Running News Daily

In a sport where many elite athletes benefit from professional coaches, lucrative sponsorships, sports science support, and cutting-edge equipment, Poppy Tank has reached the international stage by relying on little more than determination, discipline, and belief in herself.

Later this month, the 28-year-old from Plymouth will proudly represent England in the women's 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It will be her first appearance at a major track championships, making the achievement even more remarkable considering she has no central funding, no shoe contract, and no dedicated support team.

Tank's journey is one of resilience and self-reliance. Her Instagram biography sums it up in just three words: Self-coached. Unsponsored. Distance runner. Behind those words lies years of sacrifice, careful planning, and relentless hard work.

Unlike many of her international rivals, Tank manages every aspect of her athletic career herself. She designs her own training, plans her race schedules, monitors her recovery, and finances virtually every part of her pursuit of excellence.

"I'm self-funded so every spare bit of cash I have I'm spending it on training camps, buying shoes, buying kit, paying for races and accommodation," Tank told BBC Radio Devon. "I have to be very savvy with my shoes. I buy them often off eBay on discount. So I'm very, very good at finding ways of saving money."

While many Commonwealth-level athletes receive free equipment from major sports brands, Tank has become an expert at stretching every pound, purchasing discounted racing shoes online and carefully managing every expense to keep her dream alive.

Her rise through British athletics has been built steadily over several seasons. Tank first established herself as one of Britain's finest endurance runners in cross country, helping Great Britain win team gold at the 2023 European Cross Country Championships before contributing to a team silver medal the following year. She also claimed the British 3,000m steeplechase title in 2023 and represented Great Britain at the World Cross Country Championships, demonstrating her versatility across different disciplines.

Despite those achievements, a place at a major international track championships remained elusive until this summer, when England selected her for the Commonwealth Games.

Away from the track, Tank balances elite sport with an equally demanding academic career. She is pursuing a PhD at the University of Birmingham, where her research focuses on developing better ways to recycle medical implants. Her daily routine often begins with a demanding 12-mile training session before lunchtime, followed by an hour and a half in the gym, all while spending long hours in the laboratory preparing and analysing research samples.

"My supervisor is incredibly supportive of my running," she explained. "But ultimately I still have to go and do the studying."

Her Commonwealth Games selection is the reward for outstanding form during the 2026 season. Tank produced a lifetime best to finish second behind Izzy Fry at the British 10,000m Championships in Loughborough in May, before lowering that mark again just weeks later with an impressive 32:04.36 performance in the Netherlands.

Those performances secured her place on England's team, where she and Fry will both make their Commonwealth Games debuts in the women's 10,000m.

Although Tank heads to Glasgow ranked in the second half of the field on paper, she has never allowed rankings to define her ambitions. Time and again, she has shown an ability to rise to the occasion when it matters most, and she intends to do exactly that on one of the biggest stages of her career.

"It is so much hard work, I couldn't even begin to detail how many hours has gone into this," Tank said. "But when things like this happen where you get selected for your goals, it really, really makes it so worth it."

Her story serves as a powerful reminder that success is not always built on financial backing or world-class facilities. Sometimes, it is forged through unwavering commitment, countless unseen hours of hard work, and the courage to believe in your own process.

When Poppy Tank steps onto the track in Glasgow wearing the England vest, she will represent far more than her country. She will embody perseverance, independence, and the belief that even without sponsorships, professional coaching, or expensive support systems, extraordinary dreams can still become reality.

Kenyan-born 1500m runner Jonah Koech has been handed a three-year ban following an anti-doping violation that has stripped him of his 2025 U.S. 1500m championship title and cast a shadow over what had been a breakthrough season.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced that Koech accepted the sanction after an investigation into highly atypical blood values recorded in his Athlete Biological Passport. An expert review of his biological profile determined that the abnormalities were consistent with the use of a prohibited blood-doping method.

Koech’s sanction comes with a significant consequence: his victory in the men’s 1500m at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, has been disqualified. The title, which represented one of the biggest achievements of his career, has therefore been removed from his official record.

The ruling marks a dramatic reversal for Koech, who produced a stunning breakthrough in 2025. After establishing himself as a serious force in the 1500m, he captured the U.S. national title and earned international recognition as one of the country’s leading middle-distance runners.

His three-year suspension is shorter than the standard four-year sanction that can apply to serious anti-doping violations. Koech’s acceptance of the violation and sanction resulted in a reduction of the period of ineligibility, allowing him to avoid the full four-year penalty.

Koech will remain ineligible to compete until July 2029, meaning he faces a lengthy absence from competitive athletics. His return will come after one of the most significant seasons of his career has now been rewritten by the anti-doping ruling.

The Athlete Biological Passport played a central role in the case. Rather than simply looking for a banned substance in an individual sample, the system monitors selected biological markers over time. Significant abnormalities in an athlete’s profile can trigger further examination and, where supported by expert evidence, an anti-doping case.

For Koech, the development represents a painful fall from a season that had appeared to signal the arrival of a major new name in American 1500m running. Born in Kenya before building his career in the United States, he had become a notable figure on the U.S. middle-distance scene.

