My 5 biggest overachievers and underachievers in athletics at the Paris Olympics

Good list! You can’t really justify leaving Hassan off but at least you owned it. I might add to disappointment the women’s 1500m US team, no one in the top 6 and no PRs despite a fast pace, that was surprising to me.

Jacob didn’t medal at 1500m. Girma fell and so did not medal. Kejelcha and Gebrhiwet did not medal. Kipchoge and Bekele did not medal. US 4x1 did not medal.
Ronald Kwemoi did medal. Batocletti got a medal. Mehary and Laros were super teenagers who will be battling for global Gold medals soon enough.

what a b*tch move deleting any criticism

Nia Akins certainly underachieved in the 800 in not making the final, but Jemma Reekie underachieved more, right?

Ditto on the men's side, I think Ben Pattison's semi was pretty disappointing, as was Wyclife Kinyamal not getting in either.

For the women's 1500, Birke Haylom probably deserved a mention in the Ethiopia blurb.

Men's 5,000, Abdi Nur and Luis Grijalva I'm not really sure what was so far off with them. Gebrhiwet is obvious though in the Ethiopia bunch.

Men's 10,000 of course Kejelcha, and I'd say Nicholas Kipkorir inexplicably stunk as well.

And outside of distance, Molly Caudery and Chase Jackson were gold medal favorites who didn't even make the Finals.

On the overachieve side, honorable mentions to Shafiqua Maloney, Ronald Kwemoi, Stefan Nillessen, Ahmed Jaziri and Alice Finot.

For sprints, I think Masai Russell, Muzala Samukonga, Melissa Jefferson, Julien Alfred, Anna Cockrell and Salwa Eid Naser (vomits a little) have to be mentioned.

In summary your list is too long and conflated.

Two separate posts one for over achievers and another for under achievers would have been a better post.

Kiplimo and Tsegay, Kejelcha , Ngetich, Jepchirchir, Sedjati, Gabresalama in an Olympic year WR attempts contributed to their MIA when they should have been consolidating for that Olympic push. African athletic associations and their coaches not reigning in their superstars in an Olympic season. Is my take on this. How Chebet pulled it off still beggars belief.

Nia Akins same coach as Kerr, was more of raised expectations than under achievement.

EK is just lame. NL is the non distance under achiever. Coming in with 4 medals on his mind. Over committing in the 100M, running out of gas in the 200M, no show in the relays? This is the face of athletics? Incredible, a dumb@ss seated in a wheelchair !

A Sprint superstar?

Bolt celebrating well before the line and wondering where are the finalists? Triple Triple on the biggest of occasions, Triple WR holder. Is what our Sprinters have to emulate before mouthing off!

These heroics, unabashed, audacious moments propelled athletics and left audiences wanting more. All in less in a matter of seconds.

No histrionics just breath taking performances on the track!

NL ICONIC moment is being sat and wheeled out in a WC.

Dude won the biggest prize of all — 100m gold. Definitely not biggest underachiever. The men's 4x100m is a thing for us track nerds, but ultimately not that important.

Yeah the 200 is a tough one, but he got a medal and had COVID. Gold and Bronze is a fine haul and he got the most coveted title of Fastest Man in the World.

I never said Lyles was Bolt-level. My comment is regarding who was the biggest and most outstanding male sprint star competing in Paris. That’s unquestionably Lyles, the only male sprinter to win two individual medals in Paris and the male sprinter who generated the most discussion before, during, and after the games. Love him or hate him, Lyles is the biggest star among male sprinters competing in the sport this year.

I appreciated the article. But let me mention that Tebogo was second choice in the 200 wagering at +450. He was not nearly the massive underdog as suggested. He was quoted ahead of Bednarek, who was +700. Lyles was -450.

Nia Akins had atrocious strategy in the 800 semifinal and deserved to be named. Akins had two massive advantages...being in the final heat in an event with time qualifiers, and running with Hodgkinson for the second consecutive race. All Akins needed was basic math: "I need to be third or better and inside xxxxx time."

I forget exactly what that time qualifier mark was. Do the coaches spell it out to the athletes? It's such a basic reference point. You no longer have to be second. Just make sure you're faster than the best small q.

I watched that semifinal in disbelief. Akins was content to sit back in 5th or 6th for a long time. When she finally moved up she didn't seem to have any clue what the time requirement was. She coasted the final couple of steps. Then she looked up at the board in bewilderment. Sorry, you're gone. Whitaker and the French girl celebrated the stupid tactics.

