Update: Rojo doesn't beliefve the race should be re-run as he's now watched some replays. While he thinks it was an accident, Mu does maybe appear to be at fault if anyone was at fault.. But he's still fascinated that the rule book allows it and yet he's never seen it. HE's long said on the podcast he hopes to see it happen once before he dies.
ALl of that being said, I've rewatched the video now several times. No re-run should happen.
FYI. Here is the rule. Rule 163
. Any competitor or participant responsible for jostling, running across, or obstructing another competitor or participant so as to impede his or her progress shall be liable to disqualification in that event. The Referee shall have the authority to order the race be re-held, excluding any disqualified competitor(s), for one, some or all competitors seriously affected by jostling or obstruction or allow such competitors to compete in a subsequent round of the race. Normally, such competitor(s) should have completed the event with bona fide effort. The Referee shall also have the authority to order the race be re-held or advance one, some or all competitors seriously affected by jostling or obstruction that is unintentional or caused otherwise than by a competitor if it is just and reasonable to do so
Update: Rojo doesn't beliefve the race should be re-run as he's now watched some replays. While he thinks it was an accident, Mu does maybe appear to be at fault if anyone was at fault.. But he's still fascinated that the rule book allows it and yet he's never seen it. HE's long said on the podcast he hopes to see it happen once before he dies.
ALl of that being said, I've rewatched the video now several times. No re-run should happen.
FYI. Here is the rule. Rule 163
. Any competitor or participant responsible for jostling, running across, or obstructing another competitor or participant so as to impede his or her progress shall be liable to disqualification in that event. The Referee shall have the authority to order the race be re-held, excluding any disqualified competitor(s), for one, some or all competitors seriously affected by jostling or obstruction or allow such competitors to compete in a subsequent round of the race. Normally, such competitor(s) should have completed the event with bona fide effort. The Referee shall also have the authority to order the race be re-held or advance one, some or all competitors seriously affected by jostling or obstruction that is unintentional or caused otherwise than by a competitor if it is just and reasonable to do so
The best application of Rule 163 to this race would be for the race to be rerun for the benefit of Sage as the impeded runner.
Everyone agrees that Mu (tragically) fell to the track on her own. No foul there.
Once on the ground, Mu clearly obstructed Sage "so as to impede her progress". This is the relevant foul in this race.
Rule 163 would require that (1) Mu is disqualified and (2) the race is rerun on the basis that Sage was so impeded that it is "just and reasonable" to rerun the race.
This post was edited 4 minutes after it was posted.
Reason provided:
Correcting the # of the rule
The best application of Rule 163 to this race would be for the race to be rerun for the benefit of Sage as the impeded runner.
Everyone agrees that Mu (tragically) fell to the track on her own. No foul there.
Once on the ground, Mu clearly obstructed Sage "so as to impede her progress". This is the relevant foul in this race.
Rule 163 would require that (1) Mu is disqualified and (2) the race is rerun on the basis that Sage was so impeded that it is "just and reasonable" to rerun the race.
Even if you're right, would anyone be calling for a re-run if it was only Hurta Klecker who had fallen and Mu had actually won? Not a chance. This is all special pleading for Mu
Update: Rojo doesn't beliefve the race should be re-run as he's now watched some replays. While he thinks it was an accident, Mu does maybe appear to be at fault if anyone was at fault.. But he's still fascinated that the rule book allows it and yet he's never seen it. HE's long said on the podcast he hopes to see it happen once before he dies.
ALl of that being said, I've rewatched the video now several times. No re-run should happen.
FYI. Here is the rule. Rule 163
. Any competitor or participant responsible for jostling, running across, or obstructing another competitor or participant so as to impede his or her progress shall be liable to disqualification in that event. The Referee shall have the authority to order the race be re-held, excluding any disqualified competitor(s), for one, some or all competitors seriously affected by jostling or obstruction or allow such competitors to compete in a subsequent round of the race. Normally, such competitor(s) should have completed the event with bona fide effort. The Referee shall also have the authority to order the race be re-held or advance one, some or all competitors seriously affected by jostling or obstruction that is unintentional or caused otherwise than by a competitor if it is just and reasonable to do so
It shouldn’t be rerun for Mu - it should be rerun for Sage! The fall obstructed her and cost her tons of time. She lost all momentum and had to step onto the infield. Still closed for 5th - possibly/probably would have been top 3.
She’s used to having the fitness and confidence to front run. However, her lack of race practice and use of different tactics was her undoing. She caused that fall herself by trying to cut in when there was no space to do so. Those are the cold hard facts.
