BMC CHIEF SHOULD QUIT SAYS CAMERON

'BETTER ORGANISED RIOTS': PM Cameron blasts BMC set up

The Prime Minister has today branded the debacle surrounding the forthcoming BMC Grand Prix at Watford "a national joke" and has demanded the resignation of the organisation's top dog - Pat Fitzgerald. The under fire chief executive has remained silent since his Grand Prix Organising Committee (GPOC) took the sensational step of re-opening registration for the event after closing it five days early on Monday.

"It has been a total disaster" thundered Cameron from Downing Street today "how can classy athletes like Joe MacDonald and Stephen Emery have their entries deferred whilst others sail into the event without a second look? It is humiliating for those involved and it is high time that the BMC took this sort of foul up more seriously". The firm words from the PM come just three months after he pledged to clear up the "horrendous state of athletics under the old Government". Fitzgerald is likely to be summoned to Downing Street before the week is out to explain yet another humiliation for the supposed "premier middle distance club" in the country.

Last week, Alasdair Donaldson (who doesn't have time to read this blog) used his annual press conference heap scorn on BMC for "fundamentally failing athletics". "When I was in school" blasted the Scot "BMC were the be all and end all. They are a bit of a joke now". It is understood that George Gandy's PA has not ruled out boycotting the event by "refusing to make the tea" for the officials - who last year failed to spot several athletes crossing the line.

Meanwhile, Pete Matthews has announced that he will not be taking part in the event in order to spend more time with his GB International kit (Mountain Running) and Mo Farah has been told that he has "missed the deadline" and so the Euopean 10,000m record holder has been placed on a waiting list for a lane in the 'H' 800m race. It is also thought the BMC were forced to reject applications from Tariku Bekele on the grounds that he wasn't as good as his brother and Ryan Hall because "no one really liked him". Andy Baddeley is due to take part despite concerns on his part that other competitors were "a bit thick".

NEWS ROUND-UP

UKA CHIEF COULD RESIGN AMID ‘MALICIOUS AND UNTRUE ACCUSATIONS’

Charles Van Commenee could resign as the Performance Director of UK Athletics as early as next week after a week of internet rumours about his private life. The blogosphere has gone into overdrive in recent days, with many claiming that the Dutchman “doesn’t actually need glasses”. In an unprecedented move this evening, the top man called the Lufbra Echo to “set the record straight”. “Let me make this clear,” said a clearly tired and emotional Van Commenee, “I have needed spectacles since a young age. These nasty and horrible accusations are really upsetting my family.” The UKA Chief went on to dismiss rumours that he had visited a laser eye specialist last year as “an innocent friendship and nothing more”. “I am proud to wear glasses,” he said “they are my trademark and I would never dream of turning my back on such distinguished blindness. But why shouldn’t I be friends with a laser eye doctor?”

GANDY IN PARKING GAFFE


George Gandy has caused several thousand pounds worth of damage to a Loughborough car park after making an error when test driving a new Mercedes. The UKA endurance coach was looking to offload some of his Barcelona bonus by investing in the new car but things went horrendously wrong when he decided to nip to Tesco. “Mr Gandy was attempting to speed out of the car park,” said a senior source, “unfortunately he forgot that the car was stuck in reverse”. The insider went onto bemoan the “weak” walls of the car park. “They should see this sort of thing coming,” said the spokesman, “I am sure Mr Gandy will not be the first to do this so they better get used to it.”

BMC BOSS TO STAND DOWN OVER TIMING FOUL UPS

The Chief Executive of the British Milers Club will stand down at the end of the season after a string of errors have made his position “untenable”. The unnamed supremo is believed to have reached a compromise with his employers meaning that they will not have to pay out the entirety of his £12m contract. “We are grateful for all the work he [the CEO] has put in,” said membership secretary Pat Fitzgerald, “it is a thankless and entirely anonymous role.” Fitzgerald would not elaborate on the figure that has been paid out in order to secure the resignation but it is rumoured to be somewhere in the region of £3m. The membership chief – who is famous for hounding late payers of membership subs – denied speculation that he was in line to take up the role: “I don’t think I am ready for such a move yet. We need someone who is ready to shake the organisation up; we need a rethink”. Early last year, the BMC successfully won a High Court injunction against the Chief Executive preventing him from revealing his true identity in his autobiography. At the time the country’s premier middle distance club claimed that the role had to maintain a “high level of mystique” in order to be successful.

FANTASY FOOTBALL GAFFE COSTS McCORMICK CARDIFF START

Nick McCormick missed the UK Challenge Final after an error in the selection of his team for this week’s Fantasy Football. The Morpeth star was left fuming after he spotted that his “new signing” was only on the bench and, convinced that it was a flaw in the system, spent several hours on the phone trying to resolve the mix up. Having threatened to “cancel his [free] membership”, McCormick only accepted that he may have been at fault when call centre staff warned that league points would be deducted if he didn’t calm down. “Well obviously it’s disappointing,” thundered McCormick from a press conference this morning, “every point counts in this game and who knows what will happen now. If I am to re-establish myself as a major force on the UK running scene, I simply have to have a strong Fantasy season. Losing to Rimmer again just isn’t an option.”

