That’s a pretty realistic list given how the rounds have played out. Kerr looks sharp and Laros seems fearless, but I wouldn’t sleep on Wightman in a championship final—he always knows how to position himself when it counts.
Wightman has one major world global medal and he's well into his 30s.
Kerr is probably the favorite, and I hope anybody but him wins. I guess I'm on team Laros now. Let's see what the new kid on the block can do when it matters
1. Niels Laros 3:37.9 2. Josh Kerr 3:38.0 3. Jake Wightman 3:38.2 4. Isaac Nader 3:38.2 5. Reynold Cheruiyot 3:38.2 6. Timothy Cheruiyot 3:38.4 7. Jonah Koech 3:38.5 8. Adrian Ben 3:38.5 9. Federico Riva 3:38.8 10. Samuel Pihlstrom 3:39.0 11. Andrew Coscoran 3:39.0 12. Neil Gourley 3:39.3 13. Tshepo Tshte 3:39.7 14. Robert Farken 3:39.8
2:03 through first 800
Kerr leads from 700m out to 30m from the finish, winding it up gently to the bell and then hammering hard but controlled the last 400. Laros works his way from mid-pack at the bell to Kerr’s shoulder with 80m to go, and has a little too much speed for Kerr.
51.4/25.3 last 400/200 for Laros, 51.9/25.6 for Kerr.
Wightman just stalks Kerr throughout the entire last 700, holding ground and fending off hard closes from Nader and Reynold Cheruiyot.
Adrian Ben, a 3:31.7 guy with 800 finals experience who was thrilled with his semi, competes strongly in this style of race.
Robert Farken dead last for the lols.
A majority of forum users complain that the race sucked because it was slow.
1. Niels Laros 3:37.9 2. Josh Kerr 3:38.0 3. Jake Wightman 3:38.2 4. Isaac Nader 3:38.2 5. Reynold Cheruiyot 3:38.2 6. Timothy Cheruiyot 3:38.4 7. Jonah Koech 3:38.5 8. Adrian Ben 3:38.5 9. Federico Riva 3:38.8 10. Samuel Pihlstrom 3:39.0 11. Andrew Coscoran 3:39.0 12. Neil Gourley 3:39.3 13. Tshepo Tshte 3:39.7 14. Robert Farken 3:39.8
2:03 through first 800
Kerr leads from 700m out to 30m from the finish, winding it up gently to the bell and then hammering hard but controlled the last 400. Laros works his way from mid-pack at the bell to Kerr’s shoulder with 80m to go, and has a little too much speed for Kerr.
51.4/25.3 last 400/200 for Laros, 51.9/25.6 for Kerr.
Wightman just stalks Kerr throughout the entire last 700, holding ground and fending off hard closes from Nader and Reynold Cheruiyot.
Adrian Ben, a 3:31.7 guy with 800 finals experience who was thrilled with his semi, competes strongly in this style of race.
Robert Farken dead last for the lols.
A majority of forum users complain that the race sucked because it was slow.
You know what? I like this a lot. Only changes I might make are putting the Cheruiyots above Nader and swapping Riva/Pihlstrom for Gourley/Tshepo.
It has to be Laros. He was testing how easily he could beat those guys in that semi. Imagine what it looked like if he let it rip on the last 100m. He would’ve made a mockery of them. I just don’t see how it’s not going to be Laros.
Laros should have been disqualified for elbowing Strand. He got away with it, so he'll do something even worse in the final and then he'll be disqualified.
Ok, I'm not seeing enough hot takes in this thread. Here's my final podium predictions:
1. Coscoran
2. Nader
3. Tim C
Laros, Kerr, and a couple others run to win, burn themselves too bright, and fall short. Nader and Tim C both seem like dudes who very much want to win but would also be very happy to run for podium spots.
Won't be able to watch this until late afternoon Pacific time unfortunately... will have to steer wildly clear of socials all day
I have Jonah Koech winning. Undefeated in all of his races. I believe he is keeping a low profile in the prelims; not showing his cards which is smart. He did that at the US trials too in the first round doing the minimum amount of work to qualify.
His first 1500m in the the DL, he went from 11th to 1st and destroyed Reynold Cheriyout. Ran an 800m PR on that same week and coming in has the fastest 800m PR in the field which is a huge advantage in a slow tactical race. And the most important race or breakthrough that lead me to believe that he can win is winning USA over the the Olympic champion closing in 52.9 in lane 2. I think he’s going to surprise most but he won’t surprise me.