Britain supplied two of the supporting cast members for Thursday’s sprint showdown though neither were able to steal the show. Mark Lewis-Francis suffered the ignominy of being disqualified for a false start while Marlon Devonish finished sixth in an underwhelming 10.40sec.
The world 400m hurdles champion, Dai Greene, insists that winning Diamond League races is of no importance to him this season and that his training programme has been geared to peaking for the Olympics.
One can only trust he and his coach, Malcolm Arnold, know what they are doing because Greene showed none of the strength and power that carried him to the world title in Daegu last summer as he struggled home in fourth place last night in a weary 49.98sec.
A long way ahead of him was Javier Culson, the Puerto Rican who took the silver in Daegu but has looked the man to beat all season. His winning time of 47.92sec was the fastest in the world this year and has been bettered by Greene only once in his career.
Greene, who appeared to be running out of gas in the straight, said: “It was disappointing. I’m not going to lie, I wanted a lot more. I didn’t think I was going to run as fast as Culson but I just didn’t feel quite as fresh as I did a few weeks ago.” In mitigation, Greene was forced to pull out of last week’s Rome Golden Gala with a stomach virus and he admitted his preparation had not been ideal.
“I thought I could have gone about four tenths faster,” said the Welshman. “That was the target in my head. I ran very aggressively from the start but it was a struggle from hurdle seven onwards. Hopefully, things will get a bit easier in the future.”
The eagerly awaited Olympic 5,000m showdown between Mo Farah and defending Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele is in danger of not even happening after the Ethiopian trailed home in fifth place in the 5,000m here. The race had been nominated by the Ethiopian athletics federation as an Olympic trial and, unfortunately for Bekele, the four athletes who finished ahead of him were all compatriots, leaving him in serious peril of missing out on London.
Bekele has yet to run under 13 minutes this season, though he insisted that he still had time to post a quick enough to catch the selectors’ eyes because the final decision would not be made for several weeks.
“I don’t give up hope,” said Bekele. “I still have time. No problem, I will make it.” Thursday’s race was won by Dejen Gebremeskel, the 5,000m bronze medallist at last year’s World Championships, in 12min 58.92sec, though Farah still leads the world rankings after his 12min 56.88sec in Eugene, Oregon, last Friday.
Jessica Ennis had a mixed night after recording her third-quickest ever time of 12.83sec in the semi-finals of the 100m hurdles only to be disqualified from the final for a false start. Victory went to Australian world champion Sally Pearson with a world-leading time of 12.49sec in her first outdoor race of the European season. Britain’s Tiffany Porter showed her own Olympic medal credentials by taking some big scalps in finishing third in 12.70sec.
Abi Oyepitan turned back the clock with her best 200m time in eight years to finish in second place in her race in 22.71sec — the fastest time this year by a UK runner and well within the Olympic ‘A’ qualifying standard.
The last time she ran so quickly was at the 2004 Athens Olympics, where she reached the final. Having already secured the ‘A’ standard in the 100m, the Tony Lester-coached athlete now looks back to her best after years of injury problems.
Britain's winners and losers in Oslo...
Good Night for...
Abi Oyepitan (200m)
After reaching the final of the Athens Olympics, Oyepitan’s career was blighted by injury, but she now looks back to her best. Her 22.71sec in Oslo took her to the top of the UK rankings.
Nigel Levine (400m)
The UK indoor champion sliced a huge 0.67sec off his lifetime best to win his 400m race in 45.11sec — well inside the Olympic ‘A’ qualifying standard.
Gareth Warburton (800m)
His winning time of 1min 44.98sec made him the third GB athlete to achieve the Olympic ‘A’ standard.
Bad Night for...
Dai Greene (400m hurdles)
He looked a shadow of the runner who won the world title last September as he came fourth in 48.98sec. The Welshman admitted he was disappointed but was not pressing the panic button yet.
Nicola Sanders (400m)
The 2007 world silver medallist finished last in her 400m race in 52.79sec, a long way off the Olympic ‘A’ standard.
Jessica Ennis (100m hurdles)
After clocking 12.83sec in her semi-final — the third fastest time of her career — she was disqualified in the final for a false start.
'Ground-breaking' changes for London cancer patients - BBC News
The way London's cancer patients are treated changed on Thursday in a move the NHS hopes will save up to 1,000 lives a year.
Cancer services in the north and east of the capital have combined to be called London Cancer - responsible for more than three million people.
It has brought together hospital specialists, GPs and scientists.
