turkey leg
In any other event . . . 4/12/2012 8:59PM Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
. . . has anyone ever needed to run a WR in order to make their Olympic Team? Just trying to put Kenya's Olympic marathon standard into perspective.
No Way
RE: In any other event . . . 4/12/2012 9:21PM - in reply to turkey leg Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Yes actually
No Way
RE: In any other event . . . 4/12/2012 9:33PM - in reply to No Way Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
I can't find my source, I'll look harder tomorrow, but there are a few instances where in the US Olympic trials more than one athlete has matched or broken the world record in the same event. It is a little different than the Kenyan situation, but you could argue that for example:

If the 100m WR was 10.00, and the top 3 times at the trials were then 9.99, 10.00, and 10.00, that because two athletes ran 10.00, the third had to run at least 10.00 to make the team, thus having to match or better the WR in order to make the team.
den bosch
RE: In any other event . . . 4/12/2012 10:05PM - in reply to turkey leg Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
It's crazy, but think of it this way: In any other event, you can race it several times a year, and likely you'll get a couple chances to get in a fast-paced race where you can run a PR.

Kenya has 6 marathoners to choose from, all (or at least 5) of whom are fully capable of breaking the world record in the right situation. The marathon is usually only raced twice a year, often not in ideal conditions, so of the 6 very close runners, the one who holds the WR is not necessarily the fastest.
No Way
RE: In any other event . . . 4/12/2012 10:14PM - in reply to No Way Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
I was thinking about this while brushing my teeth, and realized a flaw in my logic. The 3rd runner could of course run 10.01 or even slower depending on 4th place and still make the team. It is pretty unlikely that in the US Olympic trials the WR had to be broken to make the team.

No Way wrote:

I can't find my source, I'll look harder tomorrow, but there are a few instances where in the US Olympic trials more than one athlete has matched or broken the world record in the same event. It is a little different than the Kenyan situation, but you could argue that for example:

If the 100m WR was 10.00, and the top 3 times at the trials were then 9.99, 10.00, and 10.00, that because two athletes ran 10.00, the third had to run at least 10.00 to make the team, thus having to match or better the WR in order to make the team.