I feel bad for her. She is a great champion, and I’m sure she’ll learn a hard lesson from this. I expect she will take this loss with the same style and grace she displays when she wins.
I doubt that Mu will learn a lesson from this. Mu did the same thing in the 2021 Trials and cut off Nia Akins, causing Mu to almost fall and Akins to fall. Mu didn't learn. She did the same thing again today.
And Mu almost got passed on the inside by Keely 2 years ago, and last year Mu ran away from the rail again and Keely passed her on the inside. Mu is not interested in learning. She has even said in interviews that she runs far away from the rail because she feels like it. She's not interested in learning how to race.
Seems a pity she is making quite a good living on the fame generated by her success, if you are correct?
Fairest thing may be to just let Athing Mu run a solo time trial and see if she beats any of them. I’m sorry, this isn’t about your Olympic story. It’s about gold medals. Not taking Mu will cost the US a gold medal through no fault of her own.
Exactly.
Mu is the ONLY USA medal chance for the 800 in Paris.
Nothing is guaranteed. A rerun would make track a bigger joke than it already is. Re run it with snoop, and then just give the medals and Olympic births to random people in the stands because they deserve it. I know, let Mary Slaney run because dreams are more important than reality. Rojo must be a nutter to even suggest this. Wow!
just waking up to this in the UK, so a couple observations
1) I get Rojo doesn’t actually want a re-run, but the other people upset that Mu won’t be at the OLY and feel it’s unfair / should be rectified are missing the point. This is life. That this is the whole purpose of the trials. You can’t just auto-assign your favourites to go on the team, nor change results when your desired outcome doesn’t happen
2) Obviously more racing this season (or every year) would’ve helped but it’s still a big tactical mistake - Keely front ran every round of the Europeans in order to stay out of trouble. If you’re a class above the field, use that.
3) Someone is going to have to get a whiteboard out and explain to me WHY TF WHEN SHE GOT UP DID SHE STILL RUN THE REST OF THE RACE IN THE OUTSIDE OF LANE 1. Just further demonstrating her racing naivety and highlighting why she needs way more racing experience than Bobby gives her.
4) Gotta feel for Sage. Not only impacted here in this race but also was brought down (and broke her arm) in the 2021 Champs too? Terrible luck.
ps - I can’t believe in only a few months we’ve gone from a Olympic showdown of Moraa vs Keely vs Mu & Kipchoge vs Kiptum, and now we’re getting neither…
This is the most sensible post on the thread. In particular, point 2.
My opinion is due to Kersee's neurotic obsession with getting his athletes 100% fully fit to the Trials, he prevented Mu from racing because of a minor hamstring injury. (it must have been minor or else she would not have started here!) He was paranoid she would tweak her injury further. That may work for a different event, but for middle distance events in particular, which rely so much on tactics and race awareness, that is a mistake.
She was fit here but not at her best. She should have done a couple of low key races before the Trials, get used to being surrounded by other athletes, and focus on her position & racing. This is particularly important if you are not clearly head and shoulders above your competitors.
Mu caused her own fall. It is extremely sad, but it is sport. The US Olympic Trials are cut-throat and always have been. But no knee-jerk reaction is justified. No 'race re-run' unless you DQ Mu, who caused the problem. That is the only scenario that works.
As for the 4x400m...are the US rules still that you have to be on the team roster to be in the relay? Or can anyone be selected? If she can be selected just for the relay/s, then the only fair approach would be for the selectors to insist she run some open 400s, and she runs faster than the women who made the 400m team. There is no other way you could justify her selection right now over the top 3 finishers in the open 400m final, or McLaughlin or even Gabby Thomas. Perhaps she could argue her case for the mixed, but Hayes & others should be considered first. Plus, I'm not even sure she is in sub 50.5 form at all.
She still gets to go to the Olympics, just not in the 800m.
Falls are part of the sport, and if you race enough, you acquire the skills that allow you to reduce your risk of a fall. It's just a shame she had to learn that lesson at such a critical moment.
The best application of Rule 163 to this race would be for the race to be rerun for the benefit of Sage as the impeded runner.
Everyone agrees that Mu (tragically) fell to the track on her own. No foul there.
Once on the ground, Mu clearly obstructed Sage "so as to impede her progress". This is the relevant foul in this race.
Rule 163 would require that (1) Mu is disqualified and (2) the race is rerun on the basis that Sage was so impeded that it is "just and reasonable" to rerun the race.
Even if you're right, would anyone be calling for a re-run if it was only Hurta Klecker who had fallen and Mu had actually won? Not a chance. This is all special pleading for Mu