“I think I will have to pinch myself for long time to make sure it actually happened! It’s a complete honour to stand on the blocks representing Australia. I love my home country and to wear the coat of arms on my chest is a true privilege,” she said. In the lead up to the 4 x 100 metres relay Melanie trained for 40 hours a week for 18 months after having 10 months off in 2010. This was due to a battle with glandular fever and illness saw her unhealthy enough not to train. But this is all behind her saying that this was the “best block of training I have ever had.”

Before Melanie races she listens to music, mostly just when she is stretching before warm up. She said she always concentrates on the task at hand. “I am a very focused person so whether I am in the spotlight or flying under the radar my preparation remains the same. I enjoy my time swimming regardless of the situation. I really do love my sport.”

Anchoring the 4 x 100 metres along with Alicia Coutts, Cate Campbell, Britanny Elmslie. Melanie felt confident that she could “swim the best race I could (but) didn’t know how the other girls I was racing would go. I was determined not to be the person that was passed in the final leg!” Melanie has always found it great fun to be in the relay because she has “three other girls out there to celebrate with! We are all good friends and it was a lot of fun.” Melanie says the support she has received online has been completely overwhelming and is happy to be home.

By Peter McAlpine

For a very long time, Andrew Demetriou and his fellow AFL board members have led the codes in positive attitudes to women. AFL recognises the contribution of women fans, women as the mothers of AFL players and, more recently, women as junior coaches and umpires. They showcase a women’s round every season and GWS Giants coach, Kevin Sheedy, has even written a book, ‘Football’s Women, the Forgotten Heroes’ about the importance of women to his beloved code.
Just as they lead the way in the promotion of indigenous players and opposition to racism, the AFL has actively sought to involve women in its game.
Now, in another first, the AFL will broadcast a footy show presented by women. Called Sirens, it features former ABC sports presenter, Angela Pippos, netball star Sharelle McMahon and comedian, Kate McLennan. It sounds like it will be a lot of fun and an expert insight into the game. It may also take some of the spotlight away from Eddie McGuire, which can never be a bad thing. You can read more about it here.
Sirens begins on the AFL website from 28 August, so go to afl.com.au and check it out. The more support we can give initiatives like this, the more ammunition it gives federal sports minister, Kate Lundy, as she tries to push women’s sport up the ladder after our women athletes’ success at the Olympics.

By Sportsmad

sportstar.com © 2012

Meares set the tone by winning the blue-ribbon event of women’s track cycling, the match sprint, against crowd favourite Victoria Pendleton, the Brit who had beaten her to gold in 2008 and beaten her again in the London keirin event.

Pearson followed suit a few hours later at the track, winning the 100m hurdles gold medal like a true world champion to give Australia its first golden double day of the 2012 Olympics.

The winning theme continued on Wednesday when sailors Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen won the 49er skiff gold medal, Australia’s fifth, on what was essentially a lap of honour at Weymouth because they had already amassed an unassailable lead.

The skiff gold made sailing Australia’s most successful sport at these London Games following Tom Slingsby’s win in the men’s Laser moved Australia to 11th on the medal tally.

Back in London, Pearson and Meares were breathing a huge sigh of relief, thanking their support networks and revealing what an inspiration they had been to each other.

Meares asked Pearson to sign her copy of Aspire, the Australian Olympic team’s daily news sheet, which was justifiably trumpeting their twin golds on its front page alongside the headline “Track Queens”.

“That’s cool, to get to share the front page with Sally Pearson,” said Meares, who was beaming on Wednesday morning despite failing to get a wink of sleep overnight.

“I was full of pride and happiness to see her run.”

“I have always looked up to Anna Meares,” said Pearson.

“I have watched her riding for a long time now, way before I made it to the Olympics, and she has always been an inspiration to me.

“To share this with her is a dream come true.”

The pair bumped into each other for the first time after their victories at about 1.30am in the morning while meeting media commitments and ran to embrace and congratulate each other.

Their twin triumphs gave a much needed boost to the Australian team, vaulting them up the medals table to a more respectable 12th position and lifting spirits after a mediocre start to the Games.

Meares revealed criticism from the media and public had been affecting the athletes.

“Yes, oh my God, yes,” she replied when asked if they had been feeling the pressure.

