Mexico Marathon disqualifies 11,000 runners

This is one for the books. Around 11,000 runners were disqualified in the other week’s Mexico Marathon after they were caught cheating by cutting out sections of the race. According to sports publication Marca, organizers were informed that runners literally cut corners and used vehicles, bikes and public transport to shorten the distance they had to cover on foot. Marshalls were positioned every five kilometers. Officials disqualified those who were not seen in the checkpoints. Actually, this is not the first time that thousands of runners cheated in the same race. In 2016, over 6,000 were disqualified while in 2018, some 3,000 were sacked for the same reason.  This is indeed a disgrace as the Mexico City Marathon became an IAAF Gold Label race in 2018. A Gold Label is the highest status that can be awarded to a road race by the IAAF Road Running Commission. The race was established in 1983. Titus Ekiru of Kenya set the men’s course record of 2:10:38 in 2018 while compatriot Lucy Cheruiyot ran a 2:27:22 to set the women’s course in 2021. Well, with all the fiasco, the Milo Marathon, PAL Manila Marathon and the Cebu City Marathon are better off than the Mexico Marathon and must be given sanctions like a suspension.

Jackson  Falls Short

Jamaican sprinter Shricka Jackson failed to break the 200m world record when she clocked 21:48 in the Diamond League in Brussles. Jackson was aiming to surpass Florence Griffifth- Joyner’s mark of 21.34 set in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Still, the 29-year old Jackson ran the fourth fastest time in the history of the Diamond League. She failed to advance in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but won back-to-back world titles in Budapest last month with 21.41. Jackson owns five Olympic medals including a gold in the 4x100 relay as a member of the Jamaican team in Tokyo Olympics. The Bahama’s Anthionique was second in 22.31 while Jeanna Parandini of the United States came in third in 22:47.