 3:29.46.

UTech (Jamaica) won its third straight men's 400 relay (39.27) and its second consecutive men's 800 (1:20.97). UTech also snapped Texas A&M's two-year winning streak in the women's 800, winning in 1:30.80 to beat the Aggies by four-tenths of a second.

In the individual championships, LSU's Jordan Moore won the men's 110 hurdles in 13.84, Texas' Morgan Snow took the women's 100 hurdles in 13.13, Clemson's Tevin Hester won the men's 100 in 10.14, and Tennessee's Felicia Brown won the women's 100 in 11.60.

In the men's field events, LSU's Rodney Brown won his second straight Penn Relays discus title with a throw of 213 feet, 4 inches, Findlay's Justin Welch repeated in the hammer throw at 224-2, and Tennessee's Jake Blankenship defended his pole vault crown at 18-0½. Lake Superior's Robert Valdez won the high jump at 7-1, Florida's Marquis Dendy won the triple jump at 54-4½, and Middle Tennessee State's John Ampomah won the javelin at 267-6 -- 2 inches off the Penn Relays record.

Read More

Kipchoge, Tufa win London Marathon

LONDON -- Eliud Kipchoge won the London Marathon for the first time on Sunday, leading home a Kenyan top four ahead of defending champion Wilson Kipsang.

Editor's Picks

Kipchoge, a former world 5,000-meter champion, completed the 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) route in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 42 seconds in overcast conditions in the British capital.

"It was a tough race," said the 30-year-old Kipchoge, who won the Chicago and Rotterdam marathons last year. "My training paid off and it went to plan. The crowd were wonderful and lifted me for my sprint finish."

In a tight finale, Kipchoge broke clear of Kipsang in the final 800 meters before waving and pointing at the crowd in front of Buckingham Palace as he finished five seconds in front of his compatriot.

Eliud Kipchoge crosses the finish line to win the London Marathon on Sunday. Tom Dulat/Getty Images

Kipsang still holds the course record of 2:04:29, which he set last year.

"I don't mind the cold weather," Kipsang said. "The crowd kept me going, it was a wonderful atmosphere."

Kipchoge and Kipsang were followed home in the 35th annual race by Dennis Kimetto and Stanley Biwott.

But while Kenya dominated the men's race, a four-year winning streak for the East African nation ended in the women's event. Tigist Tufa became only the second Ethiopian woman to win in London, emulating Derartu Tulu's triumph in 2001.

The 28-year-old Tufa won her first major marathon in 2 hours, 23 minutes, 22 seconds, with two-time winner Mary Keitany of Kenya 18 seconds adrift. Tufa's compatriot, Tirfi Tsegaye, was third.

Ethiopia's Tigist Tufa wins the women's London Marathon. Photo by David Davies/PA Wire/Press Association Images

"The weather was very difficult for me and I found it a very slow race until the end and I was pushed," Tufa said. "I was unwell at the end but I am very happy that I am OK now. I've always dreamed about winning the London Marathon."

Running with the masses rather than the elite field was three-time winner Paula Radcliffe. The world record holder completed what could be her final marathon in an unofficial time of 2:36.55. It was within the IAAF qualifying requirements for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, but Radcliffe has ruled out a final shot at winning an Olympic medal.

Radcliffe, who set the world record of 2:15:25 in London in 2003, wanted to use Sunday's race to say farewell.

"I went off way too fast. From then on it got more and more emotional," the 41-year-old Radcliffe said. "There was a big sign at Embankment saying 'We will miss you,' but it won't be as much as I will miss you.

"It was so loud, my ears were ringing. It was just amazing the whole way round. All the way along, there were so many people giving me encouragement."

Britain's Prince Harry presented medals to the winners of the men's and women's races, and also gave a lifetime achievement award to Radcliffe.

The wheelchair races were swept by Americans, with Tatyana McFadden winning for the third successive year in London and Joshua George capturing the men's title for the first time.

David and Victoria Beckham cheered on their 12-year-old son Romeo, who completed the children's marathon which took place over the final five kilometers (three miles) of the full course.

Celebrity runners included Formula One driver Jenson Button, who finished with a personal best of 2:52:30. Button said running a marathon was "a lot more painful" than motor racing.

Read More

IOC promises help for Nepal after earthquake

NEW DELHI -- IOC president Thomas Bach says the Olympic body will do everything possible to help sports in Nepal recover from the devastating earthquake in the Himalayan kingdom.

Bach says the International Olympic Committee has "full sympathy" for Nepal, where more than 4,000 people died after the earthquake hit Saturday.

Bach says the IOC will help assist Nepal "to build infrastructure" and "help revive the Olympic movement" after widespread damage across the country.

Read More

Crosby to play for Canada at world championship

Read More

Gold helps U.S. to lead at World Team Trophy

TOKYO -- Gracie Gold won the women's short program at the World Team Trophy on Thursday to give the United States a five-point lead over Japan and Russia on the first day of competition.

Gold earned 71.26 points, while world champion Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia fell on the landing of a triple axel and finished second with 70.93 points. Elena Radionova of Russia was third with 68.77 points.

Gracie Gold won the women's short program and Jason Brown was third in the men's event as the United States leads at the World Team Trophy. AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko

Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan topped the men's short program with 96.27 points to place comfortably ahead of Han Yan of China, who had 87.13 points. American champion Jason Brown was third with 86.48 points.

Hanyu, who won the silver medal at the world championships last month in Shanghai, opened with a flawless quad jump. He was deducted points for falling on the landing of a combination triple lutz-triple toeloop.

The event, which runs through Sunday, features the six best national teams among International Skating Union member nations. Each team is composed of eight skaters.

In ice dance, world bronze medalists Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Canada won the short program with 73.14 points. Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States, who took the silver medal at the world championships, were second with 72.17 followed by world champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France with 70.86.

The team event consists of two phases of competition: the short program and the free skate.

Read More