Terrific race. First race with 8 1:42s. McPhillips leaves the meet with a PR two seconds faster than going in. Anderson brings the Jamaican record down.
And of course, the Big Three step up with 1:41s again. Awesome
1 Emmanuel WANYONYI 1:41.86 CR 2 Djamel SEDJATI 1:41.90 SB 3 Marco AROP 1:41.95 SB 4 Cian MCPHILLIPS 1:42.15 NR 5 Mohamed ATTAOUI 1:42.21 SB 6 Max BURGIN 1:42.29 PB 7 Navasky ANDERSON 1:42.76NR 8 Tshepiso MASALELA 1:42.77
This just goes to show us that some of the "surprise" results from the previous rounds shouldn't have been a surprise at all. You really do have to have your A game on for the whole meet unless you want to be eliminated early. Some guys needed PBs in the first round and the semi just to squeak through and still run another PB in the final.
On an aside, it's no wonder why we didn't see a WR. There aren't any easy rounds these days and the medalists have to ride a pretty fine line just to advance.
Such a golden age of 800m running. Very proud to have him medal again, especially given the quality of the field and his participation in GST earlier this year.
Rudisha looks like he's gained 100 pounds sitting in the stands with Coe.
Coe still looks like he could break 2.
Just goes to show that Kenyans are not 'genetically slim'. Rudisha must be enjoying the good life. Or maybe he was taking something like ephedrine throughout his career.
Rudisha says he gained weight due to partying to relieve the stress of his personal life problems and injuries.
Some ex-athletes really seem to let it all go while others seem like they still stick to a decent exercise and diet regimen since it's all they know and they looks pretty fit as they age.
I guess that's true for most people as they get older, not just athletes. But it's just more of a shock when you see someone whose vocation was based on being super fit and they're now not just a little, but a lot, out of shape.
Terrific race. First race with 8 1:42s. McPhillips leaves the meet with a PR two seconds faster than going in. Anderson brings the Jamaican record down.
And of course, the Big Three step up with 1:41s again. Awesome
1 Emmanuel WANYONYI 1:41.86 CR 2 Djamel SEDJATI 1:41.90 SB 3 Marco AROP 1:41.95 SB 4 Cian MCPHILLIPS 1:42.15 NR 5 Mohamed ATTAOUI 1:42.21 SB 6 Max BURGIN 1:42.29 PB 7 Navasky ANDERSON 1:42.76NR 8 Tshepiso MASALELA 1:42.77
I really would have liked to have seen both Brazier and Hoey mixing it up in this one. I think it’s only a matter of WHEN they both go under 1:42 but had either ended up in this final I think they would’ve done it here.
Despite only coming in 4th, McPhillips gets run of the day for me. I didn’t know who he was before this final.
Some ex-athletes really seem to let it all go while others seem like they still stick to a decent exercise and diet regimen since it's all they know and they looks pretty fit as they age.
I guess that's true for most people as they get older, not just athletes. But it's just more of a shock when you see someone whose vocation was based on being super fit and they're now not just a little, but a lot, out of shape.
I especially don’t blame 800m runners for losing it after they retire. It’s brutal to train like that for at least a decade of your life. I like to joke that 800m training is the only running discipline that takes years off of your life rather than adding.
Feels like p4 and p5 could’ve ended up on the podium with slightly different tactics
Attaoui got involved injostling twice in the final curve and slowed him a bit at a bad moment. He basically ran how he tries to run, just didn't find the space he needed and couldn't quite make it. Still ran his best time of the year in a fast race.
This is an extremely astute comment. The 800 has entered a new era, and it could be the most exciting event now, and the common denominator between sprint and distance running cultures.
Hooray for bouncy shoes! And whatever else nonsense is currently out there. Have fun with the clown-show folks. Glad I didn’t waste a single second watching any of the wc.
Rudisha looks like he's gained 100 pounds sitting in the stands with Coe.
Coe still looks like he could break 2.
Just goes to show that Kenyans are not 'genetically slim'. Rudisha must be enjoying the good life. Or maybe he was taking something like ephedrine throughout his career.
Rudisha is from the Maasai tribe. Most Kenyan distance runners like Kipchoge, Lagat, Keino et al are from the Kalenjin tribe. Maasai and Kalenjin are about as different as Danes and Poles which is to say a lot.
FWIW, Rudisha put a lot of weight on in his face but looked fine to me when they showed him standing up.
Heard this on a random track podcast today - in the mens 800m the top 6 were separated by just 0.43 seconds. In the mens 200m the top 6 were separated by 0.49 seconds. As the 800m guys are running much slower than the 200 guys the gap is compressed even more. Insanely competitive final.