and here come the pretzels wrote:
But that's just it: our "B" qualifiers AREN'T our best. The "A" qualifiers are. They've run faster, so they're better. Sure, every once in a while you may have a heart-warming story like Brian Sell's to give hope to underdogs everywhere, but 95% of the contenders will always be "A" qualifiers.
Then why have "B" qualifiers to begin with. The idea of a trial is to put everyone one the starting line with an equal opportunity to succeed. That's how you determine who the best is. The "B" standard can have all the differences on the planet in terms of funding to get to the race and boarding for the race, but when the gun goes off, it's stupid that group "B" isn't treated the same as group "A".
We aren't talking about running chicago or boston where you're paying elites to come race so your marathon is considered the best in the world, we're talking about a TRIAL that decides our Olympic team. Whether or not a B guy could win is irelevant, its about the integrity of the race. We don't have B qualifiers in track run an extra lap and say, "you should just be happy you made it".
Like I said, funding and what not, I can understand, but when it comes to the actual race, especially one that decides the olympic team, should be equal for everyone.