Prominent anti-doping campaigner Jared Tallent reckons the walks at the Rio Olympics will be the cleanest in decades.Tallent will arrive in Rio as the defending 50km champion, having belatedly been presented with the gold from the London Games a couple of months ago after Russian Sergey Kirdyapkin was disqualified for doping.With the exception of US-based long jumper Darya Klishina, the Russians have been barred from the track and field competition in Rio, a suspension which covers a host of walkers who have medalled in major events.Another prominent walking absentee is Italian Alex Schwazer, the 50km champ from the 2008 Beijing Games, who was banned for a second doping offence shortly after relegating Tallent to second spot at the race walking World Cup in Rome in May.A sore hamstring has prompted Tallent to withdraw from the 20km race in Rio and focus all his attention on his favoured 50km event on August 19, where he expects his most serious challengers to be world record holder Yohann Diniz from France and Slovakias Matej Toth.It is going to be the cleanest Olympics in a long time, probably going back decades because unfortunately the Russians were always suspected of doping and have been doping and they have been there for a long time, the 31-year-old Tallent said on Friday.They have been the main culprits in our sport.It will be a good day for the event, for the athletes ... a lot of the top guys will think they have got a chance for a medal whereas in the past when you had the three Russians there you always thought it was going to be pretty tough to get a medal.Tallent said he was not overly surprised by the findings of the McLaren Report - commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency - which revealed widespread, state-sponsored doping in Russia of athletes in a host of Olympic sports.Having won silver in the 50km and bronze in the 20km eight years ago in Beijing and gold in the 50km at the 2012 London Games, Tallent will become the first Australian track and field athletes to medal in three separate Olympics if he can claim a podium finish in the longer event in Rio.I have won a medal at every major championships since 2010 so I want to keep that ball rolling, he said. Swell Bottles On Sale . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. Discount Swell Bottles . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. http://www.swellbottlesale.com/ . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. SWell Bottle Sale . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Cheap Swell Bottles . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Never mind that No. 2 Ohio States clash with No. 3 Michigan this week is the most meaningful contest between the bitter rivals in a decade. In Columbus, the game against The Team Up North doesnt need any additional hype.Legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes hung the TTUN moniker on Michigan so he wouldnt have to say the name of the hated state and school. The tradition continues to this day here. So does the contempt.We dont like them, and they dont like us, quarterback J.T. Barrett said.We dont say that M word, guard Billy Price said.Both teams are 10-1, and the winner of the rivalry games 113th version likely will end up in the final four of the College Football Playoff.We approach it as its `The-Team-Up-North week, so that already has its own standard and level of expectation, Barrett said. So as far as us being ranked in the top five, both teams, I dont think thats changed it.Ohio State will see the nations top-ranked defense after windy conditions forced the Buckeyes to take to the ground to beat Michigan State 17-16 last Saturday. The win came also thanks to a failed 2-point attempt after the Spartans scored with 4:41 left in the game. Chris Worley intercepted a Tyler OConnor pass in the end zone that would have put Michigan State ahead. Gareon Conley picked off another pass late in the fourth quarter to seal it.Michigan struggled with Indiana and the weather last week, beating the Hoosiers 20-10 in the blowing snow. Theres a good chance the Wolverines will again haave their backup quarterback John OKorn playing in place of injured Wilton Speight.dddddddddddd OKorn also will face a stout Ohio State defense thats given up just 12 touchdowns this season and allowed only four rushing TDs.When we play its always going to be a battle, linebacker Chris Worley said. You can take the records and throw them out, you can take the seasons and throw them out, honestly. Its all about one thing -- just beat `The Team Up North.Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has emphasized rivalry games at every coaching stop, and he thinks that was developed while growing up in Ohio and being around the culture of Ohio State-Michigan.I think that came from Coach Hayes and (former Michigan coach) Bo Schembechler, Meyer said. I just think that was the classiest -- both programs had a tremendous respect for each other, both coaches did, and they played so damn hard.Elflein, who grew up and went to school in the Columbus suburb of Pickerington, said the magnitude of the annual game was drilled home for him years ago.It was like another holiday, I remember that, Elfelin said. Youd have your Thanksgiving Day celebration and there was a quick turnaround for a big party, a big celebration.---More AP college football at www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 .---This version corrects to OKorn---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacy ' ' '