STILL REMEMBER CRAIG BARRET?

 I STILL REMEMBER THE MOMENT DURING THE SUKOM 98!!!...HE WAS A GOOD SPORTMAN!!...A GOOD WALKER!! AND NEVER GIVE-UP!!

HERE SOME INFO,ARTICLE FROM AUSTRALIANSPEAKER.COM....

Craig Barrett

One of New Zealand's finest - and most under-rated - athletes has retired.
Craig Barrett ruled race walking in New Zealand for most of the past 15 years, winning 32 national senior titles in the process. In addition, he competed at six world championships, four Commonwealth Games and three Olympic Games.

Ironically, despite his many triumphs, Barrett is best recalled for a race that he failed to finish - the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games 50km walk. The Waikato-based New Zealander set a sizzling pace in the steamy Malaysian heat and walked so well that with only one kilometre remaining, victory for him seemed a formality. The New Zealand supporters began gathering at the finish, ready to welcome home their latest gold medal winner. Then, astoundingly, Barrett began to suffer bouts of dizziness and weaved across the road. Within moments he had been forced to withdraw the race, battling extreme dehydration. While some pondered if the New Zealander had gone out too fast, it was undeniable that he was desperately unlucky not to win the gold medal, having dominated the race so comprehensively until virtually the finishing straight.

Barrett dipped his toe into the waters of top-level walking when, aged just 22, he was eighth in the 30km event at the Victoria Commonwealth Games in 1994. The bronze medallist in that race was fellow New Zealander Scott nelson, who had so many close duels with Barrett through the mid-1990s.

His next Commonwealth Games effort was the Kuala Lumpur disappointment, but he bounced back to his best at Manchester in 2002, claiming the silver medal. At Melbourne in this year's Commonwealth Games he was pipped for a medal and had to settle for fourth. Barrett competed at three Olympics and won admiration for his bold tactics, often going out quickly and doing his best to hold on against the strong finishers.

During the early part of his walking career, Barrett was generally left alone by race walk judges, but, searching for extra pace, he was disqualified in the world championship races in 2001 (when he'd been up with the leaders in the early stages), 2003 and 2005.

He holds the New Zealand records over 3km, 20km and 50km, and for the two-hour walk. His 50km mark of 3h 48min 05s, set in New Plymouth in 2001, was a fantastic effort. To give athletics followers some idea of the quality of that performance, it was 42 minutes faster than Norman Read walked on his way to winning the 50km gold medal for New Zealand at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Almost as impressive was the 3h 48min 14s he walked in the World Cup race at Deauville, France in 1999.
Having devoted himself to his sport for so long, Barrett now intends to complete his architectural degree.

source : australian speaker

CRAIG BARRET

Craig Michael Barrett (born November 16, 1971 in Opunake) is a New Zealand athlete specializing in long distance events. He has been the dominant race-walker in New Zealand for many years and is the nation's record holder for the 3 km, 20 km, 30 km, 50 km and 2 hour disciplines. He attended the Olympic Games in Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004). He won a silver medal in the 50 km walk at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester


During the 1998 Commonwealth Games, Barrett famously collapsed within one kilometre of the finish line whilst leading the 50 km walk. Although this was reported to be the result of dehydration, it was probably due to hyponatremia resulting from excessive perspiration and water intoxication (it is claimed that Barrett was sweating profusely and drinking large amounts of pure water).

source :wikipedia

CHIEW HUI LIAN

Chiew Hui Lian, is the fastest schoolgirl in the country as her 12.07s run smashed the long-standing 11-year-old 100m record of 12.09 seconds set by Terengganu's Nik Norazura Nik Mahmud in 1999.

The ex-student of SMK Taman Daya 2 also excellent in SPM 2010 after getting  10As in all papers!! She is the country woman sprinter in the making!! Hope our Malaysia Sport Management can support her in future studies so that she can concentrate in both sport and education!!

AI FUKUHARA THE DARLING OF NIHON!!