Patients can now receive specialist care at major cancer centres and then the rest of their care closer to home.
London Cancer's chief medical officer Professor Kathy Pritchard-Jones said: "We've got some of the best scientists and clinicians in the country in our capital city but we need to get them to work together much more effectively for the benefit of patients.
'Compete with the best'"I think this is a real opportunity to do something ground-breaking for our patients.
"We've been given the opportunity to think really big and to plan services for a population of three and a half million people in north and east London, so this means we can now compete with the very best in the world."
About 13,600 people die from cancer in London each year and more than 27,000 are diagnosed with the disease.
One patient is 46-year-old black cab driver Mark Fitzpatrick.
He is one of the first to experience what life will be like for future patients.
In January he was diagnosed with cancer at Barts Hospital. Since then he has been receiving his chemotherapy treatment at Whipps Cross Hospital - 10 minutes from his home - meaning he does not have to travel into town.
He said: "It's not a journey you'd want to do on a regular basis, particularly at the beginning - because if you are particularly ill you don't want to be travelling into central London.
"It's just so handy to go to your local hospital. I mean, I live 10 minutes away, it just makes life so much easier at a time when you don't feel well.
"It's nice to be treated locally as it's a small unit and they treat you particularly well."
At the moment the average survival rates for cancer in London one year after diagnosis are worse (63.8%) than the rest of the country (66.5%).
Satisfaction rates amongst patients are also lower.
It is hoped this new network, and one for south and west London, to be launched later this year, will change that.
London Welsh prepare for appeal over Premiership exile - The Guardian
London Welsh's appeal against a decision barring them promotion to the Aviva Premiership looks set to be heard this month.
The Exiles won this season's Championship after beating Cornish Pirates in both legs of the final.
However, the Richmond-based club were told just hours before the first leg kicked off in Cornwall that they did not meet minimum standards criteria set down by English rugby's Professional Game Board for Premiership entry.
London Welsh played the final's second leg at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford, which is thought to be their preferred venue should they gain Premiership status.
As things stand, Newcastle will remain in the Premiership next season despite finishing bottom, a point behind Wasps, this season. However, should London Welsh succeed in overturning an original decision that went against them then they will go up and the Falcons will be relegated.
In a statement, the RFU said: "The Rugby Football Union has today received London Welsh's appeal against the decision that the club failed to meet the minimum standards criteria set out by the Professional Game Board for promotion to the Aviva Premiership.
"It is proposed that the appeal hearing, which will take place before an independent panel, will be held on 21 June at the London Bloomsbury Hotel.
"An expedited timetable has been agreed with London Welsh, with the proposed date of 21 June the earliest possible time to allow for the exchange of cases and evidence. During the appeal, no further comment will be made."
London 2012: Olympic Torch Relay in Scotland - BBC News
The Olympic flame is set to arrive in Scotland.
The torch will arrive by ferry at Cairnryan in Galloway, at about 18:30 BST, after five days in Northern Ireland.
The official torch relay in Scotland, which will be covered in full by a special BBC website, will begin from nearby Stranraer at 06:00 BST on Friday.
Its week-long tour of Scotland will see it carried from the south-west of Scotland to Glasgow, then to Inverness and Orkney and Shetland. The torch relay will visit the Western Isles before travelling through Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh to the Scottish Borders.
Among more than 700 torchbearers will be some well-known athletes and celebrities.
Rower Katherine Grainger, who has won silver medals at each of the past three Olympics, will travel home to Glasgow to carry the torch on Friday.
Olympic curling gold medallist Rhona Martin and stunt cyclist Danny Mackaskill will also be involved in Friday's relay.
TV personality Jenni Falconer, golfer Colin Montgomerie, rugby player Chris Paterson and cyclist Mark Beaumont will carry the torch during its week in Scotland.
The first day of the torch relay will see it travel from Stranraer and up through Ayrshire, calling at places such as Turnberry, Alloway and Ayr.
On Friday afternoon, the torch will call at Rutherglen and Giffnock on the outskirts of Glasgow before finishing with a celebration in the city's George Square.
Saturday's journey will begin at 07:00 BST on a tall ship outside the city's Riverside Museum and end almost 12 hours later at the Eden Court in Inverness.
On Sunday, the torch will make a flying visit to Orkney and Shetland before heading to Stornoway on Lewis, where the following day's relay begins.
On Monday, the relay will again pass through Inverness on its way to Aberdeen.
