Maybe the strength of the American distance squad was part of the problem. In the sprints, great competition only lifts everyone higher. In the distances, having to be among the best in the world even to be competitive in the American championships, which hadn't been the case since the early 1980s if ever, seems to have resulted in a bunch of early peaks. But then the focus on indoors and GST might be the real culprits, as Young and Fisher, among others, were much better well ahead of USAs.
Much of this underperformance seems to be due to very poor race tactics by the USA athletes, and their coaches. What are these race plans?
In every event 800m and up it’s as if our athletes are surprised that the race is tactical or lane one isn’t opened up for them on the home straight.
Let me be clear, if we have any hope of a medal in the 5k, Grant and Nico better have the balls to push earlier. They are not going to out kick the field. The one guy that maybe can out kick the field, Hocker, better have a plan to actually move out to lane two at some point. That shtick of hugging the rail is exposed and will be shut down. Everyone but Hocker knew this before the meet even started.
I mean the Olympics was an outliner in terms of distance performance.
The level is so high in all the events - it is disappointing in terms of the 800m and 1500m teams, but not totally unexpected, we had some younger runners / vets coming back / injuries / DQs that hurt.
What world do we live in where a 1:43.82 doesn’t make a final? How is this even possible? Two years ago that time would’ve won gold medals.
A world with two particularly fast semis? There were a couple of 1:45:XX that made it into the finals. But still, point taken - six 1:43s in the semis is tough.
who cares! Once again everyone loses their minds that the best runners can wash out of a big national glory heats-fest.
It doesn't work, it never did.
The team aspect is meaningless on practically all levels. High school/college duals are just there to qualify for postseason. Postseason is a few individuals racking up points for their school, no "team" about it.
Arop's gonna win not cause he's a Kenyan, or a Canadian, but because he's MF Arop
American runners are showing they have tactical issues.
You know who else has "tactical issues"? Almost every other runner, most of the time.
Unless you are David Rudisha and can run 1:40.91 off the front, a middle distance runner needs to make multiple split second decisions that are really guesses, and sometimes they will work and sometimes they won't.
When evaluating tactics, many on this board assume that only the Americans have agency and everyone else is entirely fixed and predictable.
I think we (US fans) got a little over-hyped with the young runners - Strand, Willis, Cooper L. They've had long seasons, probably peaked 5 weeks ago and had no international racing experience. They have plenty of time to develop and come back better next year and after.
Brazier flirts with DQ by ramming into lead position in first 20m, then gives any chance at lead up.....hittings the breaks so comically hard that runner behind him almost hits him.
Remains blocked in until end last corner. I never saw a race quite like that.
What world do we live in where a 1:43.82 doesn’t make a final? How is this even possible? Two years ago that time would’ve won gold medals.
A world with two particularly fast semis? There were a couple of 1:45:XX that made it into the finals. But still, point taken - six 1:43s in the semis is tough.
First round start lists in the middle and long distance events at these Worlds look way different than they did a few years ago. The sheer number of guys who have run ~ 1:43, 3:31 or 12:59 is cuckoo.
American observers likely underestimated the competitive depth of the rest of the world. It makes sense: if an American who’s been on our radar since they were 17 runs 3:30.9 it’s headline news, while if Nilsson Schwanghammer of Freedonia runs 3:30.9 in Europe it’s like, “Even randos are running 3:30 these days.”
The double-peak and long season could be having an effect, for sure, but I don’t really think our lack of medals so far is that improbable from a simple odds perspective.
I think we (US fans) got a little over-hyped with the young runners - Strand, Willis, Cooper L. They've had long seasons, probably peaked 5 weeks ago and had no international racing experience. They have plenty of time to develop and come back better next year and after.
What? Nobody thought any of those runners was going to do anything at worlds. Most expected the previous medalists and near medalists to be contending for medals and not knocked out before the finals.
American runners are showing they have tactical issues.
You know who else has "tactical issues"? Almost every other runner, most of the time.
Unless you are David Rudisha and can run 1:40.91 off the front, a middle distance runner needs to make multiple split second decisions that are really guesses, and sometimes they will work and sometimes they won't.