Ai Fukuhara was born in Sendi, Japan on November 1, 1988. She started playing at the age of 3 and was a professional table tennis player when she was just 10. Her mother, Chiyo Fukuhara, was also a renowned table tennis player in Japan. At the age of 11, Ai Fukuhara became the youngest player to be included in the Japanese national team.
When she was just 14, she finished fifth in the Woman’s World Championships held in Paris, France, in 2003. At the age of 15, Ai Fukuhara participated in the Summer Olympic Games held in Athens, Greece, in 2004. In Japanese language, Ai means ‘love’ and the Japanese table tennis fans simply love her.
In first Olympic Games venture, she reached the round of 16. She had a bye in the first round. In the second round, she overcame Miao Miao of Australia in a thrilling 7-game match, winning 5-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, and 11-9. In the third round, she defeated Jun Gao of the United States 11-3, 11-6, 11-8, and 11-9. However, in the fourth round, she lost to Kyung Ah Kim of South Korea 8-11, 5-11, 11-7, 13-15, and 6-11.
At present, Ai Fukuhara is placed eleventh in the ITTF Women’s World Table Tennis rankings. At the 2002 World Junior Circuit held in Fort Lauder dale, United States, she won the women’s singles title. At the 2003 World Junior Championships in Santiago, Chile, she reached the quarterfinals in the singles event and at the 2004 Junior Championships in Kobe, Japan, she reached the semifinals. She was placed third in the 2005 World Cup in Guangzhou, China.
At the ITTF Pro Tour events, in 2005, she reached the quarterfinals in Harbin, China and in Jeonju, Korea. In 2006, she reached the semifinals in Bayreuth, Germany and the quarterfinals in Doha, Qatar. In 2007, she was the runner-up in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Ai Fukuhara is right handed. She uses reversed rubber on the forehand and short pimples on the backhand of her blade.
One of the most important matches played by Ai Fukuhara was in the semifinals of the Women’s Singles event at the Liebherr German Open in Bayreuth in November 2006. Ai Fukuhara was seeded number four in the event and she was facing number one seed, Li Jia Wei, of Singapore. They had played each other 6 times and both had won 3 matches apiece. In the opening game, Ai Fukuhara attacked from the beginning and jumped to a lead of 6-1 and took the game at 11-7. In the second game also, she led 9-7 but Li Jia Wei leveled at 9-all and then she topspinned the next 2 points into the body of Ai Fukuhara to win the game 11-9.
Ai Fukuhara tried to attack the topspin returns of Li Jia Wei and started making errors. Li Jia Wei won the third game 11-6. In the fourth game, it was 5-all again before Li Jia Wei pulled ahead with her consistency to take the game 11-5. In the fifth game, Li Jia Wei took a lead of 6-5 and extended it to 9-6. However, Ai Fukuhara fought back to level at 9-all. Playing a deliberately composed game, Li Jia Wei took the next 2 points and won the game at 11-9. Li Jia Wei entered the finals and Ai Fukuhara had to be content with a semifinal spot.

source :AI FUKUHARA

WHO'S WHO?-RAFAEL PAENG NEPOMUCENO

Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno (born January 30, 1957 in Manila) is a six time World Bowling Champion Filipino bowler. He has won the World Cup of Bowling four times (1976, 1980, 1992 and 1996). Nepomuceno has also won the World's Invitational Tournament in 1984 and the World Tenpin Masters championship in 1999.

Source : WIKIPEDIA

WHO'S WHO?-YANG YANG (BADMINTON)

Yang began training in 1975, when he was 12 years old. He was recruited by the Chinese national team in 1983. He won his first Chinese national championship title in 1984. In 1985, he won the Hong Kong Open by defeating Morten Frost.


In 1986, he won the Japan Open and the Hong Kong Open for the second straight year, and also helped China to regain the Thomas Cup (men's world team championship) from Indonesia by winning key matches.


In the late 80s he dominated international singles play, winning the World Championships over Morten Frost in 1987 and over young Ardy Wiranata in 1989. In 1988 he also won the Olympic exhibition event in Seoul (badminton became an official Olympic sport at the next games in Barcelona).


In 1989 he added the venerable All-England Championships to his tally; thus, by twenty-five, he captured all the titles by which "greatness" in the sport is generally measured.


Source : wikipedia

WHO'S WHO?- P.T USHA

The queen of Indian track and field for two decades, P.T. Usha has been associated with Indian athletics since 1979. The initials stand for Payyoli Tevaraparampil, her family names according to the traditional naming system in many parts of South India. She was born in 1964 in the Kerala village of Meladi-Payyoli near Calicut, afflicted by ill health and poverty. In 1976 the Kerala State Government started a Sports School for women, and Usha was chosen to represent her district, at a cost of Rs. 250 per month paid by the state.