“I think the whole team is feeling it, to be honest. I was very surprised in the village this morning to realise how many of the Australian team had been watching Sally and I. I was truly overwhelmed.”

Pearson travelled the most flawless path of all to her moment of glory.

She went in as world champion and hot favourite, and ran a technically brilliant race to turn the tables on Dawn Harper, her Beijing conqueror, albeit by just two hundredths of a second.

“I have been wanting that gold medal since watching Cathy Freeman win (the 400m) in 2000 in Sydney,” Pearson said. “It’s been a 12-year dream that has finally come true.”

Meares probably had to dig deeper to overcome the setback of a disappointing fifth place in the keirin final.

She also spent some moments believing she had lost the first race of the best-of-three sprint final against Pendleton, who ultimately had her win taken off her for straying outside the sprinter’s lane.

But those moments were a precious time for some self-evaluation by Meares.

She asked her coach if there were grounds for a protest over a collision but he told her: “Don’t worry. You’ve got to beat her twice anyway.”

“I looked at him and said, ‘I can do this’. I knew in that moment that the first ride had given me huge confidence that I had the strength in my legs to run her down.”

Meares did just that in the second sprint, blowing Pendleton away to claim the gold that had eluded her four years ago.

Both athletes felt a huge relief, a weight off their shoulders.

Meares talked of “huge anxiety levels”, saying: “I’m glad I dyed my hair before the competition because I swear I’m going to go grey.”

She revealed a tip from former Wallabies great and Olympic team mentor John Eales had helped her cope with the pressure of tackling a British favourite on home soil.

Eales told her how the Wallabies had worn track suits during the traditional pre-match performance of the haka by the All Blacks, giving them the chance to get into a huddle to remove the track suits and regain their composure.

Meares used a similar strategy at the velodrome, letting Pendleton go to the start line first so that she could mentally regroup while the raucous home crowd settled down.

And the best thing of all is that it worked.

AAP

Photo: Casey with Team Eastham

Are you a Vibram first timer or a keen barefoot shoe collector? Crossfit blogger and ex-competitive ballroom dancer Emma Hatch from the RxReview have these to say about the new Vibram FiveFinger Speed:

The Good
• As obvious as it sounds my feet feel free and can quickly adapt to any exercise. The toe pockets are the perfect fit and the sole is the perfect thickness, which makes it easy to transition from running to weightlifting.

• The mesh material surrounding the external surface of the shoe allows the feet to breathe.

• At the heel of the shoe there is a cup design and unlike other FiveFingers it doesn’t have the hook and loop. Ultimately, this means the Speed don’t rub on the heels making them more comfortable and contoured.

• For those who already sport Vibram FiveFingers: the Speed have better ground feel because unlike other models it doesn’t have the extra 3mm polyutherane inside, at the forefoot.

• I have never been so glad that a sports shoe comes with a padded tongue. The tongue gives a more shoe like feel, creating the illusion that my toes weren’t going to slide around and try anything heroic like support my whole body weight in a fall.

• The shoe is machine washable, which may not seem like much of a benefit but trust me is a complete necessity. The dirt that gets collected along with the smell that loiters makes this a welcomed feature.

• Unlike classic barefoot runners, the Speed has a lace-up design, which adds to the physical appeal of the shoe and also means the width is adjustable, providing a custom fit.

• Style, Style, Style. So the Speed is the best looking FiveFingers out there or at least I think so. They have a retro design and a sneaker like finish guaranteed to attract a few stares.

The Bad
• Welcome to the developing world of barefoot shoes where they still haven’t figured out a way to prevent the great stench that lingers beneath the laces. Yes, they smell.

• The colour: now this really only applies to women. The (current) selection for women is limited to white with a blue stripe or bright blue with a white stripe, so I bought both.

I guess it goes without saying but the white are now an interesting shade of off white, almost grey. The mesh material means dirt sticks to the white fabric leaving stains even after washing.

The bright blue are just that… bright! So if you want to enter into Vibrams barefoot world subtly this is definitely not the shoe for you.

• I developed blisters on my feet the first few times I wore the Speed. Knowing that my feet would eventually adjust I kept wearing them and now they are the perfect fit.

• I have spoken to some people who feel that the lace-up design takes away from the whole barefoot experience.

• I will say the Speed are anything but easy to put on. Most FiveFingers have the hook and loop design at the tail, which mean the shoe goes on quickly and doesn’t require much feeling around for the toes to separate into each pocket. Putting on the Speed takes some practice.

