Latest athletics news

The low down on track and field with one month to go

Michael Gleeson   Russian athletes remain doubtful to be on the track in Rio another drug cheat stands poised to claim gold medal in the Olympics' premier event.

Russian whistleblower closer to Rio start as a 'neutral'

Yuliya Stepanova

Track and field's governing body has approved Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova's bid to compete as a neutral athlete in the upcoming European championships and the Olympics at Rio de Janeiro.

As sporting heroes tumble, Sally Pearson stands tall

Malcolm Knox dincus

Malcolm Knox   Sally Pearson is the way we like our sporting heroes: gritty, imperfect, up for the struggle.

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London to Rome: Sally Pearson's highs and lows

Sally Pearson after winning gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games .

James Lemon   With the news 100m hurdles Olympic champion Sally Pearson has pulled out of Rio with a hamstring injury, we take a look at her form since her triumph in London.

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'Gutted' Pearson out of Rio with torn hamstring

Cruel blow: Australia's Sally Pearson is out of the Olympics after suffering a hamstring injury.

Steve Larkin   Sally Pearson has ruled herself out of the Rio Olympics, after suffering a fresh hamstring injury while training on the Gold Coast.

Jack Hale breaks Australian U20 record

Jack Hale of Tasmania.

Michael Gleeson   Jack Hale has become Australia's fastest junior sprinter of all time and is surging into contention to be a late and unexpected inclusion in the team for the Rio Olympics.

Rio Olympics: Rachel and Jared Tallent search for donations to fund Olympic dream

Gold medalist Jared Tallent is raising money for his second tilt at glory.

James Hall   Olympic race walker Rachel Tallent searches for donations to fund her Rio dream.

Rio drug-testing lab suspended by WADA

Brazil 2016

Samantha Lane   Six weeks before the Summer Olympics start in Rio de Janeiro, the laboratory that was set to handle drug testing at the games has been suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency in a new escalation of world sport's doping crisis.

Athletics: Another drug cheat walker who robbed Tallent

Gold finally: Jared Tallent with his wife Claire at the gold medal presentation ceremony in Melbourne for the 50km walk ...

Michael Gleeson   A week after being belatedly crowned Olympic champion Jared Tallent could be in line for further retrospective medals after reports Italian Alex Schwazer, who has twice beaten him to gold, has failed another drug test.

Top athletics coach arrested in Spain over doping

World 1500 metre champion Genzebe Dibaba celebrates her win.

The coach of Ethiopian world 1500-metre champion Genzebe Dibaba has been arrested after Spanish police raided his hotel room and found traces of EPO and other banned substances.

LaCaze posts Rio qualifier in 5000m

Inspired: Genevieve LaCaze (left) has made radical changes to her training regime this year.

By Emma Kemp   Track star Genevieve LaCaze will represent Australia in two events at the Rio Olympics after posting a 5000m qualifier to add to her 3000m steeplechase berth.

Rio 2016: Australians praise ruling on Russia

Canberra athlete Lauren Wells.

James Hall   Australian athletes to benefit from banned Russian drug cheat.

Russia vows to defend banned athletes

Major decision: IAAF president Sebastian Coe speaks during a meeting of the IAAF Council in Vienna, where the ruling ...

The Kremlin has vowed to pull out all legal stops to defend Russian athletes if they are banned from taking part in the Rio Olympics over doping allegations.

Boyle not optimistic on chances of retrospective golds

Raelene Boyle: Delighted to see Jared Tallent finally get his gold medal on Friday.

Michael Gleeson   Raelene Boyle was twice cheated out of Olympic gold just as Jared Tallent was. She knows she is just as deserving of retrospective gold medals as Jared Tallent. But she also knows she is unlikely ever to get those medals like Jared Tallent did in Melbourne on Friday.

Tallent finally gets his gold

Jared Tallent with his gold medal on Friday.

Michael Gleeson   One thousand four hundred and five days after he should have stood on the podium in London Jared Tallent's long walk to Olympic gold ended when he was awarded the gold medal denied him by a Russian doping cheat.

Russia athletics 'rotten to core': Coates

The Russian flag.

Russia's anti-doping agency and athletics body were "rotten to the core", says International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates.

Today is the day Jared Tallent has waited for

Olympic race walker Jared Tallent.

Friday is the day Australian walker Jared Tallent long thought would never arrive.

Brichacek back from injury and desperate for Olympic chance

Gearing up: 5000m runner Emily Brichacek is hoping to qualify for the Olympics.

Jon Tuxworth   Emily Brichacek's body had reached breaking point.

Pearson to head home for training

Heading home: Sally Pearson will skip her next race and return to Sydney to work on her fitness.

Olympic champion hurdler Sally Pearson will reportedly skip her next race in Stockholm to return to Australia to work on her fitness.

Bolt prepared to return Olympic relay gold

Usain Bolt, of Jamaica

Kayon Raynor   Usain Bolt says he would have no problem giving back one of his six Olympic gold medals if a Jamaican relay team mate is confirmed to have failed a drugs test.