P. U. Chitra strikes gold in Nijmegen meet, Jinson Johnson sets new national record

P. U. Chitra of India won gold in the women’s 1500m at the Next Generation Athletics Meet in Nijmegen, Netherlands, the media reported Sunday, June 16.

She clocked 4:13:52.

In April 2019, Chitra was in the news for winning the women’s 1500m at the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha.

In Doha she had registered a timing of 4:14:56.

She had won the women’s 1500m at the 2017 edition of Asian Athletics Championships as well.

Indian athlete Jinson Johnson broke his national record in the men’s 1500m at the Nijmegen meet.

He covered the distance in 3:37:62 to finish sixth in the field.

Ajay Kumar Saroj finished in 3:40:39 to place eleventh.

Jim Walmsley wins 2019 Western States in record time

Jim Walmsley has won the 2019 edition of Western States Endurance Run (WSER) held over June 29-30 in California, in 14 hours nine minutes 28 seconds. Doing so, he broke his own earlier record by 21 minutes. The old record was 14 hours 30 minutes four seconds. With improvements to the WSER course record twice in the past calendar year and a half marathon done in 1:04:00, Walmsley has qualified for the 2020 Olympic Marathon trials, media reports said. WSER spans 100 miles. In early May, Walmsley was in the news for setting a new mark (albeit not official) over 50 miles, which he covered in 4:50:07. This was done at the Hoka One One Project Carbon X 100K Challenge.

Kipchoge sub-2 marathon attempt to be in Vienna

Austria’s capital city, Vienna, will be venue for Eliud Kipchoge’s upcoming attempt to so a sub two hour-marathon, news reports said on June 28.

The project titled Ineos 1:59 Challenge will be held in October 2019.

The attempt will be on a multi-lap course at The Prater, a park in Vienna.

It has been described as a fast, flat course with tree cover.

A wake-up call for India’s city marathons

The world of mass participation marathons in India, took a hit with the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) informing that Jyoti Singh had tested positive for a banned substance.

The athlete, who was winner in the women’s elite half marathon at the 2019 New Delhi Marathon, was provisionally suspended on May 14.

On June 17 as news of NADA’s findings appeared in the media (there were athletes from other disciplines too who were in trouble), reports quoting the race organizer said that if the charges are true then Jyoti will lose her medal.

Organizers of mass participation marathons, this blog spoke to, couldn’t recall an earlier instance when the consequence of athletes violating doping norms had been felt in India’s growing city marathon space.

According to them, the NADA comes into the picture at city marathons when elite contingents are due to run and the timings registered are meant to work as proof of eligibility for them to participate at major international events. The New Delhi Marathon falls in this category, as does the Mumbai Marathon and some other leading city marathons / distance running events in India. “ We have close to 1400 marathons in India now and elite teams run at perhaps 30 or so of these events,’’ a senior official at one company that organizes races, said, adding, “ I don’t know enough to comment on whether all the races boasting elite participation test for doping violation. The top races do. ’’ Please note: the numbers mentioned – total number of marathons and one’s hosting elites – is an approximation. Besides elite group as reason to test, there is also another cause for top events requiring dope testing. At top events, some of the prized runners from overseas are already on international testing programs and the commitments they have agreed to, must be met here too.

It is understood that in the case of city marathons, the cost of testing for doping violation, has to be borne by the race organizer.

Morning of June 19, this blog mailed a set of questions to NADA hoping to get a better understanding of their work, in particular how the testing at city marathons works. As of evening June 20, no response had been received. Should response be received, this report will be revised suitably.

Narender Ram wins Mumbai’s 24-hour stadium ultra, Geeno Antony tops 12-hour segment

Narender Ram of Delhi piled on the miles to top the list of runners participating in the 24-hour stadium ultra in Mumbai held on June 15-16, 2019.

He recorded 414 laps covering a distance of 165.6 kilometers during the 24-hour period.

The event was organized by NEB Sports at Mumbai University Stadium.

In the 12-hour segment, Geeno Antony claimed top honors. Geeno recorded a distance of 109.1 k (258 laps). Earlier this year, Geeno had won the men’s 100k race at Hennur Bamboo Ultra.

Amar Shiv Dev finished second in the 24-hour segment with 390 laps covering a distance of 156 kilometers. Devi Prasanth Suresh Shetty finished third with 383 laps and a distance of 153.2 kilometers covered. In the 12-hour segment, Sathish Kumar R finished in second position covering a distance of 102.36k (laps – 242) and Rahim K.S. in third position with a distance of 91.57k (laps – 225).