McCormick – who was slated to run the 800m ‘B’ race – missed the start, having spent too long on the phone with Fantasy officials. “The traffic was a nightmare too,” explained the sheepish Loughborough based man, “so even if I had left on time, I may not have made it.” The snub has left BMC chiefs livid and an insider revealed that “excommunication” from the BMC fraternity had not been ruled out. “This simply isn’t good enough,” said a source, “if people abuse the opportunity to race in such a way, they may have to endure a season at regional events.” McCormick, however, was unrepentant. Branding the meeting “a waste of time anyway”, he bemoaned the “lack of accommodation for big names”. “I get fed up with fans coming and speaking to me,” sighed the GB International, “lately it’s all be ‘Fantasy League this’ and ‘Fantasy League that’. What about me? I am a human being you know. Does anyone think to ask me how I am? How am I doing? No. They only care about whether my keeper kept a clean sheet, or who I am putting as captain. It’s very poor.”

UKA MUST SHARE THE LOVE IF RECOVERY IS TO CONTINUE

The 2010 athletics season will be largely remembered as the year that British distance running remerged from its hiatus of nearly three decades. The performances of Mo Farah and Chris Thompson in Barcelona were no doubt inspirational and Farah’s imperious performance in relieving Dave Moorcroft of his 28 year-old British 5,000m record was one of the season’s many highlights. Strangely, after a cross country season where UKA were lambasted from pillar to post (deservedly so in some cases), something appears to have gone at least half-right over the summer. The performances of Stephanie Twell and Michael Rimmer also show that the middle distances are, whilst not thriving, making solid progress under Stewart, Gandy et al. Whilst it is important not to get carried away – the European Championships are a fair way from World Class as was demonstrated at the Crystal Palace hangover – the British performances in a scandal-free Barcelona will have gone someway to reengaging the British public at large with Track and Field athletics. The only risk being that televisions across the nation are quickly turned off again when the viewer is forced to endure a tortuous interview by Phil Jones or some useless analysis from Denise ‘110%’ Lewis.

With the top level of the sport doing fine (if not well), attention will no doubt shift to the up and comers. It is here that excitement can perhaps be tempered. With some very notable exceptions (Niall Brooks, Richard Goodman and several female 800m runners), this has been a summer without significant breakthroughs. The number of men who are regularly running under 3:40 for 1500m this summer has been lower than ever before and promising winters (and proclamations of 3:36 not being a problem) have come to very little. Whilst bad luck, injury and illness has to take at least some of the flack, the British Milers Club too has seemed a little jaded this summer. This scribe has been one of the BMC’s most outspoken advocates and did himself enter into a pointless dispute on Eightlane about the organisation of the Watford Grand Prix. However, now looking back over the course of the season, it has become clear that all is not what it was.

The aim of the BMC is to advance the performances of the middle-distances by producing a number of quality races throughout the summer. There are many who will question the efficacy of paced races and their role in developing the racing instincts of an athlete, however there is no doubt that this is a sport that is fundamentally judged by time. Therefore, you would think that an organisation that nobly claims its raison d’être is to advance the sport would do their best to ensure that timing was accurate. Alas, timekeepers have been repeatedly embarrassed by the wonderful new initiative that is Athleticos. It has been clear to everybody except those who matter that the timing at several races was completely wrong and yet little has been done to rectify the problems. This culminated in the ultimate humiliation of one evening’s race times being completely void after protocol had been thrown out of the window; several athletes made personal breakthroughs to no avail. One is well aware that this sport relies upon volunteers to run it and it is with a heavy heart that they must be criticised. But the fact remains that when you pay £5 to enter a race, the very least you expect at the end of it is a time that counts. For a timekeeper to allow a race to be run without a starting pistol is the equivalent of a football referee arriving without a whistle. However voluntary, it is unacceptable.

Having alluded to pacemaking, it seems prudent to evaluate it. There are mixed feelings surrounding whether such races are really a good thing. Do they teach the athlete to actually race, or simply teach them to brainlessly follow? Either way, it is irrelevant; the BMC advertise Grand Prix and Gold Standard races on the premise that they will be paced to suit the athletes within each race. Why then were there, in some cases, only 2 pace makers to cover 7 events? Why were ‘A’ 1500m Gold Standard races going with a pacemaker who could only go as far as 500m and some without a pacer at all? It cannot be disputed that quality pacemakers are difficult to come by, but it costs money to enter and it is generally understood that this money is used to pay pacemakers.

Perhaps the BMC has been a victim of its own success. More and more athletes are seeking places with less and less willing to take on the burden of pacemaking. The blame should not be laid squarely at the door of those in charge. The high standard of this organisation means that when these standards slip ever so slightly, it is jumped upon. It has been a fabulous summer and the BMC has no doubt played its part in that. With UKA deservedly patting itself on the back for a job well done in Barcelona, perhaps a little of that good will should cascade down to a bit of funding for an organisation that will doubtless continue to offer a quality platform of British distance talent across the country. Such funding might just make that quality a little higher.

