Kelly Sotherton article to start the new year

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2080779/LONDON-2012-Kelly-Sotherton-targets-Olympic-heptathlon-comeback.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Kelly Sotherton: I don't want to get to 60 and think 'if only'

Another Kelly Sotherton article has appeared, this time in The Guardian. Hence me buying the paper during my lunch-break.

The British Olympian was told she would never compete again, slipped into depression and lost her funding, but now she has ambitions at London 2012 as well as Strictly Come Dancing.

Kelly Sotherton is taking nothing for granted but is planning to live off her savings and train through the winter at Birmingham's high performance centre.

"It's rubbish, really," Kelly Sotherton says, laughing defiantly at the fact that, last Sunday, she turned 35. Seven weeks since returning to training for the heptathlon, the gruelling multi-event discipline in which she once fractured her spine in between winning bronze medals at the Olympic Games and the world championships, Sotherton shrugs. "They're really cruel in athletics. As soon as you reach 35 they put a 'V' next to your name. V for veteran. Honestly.

You can read the whole article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/nov/14/kelly-sotherton-london-2012-olympics?newsfeed=true

Kelly Sotherton returns to hepthalon

Long time readers of this blog may recall that while I am not enthusiastic about sport I am slightly more enthusiastic about Kelly Sotherton. Last year she announced she was giving up the heptathlon.

On Monday the news broke that it seems she's had a change of heart. Wednesday's Telegraph newspaper had an interview with her and here's an excerpt.

London 2012 Olympics: heptathlete Kelly Sotherton aims to finish athletics career on a high despite losing funding

It remains one of the harshest verdicts ever bestowed by a coach on his own athlete. In 2004, an emerging British heptathlete named Kelly Sotherton won Olympic bronze in Athens. Yet the first thing that everyone remembers about that breakthrough result is Charles van Commenee denouncing her as “a wimp”.

You can read the whole article at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8848910/London-2012-Olympics-heptathlete-Kelly-Sotherton-aims-to-finish-athletics-career-on-a-high-despite-losing-funding.html

Kelly Sotherton back injury

Longtime readers of my blog thing will know of my admiration of all things related to Kelly Sotherton. I am sorry to read that she has a back injury and will not be competing this year.

Heptathlete Kelly Sotherton has been ruled out of the rest of the 2010 season with a back injury.

The 33-year-old, who won bronze at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, will miss the European Championships in Barcelona in July and the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October.

"I'm extremely disappointed not to compete this year," said Sotherton. "There are some great events coming up this summer and I wish my GB&NI teammates the best of luck. I fully intend to compete in 2011 and am working towards that."

Source: www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/

Oh well, hopefully she'll be all better for the 2012 Olympics...

Kelly Sotherton article in yesterday's paper

Yesterday the Mail on Sunday had an interview-type article on my favourite heptathlete Kelly Sotherton.

In the article she discusses how an injury prevented her from taking part in the 2009 world championships. I don't care much for sport but I make an exception for Kelly so hopefully she'll be back on top form very shortly.

I really don't have anything to add other than to include the link below:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1229855/Kelly-Sotherton-targets-great-rival-Jessica-Ennis-complete-comeback.html

Kelly Sotherton article in Mail on Sunday

Last weekend's Mail on Sunday newspaper had an article on my favourite heptathalete Kelly Sotherton. In it she describes how another competitor at the Beijing Olympics blatantly took a banned substance.

As always I am happy for any excuse to include a photo of Kelly. I noticed that the photo below had been reversed (the "OREGON" on her top was back to front) so I have 're-reversed' it.



And why have just one photo of Kelly when you can have two...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1139042/Kelly-Sotherton-I-sat-Blonska-saw-coach-passed-thought--cheating-cow.html

Terminator, Emma, Kelly, Justine, Alastair Reynolds

It's been over a week since my last post so here is a round-up of what has been in my head these last few days.

First of all Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles returns to UK TV screens on Thursday 5 February 2009. I saw the trailer twice last night during Criminal Minds and found myself going "Yessss!!!"