The case also underlines the increasingly sophisticated approach to anti-doping in modern athletics, where an athlete's biological profile can be scrutinized long after a race has finished. For Koech, the consequences will extend far beyond the loss of one championship title, with three years away from competition now standing between him and a possible return to the track.

Nadia Battocletti produced a superb championship performance in Birmingham to retain her European 5000m title for the second consecutive time, powering to gold in 15:37.84 after unleashing a devastating late kick that left her rivals scrambling for the remaining medals.

The Italian distance-running star remained composed through the race before turning on the speed when it mattered most. With the field tightly packed heading into the closing stages, Battocletti launched a breathtaking attack over the final 200 metres, producing a surge of exceptional quality that ultimately decided the championship.

The decisive moment came in the final 200 metres, when Battocletti unleashed a ferocious finishing kick that dramatically changed the complexion of the race. With the medals still within reach for several athletes, the Italian surged through the final bend with tremendous purpose, her acceleration proving simply too tough to match. She drove relentlessly down the home straight, opening the crucial gap and powering away from her closest challengers to seal a richly deserved European title.

Her closing speed was extraordinary. Battocletti covered the final 400m in 59.2 seconds, including a remarkable 28.2-second final 200m, as she accelerated away from her challengers and powered down the home straight. It was a superb display of strength, speed and championship composure, earning her another European crown in emphatic fashion.

Behind her, Spain’s Marta García fought brilliantly to claim silver in a season’s best of 15:39.98, while Italy’s Micol Majori completed an Italian 1-3 with bronze in 15:40.65.

For Majori, the bronze medal represented a particularly special milestone as she celebrated her first international senior medal on a major championship stage. Her breakthrough performance added another layer to an unforgettable night for Italy.

Ireland’s Sarah Healy narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth in 15:40.95, just 0.30 seconds behind Majori. Great Britain’s Hannah Nuttall was fifth in 15:41.27, followed by the Netherlands’ Maureen Koster in 15:41.51.

Amina Maatoug of the Netherlands finished seventh in 15:44.03, while Spain’s María Forero completed the top eight in 15:44.25.

Battocletti’s Birmingham triumph now sets up another title defence. The Italian will return to the track on Friday for the women’s 10,000m, where she will once again look to extend her European dominance.

For now, though, the spotlight belongs to Battocletti and that extraordinary finish — a 28.2-second final 200m that transformed a tightly contested 5000m final into another golden chapter in her championship career. 

World record holder Sabastian Sawe is set to return to the BMW Berlin Marathon on September 27, where the Kenyan superstar will defend his title and attempt to add another remarkable chapter to his already extraordinary marathon career.

Sawe arrives in Berlin with unprecedented confidence after his sensational 1:59:30 performance in London, which made him the first athlete to officially break the two-hour barrier in the marathon. That landmark achievement has elevated expectations for his return to the German capital, where he will once again line up on one of the fastest marathon courses in the world.

The Kenyan won the 2025 Berlin Marathon in 2:02:16 despite warm conditions, demonstrating his ability to produce a world-class performance even when circumstances are far from ideal. This time, he returns as the defending champion and world-record holder, with the famously flat Berlin course providing another opportunity to test the limits of what is possible over 42.195km.

Berlin has a remarkable history of producing record-breaking performances, and Sawe's presence immediately raises the possibility of another extraordinary race. The question now is whether the 31-year-old can go beyond his own 1:59:30 world record and take the marathon to an even higher level.

However, Sawe will face formidable opposition.

Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay has joined the elite field, bringing a personal best of 2:03:00 set in Valencia in 2022. The 29-year-old Tanzanian record holder established himself among the world’s leading marathoners with that performance and further underlined his credentials by finishing runner-up at the 2023 Boston Marathon.

Ethiopia’s Guye Adola will also return to Berlin, the scene of some of the most memorable moments of his marathon career. In 2017, Adola stunned the athletics world on his marathon debut, pushing Eliud Kipchoge deep into the race before finishing second in a remarkable 2:03:46. Four years later, on September 26, 2021, Adola returned to Berlin and claimed victory in 2:05:45, adding another significant chapter to his association with the iconic German marathon. Now, after his recent return to top form, he will once again line up on the streets where he has already made history.

Now 35, Adola has endured injury setbacks in recent years, but his victory at the Rotterdam Marathon in 2:03:54 this spring proved that he remains a major force on the international marathon circuit.

The addition of Geay and Adola adds further quality to a field already packed with athletes capable of running at an extraordinary pace. With Sawe leading the charge, Berlin is shaping up to deliver another thrilling battle among some of the world's finest marathoners.

The depth of the field extends well beyond the leading contenders, with Ethiopia boasting an imposing group of marathoners. Getaneh Molla (2:03:34), Shura Kitata (2:03:59), Dejene Hailu (2:04:15), Selemon Barega (2:05:00), Taresa Tolosa (2:05:17), Tadu Abate (2:05:38), Asefa Boki (2:05:40) and Andamlak Belihu (2:06:40) will all bring proven credentials and the ambition to challenge for fast times in Berlin.