MOORCROFT QUESTIONS FARAH RECORD

Dave Moorcroft has questioned the length of the Zurich track after Mo Farah relieved him of his British record over 5,000m. Speaking from his holiday home in the Maldives, the ex-Coventry star said that he “didn’t even watch” the event that took place on Thursday evening. “My first question afterwards was: ‘where did he do it?’” said a clearly vexed Moorcroft, “when I was told Zurich, I didn’t care- that simply doesn’t count.”

The 13:00.41 5k man looked tired at the hastily arranged press conference and was quick to poor cold water on anyone who was seen to be overly enthusiastic about Farah’s achievement. “Answer me this: did he win the race?” stormed Moorcroft, “no, he didn’t. So how can he say that he is the best Brit of all time? Answer me that- how?” After dismissing an animated Phil Jones of the BBC (who asked Moorcroft how he felt the crowd could have impacted Farah’s run), the ex-British record holder once again turned his ire on Farah. “What’s he done anyway?” he asked, “take it from me: that track is short. Go out and measure it. There’s no way this can happen.”

Whilst standing by his view that he “hadn’t lost a thing”, Moorcroft revealed that Farah had been less than magnanimous in victory. “He sent me a nasty Facebook message,” blubbed Moorcroft, “he said that breaking 13 minutes was easy and he couldn’t see what all the fuss was about. It’s really disappointing when someone treats you like that. He may have run a half decent short 5k, but that is no reason to delete and block me on MySpace.”

For his part, Farah has said that he is “disappointed” with Moorcroft’s attitude. “Jealousy,” thundered the Newham and Essex Beagle, “that’s what it is: jealousy. That’s why he had to go on MySpace- that and Tariku [Bekele] told me to keep that for sub-13 minute athletes only.” Farah went on: “how can he say that the track is short? What planet is he on? Get over it mate- I’m number one around here now.”

Officials at the IAAF refused to go into detail on the spat but did state that they “stood by” their timing systems, which were “of the standard expected at almost all BMC meetings.”

ROUNDING EVERYTHING UP

GREAT NEWS fans! We're back. Rumours that "creative differences" could have brought an end to the Echo are unfounded. We're as united as we have ever been and ready to get on with some serious reporting. However, a quick gloss over Eightlane reveals that we have missed a good deal in the past fortnight and so here it all is...........

UKA MISSING CAKE RIDDLE



BMC DENIES 'MAKING UP' TIMES

Red faced officials at the British Milers Club have been forced to deny that they made up the times at a recent meeting. An insider said: "it was absolutely legitimate. Bob stood at the start of the race and counted out loud for the duration of the 5k. We then had Gill writing down the times as people crossed the line." The source dismissed suggestions that this wasn't accurate and rejected accusations that they asked athletes "what they thought they'd run" after the event.

ATHLETE FORMERLY KNOWN AS GEELE IN PASSPORT GAFFE

The athlete formerly known as Geele, now to be referred to as Gala has lost his passport just days after being given it, the Lufbra Echo can reveal. Concerned UKA chiefs have asked the public to be on the look out for the document, which Geele (or Gala, possibly both) last saw when boarding a tram in Wimbledon. "It's mystery," sighed a UKA official, "it took us ages to get the lad British Citizenship and now we may have to start over." Insiders have also denied rumours that the Newham star changed his name in a sponsorship deal with Gala bingo.

BARNI IN CRYSTAL PALACE SNUB


OUT IN THE COLD: Barni failed to impress in Barcelona

If you go down to the Palace today you won't be seeing Barni Bear, the Lufbra Echo is sad to report. After what many have called a "disappointing" European Championships, the mascot was denied entry into the United Kingdom early this morning. Mr. Barni, who in truth struggled to live up to the glorious performance of his relative Berlino, was arrested at Heathrow after UKA decided that they didn't want him "anywhere near" the Diamond League meeting this evening. An insider said that many found the bear "disturbing". "Let's face it," said the source "he isn't the cuddly wonder that Berlino was...there's something not right about him; more an albino prototype than a sporting mascot."

THE LUFBRA ECHO: 100 POSTS OLD

Despite protestations that the site would be “closed down”, the Lufbra Echo today reaches a significant milestone: this is the 100th post. Ahead of an extended holiday for the busy editorial team, and largely because we can’t think of anything else to write, we thought that we would re-hash some of the best bits over the past few months. Cheap and lazy journalism? Well, possibly. But to be fair in two hours of live athletics coverage on Tuesday morning, the BBC spent well over half of it reminiscing about the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, so we feel we are due our own look back. Make yourself a nice cup of tea, sit back and enjoy our look over the top 10 moments in Echo history. Simply click on the number to read the story.

NUMBER 10: It was us who first broke the news that the now European 10,000m champion Mo Farah had had to give up on his hope of scooping the BBC Masterchef crown.