Friend Barbie send me this news:

Jane Austen's masterpiece Emma is to be adapted by award-winning writer Sandy Welch (Our Mutual Friend, Jane Eyre, North And South) into a fresh, humorous and perceptive 4 x 60-minute serial for BBC Drama Production, for transmission on BBC One in autumn 2009.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/01_january/28/emma.shtml

This is of interest to me because Sandy Welch did such a good job with Jane Eyre in 2006. Thanks to the writing, Ruth Wilson's acting and the music the makers were able to dispense with the narration telling you what Jane was thinking at any one moment. I'm not sure the world needs another adaptation of Emma but I'm sure I will watch it anyway.

I mentioned before about my lack of interest in sport but I had been looking forward to seeing Kelly Sotherton compete at this weekend's Aviva International event in Glasgow. Alas she's hurt her back and will not compete.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5gul8pjWkCE1xGn1Z5_GX0T-NVASw

Photo of Kelly. Just because.

I've officially decided I like Justine Waddell. Since watching Wives and Daughters I've seen Great Expectations (she was very good in that), Thr3e (OK movie) Dracula 2000/2001 (she was a bit wasted) and the movie of Mansfield Park (I admit I had finger on the fast-forward button a few times). Still have to watch Tess.

I've almost finished House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds. I've had it for a while but it's only in the last week or so that I've got stuck in. I must admit I flew through his last few novels (Century Rain, Pushing Ice and The Prefect) much sooner after buying them. And some of those were long books. But now that I'm into it I find that House of Suns is an entertaining space opera set 6 million years in the future. The main characters are clones who skip through time by traveling close to light-speed and observe the turnover of galactic civilisations.

http://members.tripod.com/~voxish/

Sotherton joy as Kluft drops out of the Berlin World Championships

The Daily Mail has a story about Kelly Sotherton's medal prospects:

The odds on Kelly Sotherton or Jessica Ennis claiming gold at the Berlin World Athletics Championships in August improved dramatically last night with the news that defending heptathlon champion Carolina Kluft will not be competing.

You can read the article at
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1102156/Sotherton-joy-Kluft-drops-Berlin-World-Championships.html

Kelly Sotherton article in the Times

There's a good article about Kelly Sotherton in today's Times newspaper. It suggests that she's keeping an eye on competing in the 2012 Olympics:

Sotherton, 32, had suggested that she would retire from the heptathlon after the World Championships, but has moved the goalposts. “I knew Beijing was my opportunity, but people say it was my last one and I don’t believe that,” she said. “If I’m smart I can still be a contender in London, maybe not for gold but certainly for a medal. I know that in Beijing I could not give it everything I could have. I missed 16 weeks. Half that time off and I’d have challenged for gold.”

Kelly Sotherton will next be competing at the Aviva International at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, on January 31 and the Aviva Grand Prix at the NIA, Birmingham, on February 21.




http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/athletics/article5362138.ece

Kelly Sotherton and Victoria Pendleton at BBC Sports Personality of the Year

Again, here are the only two sporty people that I am interested in, Kelly Sotherton and Victoria Pendleton at last night's BBC Sports Personality of the Year event.



Full Story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1094723/Cyclist-Chris-Hoy-wins-BBC-Personality-year-gong--ladies-red-steal-show.html

Kelly Sotherton news article

I mentioned before that my only interest in sport ran to Victoria Pendleton. Well, I have to also give an honourable mention to Kelly Sotherton, winner of the Bronze medal in the heptathlon at the 2004 Athens Olympics.



There's an article about her in today's Times newspaper. The gist is that Kelly will be competing in Austria next May and will be in the company of her old coach who called her a “wimp” and “weasel” at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Here's the link: www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/athletics/article5310366.ece

But as you will guess it's all an excuse for me to include a photo of Kelly. I have a lot of time for Kelly.

Update. The Guardian has a similar article from earlier this week, and it provides me with the excuse to include another Kelly photo.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/dec/08/athletics-kellysotherton