What are your favourite moments in Athletics 2000-2009?

Pisco Sour

Reading the athlete of the decade thread I thought it might be interesting to discuss our favourite moments in Athletics in the last decade in the following categories:

1) Your favourite Irish Athletics moment
2) Your favourite non-Irish Athletics moment


For me both come from the one night. Sonia's silver in Sydney is one of those sporting moments that will live with me forever. As will Cathy Freeman's win in the 400m.

Man_bear_pig

probably a pretty standard answer but it has to be bolt. his 200m record in the olympics was my favourite just cuz of where i was watching it. remember it the most out of any race

runjb

For me the Irish moment has to be a toss up between Sonia's silver medal in Sydney and Derval O'Rourke winning the Indoor Gold in Moscow - it was over in less than 8 seconds but what a performance.

Brianderunner

Gillick winning his first european indoor 400m title. Foreign has to be el guerrouj winning the olympic 1500m in Athens. I was priveleged to be in the stadium that night. All the wrongs of the past two olympics rectified.

central park

Sonia's Silver in Sydney

Gebresellasie going Sub 2.04 in Berlin Marathon in 2008

Rio 2016

Hard to split Radcliffes 2:15 in London in 2003 and Bolts 100m in Berlin.

But I would have to side with Radcliffe as it took alot more hard graft with plenty of blood, sweat and tears.

myflipflops

Good thread....

Sonia's medal in Sydney should be the highlight but i was stuck in a classroom listening to it over the school interncom in 5th year. Not seeing that race was painful and means i have no great memories from it!

As such, the Irish moment that i probably enjoyed the most personally was Gillicks first European gold. It was the same night that Cragg won the 3k for a double Irish gold too.


World wise, Bolt breaking the 200 WR in Beijing shocked me completely.

Also, this race from the World's in 2005 had me on my feet shouting at the TV (poor quality, couldn't find another video though):

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Kiptanui

There are many great Irish and international athletic moments in the past decade and some of those that spring to mind are:
Irish:
David Gillicks Euro Indoor successes were a great thrill and Derval was fantastic winning the World Indoor and claiming her European Indoor Bronze. Mary Cullen’s bronze at the Euro Indoors was a massive step for her and hopefully there is more to come there.
Less heralded achievements that deserve great acclaim include Martin Fagans super 60 mins 47, Finnoula Britton 14th in Mombassa and 2nd in the Euro U23 Cross Country and Colin Costello winning the Euro Junior 1500m ahead of his great rival Danny D’Arcy. Don’t forget Paul Hession dragging Irish sprinting kicking and screaming into the realms of world class.
Mark Carroll landed the spoils in the Euro indoor 3000m in 2000 with a storming last 400m to add to an outstanding Euro 5000m silver from two years previous. For an athlete stalked by niggling injuries his range of PB’s from 1500m to Marathon is truly outstanding. Cragg also landed gold in the indoor 3000m.
Major outdoor medals take precedence though and Gillian O’Sullivan in 2003 and Olive Loughnane in Berlin both claimed world silver. These were incredible achievements deserving of so much more acclaim than they actually received – particularly Gillian. The highlight of the decade was Sonia in Sydney, overcoming the demons of the past to take the Olympic medal she craved and so richly deserved. Sonia was undoubtedly our greatest athlete ever and we can only hope that lightening strikes twice and another such jewel emerges.
Internationally, the decade has been a feast. Kelly Holmes double in Sydney was a triumph over adversity. Cathy Freeman carried the hopes of the host nation into a pressure caldron in Sydney and delivered on her biggest day. At the same games Paul Tergat and Haile Gebreselaisse produced one of the finest duals in athletic history with the emperor prevailing in a titanic struggle down the finishing straight.
El Guerrouj became the first man since Pavo Nurmi to claim the 1500m/500m double at the Olympic Games with a master class that provided his previously ill fated Olympic career with the climax it deserved.
Jessica Ennis was sublime in Berlin and her Heptathlon Gold Medal medal was a real highlight. She dominated from the start and maintained a vice like grip on the competitioon throughout – let’s hope she can repeat it in 2012!
Borzakovsky finally realised his immense potential with a perfectly timed finish in the 800m in Athens. In doing so he denied Wilson Kipketer, his boyhood idol, of a chance to add Olympic Glory to his World Title and WR. Perhaps the most exciting steeplechase championships ever took place in Paris as the Kenyans tried to prevent their estranged team mate Shaheen, formerly Stephen Cherono, in the Qatar vest, from taking the title. Displaying an astonishing turn of pace Shaheen broke clear on the last lap to claim the Gold medal to go alongside his WR that still stands. Paula Radcliffe has been a revelation at the Marathon and her WR was a real display of power and strength. Another lasting memory was her 5000m Commonwealth victory in Manchester. In an emotion charged stadium Radcliffe set off at a phenomenal pace and ran her rivals into the ground.
Zerseney Tadesse is an icon in Eritrea and his World Cross Country victory in Mombassa was breathtaking. This was one for the purists rather than the fleeting observer as Tadesse attacked like a man possessed and broke an out of sorts Bekele, still grieving for the loss of his wife. In addition to it being a marvellous sporting performance, it lifted this young nation and the joyous scenes that erupted were a real highlight of what the World Cross has produced over the past decade.
For the highlight though we need look no further than the greatest distance runner in the World. Having won numerous World Cross country titles, never been beaten over 10000m on the track and having emulated Miruts Yifter by claiming the 5000m and 10000m Olympic titles, Keninnese Bekele wanted to complete the same double at the World Championships in Berlin. It came down to the finishing straight against former 1500m world champion Bernard Lagat. In a battle of 1500m speed versus 10000m strength, the Lion roared home to end the decade utterly dominant. Let’s hope the next decade provides the same excitement.

