Archive for World record
buenos aerodinámic
Posted in Running with tags Argentian, Buenos Aires, half-marathon, World record on August 25, 2026 by xi'an
bothsidesism in Nature
Posted in Books, Kids, Running with tags bothsidesism, doping, drug testing, East Germany, Enhanced Games, GDR, Nature, Paris 1924 Olympics, Paris Marathon, World Anti-Doping Agency, World record on July 24, 2026 by xi'an
In its 21 May issue, Nature prints two columns back to back, “Can the ‘steroid Olympics’ show the sporting community how to support athletes better?” by April Henning and “The Enhanced Games miss the point: science can clean up sport“, by Kim Wolff. They are both about the so-called “Enhanced Games” that were to take place a few days later, on 24 May, in Las Vegas (where else?!), with competitions in swimming, athletics, and weightlifting, and no drug test. With only one World record unofficially broken at the event. (Fortunately no one died. So far.)
The first column argues that those games are exposing how many elite athletes are struggling with financial, physical and psychological issues. And how the current anti-doping system, built around the agency WADA (whose French branch is located in the town next to mine) is getting it wrong… The second one is warning about the impact of this deregulation on athletes’ welfare and integrity. Especially when the impact of most drugs on health is unknown, esp. in the long run (!). The author is thus calling for improved anti-doping protocols, rather than a return to the 1980’s GDR State-sanctioned doping. I find it terrible that Nature brings those two opposite points with no balancing towards the reasonable one, while no scientific argument in favour of live testing came out of the first column. Terrible.
un.be.lie.va.ble! [thrice]
Posted in Running with tags Addidas, carbon plate, homologation, London, London marathon, running shoes, Sabastian Sawe, tail wind, Tigst Assefa, two hour barrier, World record on April 28, 2026 by xi'an
first man below the 6:00:00 barrier on the 5000m?!
Posted in Kids, Mountains, Running, Statistics, University life with tags Isaac Newton Institute, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Milano, Norway, Salt Lake City, speed skating, University of Cambridge, Winter Olympics, World record on February 14, 2026 by xi'an
When I spotted this arXiv posting by Nils Hjort, Six-Minute Man Sander Eitrem 5:58.52 – first man below the 6:00.00 barrier, discussing Sander Eitrem‘s massive gain from the month-old previous record by Frenchman Timothy Loubineaud in Salt Lake City, just above 6’00”.. I was incredulous, not because I am knowledgeable in speed skating records, but because I was thinking of running… Where the World record is twice as large (12:35.36). Beyond my own personal interests, which drove the way I read this title, I was also stuck back in the past, with my last conversation with Nils being about long-distance running and record prediction, which happened quite a while ago when visiting the Isaac Newton Institute in Cambridge! (Nils’ note holds a reference to another famous Norwegian [runner], Jakob Ingebrigtsens.) Sander Eitrem also became the Olympic champion in Milano, breaking the Olympic record as well.
Jacob Kiplimo set world ½ marathon record in 56:42
Posted in pictures, Running with tags Barcelona, Catalunya, half-marathon, Jacob Kiplimo, road race, Spain, Uganda, World Athletics Gold Label, World record on February 17, 2025 by xi'an
