Simpson 1 - Doubters 0 - Game Over, An Official Apology From Any And All Doubters

Dear Jenny,

Always been a fan but never saw it coming. Was in school during the race, almost screamed in the library when I saw you won. So amazing. Like many others I thought it was a mistake for you to leave the steeple. Was at Berlin and cheered my heart out for you only to see you fall short (Not like I could have done better). You sure as hell didn't fall short today and even if you never run another race in your life you're already a US legend. So proud of you. Remember, no matter what else happens in your life you are a world champion!!! THAT IS AWESOME.

Much Love,

NEWSFLASH

I disagree with the premise of this thread. I don't think it is unfair to say, even after she won the 1500m, that her chances were better winning the steeple or that her chances are greater of placing high in the steeple in the Olympics than the 1500m.

It is sort of like having two slot machines. One pays off 15% of the time and the other pays off 50% of the time. You can play once. When you see someone pull the lever on the 15% machine and win you feel great for them and congratulate them. You don't get on them for playing the wrong machine. But, you still can feel that the should have pulled the other lever.

Congratulations to her. She achieved a life long dream for anyone who enters this sport. But, it is okay to feel great for her and still think she made the wrong event decision.

Deer Jenny Barringer Simpson,

You are the best women's 1500m runner in the world. Congratulations! We always knew you could do it.

--The True Believers

I don't know that many of Jenny's "doubters." It's a matter of paying attention to the arc of a season. In conversations with my "track friends" the day before the race, most of us thought she'd be a medalist. I won't say I thought she'd beat Jamal (though Jamal IS erratic) but I thought she'd be a medalist.

chicken bulgogi wrote:

1.) wetmore is a turd

2.) for an ivy leaguer, rojo's sentence structure is DEPLORABLE

3.) congrats to jenny

Getting into an Ivy League uinversity is more about how much money daddy has than how smart you are.

ukathleticscoach wrote:

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3314493

"She's a miler."

Good for you.

Even if you are from the UK. :-)

Stating the obvious wrote:

I don't understand all this doubter stuff, like we are all sitting around and wishing her bad?

When she railed against her doubters earlier, I was like wha? Got a chip on your shoulder? Whatever works for you.

I'm surprised she won, didn't expect it. Crazy race, but we should expect that now.

I'm happy she won.

Do I owe her an apology?

Excellent stuff. Don't know if JBS has pulled the "nobody believed in me" delusion, but I'm always amazed at the imaginary hordes of "doubters" that athletes invent for motivational purposes when the reality is that people tend to either just not care, or simply think someone else might win.

we all expected great things from her after her college career, where she did amazing things, 9:12/3:59.9. (Did she also break 2?). The question was just what had happened to her in the past couple of years where she didn't run well. Obviously, the answer was not that her coaching was bad, but that she was injured. But even before the world champs, had she demonstrated the form that would make her better than anyone in this field with the exception even of uceny and jamal? She had not, so this was a real surprise, even given the tremendous performances that she exhibited in 2009 and before. I hope that she now throws down a sub 4 at Zurich or after and builds on this for next year. It is not likely that the 1500m will be won regularly on the European circuit and major championships at a time over 4:00 in an Olympic year. But again she stuck with her coach and situation despite injury problems (in total contrast to Webb) and it paid off with gold.

What?

She didn't stay with her coach.

msuxc1 wrote:

Wow! I still can't believe it. Very exciting and congratulations to Jenny! She had a clear run to the tape coming off the curve and just looked like the most fit runner in the field with good speed. Awesome! It looked similar to her semi-final where she just went around everybody because she was the better runner.

Definitely disappointed for Uceny, but excited to see what the young Centro can do in the final. He looks very good, but may have benefitted from being in the right place at the right time in the right heats so far. Maybe that just means he hasn't expended too much energy and will still have legs for the final! Go USA!

I still don't like her and her move to the 1500 would have only been ok is Jamal hadn't knocked Uceny down. 4:05 is slow and is the race had been 4:01 or 4:02 Simpson wouldn't be on the front pace of anything.

She should go back to the steeple because she will not get a clean shot at olympic 1500 medal that race will be much faster then one.

ASU GUY wrote:

I still don't like her and her move to the 1500 would have only been ok is Jamal hadn't knocked Uceny down. 4:05 is slow and is the race had been 4:01 or 4:02 Simpson wouldn't be on the front pace of anything.

She should go back to the steeple because she will not get a clean shot at olympic 1500 medal that race will be much faster then one.

If only El G hadn't tripped in Atlanta, he would have won gold. If only the pace had been faster in Barcelona, Cacho wouldn't have won. If only Bekele had pushed the last 2k harder in Athens, he would have beat El G. If only Webb had a rabbit in Osaka, he would have won.

Do you see how foolish you sound?

Anybody else think that Uceny would've/could've taken it? I think so.

clearing the bs up wrote:

ASU GUY wrote:

I still don't like her and her move to the 1500 would have only been ok is Jamal hadn't knocked Uceny down. 4:05 is slow and is the race had been 4:01 or 4:02 Simpson wouldn't be on the front pace of anything.

She should go back to the steeple because she will not get a clean shot at olympic 1500 medal that race will be much faster then one.

If only El G hadn't tripped in Atlanta, he would have won gold. If only the pace had been faster in Barcelona, Cacho wouldn't have won. If only Bekele had pushed the last 2k harder in Athens, he would have beat El G. If only Webb had a rabbit in Osaka, he would have won.

Do you see how foolish you sound?

I actually saw that race in Atlanta the right man won. Cacho was a three time runner up ? two worlds and an olympic silver

Bekele ran the 1500 and pushed for 2k ? Webb ? you are talking about guys ? how foolish are you ?

I will revise my prediction if Simpson wins a medal in the 1500 next year otherwise is was nothing more them dumb luck she won.

She is an outlier nothing more. It was a fluke win. a perfect storm...

surely = my kid goes to Princeton. She is not an athlete. I can assure you her admission was about her 2380 SAT score and National Merit Finalist award and 11 5's on her AP exams and her taking third year high level college math as a senior in high school and so on. The bottom line with the top of the Ivy League is that with a 10 percent or less admission rate the competition (domestic and international) is unreal. I would recommend you reconsider your wrongly held assertions. By the way, admission to an Ivy League school by no means assures success in life. But is does represent an opportunity to develop intellectually amidst intense academic competition.