Past Programs
Athletics - 2008
The science behind Usain Bolt
21/08/2008
Jamaica's sprint star Usain Bolt won the 200 metre men's final last night and he did it in a world record time.
It was an extraordinary run by the new Olympic double sprint champion. He's the first man to complete the 100m and 200m sprint double since Carl Lewis in 1984. So what makes him so fast and how can such a tall man be such a great sprinter?
Britain's Olympic team
13/08/2008
After coming 10th on the medal table in Athens with nine gold medals, elite British sport has been re-invented under what has been called a 'no compromise' investment strategy. That includes pinching Australian coaches and coaching methods.
<em>Salute</em> - a film about athlete Peter Norman
05/06/2008
In 1968, Australian athlete Peter Norman made history in the 200 metre final at the Mexico Olympics. He ran second and his time of 20.06 seconds still stands today as an Australian record. But that race is remembered more for the Black Power salute offered by Tommy Smith and John Carlos, who each raised a black-gloved fist as they stood on the podium.
It's been known ever since as 'the Black Power medal ceremony' and it has special relevance for Australians because Peter Norman stood on the podium wearing a badge supporting human rights, joining the protest in his own way.
Now the events that led to that political statement are the subject of a new Australian documentary, Salute. The film will screen at the Sydney Film Festival this Sunday before a national release next month.
Torch runner says Olympic ideal is beyond politics
23/04/2008
Canberra's Australian of the year Lyn Hatfield Dodds has pulled out of the Olympic torch relay, sheduled for tommorrow, to make a point about human rights abuses in Tibet. But other torch bearers, like former Olympic marathon runner Robert de Castella, believe politics should be kept out of the Olympic ideal.
Six Foot Track marathon - 25 times!
07/03/2008
With a bowl of oats for breakfast and half a banana along the way, 65-year-old Max Bogenhuber will race tomorrow in his 25th consecutive Six Foot Track Marathon through the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Up hill and down dale for 45 km, with plenty of red bellied black snakes to dodge along the way, the annual race from Katoomba to the Jenolan Caves has earned a reputation as one of Australia's toughest endurance races. Max is the last of the original seven runners still competing. He ran his first race back in 1984. He's running faster now than 25 years ago, because back then, only one of the competitors knew the track and it was a slow run waiting for him to catch up!
