finisher. wrote:
Slo-Jo wrote:
I love that she had the guts to enter something outside of her signature race. She could have easily won the 800 today, but she challenged herself in the mile. She is only 19 years old, and she has 2 Olympic gold medals. Give her a break. She will be back in the mile at some point, and she will kill it. She ran great until she didn't, but she got some good experience. She has everything still in front of her, so who cares. I personally loved watching that race.
I like this take. The way I see it, dropping out is "bad" not because of the race itself (she wasn't breaking any records anyway), but because it could lead to bad habits or a weak mental attitude that will harm her in a race that really does matter. The "Saving it for Zurich" philosophy, for the old-timers here.
Then question is: was dropping out a step on the path toward those things? Only Mu and her coach know for sure, but I would guess not. Mu doesn't have a history of dropping out of races, does have a history of finishing hard, she only dropped out when she was well off the pace, and the broader context and that she ran bravely in a race outside her comfort zone, and it's unlikely she will suddenly become "mentally weak" in her primary event.
The point I think a lot of posters are trying to make is that there shouldn't be this large moral value given to dropping out, particularly in a circumstance like this one. If it's meant as poor sportsmanship or if it is bad for the athlete's development, fine, but otherwise it's just a neutral decision that she shouldn't be criticized for. I don't think Rojo was really trying to say that dropping out was good, but rather that it's morally neutral, and that there's a certain kind of bravery in going against the "you must finish" crowd.
This is not a matter of “bravery” in dropping out. That is b.s. so let us not make this to be something more than it is. She dropped out. That is all. It happens all the time. She learned something. If you want to say she was brave to go with a pace too fast for her, that is fine but the dropping out is not brave. It just is not finishing.