One of our readers, Jim West, wanted to know the outcome of Peter Head's olympic debute, earlier reported about here. Head, who had received a wildcard for the Olympic racewalking, unexpectedly came in as 42nd. Congratulations! However, there have been rather wild debates over the rules, specifically newly developed walking techniques, among IAAF Technical Delegates during an International Race Walking Forum held in Beijing just before the Olympics. One of their decisions was to accept Head's "backward technique," a variant of MacFadden's old "goose-step" method.
Head is already preparing for the next Olympics in London 2012. Since it is impossible to get another wild card in race walking, he has changed sport. At this point, it is uncertain if it will gain olympic status.
Good luck to this brave man we say!
Excellent! And if swinging ever becomes a sport I'll enter!
ReplyDeleteIs this a joke? If not, is it Christian to lie? Peter head did not compete in Beijing. There is no such thing as a "wild card." There are strict time standards to compete set out by the IAAF. The UK had no qualifiers in the 50k. Head would have needed to walk the 31-mile race in 4:07 to make the IAAF standard, a sub-8:00 mile pace. Ingus Janevics of Latvia placed 42nd in Beijing. I'm sure he would be quite offended to hear that Mr. Head was claiming the same glory with no basis in reality.
ReplyDeleteDave McGovern
World Class Racewalking
www.racewalking.org