Among women finishers in the 24-hour segment, Priyanka Bhatt was the winner. She recorded 379 laps covering a distance of 151.6k. She was followed by Apeksha Shah who recorded 292 laps and 116.8k. Yamini Kothari finished third with 199 laps covering a distance of 79.6k.

In the 12-hour segment for women, the winner was Babita Baruwati with a distance of 80.92k (laps – 195). Preeti Lala came in second with a distance of 78.4k (laps – 189) and Sunaina Patel came in third with a distance of 77.19k (laps – 186).

Geraint Thomas injured in crash but cleared for July’s Tour de France

Days after ace cyclist Chris Froome suffered serious injury in a crash, Geraint Thomas – also from Team Ineos – met with a crash during Tour de Swiss on June 17.

He was using the event as final preparation for the upcoming edition of Tour de France.

Geraint Thomas is defending champion at Tour de France. He has also won three world championships and two Olympic gold medals.

Although he was pulled out of Tour de Swiss following Monday’s crash, his injuries were not serious, media reports said. The team’s doctor has since cleared him and he is expected to race at Tour de France.

Tour de France starts on July 6.

IAAF to change its name, logo

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is set to take on a new name and logo.

The new name, ` World Athletics,’ builds upon the organization’s restructuring and governance reform agenda of the past four years to represent a modern, more creative and positive face for the sport. According to an official statement (dated June 9, 2019) posted on the IAAF website, the IAAF Council approved the global governing body’s new name and logo at the 217th  IAAF Council Meeting which concluded recently in Monaco. The new brand, Council agreed, makes the sport more accessible to a wider audience while giving the global governing body the opportunity to more clearly communicate its mission as the leader of the world’s most participatory sport, the statement said.

“ The hope is that our new brand will help attract and engage a new generation of young people to athletics,’’ it quoted IAAF president Sebastian Coe as saying. The logo design is comprised of three main elements: the ‘W’ of World, which is also a symbol of an athlete’s arms raised in victory; the ‘A’ of Athletics, which also represents an athlete’s focus as they prepare for the road ahead; and an arc over both to represent the entire athletics community coming together. The logo also includes the sweep of a running track which appears in an upward trajectory, symbolizing the desire to continually push beyond limits. The patterns capture the energy present in all four of athletics’ group disciplines: running, jumping, throwing and walking.

The new brand identity will begin its rollout in October after the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 and following Congress’s approval of the change to the Federation’s legal name, the statement said.

The IAAF was originally founded in 1912 as the International Amateur Athletic Federation.

2019 Trail World Championships / Results

Jonathan Albon of Great Britain and France’s Blandine L’Hirondel won the individual titles at the IAU Trail World Championships in Miranda do Corvo, Portugal, on June 8, an official statement available on the website of International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), said.

Albon took over the lead going up to the highest point of the course early in the second half, stepping up from fourth last year to cross the finish line in 3:35:35. He finished two minutes 13 seconds in front of French runner-up Julien Rancon. Switzerland’s Christan Mathys was third.

L’Hirondel led from early on and came home in 4:06:18, eight minutes 12 seconds clear of New Zealand’s Ruth Croft. Spain’s Sheila Aviles finished third, the statement said.

Albon, who is based in Norway, is now current world champion in trail, ultra skyrunning and obstacle course racing. “It was a great race and the course really suited me,’’ the statement quoted him as saying.

Edward Mothibi wins 2019 Comrades, Gerda Steyn sets new course record

Deepak Bandbe is fastest among Indians this year. Satish Gujaran completes his tenth Comrades, gets green number

Edward Mothibi of South Africa won the 94th Comrades Marathon that commenced from Durban on Sunday (June 9).

It was his first win at the event.

He finished the race in five hours, 31 minutes and 33 seconds. He had finished in fourth position in the 2018 edition of the Comrades Marathon.

Gerda Steyn, also of South Africa, broke the women’s record with a timing of 5:58:53 hours in the uphill version of the race. Steyn finished seventeenth overall. The previous record timing of 6:09:23 was set by Russia’s Elena Nurgalieva thirteen years ago.

Mumbai-based Deepak Bandbe was the fastest among runners from India. He covered the 86.83km-distance of the race in 7:43:34 hours. Satish Gujaran, also from Mumbai and running his tenth Comrades completed the race in 10:30:24. He became the first runner from India to secure a green number (permanent bib number), a tradition at Comrades recognizing those running the race ten times.

Bongumusa Mthembu, winner of the 2018 edition of the race, finished second this year with timing of 5:31:58. Nao Kazami ended up in third position with timing of 5:39:16. Among women, Alexandra Morozova (6:17:40) came in second while Caitriona Jennings (6:24:12) finished third.

