Tennis

I picked up a following the exertions from the athletics the other week, I picked up a tennis racquet for the first time since leaving the warehouse. Now my bro and I have played two truncated sets over two weekends, and have completely wrecked ourselves. We have a lot of respect for tennis players who make it look easy and have more fitness than it first appears. My groin didn’t recover for days.

So extra kudos to Andy Murray in New York after beating the world number one Rafael Nadal to get to the final against...the best male tennis player in recent times, Roger Federer.

British people need to learn that there's more to tennis than two weeks at Wimbledon!

Insane Bolt

(The start bit of this post really should have been published about three weeks ago.)

This afternoon, I saw a sporting feat that left me speechless. Usain Bolt from Jamaica became the first person to run the 100 metres in a time under 9.7 seconds *. And wasn’t even trying for the last 25. 

9.69.

That time is as long as it takes to read that first paragraph.

I thought that the TV had broken at first. That victory margin was so immense, it couldn’t be real.

Watching that started me thinking about my days as a champion sprinter, running the same distance in 11.07 seconds, ooh, more than a decade ago. After thirteen years away from the track, and numerous bacon sandwiches later, what would my time be now?

The other thing in my mind was Michael Johnson doing something similar at about 4am in Atlanta, in 1996 in the 200m. In some ways, the Michael Johnson race is more outstanding; Bolt shaved 0.03 seconds from the world record in his victory, in 1996 Johnson took 0.4 seconds off a record that had stood for twenty years, destroying a world class field. The pace even dragged the surprised Frankie Fredericks under the then world record mark.

(Fast forward a few days…)

Usain Bolt took Michael Johnson’s 200m world record away from him with another blistering performance to take gold in Beijing, reducing the mark from 19.32 to 19.30. 

(Further days pass…)

So, I stepped on the track, and after some practice and re-acquaintance with blocks and on track psychology, ambled to a decade’s best of…15.44s.

Can this be bettered? With I ever get close to 11 seconds again? Is there a better way to time these things than with an iPod and shouting?

All these questions and more will be answered over the coming month, in a quest to shave a second or so off this fastest time in thirteen years.

*With a ‘legal’ wind speed of less than +2.0m/s, accuracy fans.

Top Gear

Anyone who knows me (and this includes you!) will know that I'm a fan of BBC2's Top Gear. I like that it democratizes celebrity by making its guests take the same test around the same track in the same car.


Whilst trawling the internet for, er, essential research material over Christmas, I discovered the true extent to which people love Top Gear.


Linked below are the friuts of an as-yet unnamed New Zealander, who has faithfully recreated the Suzuki Liana and the test track at the Top Gear airfield. If I was wearing my hat, it would be permanently removed in salute. Unnkown New Zealander, you are a hero.

http://www.muddleglum.orconhosting.net.nz/darktopgear.htm

Enjoy.

Darts

Afternoon,

I have been deeply impressed in the last week by the skill and commitment shown by the darts players in the BDO World Championship. I have also been moved by the deft turns of phrase of the commentators, as well as the lunacy of some of the paying visitors attire.

I have been playing pool since everything was black and white, and with an impending move and severe change in my cash situation - Darts will be my sport for 2008. It was going to be golf. I was thinking about joining a pool league. No, darts will win because it is:

• Free
• Helps my arithmetic
• A sport I can practise indoors in a relatively small area

It's only three days to payday, I've been in touch with Greggs for a bulk delivery of Steak Bakes. Watch this space.