thoughts?
thoughts?
Well, if he beats Alex Kipchirchir and Daniel K Komen there, yeah, that would be pretty impressive.
i'd be impressed if he beats both of them.
unfortunately for Webb, worlds has heats and isn't a time trial with multiple rabbits.
Yeah. It's not like he'd have to beat anyone like Lagat in a kick or anything.
Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure.
i think that if he wins off a hard fast pace say 3:50 or better at pre, then he would be a contender to medal. i really want to see him get the american record. hopefully he peaks right for worlds.
Lagat will beat him. Webb is was just at RBK (Mottram said this same thing).
not so cold wrote:
Lagat will beat him. Webb is was just at RBK (Mottram said this same thing).
Webb is was just at RBK...
now, i hate grammar hounds as much as the next person, but what you wrote doesn't express a coherent thought.
i'll just ignore that part in my response: Webb is looking very good right now; better, in fact, than he has ever looked. it would not surprise me if he beat Lagat and Kipchirchir at Pre, although it wouldn't surprise me if Lagat won, either.
where are people getting the idea that Webb doesn't know how to run rounds? he was eliminated in the prelims at the olympics, but then made the finals in the world champs in the very next yer. sounds like he's got it figured out. the main criticism against him after that was that he didn't seem to have much racing savvy or much of a kick; he seems to have remedied that, as well. i see no reason why we shouldn't expect to see him in the finals in Osaka. heck, i believe he has a good chance to medal (i am knocking on wood right ... now.).
A Reebok meet and Pre Classic is hardly "the world".
Well, when the best milers in the world go to those meets, it is "the world" of miling.
Of course it's not the world, but it is against some of the best in the world. I'd say Lagat is top 3, if not the best miler.
It's also not hard to tell that Lagat is nowhere near his best form. He will be much, much better late this summer.
For right now, all that anyone can really say is that Webb is looking pretty spiffy and thats about it. It looks like he has learned how to race against good competition and it looks like he's in phenomenal (sp?) shape. If he continues to improve, he'll be hard to beat.
Okay, Webb is fast and running really well right now, I think we can all agree on that. Now the Pre thing. Daniel K. Komen was ranked number one in the world two years ago (not sure about last year), and has a PR of 3:29. Alex Kipchirchir is one of the best as well and won the World Cup last year (beating Lagat). Not only that, but he has one of the best final sprints of anyone I've seen in a 1500/mile. Lagat, well, is Lagat. Is Ramzi coming this year? If so, he is a double world champion. El G's record there is 3:49.9, which I can definitely see going down this year by Webb. If Alan can beat three or four of the world's best and run under 3:50, it will be proof in my eyes that he is a a contender for at least top three in Osaka, assuming he runs his best in August.
Guppy wrote:
Okay, Webb is fast and running really well right now, I think we can all agree on that. Now the Pre thing. Daniel K. Komen was ranked number one in the world two years ago (not sure about last year), and has a PR of 3:29. Alex Kipchirchir is one of the best as well and won the World Cup last year (beating Lagat). Not only that, but he has one of the best final sprints of anyone I've seen in a 1500/mile. Lagat, well, is Lagat. Is Ramzi coming this year? If so, he is a double world champion. El G's record there is 3:49.9, which I can definitely see going down this year by Webb. If Alan can beat three or four of the world's best and run under 3:50, it will be proof in my eyes that he is a a contender for at least top three in Osaka, assuming he runs his best in August.
Lagat couldn't run the World Cup last year. Gabe Jennings ran for Team USA.
be serious. no chance. it would take a miracle. like al quaeda blowing up both the kenyan and ethiopian airline.
be serious wrote:
be serious. no chance. it would take a miracle. like al quaeda blowing up both the kenyan and ethiopian airline.
i wouldnt go that far, but i would say that webb would have to really blow the doors off a world-class field to really 'cement' himself as a favorite. he is still, and always is, a medal contender though.
yeppers wrote:
unfortunately for Webb, worlds has heats and isn't a time trial with multiple rabbits.
Um, this past race, though had rabbits wasnt really much of a time trial and he (Webb) didn't really utilize the rabbits like he should of.
The Reebok meet was in eary June. The World Champs are in late August. Webb starts every season in great shape but then blows it by the championships - see Olympics and Worlds in Helsinki as my evidence.
That was a great victory on the weekend but note Mottram and Lagat (possibly) were racing at distances they won't be competing at in Osaka. Those two were in the race for a little early season speed work.
My tip is that Webb makes the World final and then gets blown away by guys who are fresher and have targetted that race.
Same goes for Fam. He's running too fast, too early.
I tip Tegenkamp to run very well in Osaka.
agreed. Webb is so inconsistent it's hard to get excited about these great runs he's had. The guy has run 3:51 and 3:52 in his past two mile races, smoking the competition in the process. Now it's time for him to bonk a meet or two. I predict 3:54 for 4th place at Pre. By the time WC's come around he may have regathered enough for a berth in the finals. But no medal. I know that sounds like a pessimistic asshole thing to say, but I stick by my predictions.
I am one of the most outspoken Webb critics you'll find. I've called him the most over-rated runner in American history and perhaps the most over-rated athlete in American history.
Has Webb finally turned the corner? This meet will go a long way to answer that question. If he does well, then I'll be the first to say that he looks like he's FINALLY settled in to being the runner he was projected to be.
But, with Webb and this stage of his career, you never know. His inconsistency is a serious issue. I hope he's taken his racing as seriously as he has his male pattern baldness.
Feris Bodwan wrote:
The Reebok meet was in eary June. The World Champs are in late August. Webb starts every season in great shape but then blows it by the championships - see Olympics and Worlds in Helsinki as my evidence.
Olympics- Webb peaked at the US trials because he'd had trouble breaking 4:00 for two straight years. there was no way for him to know he'd be a 3:50 guy that year, so he aimed for the trials, and was past his peak at the olympics.
World Champs- his mile PR (3:48) is in late july, right before the WCs; his 1500m PR (3:32) is in late august, after the WCs. he was definitely not past his peak. he made a bad tactical move in the finals, but got there just fine. he lacked a kick and good tactics, both of which he seems to be improving on- see his Reebok race last weekend.