Too funny - Kilian Jornet was busy giving people high 5's and Mamu ran past him at the line - he lost prize money and point

This makes no sense. So showboating and gloating over your victory by celebrating with fans, acting like you are so far ahead you can walk it in is OK, but honestly racing through the line is not? Oh, and both "knew he was racing"... The race wasn't over! There may be some tradition of gentlemanliness that allows showboating, like they do at the end of triathlons, but it rubs me the wrong way far more than actually racing through the line.

Exactly.

I don't know much about this kind of racing, but if it is true that it is an unwritten rule that you don't pass someone at the end because they are high-fiving the fans, then I don't want to learn anything further. That is close to the stupidest thing I can imagine as an unwritten rule.

Races begin with a gun and end at a line. If someone is dorking around in between and gets beat, or celebrates too early and gets pipped at the line, then that's on them.

How has the thread made it this far without someone pointing out Mamu is a convicted doper?

Pretty much. Or wait in your car till they're done.

Video link??

ffs

This is the thing.
200€ may not mean much to killian but it means a lot ot the Africans, and this is symbolic of what's going to happen over the next 10 years as more Africans move into trail and mountain runinng. Europeans and Americans resting on their laurels while they get passed at the finish line by (literally) hungrier athletes.

Thoughts on the final day of the Tour de France? Is that event/sport a joke?

Sure.

If the Tour de France is close enough to have the result change on the last day, then the athletes will race (See; LeMond beats Fignon by eight seconds). If there is ever a gap of less than a few seconds, then you better believe that they will be racing.

Given that the gap is typically several minutes, the rider in second place knows that he isn't going to close the gap on a flat stage that every sprinter wants to win, so there is no point in trying a move that will never work.

While the final stage is typically billed as "ceremonial" as far as the yellow jersey goes, that is because there is no point in attacking in a move that is doomed.

The only scenario in which the "ceremonial" notion will be tested is if the leader crashes and has to limp home very slowly. Whether the athletes would neutralize the stage would be interesting to see.

Regardless, I reject the analogy or comparison. A 21-stage race's final day is nothing like a one-day running race.

A better question would be: Once a cyclist has thrown his arms in the air to declare victory in a sprint, should the other riders throw their bike to beat him or touch their brakes to make sure he crosses the line first? The answer is they should throw their bikes forward to try to win or secure a higher place, just like it is obvious that the runner in this case should pass someone who is high-fiving the crowd.

It didn’t really look to me like he was celebrating early. He knew he wasn’t on the podium and just wanted to enjoy the finish with a few high fives. He got caught up in the moment.

He has been at the top so long that it really feels like a lot of his races these days are victory laps. He has nothing to prove, but the man loves to race.

It’s really a better look for him than being totally cutthroat just to take 4th place after such an intense race. It was funny and he seemed to take it well.

Yes, I think he would have been better served if he did not freak out and try to pass Mamu back, it made it more embarrassing. I think he would have been more boss if he would have acted nonchalant like no big deal this guy beat me in final strides, but it meant a lot to Kilian as his training post-Hardrock was perfect compared to previous years he won it. This is not the first time he has come into Zinal with a 100 mile in background. I have ITRA score in the 800s and it is no joke, but I also have only won a few big races and have never celebrated the way Kilian has been accustomed to beating the same familiar competition for over a decade. He's like the best runner on a club team he knows how to beat Remi and Stian etc., but not the Africans. Imagine Ethiopians!!? They could be better!!

Seriously. No one announced this rule when Infeld passed a celebrating Huddle for bronze in the WC, or when a high schooler in Illinois (?) blew the state XC title by celebrating too soon.

It's funny you found it funny

I thought triathlon has some dung-twister rule that gives points or prize money for being closer to the leader so that's why the leader will usually chad-jog it in - to help the field a little bit.

Maybe this has something similar.

It's pretty much bs on both of them. Just finish the fubar race and put the dude in his place. Unless your race contract says hi-fiving gives you more money there should be no reason for that. Sign autographs after if you're that hungry for attention.

I have never seen or experienced this unspoken rule of not passing anyone at the end. Maybe only on the last day of le Tour or in a volksmarch. Not in any one day race. It certainly is not a European rule.

I have raced mountain races in Europe including Sierre Zinal. If you are in the competitive division the racing is cut throat and super competitive. Any advantage that can be gained is taken and all the way to the line. Elbows and other intentional physical contact. taking shortcuts, etc. Especially coming down into Zinal presuming they still use the crazy open course finish.

his solomon contract was for $200,000 plus a year.

video here

I wouldn't call it showboating and certainly not over victory (4th & 5th place). It's not as if he was doing cartwheels or shooting pistols. he was just interacting with the crowd as the race was over in his mind. trail running allows and unusually close and narrow spectator finish. It's not the same as a road marathon where the finish is more staged.

"Regardless, I reject the analogy or comparison. A 21-stage race's final day is nothing like a one-day running race.A better question would be: Once a cyclist has thrown his arms in the air to declare victory in a sprint, should the other riders throw their bike to beat him or touch their brakes to make sure he crosses the line first? The answer is they should throw their bikes forward to try to win or secure a higher place, just like it is obvious that the runner in this case should pass someone who is high-fiving the crowd."

It's a very fair comparison. Start to finish right? that is what everyone is saying. the last stage is 5% of the race. the part of the race we are disputing is 0.01%. It wasn't a 100m sprint. And nobody is throwing their arms in victory! there was no victory on the table.

TBF, Kilian only overtook Mamu like 5mins before the finish so they were always hot on each others tail. He did manage to gap him enough and did actually look over his shoulder coming into the finish. But such are the finishes at these races with blind bends that you can't see them approaching such as a trad marathon were you look back and you know they're at 30secs/1min behind. Not an excuse but for me, personally knowing I had been beat, I wouldn't have sprinted passed in that manner. he wasn't showing off. just acknowledging the crowd for their support as many athletes do (it's not just a Kilian thing).

I'm sure he learnt his lesson - or not as he would probably happily do it again in a similar situation given nothing was at stake for him (call it arrogant but he's earned it). But when he turns up race focussed and victory is on the table, i'm sure we won't be having this discussion.