Bekele (and scientists) calls for asterisks on Cheptegei's records

This is what i think. In 2016, AFT changed the game for long-distance road running. Suddenly, all male and female world records from 5 km to the marathon were shattered.
Observational studies confirmed the abrupt drop in racing times. It’s like athletes strapped on turbo shoes and hit the afterburners.
Joshua Cheptegei, wearing AFT spikes, broke the 5,000 m male world record that had stood for 16 years. It happened during the 2020 Diamond League in Monaco.
Norwegian athlete Jakob Ingebrigtsen set a new 1500 m European record while rocking those same AFT spikes. It’s like they’re running on lightning bolts.
But wait, there’s more! Pacing technologies—like the Wavelight system—also entered the scene. Suddenly, athletes had digital pacemakers.
The number of athletes running elite times in track races (800m to 10,000m) skyrocketed. Paris 2024 might see more records tumble.
Now, enter the sports scientists and Bekele. They’re waving the asterisk flag. Should records set with AFT and Wavelight pacing get a little star?
It’s a philosophical debate. Where do we draw the line between human performance and tech-assisted wizardry?
As the debate rages, athletes keep pushing boundaries. Records fall, shoes evolve, and fans cheer.
So, do we asterisk or not? Maybe we’ll find the answer in the next stride, the next leap, or the next lightning-fast lap.

science has tried and failed repeatedly for decades on end to comprehend the mechanics of running. No honest scientist can ethically claim shoes make a runner faster.

The wavelight is real though. Bekele should drop the "magic shoes" claim, it weakens his case.

What about his masters WR and PR in the marathon with super shoes? Does he want an asterisk next to it too?

Somehow disappointed by the GOAT.

Just stop. The benefit is extremely obvious. Your denial is silly.

I'm sure he doesn't care about a masters WR. He set real WRs

By the way there's only one WR. Age group WRs are stupid.

Ouch! That's gotta hurt for Cheptegei who idolizes Bekele as his role model. Didn't Bekele congratulate him on his WRs when it happened?

First thing I thought. He has always acted weird about those records being broken — they probably tie a lot into his self-image. Apparently being held up as the GOAT is not enough.

Please note that they only call for the asterisk on Wavelight assisted WRs, which makes sense to me based on their reasoning: seemingly mildly conflicting WA technical rules 6.4.4 and 6.4.8.

"However, before the use of WaveLight technology expands in official competitions, we suggest that records performed with technology-assisted pacing should be differentiated from those records performed without the assistance of such technology with an “asterisk”. This would be similar to the differentiation among female records established in Mixed/Only female races. Therefore, if an athlete wishes to break a non-technology-assisted record, still could by using traditional pacing. This measure would allow for a fairer comparison between athletes."

To add to this, it would be similar to the Altitude marking on certain world records (like Coleman's 60m).

That's what I keep telling myself. When I get a master's WR I will denounce it. I don't have to worry about that for the moment though.

Re masters' WRs, if you go on the battlefield during a war they don't have a masters' section, do they? - same principle.

Yes he did. Both with NN running. Bekele speaking his mind because it's his last Olympics - doesn't care any more.

super easy to make this good. Cheptegei simply needs to run with old technology shoes at the Olympics. Jacob can do the same BTW (it would avoid him having to wear a blindfold in my opinion)

Lots of the greats act weird when their records are broken. It's the same way any of us would react, and it must hit extra hard for the very best in the world.

It's sort of strange, actually, that we expect record-holders to behave graciously when their record is broken. I'm pretty sure they're always faking when they do so, unless it happens to be broken by someone they have a personal connection to. But they get such bad publicity when they admit how they really feel that they usually grin and bear it.

We should treat a broken record as a real, major loss for the former record-holder--a personal tragedy, even--and let them mourn and rage about it. The rest of us can congratulate the new record-holder.

exactly the sort of thing no ethical scientist would say.

if you weren't afraid I'm right, you wouldn't demand I stop saying it

There is an article in the Guardian about how easy it was to buy EPO from drug shops and pharmacies in the villages where most Ethiopian runners were based and trained. Oh, in case I forgot to mention it, the investigation took place when the Dibabas and Ayanas were ascending - long after Bekele had stamped his authority. Needless to say, Bekele was completely clean and had nothing to do with the EPO sold in African village drug shops. You know, a drug that's strictly regulated in today's Kampala and Johannesburg.

So these are the first innovations deserving an asterisk??? Does each evolution of spikes deserve it's own asterisk? Not to mention training shoes, apparel, methods, etc.

trackspikes.co

The Evolution of Track Spikes

Since humans started organizing races against each other, the main goal has been to be the fastest. For many runners, this means wearing track spikes to give them the upper hand over their competition.

Link:trackspikes.co/blogs/news/the-evolutio...

Reminds me of Dr. Suess "The Sneetches"
But McBean was quite wrong. I’m quite happy to say
That the Sneetches got really quite smart on that day,
The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches
And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.
That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars
And whether they had one, or not, upon thars.

Scientists? Really?

Well, you did use the word "nothing" in your handle and I am sure scientists know something about spikes. We also have data on millions of races, so we can actually look and see if they help or not.

Plus we do have knowledge of how much energy is returned from various plates and foams. Some things can be measured and have been. The shoes are for real.

It would be like saying Oscar Pistorius' carbon spring legs didn't help him run faster. They were longer than his real legs and they returned more energy than a real leg...

Why do you think World Athletics is capping the stack height of the spikes? The taller they got, the longer the plate-springs could be. If you have run in them, you know the effect is real and it is fabulous!

p.s. You are certainly welcome to "keep saying it" but it doesn't mean you are right.