Andy Murray is a great shout BUT if he was to win ,that would be 2013 and 2015 and 2016 ? I think only because of this thinking I would swerve Andy ,if he didn't win it last year then yes IDE be on him to win ,but I can't see the BBC doing it - in my opinion I'm doubly sure it will be a gold winning athlete for sure - just my opinion.

More athletics in Sotteville-les-Rouen ( http://www.watchathletics.com/page/1325/live-stream ) ...

That's the way to run the 400, Kemi Adekoya ... go out in 23.x (you know, just in case the world record is on tonight ) and then flail home in 28.x for a 52-flat.

I'd take a punt on Adam Peaty. His profile is still low pre games but I think he's potentially our greatest ever male swimmer. He's not going to bottle it like some swimmers have in the past. He'll win golds and probably break a world record and come out of the games a household name like Becky Adlington.

It isn't just the BBC's shout these days - even the shortlist involves journalists etc. The winner is down to a public vote and the GBP seems determined to give it to Andy even when he hasn't won Wimbledon.

Having said that, an Olympian (Wiggins) did win the last time it was held in an Olympic year, so you never know. Mind you, he did have to clear up the small matter of being the first Brit to win the Tour de France first...

Wouldn't rule Jess out but it's beginning to feel like a case of 'always the bridesmaid, never the bride'.

And, much as I would like to see her win, I'd prefer if there were a load of other Olympians with great claims to the title. Roll on Rio

I like your thinking

If he does as well as we all hope, he'll certainly be in the mix. But even Becky didn't win... (Particularly tough competition in 2008 though - Chris Hoy's golds and Hamilton's first world title.)

Sorry, appledash (love the name, BTW). In my haste to demonstrate how mouthy and opinionated I can be , I forgot to welcome you to the wonderful world of the athletics thread.

Things may well get a bit, erm, lively over the coming weeks but the excellent knowledge and analysis of many of the posters will make up for it. Hope you have a great time here!

Thank you it's much appreciated
I must say though I've just shamelessly just picking your brains on who will win spoty2016 as I've set my mind on a track and field athlete ( the last winner was Kelly Holmes 2004 )

Just catching up with Monaco DL.

Caster Semenya seems unstoppable for the gold in Rio.

Regarding Semenya - I have been meaning to ask.

Reading the posts on here some are suggesting (or implying) that she is not a woman. I don't know the full story about her gender testing, but I thought she was cleared to run in the women's events for SA. Is there still some ambiguity as to her gender? I thought it was all sorted now.

I don't know what it was but she certainly looked different in the slo-mo at the end of the 800m in Monaco.

Amazing race.
I said it before, surely Semenya can break the WR if she wants to? At least get extremely close. She didn't look tired at all after this.

Also, never seen Wambui before. She is not exceptionally feminine either tbh...

OMG. she gonna do the double?
WOuldnt be surprised if she could win the 1500 as well

Oh no.
Just watched it last night. SOmething happened just when he jumped, and then it looked bad when he landed then he tried to stand on it and realized how painful it was and that Rio would be no more.
He was a sure contender for a medal, though it will most likely be a very high quality event, and I wouldnt be surprised if you needed 2.40 to medal.

WvN is one of the most yummiest guys out there.
I hope he can win the 400.

Yes sad. Though anything can happen. It looks like the top 3 are too good, but let's hope for an upset

I think Arzamasova might surprise a bit

Amazing site. Thjanks!

Im actually a bit surprised she married a woman in a way...

No, I think she is 100% woman, just has a very high natural level of testosterone.

In previous years (since 2009) she had to take some medicine to reduce this level, and hence being an ordinary 800 runner.

This season she doesn't have to take it and look what happened...
Apparently this is supposed to be a "trial" year, and she might have to start it again next year. It obviously gives her an advantage, no doubt about it, OTOH it's "natural", so...
So if she wants the WR this is the year to do it

Suspect this article on "Caster Semenya has male sex organs and no womb or ovaries" http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225771672245 is what stirs up opinion.

the point is that its completely unnatural for a woman to have testosterone that high, her intersex characteristics give her a massive advantage over the women in that race, 2 and 3 in that race also are rumored to be intersex as well, which explains why they have reappeared this season as the cas overturned a ruling on testosterone limits for womens racing which means that those three athletes have a massive unfair advantage, testosterone gives increased bone density and muscle mass which means faster times ( one of the main reasons men are 10 -15 % percent faster than women) so what we have here is an athlete that has a 6-7% advantage over genetically normal women

On the other hand, they are all rubbish compared to Michael Rimmer.

This recently published article on the subject might help.

http://sportsscientists.com/2016/07/...emenya-debate/

Bottom line, the CAS ruling was perverse. Testosterone is performance enhancing and even though it might be naturally occurring at hight levels due to an intersex condition, where the individual identifies as female, there should be limits imposed for those who want to compete.

Analogies can be dangerous, but for instance the Rowing in the Olympics will have light weight events where woman have to be less than 60Kg's and men 73Kg's to compete. Are we wrong to exclude those men and women who through their genes are naturally in excess of those limits?

A better analogy, since we are talking about athletics here, is the false start rule in sprinting. The IAAF deem that it is biologically impossible for any human being to react to the starting pistol in less than 0.1 of a second, so when Richard Kilty reacts in 0.998, as he did in Amsterdam two weeks ago, he is deemed to have cheated and is excluded from the race.

This is of course true and very unfair to the other women.
It's very tricky. It's very hard to decide what to do, it seems like you have to choose to lesser of two wrongs.

The duty of the IAAF is to protect the integrity of the sport of athletics, not to remedy prejudices relating to gender. Allowing Semenya to compete makes the efforts of tens of thousands of women competing in the 800m and 1500m all across the world completely useless. It's not her fault, the way it is with the Russians, but the sport must come first.

Thanks for the explanations and link (Jaccobabe, Jo09, robo2, Evo102 and grassmarket)

I do understand it all a lot better now. No idea what the answer is, but at least I now understand the facts.

Rio shall be interesting to say the least - especially in the 400m.

The fairest compromise would probably be to allow the other athletes to artificially match Semenya's testosterone levels, but then that would expose the ludicrous distinctions between "natural" advantage and "cheating".