3 Americans in the 5,000 m final

Good to have all three in the final.

But only Chelimo looked good.

Looks like a duel between him and Katir

Would be nice to see them try to run as a team. Control the race from the front like a "three-person Mo Farah"

I wonder if Fisher didn't have the kick to get an auto Q or if he cruised in knowing he had the time qualifier. Got to think he'll outrun Woody in the final, but Chelimo probably best bet for top american.

I think fisher cruised in. Fisher needs a 13:15 race with a fast last 600m to have a medal shot though imo

Watching Chelimo race is like watching a car chase on LA-area news.

I'm a little suspicious about Katir, too much, too soon. Hate to say it but these huge improvements smell a little fishy. I love watching it, but I have my doubts

runman1954 wrote:

I'm a little suspicious about Katir

That means you are less suspicious that 99% of us

I'd be suspicious of Katir if the NCAA hadn't shown that a down year, plus crazy shoes, created a new world.

Chelimo is always our best shot in the 5k, especially now since hes's fresh. Is the final at night or in the morning? Probably will decide how the race will be ran with the weather in Tokyo.

trumbledon wrote:

Good to have all three in the final.

But only Chelimo looked good.

Looks like a duel between him and Katir

Disagree. Fisher looked comfortable, never losing touch or straining to keep pace. Kincaid struggled through, it will be a tough final for him. Katir looks like the man to beat, he's so smooth and has more in the tank for the final lap than anyone else.

Summer of 2006 wrote:

Would be nice to see them try to run as a team. Control the race from the front like a "three-person Mo Farah"

Yeah good luck trying to get Chelimo to do something like that.

Who do ya'll have?

I have Katir/Kiplimo/Knight.... not sure what I went with the Ks.

alphas only wrote:

Summer of 2006 wrote:

Would be nice to see them try to run as a team. Control the race from the front like a "three-person Mo Farah"

Yeah good luck trying to get Chelimo to do something like that.

Chelimo must be the most hated distance runner. I though he might be DQ’d for putting his arm around Katir before the finish. I mean wtf is he doing?

trumbledon wrote:

Good to have all three in the final.

But only Chelimo looked good.

Looks like a duel between him and Katir

lol, a duel between Chelimo and Katir?

How about these guys?

J. Cheptegei - 12:35 / 26:11

J. Kiplimo - 7:26 / 12:48 / 26:33

M. Ahmed - 12:47 / 26:59

J. Knight - 3:33 / 12:51

N. Kimeli - 12:51 / 26:58

I'm liking Cheptegei to challenge Katir with Kiplimo on their heels.

I love him. The Sweat Elite whatever workout videos of him on youtube are great. He trains hard. Also he makes me laugh. Finger wagging, drifting, then putting Woody and Fisher in loving headlocks right after all that.

khakis wrote:

I love him. The Sweat Elite whatever workout videos of him on youtube are great. He trains hard. Also he makes me laugh. Finger wagging, drifting, then putting Woody and Fisher in loving headlocks right after all that.

I like him too, but what do they think? He’s sort of crazy. Good crazy or bad crazy, that’s the question….Did somebody ask him and Katir about what was going on today? He literally put his arm around him while racing. I realize it’s a prelim and they were both finishing, but I’ve never seen that before.

Wise Old Man wrote:

khakis wrote:

I love him. The Sweat Elite whatever workout videos of him on youtube are great. He trains hard. Also he makes me laugh. Finger wagging, drifting, then putting Woody and Fisher in loving headlocks right after all that.

I like him too, but what do they think? He’s sort of crazy. Good crazy or bad crazy, that’s the question….Did somebody ask him and Katir about what was going on today? He literally put his arm around him while racing. I realize it’s a prelim and they were both finishing, but I’ve never seen that before.

Yeah, that was weird. A hand on Katir's shoulder before they crossed the line. I wonder if it was camaraderie or some sort of head game power move. Maybe it was a natural part of whatever they were saying to each other. I think Paul would say we overanalyze things and he just does whatever in the moment.

I thought they all looked very solid. If it's slow, Chelimo IS a factor. I don't think it can be slow enough for Woody too with his consistency in putting himself in bad positions. If it's made fast, Cheptegei, Kiplimo and Kimeli's chances go way up and the Americans go down. I think there's kinda a medium level where it's a 13:20-type race that is the sweet spot for Knight and Fisher.

American distance running is obviously doing something right. So much less talent than East Africa but able to put three into the finals. Other countries should take note of the training that Americans are doing. These guys were running 14:30 at 18 years old while other world class runners were running 13:10 at the same age. The US training system is obviously able to get more out of runners than other systems.