If these guys run the Budapest final the way they’ve been running these DLs, Jakob is going to have his hands full. But will they? Boy, the days of a guy like Chelimo snatching a global medal at 13 flat seem long gone. It will be such a surprise if the global final is won in the high 12:50s, low 13:0x with a burning last lap or two. Just seems like the best in the event are not going to let that happen.
Jakob won in 13:09 last year. What would be surprising is if the final went really fast. There are no pacemakers as you know. Some of the big guns are probably doubling. Totally different deal.
Then just mail Jakob his gold medal in advance. If any of the rest want to win, they will need to be brave. If they can’t or won’t, they have zero chance. None of them can cover the last 1500 as fast as Jakob if it’s been a stroll in the park up until that point.
Surprising seeing so many Americans in this hurdles race one week before the US Championships
The womens 100m hurdles seem to be an especially strange event from a financial, sponsor, and competitive perspective. There are top hurdlers in the US that are still unsponsored, so I have to imagine theres a pretty big incentive for the athletes to get out there, get wins, stay in shape and stay competitive especially considering how tough the US trials are gonna be this year.
I'm sure all the US athletes in the race have come to a very calculated decision that it's better to get a race and some practice off instead of another week of training.
The others were (trying to speak with the times) all a bunch of NPCs. I don't really get the 400mH. It's like you can fill half the lanes in a championship final with people who are going to finish in the camera, with the others out of sight.
Could be future 400m WR holder. His form is different than that of 100m runners.
I’m not a sprints expert but that was my thinking too. His most impressive run this year IMO was the 31.52 300 where he celebrated early and made it look like a lark. And like you said, his form in that 200 looked less like conventional sprinting, more like “really fast running”.
Surprising seeing so many Americans in this hurdles race one week before the US Championships
The womens 100m hurdles seem to be an especially strange event from a financial, sponsor, and competitive perspective. There are top hurdlers in the US that are still unsponsored, so I have to imagine theres a pretty big incentive for the athletes to get out there, get wins, stay in shape and stay competitive especially considering how tough the US trials are gonna be this year.
I'm sure all the US athletes in the race have come to a very calculated decision that it's better to get a race and some practice off instead of another week of training.
Makes sense if they got good appearance fees. My comment was more about competing overseas. I could see wanting to stay sharp with a domestic race or time trial in practice, but the drain of overseas travel and time zone differences seems risky to me. I wouldn’t want to have to deal with jet lag in the week leading up to the US championships.
Jakob won in 13:09 last year. What would be surprising is if the final went really fast. There are no pacemakers as you know. Some of the big guns are probably doubling. Totally different deal.
Then just mail Jakob his gold medal in advance. If any of the rest want to win, they will need to be brave. If they can’t or won’t, they have zero chance. None of them can cover the last 1500 as fast as Jakob if it’s been a stroll in the park up until that point.
Well they mailed it to Mo Farah until it got lost in the mail and Muktar Edris said finders keepers.