• They take some getting used to. As with any model of Vibram’s FiveFingers if you wear them for fifty minutes or for five days your feet are going to hurt, ache and throb. If you persevere past the pain the payoff will be worth it in the end (or so we’re told).

• Price. US consumers will pay around US$100 for Vibram FiveFingers. In Australia you can pay anywhere upwards of $200 for the latest and greatest pair.

Read Emma’s full article (and pre-Vibram toe injury horror story) at the Rx Review

Losing weight is not as easy as it seems. Protein keeps you fuller for longer Wow, hardly earth shattering information you say, but still, these two facts that have been driven home for me in the last two months. There has been some heated discussion in the exercise and weight loss industries regarding obesity and dieting.

One well known fitness professional recently wrote an article about the use of lap band surgery. The argument went along the lines of – to be a candidate for lap band surgery, you first need to lose weight. This begs the question – if you can lose enough to qualify for surgery, why not carry on the weight loss and forego the surgery?

A surgeon who performs said surgery countered this with: it’s not always that easy for people to lose weight and those choosing this option do so as a last ditch attempt to regain control over their weight, lives and health. I have to admit, I tend towards the “eat less, move more” school of thought. However, when I recently undertook a month of lifestyle changes with the goal of 2 kg weight loss, I had to re-think my outlook. I don’t need to lose weight, but the minute I started thinking about what I was / wasn’t eating, I became obsessive about food and ended up gaining weight over the month. The gain was small – only 500g, however, if I put on 500g a month I would gain 10% of my current body weight in less than a year.

A sobering (and frightening) thought. As soon as the next month started, the weight I gained dropped off immediately. I didn’t make any conscious effort to lose the weight, just stopped thinking about it… Now I know this isn’t a good approach for those really needing to lose weight, but it did make me more sympathetic to dieters everywhere. My next step was to test the power of protein.

There are various diets out there that kick start the weight loss process with a day or two of eating only protein (eggs, meat, chicken, fish, pulses, dairy etc). Whilst I always try to include protein in my meals, I was keen to give this approach a go. The results of my one day experiment really surprised me – I ate small meals (there are only so many boiled eggs, tins of tuna and yogurt you can eat), but I was never hungry and didn’t even feel like having anything else. Amazing. I wouldn’t try this for more than a day as I love my food too much and eating only protein doesn’t provide the many other important nutrients that we need every day, but it did drive home the power of protein. So, what have l learnt through all this? • Dieting isn’t always easy, but eating protein definitely helps keeps the hunger pangs at bay

The silly season is officially upon us but you can survive without doing too much damage to your waist line and liver by following these simple guidelines: • Don’t over-do it – you can enjoy seasonal treats without over indulging. One serve is enough. Put your knife and fork down and don’t keep reaching for more (place your napkin over your plate if that helps) • Alternate alcohol with water – we all know it but don’t always apply. You won’t feel so bad in the morning, you’ll limit the empty calories you consume and you might just avoid the calorie laden hangover-cure-greasy-breakfast • Keep moving – 30 minutes exercise on most days will keep your fitness levels up, stress levels down and that party frock will still fit comfortably

Anja Lineen Personal Trainer www.goforfit.com.au

Note: I’m not a qualified dietician. Please seek expert advice before attempting any weightloss regime.

Compound what? A compound exercise is any movement pattern that targets a number of muscle groups and energy levels at once. eg a burpee or mountain climbers. This is opposed to targeted exercises which focus on one muscle group eg bicep curls and shoulder press. Burpees are one of my personal favourites – this neat exercise needs no equipment, little space and can be adapted for beginners or ramped up for the super fit. This power-house move targets your core muscles, shoulders, back, legs and your cardiovascular system if you do it for more than 45 seconds.

How to do it: • start standing • drop your hands to the floor whilst bending your knees • kick your feet out behind you so you are in a push up position • jump your feet back to your hands (deep squat position) • jump up into the air • repeat Too difficult? • Make your burpees easier by coming up into standing rather than jumping into the air at the end • Step your feet out into push up position • Start with 5 burpees and slowly build up the pace and repetitions Need more of a challenge? • Work up to 3 sets of 1 minute non-stop burpees • Add a push up before bringing your feet back to your hands • Hold light dumb bells

Another great compound exercise is the mountain climber. Here you start in a push up position with hands shoulder width apart and then bring alternate knees up to your chest. Keeping your core tight and back straight (don’t sag at the hips) start slowly and then build up to a faster run on the spot movement. The higher you bring your knees, the harder it becomes. This one also targets your core and back whilst working your shoulders and cardiovascular system.

