It was early in 2007 that Tom Hanks declared an interest in acquiring the film rights to Oscar Pistorius' life story.

Another one bites the dust. After news on Thursday that the Jamaican sprinter Steve Mullings had tested positive for a masking agent, it was announced yesterday that the former US champion Mike Rodgers had dome the same for a banned stimulant.

There may well be a day when he reflects that a degree of self-preservation in his old world might have provided him with a distinctly easier run

If 2012 fever was sweeping through the elite competitors on the opening night of the Aviva UK Trials and Championships here in Birmingham last night, the winner of heat two of the men's 100m could be excused for feeling immune.

As Charles van Commenee stood trackside here yesterday, running his eye over the action in the Loughborough International meeting, the head coach of UK Athletics could not help giving a respectful nod in the direction of the star attraction of the traditional curtain-raiser to the summer track season as she battled to overcome the elements.

Paula Radcliffe will be racing on the streets of London next month, testing out much of the marathon course on which her Olympic destiny will be decided on Sunday 5 August 2012. Radcliffe, holder of the women's marathon world record, is to join Mo Farah, Britain's European 5,000m and 10,000m champion, in the elite field for the London 10,000m road race on 30 May.

Sometimes you have to feel sorry for the Football Association. Last week they invited a few of us to sit down with Fabio Capello at the trendy eaterie once favoured by Princess Di, San Lorenzo in London's Knightsbridge.

It was only last summer that Helen Clitheroe was contemplating life on the scrapheap. "I remember walking off the track depressed, with my head down, thinking, 'What's the point?' the Lancastrian recalled, her face wreathed in a huge smile after the women's 3,000m final on the concluding day of the European Indoor Championships here yesterday. "It was my husband who kept me going. He said, 'You're a long time retired. Don't give up until you're ready to do it on your own terms.'"

Distance runner who went Stateside defends title and will attempt first half-marathon in New York

Charles van Commenee, the hard taskmaster head coach of UK Athletics, was in distinctly chipper mood yesterday. "What better place to be?" he said, full of the joys of Parisian near-springtime on the eve of the European Indoor Championships. "I've been here seven times now and I've enjoyed every visit."

There are three British athletes occupying pole position in the continental rankings going into the European Indoor Championships next week at the Palais Omnisports in the Bercy district of Paris. Dwain Chambers leads the way in the 60m. Mo Farah does so in the men's 3,000m. And then there's Helen Clitheroe in the women's 3,000m. The remarkable Helen Clitheroe.

Mo Farah must have thought the race was his when Ethiopia's Dejen Gebremeskel lost his right shoe after the opening circuit of the 3,000m race at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix on Saturday. "I thought if I just pushed hard he would give in," the European 5,000m and 10,000m champion confessed. He was wrong. Farah could not shake off his half-shod rival, who sprinted to victory in 7min 35.37sec. The Briton was runner-up in 7:37.81.

With 2010 drawing to a close, we asked our sport correspondents to cast their minds back over the last 12 months in their specialist fields to recount their moment of the year.