US? We've never (in my lifetime) had this. I grew up idolizing Haile G and Bekele, almost disregarding the American competitors. Rits' 5k record was a highlight for me personally but I can't remember runners like this mano e mano.
That does not mean it's the best, but it's high up on the list for me personally.
It was a fantastic race, that’s for sure. Struck by Hocker’s arrogance. Taking the lead at 600 was pure hubris. He gave the race back to Grant. Hocker was channeling his inner Jakob.
Nguse’s race was spectacular too. He looked cooked and held on. Now he has the record, at least until Jakob runs next week….
Pure hubris? Really? Hocker made the race with that move and almost held on for the win. I was already a fan but my opinion of him skyrocketed after seeing that.
I believe that race would have finished within 1 second of the final time, regardless of when hocker made the move. It was going down as a classic, one way or another.
obviously it was more exciting for the fans that he did what he did, but without the move, maybe fisher runs two more 29s and then hocker wins with a 26 on the last lap. and still new world record.
I would put it right behind the 1965 AAU National Championships 6 mile when Billy Mills and Gerry Lindgren both ran 27:11.6 and co-set the world record.
I just wish the commentators were better. For those races and the 800. I swear they had no idea what times they were running.
100% agree. Hire a stats guy. I acutally loved the commentary in the men's 3k especially when Kara said "this is a statement by Hocker."But, but I was thinking to myself, "He must be doing this as he's going for the WR.' I mean it was OBVIOUS the AR was GONE. WR was a real possibility and we had no buildup.
It's just like 'Oh and an WR." The best part of running is anticipation and we didn't get that in the arce. Now, I don't like it when a commentating is focused only the WR as it often fizzles but someone the good math skills could just tap them on the shoulder with 400 to go , certainly 200.
But blowing the WR is kind of huge. Announcers and graphics crew has to be ready fo rthat.
I just wish the commentators were better. For those races and the 800. I swear they had no idea what times they were running.
100% agree. Hire a stats guy. I acutally loved the commentary in the men's 3k especially when Kara said "this is a statement by Hocker."But, but I was thinking to myself, "He must be doing this as he's going for the WR.' I mean it was OBVIOUS the AR was GONE. WR was a real possibility and we had no buildup.
It's just like 'Oh and an WR." The best part of running is anticipation and we didn't get that in the arce. Now, I don't like it when a commentating is focused only the WR as it often fizzles but someone the good math skills could just tap them on the shoulder with 400 to go , certainly 200.
But blowing the WR is kind of huge. Announcers and graphics crew has to be ready fo rthat.
Agree.
But the need for good math skills is an exaggeration. If the time is 6:26 with 400 meters to go, not much of a skill is required to calculate that 58 seconds is required to finish in 7:24, i.e. near the world record.
What is missing, as you are pointing out, is the feel for the distances they are commentating. The commentators should know that these atlethes can be capable of closing in 58 seconds.
When Tim Hutchings was commentating Jakob's WR at Silesia last summer, he said with some rounds remaining that Jakob was capable of closing in 56 seconds. This showed knowledge.
Olympic 5k/10k double medalist vs Olympic 1500m champ at 3000m
3k/5k/10k AR holder vs 1500m AR holder at 3000m
Both go under the old WR in the biggest meet of the season
What US distance race could possibly match that? We didn't have a 1500m champ for like a century until Centro, and his Olympic Gold was his peak (and he wasn't one to go for fast times). No US man has won 5k/10k medals at the same Olympics (maybe WCs either I'm not sure).
I feel like people have talked on here for years about "Who wins at 3000m, the best 1500m guy or the best 5k/10k guy?" or variations of it, and not only did we get to see that scenario play out, but they both broke the WR, and they're both American. Feels hard to top to me.
I guess there's the Olympic 1500m last year since we went 1-3-5 with OR/AR (if US means the runner, not the place it was run). 2 3:27s is nuts. I think that's still #1 for me, but this is probably #2. Nuguse-Kessler at #3? Or maybe Centro's gold? Idk 7:22 sounds more impressive to me than 3:46 but maybe that's just because Nuguse has run 3:43.
I've asked a couple times but haven't seen an answer, maybe I just missed it. Who was the last US distance runner to set a WR? Who was the last to go under a WR but lose the race (I think Fisher just missed it during the 2m last year)? Has there ever been a race where 2 US distance runners broke the old WR? Did AlSal do it against someone? I guess now that Nuguse and Kessler did it, the answer is Hocker and Fisher, but I just don't know before that.
There was no lead change in the mile, but there was a nice move and lead change in the 3000. The Fisher -Hocker race is one of the top five in US history for a non-Olympic event.
This post was edited 21 seconds after it was posted.
100% agree. Hire a stats guy. I acutally loved the commentary in the men's 3k especially when Kara said "this is a statement by Hocker."But, but I was thinking to myself, "He must be doing this as he's going for the WR.' I mean it was OBVIOUS the AR was GONE. WR was a real possibility and we had no buildup.
It's just like 'Oh and an WR." The best part of running is anticipation and we didn't get that in the arce. Now, I don't like it when a commentating is focused only the WR as it often fizzles but someone the good math skills could just tap them on the shoulder with 400 to go , certainly 200.
But blowing the WR is kind of huge. Announcers and graphics crew has to be ready fo rthat.
Agree.
But the need for good math skills is an exaggeration. If the time is 6:26 with 400 meters to go, not much of a skill is required to calculate that 58 seconds is required to finish in 7:24, i.e. near the world record.
What is missing, as you are pointing out, is the feel for the distances they are commentating. The commentators should know that these atlethes can be capable of closing in 58 seconds.