Everest summit claims questioned

The summit claims of three Indians who were on Everest in the 2019 climbing season have come under the scanner.

The Himalayan Times reported on June 10 that its inquiries showed the three climbers – all from Haryana – had only reached Camp III and not beyond. The report also quoted the managing director of Prestige Adventures Pvt Ltd, the company which managed the expedition the climbers were on, as saying the three had not been to South Col this spring season.

A June 12 report in The Print, said that the Nepal government has started an inquiry and asked the three climbers to provide documentary proof of their claimed successful ascent.

Around two years ago, an Indian couple who claimed to have reached the summit of Everest were found to have faked their claim. For more on Everest and what it has come to mean please read the essay: The World’s Highest Mirror, available on this blog’s list of recent posts. You can also scroll down to access the said article.

Caster Semenya case: top court orders temporary suspension of IAAF rule

Caster Semenya, South African athlete and current Olympic champion in the women’s 800m who lost her case against the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) in early May, has come in for temporary relief after the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland ordered the IAAF to suspend its testosterone regulations against her with immediate effect, the international media reported early Tuesday (June 4) morning.

The athlete can now compete in distances spanning 400m to a mile without medication until June 25, by when the IAAF has to respond. In a statement, Semenya thanked the judges for their decision, the reports said.

Under emergent IAAF rules, Semenya, an athlete with differences in sexual development (DSD) was required to take medication to bring down her testosterone level if she wished to continue participating in competitions over distances spanning 400m to a mile. Semenya challenged the IAAF regulation but in early May, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) ruled in favor of IAAF albeit with reservations. According to a report in The Guardian then, three arbitrators studied the case – IAAF’s policy and Semenya’s appeal against it – for nearly two months. Two of them accepted IAAF’s argument that female athletes with high testosterone level possessed significant advantage in size, strength and power from puberty onward. They felt that IAAF’s policy was reasonable and necessary. A BBC report had mentioned that Cas had “serious concerns as to the future practical application’’ of the regulations. It also said Cas had asked IAAF to consider delaying the application of rules to 1500m and one mile events till more evidence is available.

On May 30, the media reported that Semenya would be taking her case to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. The legal battle between 28-year-old Caster Semenya and IAAF is being keenly watched by the global sports community.

Swimming to be part of school curriculum in Kerala

The media in Kerala has reported that the state plans to make swimming part of school curriculum. Speaking at a state level school reopening festival held at the government higher secondary school in Chembuchira, Thrissur district on June 6, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the government intended to start a swimming pool in each of the 140 assembly segments of the state. Swimming will be made part of the school curriculum, the report quoted him as saying.

National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships postponed

The National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships scheduled for July 14-17 in Kolkata, has been postponed, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) informed in a statement.

A fresh date has not been assigned yet.

The postponement has been attributed to the timing of the event against the backdrop of the 2019 IAAF World Championships due in Doha, Qatar in September. Many of the coaches feel, “ the athletes may not be able to repeat their performances in IAAF World Championships 2019 if National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships is conducted as per schedule,” the AFI statement said.

Mountaineers reported missing on Nanda Devi

This incident is being reported using updates. Please scroll down for updates.

On Saturday June 1, 2019, the media reported that a group of eight climbers including seven foreign nationals, who were on an expedition to Nanda Devi East had failed to return on the appointed date to Base Camp.

Authorities were alerted and a search and rescue team dispatched, the news reports said.

For now, the known facts are that the team had altogether 12 members of which eight – four from UK, two from USA, one each from Australia and India – have been reported missing. A reliable picture will be possible once details are available. Those reported missing (as mentioned in official communication) are expedition leader Martin Moran (UK), John Mclaren (UK), Rupert Whewell (UK), Richard Payne (UK), Ruth McCance (Australia), Anthony Sudekum (USA), Ronald Beimel (USA) and Chetan Pandey, the expedition’s liaison officer from India.

The leader of the expedition, Martin Moran, is a much respected mountain guide. Thanks to his many visits to the Indian Himalaya, he is well known in India including in the Nanda Devi region, where he has led climbs before. A British Mountain Guide since 1985, Moran and his family run Moran Mountain, a mountain adventure company that offers courses, tours, guiding and expeditions in Scotland, Norway, Alps and Himalaya.

