Summer Paris 2024 - Track & Field

[AdelaideGT]

Lane draw didn't favour Bol. She wouldn't have beaten Sydney but running inside her would have allowed her to run a more controlled race and take silver.

She was put under pressure with McLaughlin coming up inside her and looked very tired in the final 100m.

 

[AdelaideGT]

given no choice

Team officials (no doubt on advice of medical staff).

There's a difference between competing in an event which takes 16 minutes (Lani) vs 20 seconds (Lyles) if your breathing is affected.

Aussie officials chose to withdraw Lani to save her for later races, not because covid is infectious. And isolating - to prevent others being affected - is a no-brainer. It's what we're all supposed to do even if we're not Olympians.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Holloway dominates the 110m Hurdles as expected and finally gets that Olympic title.

 

[Xtreme]

There is no rule forbidding it.

Aussies have competed while (probably) still contagious.

They have just been dosed up on anti-virals, asked to wear a mask when near others and do the hand-sanitising stuff that should be second nature to everyone in the world by now.

Lyles wore a mask in the call-room and sat apart from other competitors.


And who is 'they'?

If anyone's withdrawn because of covid, it's more likely to be on the advice of their own medical team rather than any Olympic official.

This annoys me
Yes we are living with covid but it's pure selfishness for those infected to be still out and about regardless if it's minutes or hours. Thanks for spreading your germs people, sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh!!!

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

When I posted that wiki Athletics medals table a few hours ago I was going to write that the yanks are back to their best and are going to win 32 maybe 35 medals, given we basically have had 1/2 the events.

Tonight they won 3 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze to go to 9-10-8 = 27 medals.

Tara Davis-Woodhall won the long jump + bronze, McLaughlin in the 400m hurdles + silver, Holloway in 110m hurdles + silver, lost the 200m but Bednarek won silver and Lyles bronze.

They are going to win 40 medals - like they did in LA when the Soviets and Eastern bloc boycotted. Maybe more given there are 18 events left including 4 relays which they will win all of them provided they don't drop the stick in any of them.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Bruce put McLaughlin's achievement into historical perspective.

No previous track athlete won their initial Olympic title in a WR and defended it with another WR.

He said Abebe Bikila won the 1960 marathon on the road in Rome - running barefoot - in a WR and then came back in Tokyo, wearing shoes this time and won again in a new WR.

In the field events Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva set a WR when she won in Athens in 2004 and then again 4 years later in Beijing.

Now she has 2 Olympic titles, maybe she will give the flat 400m a decent crack. She might be able to crack 48 seconds given she can run the 400 sticks in 50.37. Who knows, she might even after a year or two of just running the flat 400m, can give East German's Martia Koch's 1985 WR of 47.60 a decent shot.

 

[Catfish Alley]

They are going to win 40 medals - like they did in LA when the Soviets and Eastern bloc boycotted. Maybe more given there are 18 events left including 4 relays which they will win all of them provided they don't drop the stick in any of them.

I think over 100 more gold medals up for grabs now compared to 1984.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Lani Pallister for one.

COVID-19 hits Paris Olympics: Athletes forced to withdraw and mask up - National | Globalnews.ca

British swimmer Adam Peaty tested positive a day after he narrowly missed out on 100 metres breaststroke gold, sharing silver with American Nic Fink.

globalnews.ca

There was an article on the American version of the Today show a few days ago where an athlete said he was forced to withdraw from his competition. He said he was given no choice. I can't recall the name or the sport so might have something to do with the particular sport.

Pallister was saved for the relays nothing more or less she swam the 200m free replay (gold medal) later in the week.

There’s no such rule you can’t compete just do the old measures mask, etc.

 

[AdelaideGT]

No previous track athlete won their initial Olympic title in a WR and defended it with another WR.

Aussie Shirley Strickland (the first woman to defend on Olympic athletics title) won in Helsinki 1952 with a World Record and probably would have beaten it in Melbourne 1956. But a German woman (who couldn't even make the Melbourne final) had been credited with a WR in a suspect time at home just before the Games. Damn those hand-held watches & friendly officials back then lol.

Another Aussie hurdler - Pam Kilborn - set a WR after winning bronze in Tokyo 1964. She was considered the best in the world for the next 4 years but - suffering from a shoulder injury - could only come 2nd to her 17yo team-mate Maureen Caird (who set an electronic WR) in Mexico 68.

Pam retired after the 1970 Commonwealth Games (winning her third hurdles title in a row) but then came back for one last chance of Olympic glory in Munich 1972.

She set yet another WR in the new 100m Hurdles event just a few weeks before the Games but, sadly again suffering from injury, could only finish fourth.

Her Australian Record of 12.93 however lasted 35 years until Sally Pearson finally beat it in 2007.

History lesson over lol

 

[yabsy]

Bruce put McLaughlin's achievement into historical perspective.

No previous track athlete won their initial Olympic title in a WR and defended it with another WR.

He said Abebe Bikila won the 1960 marathon on the road in Rome - running barefoot - in a WR and then came back in Tokyo, wearing shoes this time and won again in a new WR.

In the field events Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva set a WR when she won in Athens in 2004 and then again 4 years later in Beijing.

Now she has 2 Olympic titles, maybe she will give the flat 400m a decent crack. She might be able to crack 48 seconds given she can run the 400 sticks in 50.37. Who knows, she might even after a year or two of just running the flat 400m, can give East German's Martia Koch's 1985 WR of 47.60 a decent shot.

I thought Bol was going to push her all the way, but SML was in a league of her own...It makes it all the more remarkable that she barely races & can produce performance like that at these major events...Would love to see her take on the flat 400m challenge.

On Redmi Note 8 Pro using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Sydney Kicker]

I thought Bol was going to push her all the way, but SML was in a league of her own...It makes it all the more remarkable that she barely races & can produce performance like that at these major events...Would love to see her take on the flat 400m challenge.