Letsenbet Gidey would not have medaled. There are three late finishers now in Chebet, Battocletti and Hissan.

Ethiopia lost a medal when Welteji decided to try for gold instead of rallying for silver like last year. I hardly blame her.

Ethiopia is very well positioned in that event, given Welteji and Haylom as by far the youngest who have gone 3:53 or lower. I know everybody likes Hailu but she sits too far back in an evolving event, just like Muir to lesser extent.

What will Faith Kipyegon do now? That is the intriguing question. She had long planned to move up to 5000, 10,000 and marathon. But now she's facing an unforeseen variable. The only woman who can out kick her is a teammate who specializes in the 5000 and 10,000.

I think that's not a bad argument for keeping it in the Olympics. If you're a fan and your only Olympic experience is one or two morning sessions, you're happy to have the extra races. And if you're a track fan who doesn't care for the repechage, you can ignore it.

And yes, some of the repechage 1500s were quite fast, with athletes setting pbs. But it also put them at such a disadvantage for the next round. I just updated the article with the numbers you requested about first-round time qualifiers from previous years compared to repechage athletes. In the 1500, you actually historically have a decent shot to make the final even if you were a small q. But I think that shot plummets now that they've added the extra race.

Underachieved based on his own loud mouth standards. ( to win all 4 events)

If you mean fastest man by 0.005 S against a noobie is the criteria Ok.

The inability to win the 200M after PB in 100M is why mediocre athletes specialise in one event.

The face of athletics is expected to cruise in these 3 events and pulverise the competition.

He promised to cruise in 4. And barely survived the 1. is why he is the underachiever in non distance

I echo LT on this.

NL is the talk of athletics, biggest since he is American and has almost single handedly banished America's dismal sprinting performances.

Barely a gold in the 100M against a noobie by 0.005S makes you the biggest sprint star? I beg to differ.

A bronze for the second Olympics running in a competition where you are the undisputed is a poor show (almost Kejelcha type) to be considered the biggest star at the global level. Some call it choking!

The America's biggest star is not the world biggest sprint star. Just to quote NL own's words.

That’s him in a nutshell. Pampered little brat who hasn’t had to battle for anything in his life.

Thanks for going back and adding that table to the article. It really drives home how punishing the repechage is for the mid D.

Lyles was already the world’s biggest current male sprint star prior to the Olympics based on him winning the triple at last year’s world championships. Did you forget about that?

Lyles then added to his stardom by winning the Olympic 100. The margin of victory doesn’t matter, just that he won. Even Sebastian Coe said Lyles’ Olympic victory in the 100 was big for the sport.

Some may call Lyles’ 200 loss choking; others would say winning an Olympic medal while sick with covid is overachieving. My nephew had it a couple weeks ago, and he was couch and bed ridden for two days.

If you don’t think Lyles is the world’s biggest male sprint star currently competing, prove it. Go around the world and conduct a face and name recognition test of all the male sprinters on the circuit today, and see if anyone is more recognized than Lyles. You won’t like the results.

ET Women are poorly coached. And a tad bit over ambitious.

Just when you think they need to consolidate.

They have moved up and trying to over achieve.

They are the fodder and fillers for some of the DL races.

Instead of using DL races to improve their race craft, sus out the competition, they are hell bent in trying to achieve a WL, BP and meaning less U20 WR in every DL race.

B Haylom repechage run was just typical. Burn up in the rehearsal and have nothing for the big moment.

The younger they are the sooner they burn up and barely fulfil their potential.

It is a tragedy but, patience, delayed gratification does not seem to be a virtue. In a war torn impoverished nation. What may seem obvious may not apply while struggling to make ends meet.

100% Agree .

NL is the biggest talk of athletics.

He may have lots of followers. But that is social media driven. Same as SR another under achiever.Google, Youtube, Twitter American companies drive the American hype worldwide.

My evaluation is not based on his popularity ratings. He must be the top due to the above.

My evaluation is based on his less than stellar athletics performances in the Olympics. Which fall short of what is expected from the so called biggest name in Athletics.

Multiple WR and Multiple Gold medals over the Olympic career.

Not a singular Gold by mere 0.005S and there after falling completely apart.

Overachievers:

1) Cole Hocker

2) The fifty year old Pakistani Javelin thrower

3) The Italian pole vaulter who knocked the bar off with his junk

Underachievers:

1) Lyles for not winning four golds like he said he would and then faking like he was sick from COVID.

2) Rai for not breaking the world record.

3) Sha Carri's implants for not helping her lean at the tape in the 100.

The pole vaulter who lost the battle of the bulge was French.