NUMBER 9: Ryan McLeod makes his first appearance in the countdown after he and Nick McCormick broke Loughborough’s pricy Alter-G treadmill.

NUMBER 8: Bowser, a European Cross Champion? Surely not. Err, well according to the BBC he was.

NUMBER 7: And a welcome first entry for the Echo’s award winning Portugal coverage. Here, there are concerns before the annual influx of distance runners even arrive in the Algarve.

NUMBER 6: Justice for LaShawn! The Echo sensitively discusses the drug cheat’s private issues.

NUMBER 5: UKA shocked everyone with their World Cross Selection. We had our own exclusive twist on the story.

NUMBER 4: It’s that man again! Ryan McLeod was in trouble after calling the emergency services for his damaged iPhone

NUMBER 3: It’s a bronze for the much praised coverage of the McLeod-Russell spat. The Echo was thanked by the Sports Journalists Association for our sensitive articles.

NUMBER 2: POST DELETED DUE TO ONGOING LEGAL FIGHT. Uh oh! It looks like we can’t bring you our silver medallist as we are still entrenched in a bitter and drawn out courtroom drama!

NUMBER 1: Well it had to come down to something on Portugal didn’t it? Yep, you guessed it- the gold medal Echo article as voted for by our research department is the report following a “night of scandal” in Vilamoura. Happy memories.

The Echo will now be on holiday until something interesting happens, if it ever does.

BMC CRITICISED FOR ORGANISING RACE

The British Milers Club will today apologise for organising a 3,000m before running it past the Eightlane community first. The event- slated for next Wednesday- looks set to feature Australian superstar Craig Mottram but has been greeted with a chorus of disapproval from outraged Eightlaners. “How come the 3k is now at 8pm?” grumbled ‘Rather you than me’, “it’s not listed on the BMC website and the 3000 normally goes off at 10pm or later.” Meanwhile, after Eightlane favourite Ryan McLeod confirmed his intention to race, ‘Dirty Craig fact’ amused himself with the irresistible: “So it could be the drug cheat v Mc Cock [sic]”. All richly comic and, undeterred by this small libel, ‘its a BMC mcleod [sic]’ lambasted the “terrible attitude” of the Tipton man. “[Y]ou should be sharing the pace with Mottram” howled the anonymous poster, “as it’s a BMC and the only point of these races is to run quick!” Some jokes just never get old, do they?

Elsewhere and away from the outcry at the rearranged start time, Chris Carter came in for some criticism for planning on running a 1500m. “Is chris carter the joker who runs in full adidas kit and most of the time runs outside 4minutes? [sic]” asked ‘another day hey’. And he/she/it is right. How dare an athlete wear matching kit to a race! That is absolutely scandalous. The Echo cannot support such a policy and thus is calling on all athletes to ensure that their kit does not match from now on. And while we’re at it, the BMC simply must stop organising these high quality races. If we aren’t careful, this country’s generation of wasters will be running out of excuses to spout on Eightlane and Letsrun. David Cameron: are you listening?

NEWS UPDATE

TEENAGE KICKS: Gerrard hopes to transfer his "passion" for working with youngsters to athletics

GERRARD EYES COACHING ROLE

Steven Gerrard is “actively considering” taking up a job within UKA after he retires from football, the Lufbra Echo can exclusively reveal. The multi-millionaire Liverpudlian- who captained England during their recent failure at the World Cup- has said that he wants to “give something back” to the country once his footballing days end. “I enjoy working with kids,” Gerrard said from his hide-out in Mexico, “I think that football is being tarnished somewhat and I watch athletics on the television a fair bit. I think I could add a lot of value.” Gerrard has often been praised for his “enormous heart and lungs” when on and off the football pitch and UKA officials are secretly hoping he can turn that fitness and fighting (in a purely self-defensive way) spirit to “transforming British distance running”. However, an insider revealed that it was unlikely Gerrard would be let loose on the senior ranks for a while. “It’s a tricky business and it will take time,” said the source, “Steven has a particularly positive impact on the ladies and so we are thinking of assigning him to the Junior Girls. I doubt he can do much harm there and can move on to the grown-ups when he is ready.”

MISERABLE McLEOD FORCED TO RUE MISSED SOLIHULL OPPORTUNITY

Ryan McLeod has conceded that he made a “catastrophic error” in opting for a race in Belgium over the BMC Solihull Grand Prix. The Tipton Harrier was left red faced when he was only able to chalk up his third fastest 5000m performance at the Belgium meeting, whilst the Solihull event was won by landscape gardener, Mark Draper. Disappointed Eightlaners were upset at missing a potential showdown between the pair: “this is the guy who bleats at not being given paid trips [14:01] his dad [Olympic Silver Medallist, Mike McLeod] would have been embarressed [sic] to be offered anythig [sic] for that,” thundered ‘shouldhebepaid’ in reference to the fact that McLeod had to pay for his journey. A spokesman for the McLeod camp said that his charge was “saddened” to hear that the Eightlane community were getting exercised again. “Obviously, Ryan would rather have been involved in a race where two people broke 14:20 as opposed to one where ten ran under 13:50, but these things happen,” said the source, adding that he was “deeply sorry” to anyone who had taken exception to his race choices.

