It reaffirmed my concern with him in the 800m tactically. Since it was slow, this was more of a cagey affair where his usual tactic of going out slow through 150 and moving up in the field deliberately through 600, then kicking was hard to execute. He had to do some work to get into a decent spot by 500, but then everyone turned it on and he was boxed and didn't have an extra gear. No doubt without the 1500m in the legs maybe he could overcome that somewhat, but this was a semi that was tricky to navigate even for the experienced guys. Top 2+2 is a brutal system as is, and you either have to be a class above, luck into a heat with a frontrunner like Wanyonyi or run a great tactical race.
Excellent analysis. That’s another reason we should have had an 800 specialist in that spot. Someone who knows what they’re doing and who prioritizes that event.
Isn’t it a shame an 800 specialist didn’t earn a spot on the team? What a bummer.
Covid has really made these Olympics so unpredictable. So many athlete's bodies are fighting it whether they realize it or not. Not saying this is the case here. Just an observance. Especially in swimming and track and field where fractions of a second are so vital.
Hobbs is a f*cking beast. Whether or not you think somebody else should have been given the 800 spot, the fact of the matter is that there was nobody else good enough to take it from him at the trials. He earned this spot fair and square and represented his country well.
Then give the spot to someone who would have prioritized the 800 and done better.
Sort of reminds me of a Larry Bird story. Bird was torching the guy who was guarding him. He looked at Utah coach Frank Layden and asked, "Coach, dont you have anyone who can guard me." The coach looked up and down the bench then shook his head 'no'.
To answer your question -- no there is no one who could have done better than Hobbs.
This post was edited 4 minutes after it was posted.
Then give the spot to someone who would have prioritized the 800 and done better.
There were guys who were prioritizing the 800 at the trials and couldn't get it done against someone who prioritized the 1500 and was racing on tired legs.
can you name the 4th place finisher at the US Olympic Trials who would have taken the spot if Hobbs hadn't?
...
it was Josh Hoey. he had to run a 1:44.12 PB to finish 4th in that race. do you believe that he had a better chance of making the Olympic final than Hobbs did, even when Hobbs is on his fifth race?
nothing against Josh, but Hobbs earned his 800m Olympic spot and represented the US well across two events.
In the defense of that poster, Hoey is clearly on the upswing and has wins and PBs since Trials. Dude is fit, and would've had a fighter's chance. Clearly at Trials, it was a good performance but he is leveling up since then.
Is your point just that Hoey might have reached the final, or that he actually had a shot at medaling? I mean, Miller beat out Hoey, and he wasn't in contention much for a spot in the final.
But c'mon, even a tired Kessler is the best chance at a medal. Look at the PBs in this final vs. Hoey barely dipping under 1:44 for the first time last month:
In the defense of that poster, Hoey is clearly on the upswing and has wins and PBs since Trials. Dude is fit, and would've had a fighter's chance. Clearly at Trials, it was a good performance but he is leveling up since then.
Thank you. Hoey would have done better than 1:46.
Well after "specializing" in the 800 and being a perennial 1:46 guy for 6 years running, Josh got smacked about at the trials by a kid showing up after three 1500 heats against world class athletes like Hocker & Nuguse and then dropped consecutive 1:43.xx. Hoey is B League amongst an A class athlete. If Hoey wanted to go to the Olympics, then he should have performed better against Kessler. He didn't. Kessler will continue to wipe the floor with Hoey in the future.
Staying healthy is a challenge at any Olympics. COVID does not make this unique. Thousands of people from hundreds of countries converging together with all of their collective bacteria and viruses. It's a recipe for getting sick.
It reaffirmed my concern with him in the 800m tactically. Since it was slow, this was more of a cagey affair where his usual tactic of going out slow through 150 and moving up in the field deliberately through 600, then kicking was hard to execute. He had to do some work to get into a decent spot by 500, but then everyone turned it on and he was boxed and didn't have an extra gear. No doubt without the 1500m in the legs maybe he could overcome that somewhat, but this was a semi that was tricky to navigate even for the experienced guys. Top 2+2 is a brutal system as is, and you either have to be a class above, luck into a heat with a frontrunner like Wanyonyi or run a great tactical race.
Excellent analysis. That’s another reason we should have had an 800 specialist in that spot. Someone who knows what they’re doing and who prioritizes that event.
Moron. If the 800 meter runners crying at home "deserved' to go then they should have beat Hobbs at the trials. 'Nuff said.
It reaffirmed my concern with him in the 800m tactically. Since it was slow, this was more of a cagey affair where his usual tactic of going out slow through 150 and moving up in the field deliberately through 600, then kicking was hard to execute. He had to do some work to get into a decent spot by 500, but then everyone turned it on and he was boxed and didn't have an extra gear. No doubt without the 1500m in the legs maybe he could overcome that somewhat, but this was a semi that was tricky to navigate even for the experienced guys. Top 2+2 is a brutal system as is, and you either have to be a class above, luck into a heat with a frontrunner like Wanyonyi or run a great tactical race.
Excellent analysis. That’s another reason we should have had an 800 specialist in that spot. Someone who knows what they’re doing and who prioritizes that event.
If you're in the top three at trials, you're in if you want to be; if you're not, you're not. Anyway, if you can win trials at both distances, you could be able to medal at the Olympics. You don't know until you try.
I think the one a-hole on here is way off, and I think Thoughsleader is on this one as well. Tactics certainly are not the issue at all.The way he runs the 800 is the way he runs it.Even and closing.I think in this case it was the 5 races in 8 days and a PR by over 2 secs in brutal 1500 and then a race the next day around noon, just emptied the tank. To Hobbsy Jogger..oh give the spot to whom.someone like a.Brandon Miller..oh yeah, he ran real well. Please do not be ridiculous.There was no way he should have been a favorite to make a final here, and if he couldn't, certainly the other not very good U.S. 800M runners would not have either, and this is not some wild indictment, the rest are just not that good.3:31.x in 15 semis, 2 sec Pr in finals, getting out of prelims pretty solidly..that's all there was in this go around. I think a day before the 800 pre lims would have helped a little.
He earned his spot and made the semis! Any poster claiming to have any certainty Hoey or anyone else would do better is wrong. Tactically, we can agree to disagree, but to be clear I don’t think he ran poor tactically. I just think the way he runs it is a little less effective in the sort of 1:45.0 race we saw there. I don’t think it gave him the edge over his competitors like it does in a fast race. He didn’t fail to advance due to tactics, but they didn’t give him the leg up like they had in past situations vis a vis Miller at USAs.