In 1979 she participated in the National School Games, where she was noticed by O. M. Nambiar, who coached her through most of the rest of her career. India Today describes the athletic situation in 1979 as a time when 'athletics was very much a male sport and track-suited women a rarity'.
Her first international performance came in the 1982 Asian Games. By 1986, the Los Angeles Olympics, she had improved tremendously; she won the 400 m heats, and missed getting India's first track-and-field bronze medal in the 400m finals by 1/100 sec, in a dramatic photo finish. She had set an Asian best, 55.42 seconds, for the event which still stands today.
 
1986 and the Seoul Asian Games: Usha won golds in the 200 m, 400 m, 400 m hurdles and 4x400m relay. The Seoul Olympics in 1988 proved a disappointment, however, with Usha unable to make the finals in her best events. This provoked much finger-pointing and breast-beating in the Indian sports community, with much of the blame being directed towards P.T. Usha to her dismay. However, she was determined not to be discouraged, and won four golds and two silvers at the Asian Track Federation meet in Delhi, 1989.
 
Having proved her mettle, she decided to retire from athletics, but was lured back to participate in the Beijing Asian Games, where she won a silver medal (a poor haul by the standards her fans had come to expect) in spite of her limited preparation.
 
In 1991, she married V. Srinivasan, and their son Ujjwal was born the following year. Although she enjoyed domesticity and motherhood, she was drawn back to athletics, and astonished the country by winning bronze medals in the 200 m and 400 m at the Asian Track Federation meet in Japan, 1999. And, silencing her critics, at the age of 34 she set a new national record for the 200m, improving on her own previous record.
P.T. Usha was named sportsperson of the century by the Indian Olympic Association, and is still the Indian with most international track and field medals.

She was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1983, and the Padma Shree in 1985. You can walk on P.T. Usha Road in Cochin. Her autobiography, Golden Girl, was published by Penguin in 1987.

WHO'S WHO?- SUSANTHIKA JAYASINGHE

Described as Sri Lanka's 'wonder girl', Susanthika Jayasinghe made history in the Sydney Olympics by becoming the first Sri Lankan woman to win an Olympic medal. Susanthika clocked 22.28 seconds in the women's 200 meter finals at Sydney to win the bronze medal, and missed the silver by only 0.01 seconds.
Jayasinghe was a surprise winner of the 200m silver medal in the 1997 World Championships, becoming the first Sri Lankan to win a major medal since 1948. She has also won medals at 1995 Asian Championships and 1994 Asian Games.

Source :Sawnet

Greg Louganis hits his head

Greg Louganis - The World's Greatest Diver Ever!

Florence Griffith-Joyner

One of the most memorable moments of the 20th century was when Florence Griffith Joyner became an Olympic track and field champion during the 1988 Seoul games. It was then that the phenomenon known as "Flo Jo" emerged. With her flashy one-legged running outfits, long hair, and brightly painted fingernails, she captured four medals and the attention of the world with her speed, grace, and charm.

Athletically, Flo Jo elevated women's track to a higher level as she broke world records in the 100 and 200-meter events. This feat earned her the title "World's Fastest Woman." Perhaps as astonishing was Flo Jo's range of talents outside the track realm. She excelled in the fields of fashion design, acting, writing, sports casting as well as being a wife and mother. One of her most impressive achievements was her appointment as co-chair of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. She was an eloquent spokeswoman who shared her expertise and enthusiasm for fitness with the nation.

Flo Jo's success is especially great when her beginnings are considered. She began her life in the projects of South Central Los Angeles. The values of independence and individualism were instilled in her household from an early age. When she was seven, Florence began running. She was a star athlete by adolescence, as well as a straight-A student. Flo Jo was a true role model. Her excellence in all endeavors inspired fans to achieve their own great heights. The image of Flo Jo, victorious, waving the American flag at the Seoul Olympics stands as a testament to this legend that defined the "American Dream." 

Source : Flo Jo

NADIA COMANECI, MONTREAL 1976,PERFECT TEN !!!