ASTON TO BLAME: WHITTLE

Ed Aston has been blamed for Rob Whittle's calamitous closing 150m in the ‘B’ race of the 1500m at Solihull on Saturday evening. The Loughborough star slammed Aston for running “an inspirational race” just moments before his own. “I watched that and as a result went out too hard,” sighed Whittle after the race, “it’s all his [Aston’s] fault. I hope he is happy now.” Aston was imperious in front running the majority of his race and being rewarded with a 1:47.96 PB. A Loughborough spokesman has confirmed that they will be asking the BMC to caution the Cambridge & Coleridge star against running so well again. “It just isn’t on to expect other athletes to watch superb performances like that and then go out and run sensibly,” said the official, “frankly we think it’s a little selfish.”

POLICE IN BOWSER FOUL UP

Police have thanked readers of the Lufbra Echo for their help in trying to locate the missing athlete Matt Bowser, but have been forced to concede that they bungled a move to intercept him on Sunday evening. “Mr. Bowser arrived back at Stansted airport after a race oversees,” said Dt. Supt. Lukatme who is leading the investigation, “somehow he gave us the slip. We are still looking for him and once again worn against approaching this man.” In an ironic twist, it seems likely that Bowser escaped the police by using the Garmin that UKA are trying to locate. UKA officials have spoken of Charles Van Commenee’s “sleepless nights” over the missing gadget and reiterated an appeal for its safe return. “Please, Matt have the heart to bring the Garmin home,” said the press secretary, “it’s never too late”.

NEWS ROUND-UP

SCRATCHING HEAD ‘ADDS 10% T0 PERFORMANCE’: REPORT

A research project seen by the Lufbra Echo has told of how scratching your head in a “rhythmic circular motion” can increase performance in a 5km running trial by as much as 10%. Researchers at the University of North Dunstable have hailed “a great day for performance sport” and UK Athletics are said to be drafting up new guidelines for distribution to performance centres across the country. The paper- which has yet to be published- concludes that endurance athletes should scratch their heads in the hours immediately prior to performance. “We found that three hours before a race or significant workout was the best time,” said Prof. N. O. Sense who headed up the team, “scratching athletes reported feeling less pain, less fatigue and more vigour than a control group.” The scratchers seemingly also performed far better with quicker times being consistently recorded. It was not all good news however, as the technique was shown to have “no significant effect” on sprint performance. “If anything [performance] declined,” said N. O. Sense, “we are unsure why, but think it likely that the sprinters struggled with the complexities of using the circular motion.” Bad news too for all nose pickers out there as a regular practice of picking one’s nose had “only a small effect” on an athlete’s ability to breathe. “That was disappointing,” said N. O. Sense, “but at least we know where to focus our energy now.” The research team dismissed suggestions that doing a little extra mileage could have a positive impact on running performance. “What utter nonsense,” thundered a senior researcher, “we really haven’t got time to entertain such ridiculous ideas.”

WATFORD TRACK ‘NOT SHORT’: UKA

UK Athletics have reacted angrily to suggestions that the Watford track is short by 2 metres. The accusations came on popular running forums Eightlane and Letsrun after several athletes were seen to run faster than they were “capable of”. “Clearly short,” harrumphed one Eightlaner, “uka reely need to sought this out. How cum all these peepel suddenely run pbs? [sic]”. An insider at the Governing Body revealed that an official track measurer had been called in and confirmed that it had been given the all clear. “Ben Green kindly looked it up on Google Earth,” revealed our source, “and on the third time through it came up at exactly the right distance. If anything it’s long.” Meanwhile, the BMC have confirmed that all times from the recent Grand Prix held at the stadium will stand. This news comes despite widespread anger that video evidence suggested that some times (taken by the official time keepers) were clearly wrong. A spokesman said, “we can’t go around changing times on the whim of a few disgruntled slow coaches.” It was added that there were no plans to “just make the times up” at the next Grand Prix.

WATFORD BMC ROUND UP......

ANGER AS McCORMICK WEARS DATED KIT

Nick McCormick is likely to face the wrath of Nike executives early next week after he wore last year’s kit at yesterday evening’s Watford Grand Prix. Shocked bystanders watched the North East star line up in the 800m ‘D’ race- where he expressed his anger at having to share a lane. One said, “Nick was clearly upset at being made to share the territory. I think he must have forgotten to change into this year’s new style.” However, insiders have revealed more sinister goings on. It appears that Mr. McCormick “does not like” the new kit as it does not suit his new haircut. “He hates it,” said a source, “when it was delivered he threw it on the ground in disgust. I doubt he will wear it at all this season.” No one was available for comment at Nike this evening, but it seems likely that their athlete will be forced to explain himself. One anonymous source at the sporting giant said that the cut off for the old kit fell on Thursday. “All athletes will have been sent a memo urging them to destroy their old vests and shorts on the 10th June,” said the senior aide, “it was made clear that old kit will no longer be tolerated.” McCormick was racing in the UK for the first time this season, after a period of enforced exile owing to his “horrifically short” hair cut. Speaking afterwards, he revealed that it was “still in the balance” as to whether he would be allowed to compete at the Crystal Palace Diamond League next month. “I reckon it [the hair] will grow enough by then,” said the 3:33 1500m man, “it really comes down to whether I want to spend a significant period of time in the hell hole that it Crystal Palace.”