When Tim Hutchings was commentating Jakob's WR at Silesia last summer, he said with some rounds remaining that Jakob was capable of closing in 56 seconds. This showed knowledge.
Not to derail the thread, but they were horribly bad. In 600 spent all the time talking about Wilson who was well back of the main race. Nothing much to say about Sumner who lead wire to wire.
My god, over 30 posts in, and nobody has mentioned the Numero Uno indoor race of a lifetime for US distance fans. Have everyone's brain cells gone to seed since Paris?
Agree that any Olympic race will be at the top of the all-time best list. Billy Mills' win in the 10,000 @ 1964 Tokyo Olympics should be everyone's #1. Centro & Cole's wins right behind.
But for sheer drama & excitement & unexpectedness -- which is what made Mills' win so memorable together w/Dick Banks' call -- and with much higher stakes than Millrose or any other mid-season race, nothing tops this one, a race held less than a year ago -- and it played out exactly like today:
I think the 3k was “the best” (which is to say my favorite, basically) race I’ve ever seen run in the first two months of the year. It wasn’t as good as the Paris Olympic 1500, or by the same logic, probably the Tokyo 1964 Olympic 5k.
100% agree. Hire a stats guy. I acutally loved the commentary in the men's 3k especially when Kara said "this is a statement by Hocker."But, but I was thinking to myself, "He must be doing this as he's going for the WR.' I mean it was OBVIOUS the AR was GONE. WR was a real possibility and we had no buildup.
It's just like 'Oh and an WR." The best part of running is anticipation and we didn't get that in the arce. Now, I don't like it when a commentating is focused only the WR as it often fizzles but someone the good math skills could just tap them on the shoulder with 400 to go , certainly 200.
But blowing the WR is kind of huge. Announcers and graphics crew has to be ready fo rthat.
Agree.
But the need for good math skills is an exaggeration. If the time is 6:26 with 400 meters to go, not much of a skill is required to calculate that 58 seconds is required to finish in 7:24, i.e. near the world record.
What is missing, as you are pointing out, is the feel for the distances they are commentating. The commentators should know that these atlethes can be capable of closing in 58 seconds.
When Tim Hutchings was commentating Jakob's WR at Silesia last summer, he said with some rounds remaining that Jakob was capable of closing in 56 seconds. This showed knowledge.
I was at the meet and they had a “predicted finish” on the big screen so I could always tell if they were on WR pace. No idea why that can’t be translated into the broadcast
Goucher has to go. She focused on Hoppel in the 800 even after the race. Hoey was totally disrespected. She focused on Hiltz in the mile rather than Bell or even MacLean. But the world records should have been discussed throughout the race.
Liquori over a returning Jim Ryun in the Dream mile of 1971. If we are limiting this to races where two great American runners faced off and produced a fast and competitive race. Plus track got more attention from the general sports fan base back then
I'd have to give the 3k the nod over yesterday's mile in that the lead changed hands twice in the late going and once in the final stretch.
Don't know why but I found myself rooting for Cole to hold Grant off yesterday. I did not have a rooting favorite going in but I think Cole's brave move with 600m to go is why.
But the need for good math skills is an exaggeration. If the time is 6:26 with 400 meters to go, not much of a skill is required to calculate that 58 seconds is required to finish in 7:24, i.e. near the world record.
What is missing, as you are pointing out, is the feel for the distances they are commentating. The commentators should know that these atlethes can be capable of closing in 58 seconds.
When Tim Hutchings was commentating Jakob's WR at Silesia last summer, he said with some rounds remaining that Jakob was capable of closing in 56 seconds. This showed knowledge.
I was at the meet and they had a “predicted finish” on the big screen so I could always tell if they were on WR pace. No idea why that can’t be translated into the broadcast
But the need for good math skills is an exaggeration. If the time is 6:26 with 400 meters to go, not much of a skill is required to calculate that 58 seconds is required to finish in 7:24, i.e. near the world record.
What is missing, as you are pointing out, is the feel for the distances they are commentating. The commentators should know that these atlethes can be capable of closing in 58 seconds.
When Tim Hutchings was commentating Jakob's WR at Silesia last summer, he said with some rounds remaining that Jakob was capable of closing in 56 seconds. This showed knowledge.
Not to derail the thread, but they were horribly bad. In 600 spent all the time talking about Wilson who was well back of the main race. Nothing much to say about Sumner who lead wire to wire.
A surprise to me that Sumner took it out from the gun seeing how conservatively he ran last week's 400m
Pure hubris? Really? Hocker made the race with that move and almost held on for the win. I was already a fan but my opinion of him skyrocketed after seeing that.
Ok, maybe I was too harsh. The race was going to be a burner either way. Hocker’s move was bold if not arrogant. I think it’s a bit of hubris to think he was going to drop Grant from so far out. If he sat on him until 200 they likely still get the record and Hocker wins. If Hocker had taken the lead in Paris with 300 to go, do you think he wins? No. That’s what I meant.
Whether it was hubris or not, without that move there would have been no world record!
It was a fantastic race, that’s for sure. Struck by Hocker’s arrogance. Taking the lead at 600 was pure hubris. He gave the race back to Grant. Hocker was channeling his inner Jakob.
Nguse’s race was spectacular too. He looked cooked and held on. Now he has the record, at least until Jakob runs next week….
Pure hubris? Really? Hocker made the race with that move and almost held on for the win. I was already a fan but my opinion of him skyrocketed after seeing that.
Agree! I wasn’t a fan of his sit and kick tactics (even though it obviously works) but him having the guts to go tothe front made me an instant fan - Fisher certainly owes him a huge thank you. Also agree the announcers were out to lunch.
