violasongbird wrote:
Frerichs had the performance of the race. Made the difference with 280 to go, split the Kenyans and dropped their conniving buttocks.
Great tactical move from a young lady who rose to the occassion.
Exactly. I just mentioned the same thing in the long thread about this race. No telling how much differently it would have played out if Frerichs hadn't recognized that opportunity, and it spurred Coburn to go with her.
280 is almost precisely correct. I didn't mention the distance remaining in the other thread because I was thinking it was less than 300 but more than 250.
I'm sure it was adrenaline and simply superior tactics. If Frerichs had stayed back with the same type of low-end goofs she normally runs alongside, she would have acquired their caliber again.
There is room in the women's distance races. I'll continue to emphasize that. Not necessarily to push the world records much lower but for more women to run consistent laps and hang near those records. A Chinese 16 year old was within a few seconds of Katie Ledecky last week in the 800 at world championships. That would have been unthinkable less than a year ago. But as more countries and athletes prioritize the distance races in both running and swimming it will be obvious that the old conventional wisdom was crap.