I don't know why race walking is even a track event at Worlds. i believe that race walking should be replaced with another event. suggestion would be to replace race walking with either the 4x8 or the DMR.
I don't know why race walking is even a track event at Worlds. i believe that race walking should be replaced with another event. suggestion would be to replace race walking with either the 4x8 or the DMR.
I wouldn't mind seeing one of the long relays, but the walks are not really "track" events. Since they are road events, dropping them won't have any impact on adding another in stadium event.
If racewalking is dropped because it's not a track event, then the Marathon should also be dropped. Since that won't happen, and since all the Olympic events are included in the WC, you'll just have to live with the fact that it's going to be there. If you would rather not watch it because it won't be replaced, just don't watch it or pay attention to it.
the rest of the world enjoys and respects racewalking. There is no reason to replace it and it doesn't take up much track time.
coach wrote:
the rest of the world enjoys and respects racewalking. There is no reason to replace it and it doesn't take up much track time.
No, we don´t.
DMR get's my vote, or the 2 mile
race walking is a hugely popular event at worlds. the streets have many fans. the dmr is only for lower level meets, for colleges and meets that don't matter at the interational level.
Mr. Gotcha wrote:
DMR get's my vote, or the 2 mile
Well, it would be the 3000 if anything, but I agree. definitely a worthy event.
What does it take to get a racewalker to run?
http://www.videosift.com/video/World-Champion-Race-Walker-Attacked-By-Samurai-Run-or-Walk
What an original idea!
German, English, American Guy wrote:
Mr. Gotcha wrote:DMR get's my vote, or the 2 mile
Well, it would be the 3000 if anything, but I agree. definitely a worthy event.
Nah, it's just gonna be another gold for the 5k or 1500m winner. Maybe if we add the 600, then we're talking. Not sure who'd take that right now.
RW hardly takes up any time in the actual stadium, so I don't think you could add a really long event to the format. I would vote for SMR; short and sweet, fun to watch.
I think I finally came up with a useful analogy for racewalk vis-a-vis running, besides the usual "whispering loudly."
Swimming has four strokes. All of them (as near as I know) are judged for adherence to rules for proper (allowed) technique. It's a judged sport--the athletes swim as fast as they can, provided they are judged to adhere to the rules. You don't get to just "swim as fast as you want"--not even in freestyle, IIRC.
Racewalk is also a judged sport. It has rules for proper technique. The athletes may go as fast as they wish, as long as the judges deem that the walkers are obeying the rules.
tio76 wrote:
I think I finally came up with a useful analogy for racewalk vis-a-vis running, besides the usual "whispering loudly."
Swimming has four strokes. All of them (as near as I know) are judged for adherence to rules for proper (allowed) technique. It's a judged sport--the athletes swim as fast as they can, provided they are judged to adhere to the rules. You don't get to just "swim as fast as you want"--not even in freestyle, IIRC.
Racewalk is also a judged sport. It has rules for proper technique. The athletes may go as fast as they wish, as long as the judges deem that the walkers are obeying the rules.
1. In freestyle swimming you can swim any way you like.
2. Race walking admits rule violation. You are not required to have one feet on the ground all the time, as long as "it looks like you do".
something new for a change wrote:
suggestion would be to replace race walking with either the 4x8 or the DMR.
You do realize that outside of the US, most countries haven't even heard of the DMR, let alone take the even seriously?
For that matter, 4x8 is pretty much just a North American university event, although there have been occasional interest in it from countries like GB.
Get rid of it. Do not replace it with anything. We have too many events already
tio76 wrote:
Racewalk is also a judged sport. It has rules for proper technique. The athletes may go as fast as they wish, as long as the judges deem that the walkers are obeying the rules.
Except that NONE of them are obeying the rules. They are clearly getting both feet off the ground. The percentage of athletes caught vs those cheating is low. At least in swimming, we can see that they're all doing the proper stroke
This is beside the point, however. Swimming is not running. "Whispering the loudest" is a far more apt analogy than yours. The question is not "what is right with swimming?" The question is, "what is wrong with racewalking?" The answer is: "It exists"