The journey on Tuesday is from Aberdeen to Dundee and on Wednesday the route is St Andrews to Edinburgh, where there will be a celebration at Edinburgh Castle featuring a performance by pop star Emeli Sandé.
On Thursday morning, the flame heads south from Edinburgh through the Borders, leaving Scotland at about 16:30 BST.
However, a week later the torch will enter Scotland once again, spending the morning of Thursday 21 June travelling from Dumfries to Gretna.
There may be further Scottish interest in the relay before it ends its journey at the Olympic park in London on 27 July.
Sir Chris Hoy, who won three gold medals in Beijing four years ago, will carry the torch in Manchester and Andy Murray will be the torchbearer in the London Borough of Merton, home of the All England Tennis Club at Wimbledon.
Olympic Torch in Scotland - Full details
Friday 8 June - Stranraer to Glasgow (Day 21)
Saturday 9 June - Glasgow to Inverness (Day 22)
Sunday 10 June - Kirkwall to Lerwick (Day 23)
Monday 11 June - Stornoway to Aberdeen (Day 24)
Tuesday 12 June - Aberdeen to Dundee (Day 25)
Wednesday 13 June - St Andrews to Edinburgh (Day 26)
Thursday 14 June - Edinburgh to the Borders (Day 27)
Thursday 21 June 2012 - Dumfries to Gretna (Day 34)
Pure gold to have Becks at the London Olympics - Daily Mail
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Kick it: David Beckham is still a fans' favourite
Anyone who was at Wembley last Saturday could not fail to understand why David Beckham had to be in Great Britain's Olympic football team at London 2012.
The wall of noise, the palpable sense of excitement, that greeted the mere mention of his name is something only Beckham can generate.
It would be madness to be so straight-laced, stuck up and, well, British about it that we overlooked our global superstar.
We have seen where 'football reasons' have got us in the last few weeks, but Stuart Pearce's task was not to pick the best 18 eligible players based on statistics and somehow hope they can all make a go of it next month. He was asked to pick a squad capable of winning a gold medal.
Pearce has recognised that, and while the incredible midfield engine is not what it once was, Beckham's game has adapted and moved on. He hasn't been messing about in the garden with his kids in LA since leaving England almost a decade ago.
He has been winning titles in Spain and the US, a physical league with lots of young players.
He is still a brilliant passer of the ball and lethal at set-pieces but he also brings those intangible but invaluable qualities: experience, leadership and a winning mentality.
And - shock horror - he is passionate about playing for Great Britain. I am sick of unspectacular footballers turning their backs on international duty out of some misguided sense of their own importance.
Hometown hero: Beckham is set to star in London
If you are lucky enough to be picked, you play. And Beckham desperately wants to represent his country, even if it would have been a lot easier just to walk away.
'Legacy' is the watchword of these Games and Beckham's involvement gives Olympic football the chance to reach out to so many - not just here but around the world. Without him, the men's football competition was in danger of limping along from a British perspective.
A manager overlooked by England in charge of a team only one of the home nations wanted in a tournament many do not believe should even be included in the Olympics. But with Becks in the mix, things suddenly feel a lot different.
Vauxhall restaurant offers 'Good for the Soul' food - NJ.com
Good for the Soul, is a new soul food restaurant in Vauxhall. It is a family-owned restaurant specializing in good Southern Cuisine. From crispy fried fish to delicious Soul Punch, we have an extensive and inviting menu and offer tasty daily lunch specials. Not only are we the only full service, dine-in Soul Food restaurant in the area but we also provide catering services for either on- or off-premises events. Good for the Soul will be offering patrons a larger, on-site, banquet facility option for parties and events, this summer.
Menu samples are: fried wings and waffles, fried wings and red velvet waffles, baked chicken, fried wings, Buffalo and stick wings, macaroni and cheese, string beans, cabbage greens, Tilapia, fried Whiting, pork chops, sweet mashed potatoes, Soul chips, fish and grits and our very own Soul Punch. Daily specials - beef ribs, pork ribs and assorted salads. Homemade Desserts - Red Velvet Cake, Cheesecake, Red Velvet Cake Pops, Pound Cake.
A meeting room is available for private functions, birthday parties, graduation parties, kids parties, book club meetings, bridal and baby showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, spa parties and corporate meetings, family reunions and christening parties.
Good for the Soul is located at 2170 Springfield Ave. (near Maple Avenue) in Vauxhall - 908-378-5354. Visit us on Facebook. Dine in or take out; on- and off-premise catering. Hours of operation are Monday, closed; Tuesday, Wednesday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, noon-6 p.m.
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