GUTTED for Morgan Uceny

To the OP: Suppose I said Morgan Uceny didn't "deserve" all of the attention she got this summer because she won while JBS was still recovering.

The truth is there's a lot more luck involved in track than any of us care to admit. It's hardest to see when its your hero who is getting the boost from the luck. It's natural to think she does well because she's good, not because she's lucky. But really it's a bit of both.

As I said, Brussels will be interesting.

Have to finish first to win a gold? Ask Jason Richardson about that. I feel bad for the guy, really. Knowing you were really third best in a race and still get the gold handed to you for nothing you did, live that scenario out.

I think he's too busy being a gold medalist to care what you think.

Don't say that Uceny did not "deserve" it. Luck was not with her. That an athlete goes to the ground and brings you down has nothing to do with Uceny (or whoever). It was just bad luck. Congrats to Simpson for making the most of the opportunity presented. She is world champion! Better luck in the future Morgan!

Conto wrote:

You have WC Gold confused with year-end rankings. Uceny will probably be ranked #1 in the world at the end of the season because she DESERVES it and Jenny will be the World Champion because she DESERVES it. Uceny DOES NOT DESERVE to be World Champion. She desverves to be the World Ranked #1 for having the best overall season. Don't get the 2 confused. There's only 1 winner of a race, and the winner isn't always the one with the best season.

This guy is correct. Often champions are not the "best" person or team that season. Look at the year the the Patriots went undefeated. Hard to argue they weren't the best team, but they weren't the champions. Really think that VCU was a top 4 team in college basketball? Probably the closest champions that match the best teams are the World Series champ and the NBA champ. Because they have to beat a team several times in order to win, it is less likely that you get a fluke champion. Also the European soccer league champions are almost certain to be considered the best in their league. Just the nature of championship competitions, the best will not always win.

I feel like everyone over-reacting to the OP is forgetting Uceny FELL. She didn't run a bad race, she didn't get outkicked, she didn't etc, etc. It was not her fault AT ALL that the person in front of her got too close to the person in front of her and fell over, taking Uceny down with her. Uceny did deserve to win it today. She got very unlucky. In all likelihood JSB didn't deserve to win today and only won because Uceny fell. Who knows? I mean if everyone in the race got shot except JSB and then JSB won, would she deserve to win? You guys are being ridiculous.

Sure, JSB DID win, as she crossed the line first. This does not at all relate to "deserving," though.

In short, if we somehow could know that Uceny was going to win the race but-for her fall, then JSB actually did not deserve to win the race (assuming Uceny's fall was not her fault).

Championship medals are earned AT the meet ON that day. Life is NOT fair and sport is a microcosm of society. Get over it lil bitch!

speakers in time wrote:

In all likelihood JSB didn't deserve to win today and only won because Uceny fell. Who knows? I mean if everyone in the race got shot except JSB and then JSB won, would she deserve to win? You guys are being ridiculous.

You're comparing a runner tripping and falling in a championship race to every runner save one getting shot during the final, and WE'RE the ridiculous ones? Please. That analogy has more holes in it than the entire women's 1500 field would if they had all been shot.

I agree with the post below. Given Uceny's consistent and savvy performances this summer, to me she is the better runner. She was unfortunately beset with massive misfortune during a championship race and her opportunity to display her talent and racing tactics was taken from her. Props to Jenny for capitalizing on a crazy race where two of the favorites were non-factors.

speakers in time wrote:

I feel like everyone over-reacting to the OP is forgetting Uceny FELL. She didn't run a bad race, she didn't get outkicked, she didn't etc, etc. It was not her fault AT ALL that the person in front of her got too close to the person in front of her and fell over, taking Uceny down with her.

It is ignorant to state that Jenny B. Simpson didn't "deserve to win." Utterly ignorant.

Not impressed wrote:

This is isn't going to be a popular opinion but I'm truly gutted that Jenny B is getting a medal and Morgan Uceny is not.

For me a world medal has to be EARNED and JB has done nothing this year to suggest she is worthy of it. Kudos for being able to capitalise on the mistakes of others but in all honesty she got lucky.

Feel free to rip me to pieces here but really I think Morgan Uceny is far more deserving of medal

You're joking, right?

No one gets to this level without putting in tons of work over many years and being deserving, that's my first point. And even though some may say the women's 1,500 is "down" this year, this was still a quality field. Jenny Simpson got through two rounds to make the final and then won the race. I'm sorry Uceny fell, and she was certainly capable of finishing in the medals, but we'll never know what might have happened. She's done extremely well this year and will be extra motivated for 2012 which is exciting to think about.

Those of us who sit wherever we are watching the races on our computers have little concept of how difficult it is to win a World T&F title. Maybe we know more than the average many in the street, but without having been there competing we don't really know.

Anyone claiming that JBS did not "deserve" to win needs their heads checked. News for you. Jenny Simpson, world champion! She showed up and executed and won, end of story. She deserved it, she has it.

No one knows if Uceny had it today or not. That is sad of course. I think should would have one the race, but we will never know. What we do know is someone did win and deserves the medal. Period!

Dollar says the medal is in a drawer and out of sight till he wins one straight up. The man isn't delusional. Seriously, if you were handed the gold in such a situation would you be parading it around everywhere answering questions about how you would have actually been third but got the gold because one runner was hindered by another who actually finsihed first but was DQ'd? His friends most likely watched the race, you know. Sure he's the gold medalist and should take race directors for everything he can, but don't o crazy.

Pantman wrote:

Not impressed wrote:

For me a world medal has to be EARNED and JB has done nothing this year to suggest she is worthy of it.

... Apart from crossing the line first at the World Championships. That is, apparently, what you have to do to earn the gold medal.

And we have a winner...

Staying on your feet and out of trouble is part of the race. There's a risk to being on the inside and boxed in. No Uceny didn't deserved to get knocked down. But if she's really so much better than everyone else, she should have stayed safe either in the front or on the outside. That is a strategic option. Sure luck is part of it, but whining doesn't change that.

I do feel terrible for Uceny, bad break and a tough way to end her best season to date.

However, Jenny deserves this win as much as anybody could ever possibly deserve one. She has always, even before her professional career began, been one of the most dedicated athletes out there. She seems like she is always one of the more level-headed runners there is, and she has never lost focus despite many very frustrating times in her career.

Right when I watched this interview, I knew she was going to be very, very successful

http://www.flotrack.org/video/214957-Jenny-Barringer-after-NCAA-Cross-Country-Championships

How about instead of arguing the semantics of "deserved to win," we discuss the concept of an "empty win" with the top two favorites out (a la Yohan Blake's win with Bolt DQ'ed).

I cannot WAIT until malmo gets ahold of this.

Latesf wrote:

I do feel terrible for Uceny, bad break and a tough way to end her best season to date.

However, Jenny deserves this win as much as anybody could ever possibly deserve one.

Uceny has two more meets left. Her season is not over. Simpson did not "deserve" to win any more than Uceny did. No one "deserves" to win anything. She EARNED the win. That's why she's World Champion.