Japan, meanwhile, has assembled a particularly deep contingent, led by Kenya Sonota (2:05:59), Tsubasa Ichiyama (2:06:00), Kyoto Hirabayashi (2:06:14), Yuhei Urano (2:06:23), Hidekazu Hijikata (2:06:26), Yusuke Nishiyama (2:06:31), Naoki Koyama (2:06:33), Kazuya Nishiyama (2:06:45), Daisuke Uekado (2:06:54) and Shin Kimura (2:07:34). China’s Jie He (2:06:57) and Kenya’s Richard Yator (2:07:36) complete a remarkably deep field, setting the stage for a race where the battle for victory could be accompanied by a long list of outstanding personal performances.

For Sawe, though, the challenge goes beyond defending his Berlin crown. Having already broken the two-hour barrier, he now has an opportunity to chase an even more remarkable achievement on a course renowned for producing marathon history.

Can Sabastian Sawe lower his own 1:59:30 world record in Berlin on September 27?

The countdown is on, and if the conditions are right, the defending champion could once again have the marathon world watching every step.

Keely Hodgkinson made an emphatic start to her European Athletics Championships campaign in Birmingham, delivering the fastest performance of the women’s 800m opening rounds as the defending champion immediately underlined her ambitions for another continental title.

The British star looked relaxed yet authoritative throughout her heat, producing a controlled 1:57.28 to qualify fastest for the semifinals. Hodgkinson, who has established herself as one of Europe’s leading middle-distance athletes, never appeared troubled as she secured her progression with plenty of confidence.

Behind her, Italy’s Eloisa Coiro produced one of the standout performances of the opening round. The Italian clocked 1:57.56, setting a new national record and advancing with a performance that immediately placed her among the leading contenders for the medals.

Germany’s Majtie Kolberg also impressed with 1:57.80, while Switzerland’s Audrey Werro followed closely in 1:57.83. Both athletes advanced automatically, adding further depth to an already formidable semifinal field.

The battle for the remaining places was equally competitive. Italy’s Elena Bellò Vancardo ran 1:58.20, while France’s Clara Liberman stopped the clock at 1:58.23. Croatia’s Elena Vuković followed in 1:58.38, with Britain’s Jemma Reekie qualifying in 1:58.45.

Spain’s Lorea Mitjans and France’s Anaïs Lamotte also broke 1:59, recording 1:58.52 and 1:58.65 respectively. Lithuania’s Gabrielė Galvydytė, Switzerland’s Valentina Rosamilia and France’s Anaïs Bourgoin all advanced after running under 2:00.

The Netherlands’ Femke Broeders-Bol completed her heat in 1:59.96, while Slovakia’s Gabriela Gajanová and Spain’s Lorena Martín Royo secured the final automatic qualification places in 2:00.27 and 2:00.62.

With Hodgkinson, Werro, Reekie and Broeders-Bol safely through, and Coiro arriving in the semifinals with a new Italian record, the women’s 800m is already shaping up as one of the most fiercely contested events of the Birmingham championships.

Hodgkinson has made her intentions clear: the European crown remains hers to defend. But with Coiro producing a national-record performance and several of Europe’s strongest 800m runners advancing in impressive fashion, the road to another title is unlikely to be straightforward.

The semifinals now await — and the real fight for European supremacy is only beginning.

Australian athletics’ next generation received a memorable welcome in Los Angeles as rising sprint sensation Gout Gout joined Olympic great Ian Thorpe and a host of high-profile guests at a special Olympic Club of Australia gathering.

The event, hosted by Australia’s Consul-General to Los Angeles, Tanya Bennett, brought together members of the Australian Athletics U20 team on their return journey from Oregon, where they had been competing on the international stage.

Gout, one of the most closely watched young talents in Australian athletics, was among the athletes at the gathering alongside Thorpe, the legendary five-time Olympic gold medallist. Broadcaster Bruce McAvaney and actor Billy Zane were also part of the star-studded occasion, creating an unusual but fitting meeting of Australian sporting excellence, media and entertainment.

The celebration came at an important moment for Australia’s young athletes, with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games increasingly becoming a realistic target for many of the emerging stars. Beyond LA28, the prospect of competing at a home Olympics in Brisbane in 2032 offers an even bigger incentive for this generation to continue developing and dreaming on the world stage.

The occasion also highlighted the newly launched Olympic Club of Australia, an initiative of the Australian Olympic Committee designed to help raise funds in support of Olympians and coaches.

For Australia’s emerging athletes, the significance goes well beyond financial support. Olympic sport can provide young people with role models and demonstrate what can be achieved through ambition, commitment and perseverance.

With Gout and his fellow U20 athletes now beginning to look towards the next stage of their careers, the road to Los Angeles could mark the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Australian athletics.

And with Brisbane 2032 waiting beyond LA28, the athletes being celebrated today could ultimately become some of the biggest names carrying Australia’s hopes on home soil.