SPORTS: Watching, obviously

[feather_ghyll]

Last week, I was forced to watch the athletics as the tennis isn’t being aired on Freeview (so I'm only haphazardly aware of which women’s seeds are out and have to take others’ words for Djokovic, Murray et al’s form). I use 'forced' very loosely. I only really got into the athletics world championships after they’d changed presenters – I did see Bolt’s 100m false start. But I found myself getting into it – it helped that many semis were on the same days as the finals, so there was just enough build-up. I’m going to have to put watching female athletes triumph on the list of things that make me teary (I thought it was a women’s tennis grand slam finals thing, where the build up of how they got there and then the moment when whoever wins realises what she’s done, celebrates and thanks her team has wrung a tear or two from me. Increasingly so over the years). So there were intense Russians, the javelin and SALLY PEARSON. Iwan Thomas's commentary turning into cheering on Greene and English was refreshing. And I really like the Korean national costume.

Does anyone know why Michael Johnson appears on UK TV? Does the US not want him? Can’t it afford him?