Adding compound exercises to your existing regime will boost your fitness and give you a good all-over workout making you fitter and stronger for everyday living.

Anja Lineen Master Trainer www.goforfit.com.au

The Opals proved too strong for opponents Russia, getting on top early in the physical battle and going on to win 83-74. Veteran Suzy Batkovic was instrumental in setting up the win with a tremendous first half, and the team finished it off in style from there.

Driven by Batkovic’s power play and excellent shooting, the Opals were able to go to halftime with an eight-point lead. She had provided a great presence under the basket at the offensive end, and the Russians couldn’t handle her.

Batkovic finished the first half as the leading scorer from both sides, with 12 points. She also had four rebounds, as did Lauren Jackson.

Australia led 17-16 after a first quarter in which the Russians had led by as much as four points.

The lead changed hands several times early in the second term, before the Opals went on a 7-0 scoring run to lead 26-20. The lead got as big as 10 points late in the half, but the Russians cut it back to eight, 38-30, with the last basket before the main break.
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Australia shot at a terrific 58 per cent (15 from 26) in the first half, compared to 38 per cent (13 from 34) by Russia. The Aussies had also led the rebounding, 20-16, including 17-10 at the defensive end.

Kristi Harrower had also contributed strongly in the first half, with nine points. Rachel Jarry had made six. The Opals had made more turnovers (eight to six) than the Russians, but their opponents hadn’t made them pay.

Russia made a run immediately the third quarter began, cutting Australia’s lead by five points, back to 38-35, but the Opals answered brilliantly, embarking on a 10-0 run of their own to lead by 13, 48-35.

The Russians were always going to be under pressure to make it back from there, as long as the Aussies remained focused.

Russia cut the lead back to nine with a series of successful free throws, but again the Aussies responded, this time with an 8-0 run to lead by 17, 56-39. The Opals led 57-43 at the end of three quarters.

The Aussies just had to remain committed to see the win home from there, and when the Russians came at them early in the final quarter they responded well.

Russia made another determined run to cut the deficit to five points with 80 seconds left with Batkovic having fouled out, but Australia lifted their intensity again to make sure of victory.

Greg Prichard in London
Olympics.com.au

After superlative performances in the qualifying races and the semi-finals, Buchanan was highly fancied to at least be in the medals, but was well behind the front runners at the end of the starting ramp and was seventh into the tunnel.

In a field of such strong riders it was a near impossible task, barring crashes, yet Buchanan showed her prodigious aerial skills to gradually improve her standing and finish a close fifth to the winner, Mariana Pajon, of Colombia.

Good on the Kiwi, Sarah Walker, who won the silver medal, after crashing in the early rounds. The Dutch rider, Laura Smulders, was third, while the crowd favourite, Shanaze Reade, came sixth. Like Buchanan, Reade missed the start and was left to contemplate two disappointing campaigns – in Beijing and here, in front of a madly cheering home crowd.

Buchanan, 21, sped over the 430m course in 38.434 seconds, one of only four riders to break the 39 second mark.

Her performance replicated her effort at the world championships in Birmingham in May when she also qualified fastest and was ranked the number one BMX rider in the world.

Second fastest was New Zealand’s Sarah Walker (38.644), in front of Colombia’s Mariana Pajon (38.787), the Colombian flag bearer at these Olympics, and France’s Laetita le Corguille (38.976), who was the silver medallist in Beijing.

Australia’s other representative, Lauren Reynolds, 21, from Bunbury in Western Australia, registered a time of 40.045sec. for ninth ranking overall.

American Brooke Crain was the first casualty of the event, falling heavily before the finish of her run.

The seeding run determines the seeding and gate selection order for the first run of the semi-finals, to be contested on Day 14.

In the women’s semi-finals, riders ranked 1-4 from each heat after three runs qualify for the finals.

Buchanan and Reynolds have been drawn in the same heat, along with le Corguille and Great Britain’s Shanaze Reade.

Courtesy Australian Olympic Committee