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I'm a tad suspicious of SML. Bob Kersee as her coach and her choice to race infrequently aren't enough on their own to be significant red flags but they do raise suspicions when considered alongside her otherworldly performances.

Feel sorry for Bol, must be shattered. Will find it very hard to recover mentally and reputation wise from this performance unless it comes out she was injured or had Covid or similar. That said I think I read somewhere her time was still the 17th fastest in history which boggles the mind when you see how far back she finished.

 

[sideswipe]

I'm a tad suspicious of SML. Bob Kersee as her coach and her choice to race infrequently aren't enough on their own to be significant red flags but they do raise suspicions when considered alongside her otherworldly performances.

Feel sorry for Bol, must be shattered. Will find it very hard to recover mentally and reputation wise from this performance unless it comes out she was injured or had Covid or similar. That said I think I read somewhere her time was still the 17th fastest in history which boggles the mind when you see how far back she finished.

Disagree - you never know with anyone, but SML has been an otherwordly talent from the first time she ran. Made an Olympic Semi at the age of 16! Her progressive improvement, just like say, Bolt, has been fairly linear.

The classic doper progression sees a point of sudden/massive improvement - Johnson, Armstrong, FloJo, etc. Marion Jones might be the exception of being good in high school, but she was also accused of doping back then too!

As you say, Bol still went 17th fastest of all time - might simply be a case of fatigue setting in. Been a decent week with that mixed relay 400.

 

[AdelaideGT]

A bit light-on for Aussies today but still some entertainment coming up.

1805 W Hep D2 - Camryn Newton-Smith, Tori West
1930 M 800 SF - Peyton Craig

0457 W 10000 F - Lauren Ryan

 

[apollo_creed]

Very curious as to why Lyles need a wheelchair? He had covid - ok. He raced and lost and my assumption would be the wheelchair was a prop of deflection/to make it all about him? In true US athlete style.

Please tell me I'm missing something? Was there another injury that required the wheelchair? He tear his hammy off the bone? Broken leg?

 

[AdelaideGT]

Please tell me I'm missing something?

He is asthmatic which could worsen the breathing difficulties of covid sufferers.

 

[Royces Hart]

Very curious as to why Lyles need a wheelchair? He had covid - ok. He raced and lost and my assumption would be the wheelchair was a prop of deflection/to make it all about him? In true US athlete style.

Please tell me I'm missing something? Was there another injury that required the wheelchair? He tear his hammy off the bone? Broken leg?

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

I think over 100 more gold medals up for grabs now compared to 1984.

I'm talking about Athletics only - 40 medals is what I wrote, not gold.

In LA USA won 16-15-9 =40 when there were only 41 events as a few, 6, women's events weren't around back then.

In 1980 the Soviets dominated as a lot of the western nations boycotted they won the most medals ever,
15-14-12 =41 and the East Germans 11-8-10 =29 from 38 events

The only other time the USA has won 15 or 16 gold medals since WWII is;
1952 15 out of 33 events
1956 16 out of 33
1968 15 out of 36

Apart from the 2 boycotted games mentioned above the only other time any nation has won 30+ medals is
1952 USA 31
1956 USA 31
1992 USA 30 from 43 events
2016 USA 32 from 47 events

You reckon they will improve come LA which is a bit scarey.

2008-2016 there were 47 events, 24 men, 23 women with no women's 50km walk
2020 there were 48 events with introduction of 4x400m mixed relay
2024 there were 48 events - the men's 50km walk was replaced by Mixed teams Marathon Relay walk.

 

[apollo_creed]

He is asthmatic which could worsen the breathing difficulties of covid sufferers.

To me it’s just him detracting from the winner and his own failure. Don’t believe for a second he needed the wheelchair.

 

[AdelaideGT]

To me it’s just

My leg just cramped.

Can you diagnose and prescribe me something from your keyboard?

Thanks in advance Doc.

 

[Royces Hart]

My leg just cramped.

Can you diagnose and prescribe me something from your keyboard?

Thanks in advance Doc.

Pickle juice.

 

[apollo_creed]

My leg just cramped.

Can you diagnose and prescribe me something from your keyboard?

Thanks in advance Doc.

Big mouthed American athlete loses and suddenly can't walk.

 

[Freezin]

Big mouthed American athlete loses and suddenly can't walk.

A supremely fit and young big mouthed American athlete to boot. The wheelchair was all show....

 

[AdelaideGT]

I don't expect young Peyton Craig can possibly qualify for the 800m final from his semi tonight. But being a lane inside of American Hoppel, sitting on him and seeing what he can do in the last lap would be a reasonable tactic.

 

[AdelaideGT]

The wheelchair was all show....

A couple of years back I was in hospital. Had to have unexpected surgery. The day after the op I was unable to walk or even stand up straight. Even the Doctors were baffled as to why.

They had to wheel me to the car park for me to drive home. I thought it was temporary and would be fine in a couple of weeks.

Two years later, I still need to use a walking stick to even put the bins out.

The human body is not totally predictable.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Forgot to post AthsStats analysis of Hull's run this morning.

Bit you can't read on this tweet condensed on big footy;

Spare a thought for Lizakowska - she's run the fastest time ever run for 7th spot, 3:57.31, but it's not enough to qualify. Walcott-Nolan (9th, 3:58.08 PB) and Vissa (10th, 3:58.11 NR) also ran fastest times ever for their positions. Jess Hull looked comfortable at the front finishing with Welteji in what is the 2nd fastest time ever for an Australian (3:55.40)Georgia Griffith (9th 4:02.69) ran a brave race in the first semi, leading most of the way but just got passed in last 50 metres for a finals qualifying spot.