Yep. Positioning is a hard thing to get right for a reason, and whenever our guys move out wide you get people saying they ran extra distance for no reason (see Lutkenhaus, though it was valid in that case), so... hard to win with that.
These guys may have run faster than Nick symmonds and have more medals, but I still think nick is one of the if not the best USA 800m runner of all time and definitely the best global 800m tactician the US has ever had.
What world do we live in where a 1:43.82 doesn’t make a final? How is this even possible? Two years ago that time would’ve won gold medals.
Never in the history of the world championships has 1.43.82 or 1.43.92 not made the final on time at an absolute minimum. The only other time that would have happened in a major event? Last year in Paris where Crestan ran 1.43.72 and missed out (but 1.43.82 would still have made the other spot). Not only did we see the fastest 800m prelim (non-final) in history today we saw it twice back to back within minutes of each other. Crazy.
I think the 800m guys get a pass here - to run 1.43.82 and 1.43.92 and not get at least one guy in the final is crazy and honestly if you said to most 800 guys they would be guaranteed of running that in a semi-final a lot would take it because the odds you miss are really low.
Other events?
1500 - Hockers bonehead tactical acumen tilts the perspective here. If he makes the final and even medals (which I believe would have happened) then you had two guys in it and some hardware. I know compared to Paris that's a letdown, but Paris was also a perfect storm outlier.
SC - Traditionally getting a guy in the final finishing 9th is okay. Seems bad because of Rooks' unexplainable near gold last year combined with his equally unexplainable capitulation this year.
10000m - 5th and 8th within 2 seconds of the win. Youngs run is a decent one - Fisher has made a big mistake this season being in his best form in February for some reason and made the tragic decision to chase money he will never end up seeing in GST. He's just running on fumes right now.
Marathon - someone in the top 10 is a pass.
On the womens side the expectations are never as high as on the mens side, it's kind of been on par with expectations right? It's just been a tough champs to evaluate. The weather is brutal and it's not just the Americans struggling. The timing of the champs also made it tough. The US Trials were in hindsight a week or two early. Everyone knows you have to be in great shape to just make the team and I get the logic of "make the team and go back to training for 6 weeks" but it's still just time ticking on the season. You had some big season planning mistakes from two world class guys in Hoey and Nuguse which I think weakened the team and again, I'm not sure I ever understood why or how the indoor season became such a big deal with guys in PR form in the middle of winter. Just stop with that nonsense moving forwards okay?
I also think mainstays of the team like Fisher and Hoppel are on the descent from their career apex's. Still both excellent athletes but the level is so good now that to medal you need to be right in your middle of your careers peak window. Combination of some random stuff, bad timing and tough conditions. It happens - toughest sport on the planet for a reason.
Tactics are supposed to be the biggest strength of the US system because of the competitiveness of the NCAA and the Trials system. Kids grow up and really compete for 4 years of high school and 4 years of college, no wavelights, no pacers. Plus then the top-3 trials system should select the ones with the best championship racing skills.
So why in the world are we so behind tactically speaking? Maybe it’s because everyone is running these breakneck times on the circuit and so the only viable regular season strategy is tuck into the rail and keep your head down for 700m/1400m or whatever?
Two seasoned 800 runners, Brazier and Hoppel, with atrocious tactical races. Both boxed in and at the back with 175 meters left. Neither deserved to make the final. You can't make any mistakes in a championship round 800, and both made serious ones. Blame their coaches as well for giving them said bad instructions. I'm all for rail running, but be up front when you're doing it, or you give the race to luck that the inside lanes will open for you.
3:30 guys used to be able to make mistakes and still beat 3:34 guys. Now everyone on the starting line is 1 bad day away from getting last or 1 great day away from winning. An average day for the best in the world now lands you as…average. Every single dude in every single one of these races is a killer. The gaps in ability are just too small now.
These guys want to be the champ every single time. Well, then you gotta run a perfect race every single time. Because fitness alone can’t win medals anymore.
American runners are showing they have tactical issues.
I thought it was all about doping. You told us that Beamish won due to his tactics, and he is from your country, but if anyone else wins it is due to doping. How stupid are you?