Marathon runner Noguchi ready to announce retirement

Mizuki Noguchi, the winner of the women’s marathon gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, has decided to retire, athletics sources said Thursday.

The 37-year-old Noguchi, who failed to qualify for this summer’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics after finishing 23rd at the Nagoya Women’s Marathon last month, is set to officially announce her decision at a news conference on Friday, according to the sources.

Tamberi sets European Athlete of the Month

Serbian long jumper Ivana Spanovic and Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi have been voted European Athletes of the Month for March.

Voting for European Athlete of the Month took place through our European Athletics Twitter andFacebook pages over the past week. Athletes with the most combined Twitter 'retweets' and Facebook 'likes' were crowned the winners.

Meldonium users may escape bans after Wada announcement

Wada announced in September that it was adding the heart disease medicine to its banned list from 1 January.

Since the start of the year, there have been 176 positive tests.

INDOOR MARATHONING WORLD RECORDS SET AT NEW YORK ARMORY

Last Saturday in New York City, as the temperature strained to reach 40 degrees and the wind and rain battled for eminence, seven intrepid runners stretched their calves and hamstrings to prepare to run a marathon. The elements would not test their mettle, though. Boredom would. Call it "marath-ennui."
Seven marathoners, six men and one woman, circumnavigated a 200-meter banked oval 211 times to complete the first Armory Indoor

IAAF to allow women to compete in 50K walk for 1st time

MONACO (AP) - The last male-only event in track and field is opening up to women.
The IAAF said Monday that female athletes will be allowed to compete for the first time in 50-kilometer race walk events, a decision that followed a petition by American race walker Erin Taylor-Talcott.
The IAAF’s ruling council amended its rules to allow women to compete along with men in the 50K at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Rome from May 7-8. The results will count equally with the men’s toward the overall team result.