McLEOD UNNERVED BY BOO-BOYS

Ryan McLeod ventured out in public for the first time since his major bust up with bitter rival Tom Russell. The Tipton Harrier opted to pace make the 5,000m ‘A’ race, but his name was greeted by a chorus of boos from the stands. Despite pleas from officials to show him the respect he deserved, McLeod had to endure repeated insults from angered West Country folk- the Metropolitan Police have revealed that a total of three individuals were arrested for “public order offenses.” It is unlikely that any of the three will be charged. In the race itself, it became clear from the start that McLeod was not himself. As early as the second lap, he was attempting to usher chasing athletes though to “share the pace”. It was not until a BMC official reminded him that he was being paid to lead the race, that the 13:54 man settled down. The damage to Luke Cragg’s race was done however and the US based man was furious after his race. “You expect better than that,” harrumphed the England international, “I saw Ryan pacing the locker room before and could see he was freaked out by the situation. When I debrief him, he’ll know what I think.”

TIMEKEEPING WRONG: EIGHTLANE

Distraught Eightlaners have called for immediate action after watching videos of several of last night’s races. “BMC please read this, watch the video and sort the results out,” pleaded ‘1500 result?’, whilst his/her/its presumed brother/sister/other life form, ‘1500m results’ supported the view, “not great time keeping”. It seems much of the evidence base for the allegations stems from video footage that has been placed on the internet. In light of such overwhelmingly clear (as long as you have it up on a very fast bandwidth and ignore the glitches) evidence will result in the timekeepers who were standing directly in line with the finish being overturned? ‘1500 result?’ certainly hopes so-“there is something seriously wrong with this [1500m ‘A’ race] result- look at 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th position.” Regrettably, Mr ‘1500 result?’ appears not to have all of his facts in line, “Luke Gunn dips someone on the line, who I assume is the Dutch athlete but he’s 0.2 behind on the result”. Outrageous! An unnamed athlete may or may not have beaten Luke Gunn and this may or may not be clear from the video. Court of Arbitration for Sport here we come!

NEWS IN BRIEF

DASAOLOU TO APLOGISE FOR ITALIAN RANT

Britain's next big sprinting hope, James Dasaolu, is being forced into an embarrassing U-Turn this morning after clashing with an Italian police officer. The 10.06 (wind assisted) man is currently on a training trip to Rome and is alleged to have "completely lost it" with the officer after being informed that his hire car was parked illegally. By-standers were left stunned as Dasaolu was restrained by close pal and training partner, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey. Dasaolu was particularly upset as the policeman in question had watched the two sprint aces take 20 minutes to maneuver the vehicle into the spot. This in itself brought a heated exchange between the two friends with Dasaolou branding Aikines-Aryeetey an "idiot" as his directions were unclear. One bystander has alleged that Dasaolu's car "clearly touched" another vehicle and it was at this point that the police officer had no option but to become involved. "It was quite funny," said Liverpudlian tourist Denise, "the smaller one [Dasaolou] was getting all upset because the bigger one [Aryeetey] kept doing press ups when he should have been directing him." UK Athletics have said that they will be insisting that their charge apologise to the Italian police generally after calling them "a bunch of corrupt losers who no one likes." Dasaolu, who is not known for his intelligence, is also thought to have injured himself by kicking what he thought was a football in a fit of rage. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a solid marble decorative boulder. A UKA insider has said that the injury is "not season threatening".

JONES TO SET UP CAKE SHOP

Disgraced American sprinter, Marion Jones, is to set up a cake shop in Los Angeles, the Lufbra Echo understands. The cakes, which will be "special brand", will be made by the sprinter herself in a joint venture with fellow dope, Justin Gatlin. Jones is rumoured to have "excelled" on a cookery course she took whilst serving time in prison for defrauding just about everybody she has ever met. However, doubt has been cast on her ability as a prison insider told of how she was disqualified from her final Cake Making Board Exams. "She stole some pre-made cakes from the kitchen," our source said, "and then rigorously denied the allegations. Her cakes never failed an authenticity test, but there was enough evidence to link her with the fraud." Weeks of rumours apparently led to a teary confession on the steps outside the infirmary, where Jones said that she had "let everyone down" particularly her beloved cell-mate Greta 'Biatch, the G-Dog', Griffiths. The Jones-Gatlin camp, have dismissed the allegations and are instead focusing on the "exciting venture" that the pair are currently working on. "We hope that people will either eat in or take out," said a spokesman, "they have decided to call it 'Clean Cakes' and hope that consumers see the irony." USA Track and Field have condemned the plans and warned all of their athletes not to frequent the establishment. LaShwan Merritt was thought to be involved in initial plans for the store, but was forced to pull out citing "little problems".

