The World Athletics Championships last Saturday saw Mo Farah and Usain Bolt make their final appearances. While Farah will continue on the road, it was the end of the road for Bolt.
Both are remarkable athletes, but for me, Bolt will always be a distance ahead of Farah, for one reason; Bolt blessed the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games with his presence (albeit as a relay runner), while Farah chose to snub us.
I know, fickle could be my middle name.
Apart from those farewells (and The Herald’s Kevin Ferrie returning from yet another away assignment without so much as a box of biscuits for the desk), the event most likely to be recalled in years to come will be twice-caught drugs cheat, Justin Gatlin, winning the men’s 100m.
It is easy to see why so many Americans are nonplussed at Gatlin’s achievement when you consider how ambivalent they are to the drug problem in sport in general.
Take the case of long jumper Marquise Goodwin for instance. After missing a series of tests, he accepted a one-year ban from the US Anti-Doping Agency, but is free to play for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL this season. Bizarre.
No mention though on whether his season-best leap of 37.91m will still stand.
Jimmy Calderwood is just the latest in a growing line of ex-footballers who have been diagnosed as suffering the effects of Alzheimers and dementia. It is worrying.
Willie McCallum of Motherwell was the first player I knew who had shown signs of Alzheimers. I knew him well, but he just didn’t recognise me or could remember where we’d worked together.
It was shocking how he’d deteriorated. Sadly, we are slowly becoming less shocked. And that too is worrying.
If you think the spin and the hype around Floyd Mayweather against Conor McGregor has been a tad excessive, get ready for it being turned up to 11 this week.
For an event, which to be honest, is the human equivalent of a bear fighting a wolf (although other animals are available), I am staggered at the number of people who are taking about this money-spinning, pay-per-view-fest.
There are parties being organised, sleepovers, you name it. For me however, a measure of just how this contest has caught the imagination is my nine-year-old daughter asking will I buy it and will she have to go for a sleep before it starts.
That’s what I call having a plan.
I had a great day out last Sunday at Knockhill for the British Touring Car Championship, and my hosts Honda just couldn’t do enough to make sure the day was enjoyable from start to finish.
Most enjoyable, and hugely amusing as well. For instance, racing cars are very noisy and when you are standing next to one that fires up, it can startle you.
It is why you are given ear plugs. One guest, there with another team, decided not to wear hers, instead keeping them as a souvenir - while most folk in her company left Fife with the keepsake of her expletives she let out when a Subaru burst in to life.
She won’t make that mistake again ...
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