Of Nanda Devi’s two summits, the east summit (7434m / 24,390 feet) is the lower one. Unlike the mountain’s main summit, which along with the Nanda Devi sanctuary, is shut to trekking and climbing, the east summit is open to climbers. On May 10, Moran Mountain’s Facebook page posted photos and informed commencement of the expedition to “ Sunanda Devi (7434m) – sister of Nanda and one of India’s toughest.’’ This was followed by pictures on May 11 of the team’s flag-off day at Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), New Delhi. Eleven days later on May 22, it further updated that the Nanda Devi team had reached its “ second base camp at 4870m, their home for the next week. After a recce of the route they will be making a summit attempt on an unclimbed peak at 6477m. ‘’ A previous post indicated awareness of the region having received much snow this past winter and the team being suitably prepared with snow shoes.

In its report on the incident, the Sydney Morning Herald, quoting a senior IMF official, wrote that the expedition’s deputy leader Mark Thomas remained at the second base camp with three others and was in radio contact with those who climbed higher. When he didn’t hear anything from them after May 26, he went up to check and found a single, unoccupied tent and beyond it, evidence of avalanche.

Following the authorities being alerted a helicopter was expected to be pressed into service on Sunday (June 2) morning to assist in the search. One seasoned mountaineer this blog spoke to earlier in the day (ie on June 1) said that the information available so far seemed inadequate and mutually ill-fitting to build a cohesive picture of what may have happened. He advised caution and no jumping to conclusions.

Late night, June 1, British Mountain Guides posted the following message from BMG president Mark Charlton, on their Facebook page: Incident Nanda Devi East: The ‘British Association of Mountain Guides’ (BMG) have been made aware of an incident on or near Nanda Devi East where BMG member, IFMGA Mountain Guide, Martin Moran was leading six clients and an Indian National. The BMG is assisting where possible and is in contact with the Indian authorities. At the moment this is all the information we have as communication is very difficult. We will update this post when more reliable facts have been established.

A while later Moran Mountain put up the following post: On behalf of Moran Mountain, we are working with the authorities and the British Association of Mountain Guides to gather information regarding the Nanda Devi East expedition team. Out of respect for those involved and their families, we will be making no further comments at this time. The BMG will release a further statement as and when more information is available.

Update / June 2: There is no change in status as regards the eight climbers reported missing near Nanda Devi. The four remaining members of the group have been airlifted from their camp near the mountain, to Pithoragarh, the district headquarters.

On the Facebook page of Moran Mountain, the Moran family said (this is an abstract from the larger post): The climbing group had set out to attempt an unclimbed, unnamed summit, Peak 6477m, and the last contact intimated that all was well and a summit bid would be made from a camp at around 5400m.

It is not entirely clear what happened from this point onward or indeed the timeline of events. We do know that a British Mountain Guide who was in the area leading a trekking group, as part of the same expedition, was informed that the climbing group had not returned to base camp as expected. He immediately went on the mountain to search for the missing climbers. There was clear evidence that a sizeable avalanche had occurred on the mountain and it seemed to be on or very near the route that would be taken by the climbing group. The Mountain Guide gave instructions to base camp to alert rescue authorities. The alarm was raised early on Friday morning 31st May.

Today we have been informed by the Indian Mountaineering Federation that an air search by helicopter has revealed the scale of the avalanche but no sign of the climbers, their equipment nor their tents. We are pressing for the search area to be widened and continued until such time as firm evidence is found to ascertain the well being or otherwise of all those in the climbing group.

Update / June 3: In continuing search operations on Monday (June 3) for the eight climbers reported missing near Nanda Devi, aerial photographs clicked by low flying helicopter have revealed five bodies in the snow.

“ We now fear the team may have perished in the avalanche,’’ a senior official of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) told this blog Monday evening. Going by the chronology of events as reported in the media, it is now just over a week since the suspected time of mishap. The last contact / conversation with the team, appears to have been on May 25. They were expected to be back at camp on May 26; that didn’t happen. The authorities were alerted on May 31. By evening June 2, media reports quoted authorities as saying the prospects of finding and rescuing the missing climbers, seemed bleak.

Earlier in the day CNN had reported that a helicopter crew spotted a backpack in the snow on the unnamed peak, the climbers intended to attempt. Coupled with signs of avalanche noticed in previous sorties, this had strengthened the view that the climbers were indeed caught in one. The backpack was at an elevation of around 5500m (roughly 18,045 feet). The CNN report quoted District Magistrate Vijay Kumar Jogdande as saying that chances of the climbers surviving are almost zero now. The report also said that adverse weather was hampering search operations.