McLEOD IN BIRTHDAY GAFFE

Ryan McLeod celebrated his birthday 24 hours too early in what has been called a "pacing mix up". The Tipton Harrier turned 25 yesterday, but was seen out on Sunday evening celebrating with pals. One observer said, "someone went up to him and suggested that he was going too early and he [McLeod] just glared at him and said 'who do you think you are? Tom Russell?'" It was only in the early hours of the following morning that McLeod realised his blunder but by this time it was too late. "The damage had been done," sighed coach John Nutall, "Ryan tried to make it a true run birthday celebration, but it didn't work out- he was just too eager." It is rumoured that the 13:54 5k man was left "absolutely shattered" for his actual birthday evening. An insider said, "he had nothing left. He had been doing far too much of the work."

EMERY CONFIDENT AHEAD OF MIDLANDS TEST

Stephen Emery has revealed that he is "absolutely certain" that he will win the Midlands' 1500m title this weekend. The Coventry man suffered a blip last week at the BMC Sport City meeting, but claimed that "nobody, not even a cat on EPO" could touch him this weekend. "Sport City was Sport City. I think we all know that it was a joke there and that Gary [Bradbury] maliciously taunted me hair highlights before the race. I'm ready now- come and get me." Emery is likely to face stiff opposition from the likes of Tom Russell and Tim Dalton, but the 3:49 1500m man has had firm words for his rivals. "None of them have achieved what I have. I am the BUCS bronze medalist and showed my kicking ability in that race, so I know I can live with anything."

NEWS ROUND-UP

OUTRAGE AS ATHLETE EXPRESSES OPINION

British Athletics is this evening coming to terms with a scandal that looks set to rock it to its very foundations- an athlete has said what he really thinks in public. The revelations have trickled out over the past few days and commentators have said that it is "too early to say" whether the sport will recover or not. "It is a massive shock," said a senior athletics source, "usually we get them saying that they all ran really well and how proud they are of each other. But for someone to say what they actually think is a dangerous tactic." The athlete- who cannot be named for legal reasons- is now in hiding after suggesting that someone may not have done their fair share of the front-running during a recent BMC race. Police have revealed that they are "very concerned" for the athlete's safety after hate mail was sent to his home. For their part, the BMC have refused to rule out handing the big mouthed star a ban from all events for the rest of the year.

RUSSELL DISAPPOINTED WITH TESCO TRIP

Tom Russell has said that he is "upset" after an unsuccessful trip to Tesco with his training partners. It is thought that his friends refused to allow the 5k star to "hide at the back" of the convoy. The revelations come as the Bristol favourite was accused of "tucking in" behind several other cars on a recent trip to Manchester. An anonymous source said, "Tom was bragging about how he saved loads of fuel on the trip up to Sport City. Well we can all do that- he took none of the wind whatsoever." For his part, Russell has hit back at the criticism, stating that his car was "recovering from a dodgy MOT" and claiming that he "didn't want to push it". Friends were fuming as he kicked past them as they left the M60 and triumphantly pulled into the car park claiming the win.

BMC TO 'GO UP AGAINST' WORLD CUP

Fighting talk from the British Milers Club this evening as they have revealed that they feel that their Watford Grand Prix will deliver a higher audience that England's first World Cup game. An insider said, "who wouldn't want to watch the cream of the crop bicker about who should take up the pace? I am sure that people will snub England vs. USA in favour of it." Officials have not ruled out going head to head with "the snoozefest" that will be the World Cup Final. Our source continued, "we are thinking about organising an U15 Girls' 10,000m and sticking it on Sky. It'll be interesting to see how it will compare." Mick Woods has hit back at the idea, saying that 10,000m is "far too short" for U15 girls.

ATHLETE SEASON 'EFFECTIVELY OVER' AFTER ONLY EQUALING PERSONAL BEST

A long distance runner has said that it is unlikely he will compete again this season after he did not perform as he would have wanted in a race this weekend. The unnamed star- who is rumoured to be based at Loughborough- was said to be "distraught" after the race and is now planning on "jacking it all in". The Lufbra Echo understands that the runner was planning on "obliterating" his personal best- but only managed to equal it. At the end of the event, he was seen to be visibly upset and petulantly threw his vest onto the floor. A close friend said, "last week, he was in the shape of his life and now he feels as if none of it is worth it. He says that he feels empty inside." The race is said to have "really rocked his confidence", but rumours that a crash diet broccoli and water have been dismissed. The source continued, "he is planning on taking the next year off and then look to build up very slowly. I believe he is targeting a comeback in late 2012". LSAC insiders refused to whether confirm the story related to one of their athletes, but have said that the action "sounds appropriate".

