What They Didn't Tell You: March 10th

Gate River Run down in J-Ville. IAAF Indoor Worlds in "V-Ville" (at least, that's what I understand the Spanish call Valencia over there). In other words, a big weekend with lots of results, lots of stories, and lots of information to fall through the cracks. What They Didn't Tell You about this past weekend, after the jump...

With an 8:48 clocking in her prelim at Worlds, former WVU runner Megan Metcalfe broke the Canadian national record by 2 seconds for the indoor 3000m. But another Canadian record fell this weekend, and also in a prelim, of sorts: Reid Coolsaet covered 15k faster than any Canadian previous, while scouting the Gate River Run course. Albeit on his skateboard.

Tariku Bekele turned in a dominating performance to win the 3k at Worlds, with a strong push from around 800m out in which he clipped off a bunch of laps in the neighborhood of 29 seconds. But sadly, after the race, Tariku's mother reassured the press that she still loves Kenenisa more.

Christian Cantwell and Reese Hoffa went 1-2 in the Shot Put at Worlds. But also, ben's Fearless Prediction for their Spanish escapades played out exactly to form.

In the women's 60H, the US also made a clean sweep. And, after the race, my Fearless Prediction for LoLo Jones' Spanish escapades -- which ben had wisely censored via omission, asking "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" -- also played out exactly to form. In my head.

Soybeaneva won Indoor Worlds in a WR time (3:57.71) for one-and-one-half kilometers. In the men's 1.5k, Ethiopia's Mekonnen met the tape, was DQ'd (with the title temporarily passing to Dan Komen), then won an appeal and was reinstated as the winner. [ Lame joke about hanging chads ommitted ]

Abubaker Kaki, an 18-yr-old Sudanese up-and-comer, won the 800 in Valencia, the hardest way possible: wire-to-wire. While running backwards. And wearing a blindfold.

Andrew Carlson beat Deena Kastor in the Gate River Run equalizer race, passing the female star even after she was spotted a five minute headstart. Once again, male gender superiority was officially affirmed.

And finally, in the destined-to-be apocraphyl story from the weekend, Brian Sell was hit by a tree and suffered many scrapes, but solidered on, never one to let bodily harm affect his performance. However, what they didn't tell you was that, in the story, "tree" was merely used as synecdoche for a 2x4 which jammed and kicked back in the power saw at Home Depot while Sell was assisting a customer. Gots ta pay those billz.