Monday’s more precise search was possible thanks to four members of the climbing team, who hadn’t ventured up with the others, being airlifted from their camp near the mountain, to Pithoragarh on June 2. The four included Mark Thomas, deputy leader of the expedition, who had gone up to check on his fellow team members upon being informed that they hadn’t returned to camp as scheduled. As per earlier published news reports, Mark had come across an empty tent and signs of avalanche beyond it. The search operation was expected to leverage his insight on potential location of the team and calibrate the search accordingly. Monday’s helicopter sortie had Mark aboard. Also providing inputs was Dhruv Joshi, mountaineer from Almora who had been deputy leader of an expedition to climb Nanda Khat in 2010 and was familiar with the landscape.  For more on the developments of June 3, please try this link: https://shyamgopan.com/2019/06/03/nanda-devi-east-expedition-five-bodies-spotted/

Update / June 8: According to media reports through the week, adverse weather conditions continued to thwart efforts to land a team by helicopter near Peak 6477 to retrieve the bodies. It is likely that the bodies may have become covered in fresh snow. An official who has kept track of the rescue operations told this blog that indications are, the administration has decided to call off the helicopter sorties. Moves are afoot for a team to hike up to where the bodies lay. Meanwhile 3000 kilometers to the south, the monsoon – already delayed – was expected to make landfall on June 8. In the interlinked world of weather, this could have implications on conditions at altitude too.

Update / June 10: The Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) has launched an expedition to the Traill Pass area to recover the bodies of climbers sighted earlier during helicopter sorties.

“ Based on permission received from DM (district magistrate) Pithoragarh, IMF has launched a ground search expedition. Fully equipped 12 member-team is headed for the accident site through Pindari glacier. They are expected to reach the area by Saturday,” a senior IMF official informed Monday (June 10) morning.

For a perspective of the train of events leading to this decision, please look up all the posts (up to June 10) related to the missing climbers, on this blog.

Update / June 14: Media reports quoting the District Magistrate of Pithoragarh said that a 32-member team comprising 11 mountaineers of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are also heading to the accident spot to retrieve the bodies. The team left for Munsyari on Thursday (June 13). They are expected to be airlifted to “ Nanda Devi second base camp” on Friday, the reports said.

Mont Blanc climbing rules changed

France has changed the rules governing ascent of Mont Blanc (4808.7m / 15,777 feet), Europe’s highest peak.

The media reported on June 2 that people planning to climb the peak via its normal / standard route will now have to book a room at the one of three shelters on the flanks of the mountain if their itinerary included overnight stay. Climbers caught camping on the route risk two years in prison and a stiff fine, the report said.

Mont Blanc attracts almost 25,000 climbers every year and instances of arguments and flaring tempers among teams have been reported. Campaigns to discourage crowds have not worked. Last year 15 climbers died on Mont Blanc, the reports said.

The change to rules follows a deadly May on Everest in far away Nepal, when 11 people died during the 2019 climbing season. The deaths were attributed in the main to too many climbers on the mountain and traffic jams emerging as a result at high altitude causing prolonged exposure to inhospitable environment and compounding strain to climbers.

Caster Semenya case: IAAF wants provisional suspension of DSD regulations by top Swiss court, reversed

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has requested the Swiss Federal Tribune (SFT) to reverse its earlier order allowing provisional suspension of IAAF regulations pertaining to athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD) applied on South African athlete, Caster Semenya.

In a statement dated June 25, posted on its website, IAAF informed that it has submitted its response on provisional measures to the SFT, explaining why its DSD regulations should remain in force during an appeal by a single athlete (the appellant) following a “superprovisional order” issued by the SFT and received by the IAAF on 4 June 2019.

According to the statement, IAAF has specifically requested (1) reversal of the order to the IAAF to super-provisionally suspend the implementation of the DSD Regulations in respect of the appellant (2) dismissal of the appellant’s application to suspend the implementation of the DSD Regulations in respect of the appellant pending the outcome of the appeal.

“ The IAAF fully respects each individual’s personal dignity and supports the social movement to have people accepted in society based on their chosen legal sex and/or gender identity. However, it is also committed to female athletes having the same opportunities as male athletes to benefit from athletics, be that as elite female athletes participating in fair and meaningful competition, as young girls developing life and sport skills, or as administrators or officials.

“ This requires a protected category for females where eligibility is based on biology and not on gender identity. This crucial point was accepted and emphasized by the CAS in its 30 April 2019 decision to uphold DSD regulations. To define the category based on something other than biology would be category defeating and would deter many girls around the world from choosing competitive and elite sport after puberty.

“ The IAAF will continue to defend its DSD Regulations and the CAS Award in the appeal proceedings before the SFT, because it continues to believe in equal rights and opportunities for all women and girls in our sport today and in the future,’’ the statement said.

(The authors, Latha Venkatraman and Shyam G Menon, are independent journalists based in Mumbai.)