SPORT CITY BMC: ‘SLOW TRACK’ ANGERS ATHLETES

Numerous athletes have hit out at the Sport City surface this evening, with some stating that it is the “athletics equivalent of Wembley”. BMC chiefs have been involved in an emergency meeting this evening to discuss the issue after many complained that the track seemed “too spongy”. “It cost me at least 2 seconds a lap”, thundered an unnamed 5,000m athlete searching for a computer to whine on Eightlane, “it really is unacceptable in a meeting like this. I expected better.” Rumours that meeting officials were considering “rounding down” all times by a few seconds have dismissed along with reports that the “last 300m was too long”. A spokesman said, “we take these sorts of complaints very seriously and so will look into them. However, all times remain the same.”

Meanwhile, Ben Scarlett was left red faced (geddit?!) when he mistakenly took a friend’s spikes to the race. Aside from upsetting his sponsors- the rogue spikes were some three sizes too large for the 1:48 man causing him to stumble badly at the start of his race. Explaining the mix up, Scarlett said “these things happen. I thought it was a bit weird when I was doing strides, but it was only after I looked down at the start that I realised. I’ll be back”. Scarlett was not the only one to be upset at the start. Many athletes have slammed what they called “an excessively loud” starter’s gun. “It made me jump right out of my skin,” harrumphed a distraught Robbie Schofield, “it ruined any hope I had of running well.” Others reported a “sharp rise in heart rate” upon hearing the gun. “Look at these readouts,” stormed Steve Sharp brandishing his Garmin, “can you see the spike? That has to be worth at least a second a lap.”

“Over enthusiastic crowd support,” also received a fair bit of stick this evening, with some athletes calling for future events to be held “behind closed doors.” One upset 1500m man said that it was “really time the BMC addressed this.” Asking to remain nameless, the athlete continued “when you are in the racing zone, the last thing you need is some Muppet banging on the advertising boards and shouting ‘dig in, mate!’ What does that even mean? They might as well scream ‘keep putting one foot in front of the other at a reasonable pace’- that’s how pointless it is”.

BMC executives were keen to play down the concerns raised and instead hailed a “hugely successful evening of athletics”. A senior source said, “what a thrill it was to watch these great races and the women’s events as well. I know some people were disappointed with their times and we are looking into that.” The spokesperson remained coy on whether the Sport City track will now be dug up and resurfaced- but with some threatening a boycott next year, it may well be the only option.

SPORT CITY BMC GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

The Echo looks ahead to the first major test for the distance fraternity.

Ryan McLeod will aim to dispel rumours that he “cannot count to twelve” when he makes his seasonal debut over 5,000m. The Tipton Harrier looked impressive in storming to a magnificent PB of 8:00.90 over 3,000m on Sunday- but revealed that there “should be more to come” as he goes head to head with Johnny Mellor for the first time since the now infamous Champs Elysees-gate. The pair fell out as the Geordie attempted to drive the “wrong way” around a Parisian roundabout, resulting in Mellor being pictured attempting to steal the hubcaps of the McLeod mobile not far from the Eifel Tower. Speaking exclusively to the Lufbra Echo, the Loughborough based McLeod said that he “did not know” how he was going to react when he saw the Liverpudlian. “There’s a lot of hurt there,” sighed the 13:58 5k man, “he clearly cheated on Call of Duty and I hate people like that”.

Elsewhere, rumours that the disgraced AAAs fraudster, Pete Matthews was set to make his first outing of what he promises will be a “massive” season have been shown to be wide of the mark. It seems that Matthews is saving his premiere for the notoriously high quality Northern League in a fortnight. His spokesman has said that the red head is still “very much on” to achieve his “minimum targets” of under 1:56, 3:55, 8:30 and 15 minutes for 800m, 1500, 3k and 5k respectively. “The thing is, Pete will be embarrassed if he doesn’t achieve these times,” said a close source, “he is a cut above the average and will prove it this year”.

A major blow came for the event when both Frank Baddick and Nick McCormick snubbed the opportunity to race on the grounds that it was “now below” them. Speaking from a press conference earlier in the week, McCormick was keen to dismiss rumours that his “offensively short” hair was still preventing him from gaining entry to British events. “It was my decision,” affirmed the Morpeth star, “I am better than that now. It [the hair] is causing a few issues though. I am certain that it is lowering my core temperature and that led to a poor performance in Rehlingen [where he ran 3:41]”. Baddick, meanwhile has revealed that he has “moved on” from British races generally. “I just think it’s time for a change,” said the Newham and Essex Beagle, “I’ve heard that the water on the continent is more conducive to fast running and so will try there.” Stephen Emery, who clashed with Baddick earlier in the season, called his decision “an indication of how desperate he has become.” The Coventry man, who has been a revelation this year, said “he knows that I’m top dog around here now and so has to go elsewhere. I warned everyone- I told them I would come for them and now I have. It’s over for Frank. He is finished.” Emery will attempt to keep up his extraordinary run of either running a PB or winning a medal in every race of the season so far as he goes up against Gary Bradbury in the 800m D race.