Rineanna

O'Sullivan versus Szabo down the homestraight in Sydney - I don't think athletics gets any better than that. I listened to it live in 6th class in Primary school on the radio, and will never forget those few moments.

Internationally, Tirenush Dibaba makes my knees go weak every time I see her run. Her break away from Abygelesse in Beijing 10,000m was madness, and the 5,000m fight between herself, Aby and Defar was fantastic, even if the race itself was terribly slow. I enjoyed that more than I enjoyed Bolt, strangely enough. That or the U.S .vs. Jamaica women's 4x100m battle in Osaka '07. I think that was the last time I saw the Americans get the stick around :pac:.

ecoli

Kiptanui wrote: »

Colin Costello winning the Euro Junior 1500m ahead of his great rival Danny D’Arcy.

Possibly my fondest memory of the decade 2 irish battling out for a European title at the front of the pack with three hundred to go colin making break for it. Still watch that video at home for inspiration before races sometimes my only regret was that i wasnt in Kaunas to see it live

myflipflops

ecoli wrote: »

Possibly my fondest memory of the decade 2 irish battling out for a European title at the front of the pack with three hundred to go colin making break for it. Still watch that video at home for inspiration before races sometimes my only regret was that i wasnt in Kaunas to see it live

Unfortunately, looking back on the decade, also probably the two best irish talents of the decade who were lost to the sport in one way or another without having a real shot at it.

Costello especially was a disturbingly talented junior.

jimmylive

I remember watching Turnbull v Nolan in Santry in the nationals over 1500m. Was one of the best races i've seen in Ireland. Nolan thought he had it in the bag and alot of others thought that too, but the bull held him off up the home straight to everyones astonishment with him leading from 9oom gone.

Shaheen's win and el guerouje's win in 2003 world champs are unbelievable to watch. Have a look on you tube and you will understand if you havent seen them.

I think any races where there is something to prove are always the sweetest.

eliwallach

Both from Berlin this year.
(I have a short memory...:rolleyes:)

Olive Loughnane in the 20K walk.

Usain Bolt in the 100m.

Reaganomical

International: Tergat v Heile 10,000m @ Sydney 2000 -Bolt's 200m in Beijing 2008

Irish: Sonia v Szabo in 2000, watching it in the assembly hall in school and going bananas after the race finished, the inital moment of disappointment giving way to a raucous display of complete and utter pride

mrflair

snip

TrackFan123

Colin Costello is back training ...

Usain's 100 in Beijing for me. It was spine-tingling