Oh, and one more thing... wrote:
I've always thought her very fine in looks and a great personality, but that WIC final is quite seriously the *sexiest* athletic effort I've ever seen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASylC3ctPks&feature=plcp&context=C4d56517VDvjVQa1PpcFMHgB0kgTU7f4zIqZlgj0PvjwNwVrlyT_Y%3DIt's like you took a hawt girl and infused her with Chris Derrick's fighting spirit. A wild mustang on the prairie.
Thanks for posting that.
ij you are right that the top dogs were not at the US champs but she did beat some good folks (Phoebe Wright and Latavia Thomas) and really it wasnt close. She also beat some really good people at worlds but she lost to some really good people as well.
Losing to Jelimo is not the end of the world. She is the defending Olympic champ and a 1:54 runner.
She beat Rusanova who was a finalist in Daegu last year and a 1:56 runner, and Magiso who is a 2 flat runner with 52 speed.
I think the two things to take away from the heat and final in Istanbul is that she qualified for the final and once she made the final she ran great. She broke 2 minutes.
Here are the names of the sub two gals since 99
Moore, Montano, Uceny, Toomey, JM Clark, Teter, Hamilton, Valmon. Thats a damn good list.
Isn't Maggie Vessey sub 2 also?
Yes Vessey is sub 2 for outdoors. I should have said the list was of sub 2 indoors. My mistake. Thanks
ij wrote:
Okay, let's be realistic: this was a good effort and a great story, but her last 200 was ugly. None of the medalists from 2011 World Outdoors were in this race. None of the members of the US team from 2011 were at USA Indoors when she qualified for this event, and none of those people have gone away. She has stamped herself as a contender for the Olympic Team, but 8 American women ran faster last year than she did today, 5 of them at USA Outdoors. If she keeps getting stronger so she can finish that last 200 she has a chance at going to the Olympics, but it's far from a sure thing. I'm impressed with her and wish her the best, but there are lots of good American women in the 800 right now.
Being 'realistic', the USA gets very few sub-2s indoors, some years we don't get any. The Olympic trials 800 will only be run in the mid-1:58 range, Moore has already proven she can do that. The athletes I would place ahead of her are Alysia and Maggie, and neither of whom are the model of consistentcy. Then there is Alice, who is about where Moore is right now; beyond that we have a lot of 1:59 types.
Moore's speed is a big advantage in tactical races or run from the front races, which is what the USOT usually is; I would say she at least has a 50/50 chance.
TrackCoach wrote:Moore's speed is a big advantage in tactical races or run from the front races, which is what the USOT usually is; I would say she at least has a 50/50 chance.
She ran the 800 at Worlds just like Montano runs. There might be 2 people fighting for the lead at nationals.
Another solid showing by America in the Middle distance, love it!
old coach man wrote:
splits
28.13
57.69
1:28.07
She was fearless and went after it.
A lot more runners would do better if they forgot tactics and just run flat out like her
I think that Erica is very inexperienced and uncomfortable with running in a pack, which is why her front-running is working for her. Notice how as she passed Rusanova, she got nudged out into the path of Lupu who was passing and may have actually hit her in the shoulder (looks like). This "squeeze play" definitely seemed to cut Moore's momentum as she looked over at Lupu in surprise before regrouping as she approached the finish. I think that with more experience of the rough-and-tumble she can hopefully make the next step into consistent championship running without having to rely on her "frightened rabbit" strategy. She definitely has the fitness to run for a medal anytime. 1:57 in outdoors seems a foregone conclusion.
I think Vessey had similar problems early on and avoided the pack by sitting back.
dont forget Jenny B Simpson...she broke 2!
She is a good athlete but she better improve if she wants to beat Caster Semanya. He's unstoppable.
RukiddingMe!! wrote:
dont forget Jenny B Simpson...she broke 2!
Talking indoors here. sorry about the confusion. Also I don't think she ever went sub 2
Johnny Gray style.
For a lot of reasons, most of the best 800m ruuners run from the front or from the back. The board is mostly LDR types and often critize 800m runners' tactics, but if you run enough 800s, you will know why a lot athletes run the event this way.
Very true. Running in traffic for most of an 800 sucks donkey balls!
TrackCoach wrote:
For a lot of reasons, most of the best 800m ruuners run from the front or from the back. The board is mostly LDR types and often critize 800m runners' tactics, but if you run enough 800s, you will know why a lot athletes run the event this way.
didn't anna pierce break 2 when she finished 4th behind alysia? or an i wrong here? (too lazy to look up results)
it will be tough for moore to make the team with alysia and wright in there, but she's on par with them. with the older runners still showing good form (alice and maggie) it'll be tough. But in a few yrs i see her, wright, and alysia representing USA at worlds and the 2016 olympics.
You do realize that Moore completely relegated Wright at Indoor Nats, (w)right?
one more off list wrote:
it will be tough for moore to make the team with alysia and wright in there, but she's on par with them.
Erica has a lot going for her heading to the summer including a coach familiar with getting athletes onto the women's 800m Olympic team.