Athletics Africa Magazine

Hi all, Here's wishing you all the best of the new year. From all of us at Athleticsafrica.com. Stay blessed. Y.

What a way to end the year, Better late than never, a honour truely deserved. Former World Champion Merlene Ottey was during the week immortalised with with a 2.4m bronze statue in her native Jamaica. Referred to by the IAAF as "easily one of the most decorated stars of world athletics", Ottey bronze likeness, erected at a cost in excess of JA$3 million (US$ 46,500), was unveiled in Kingston's Independence Park by no less a person than the Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson. The 45-year-old seven-time Olympian first represented Jamaica in 1980, at the age of 20, taking 200m bronze. The oldest world athletics track medalist ever, anchoring Jamaica's 400m team to Olympic silver in 2000. She's also the most decorated woman in Olympics or World Championships track and field, with eight and 14 medals respectively among her 35 major championship medals. She was a World Champion on three consecutive occasions, with relay gold in 1991, then 200m wins in 1993 and 1995

US Sprinter Tim Montgomery has announced his retirement from athletics following his two-year ban for steroid abuse. The 30-year-old American was stripped of his 100 metres world record, his gold and silver medals from the 2001 World Championships and had all his results since 31 March 2001 expunged from the record books. He also confirmed that he has split up with partner Marion Jones, the triple Olympic champion at the 2000 Sydney Games. The charges were brought by the US Anti-Doping Agency based on evidence gathered in the Balco laboratory case. "I have retired," he said to the BBC . "The process was totally not fair. From where I come from, you need a positive test." But, the World Anti-Doping Agency president Dick Pound believes the bans will serve as a warning that officials do not need positive tests to punish athletes. "It is a good warning. It means if you are going to do this drug stuff you are at risk. This will be helpful as