J.R. wrote:
There's a great field in the men's steeplechase.
http://www.diamondleague-monaco.com/en/Program/Overview/3000m-Steeplechase-Men1/
The main thing I notice about the field here is that we have Kenya vs The World in this race. Just to show how dominant they are in this event.
Is it just me or are the Kenyan men overall better than the Kenyan women?
jjjjjjjjj wrote:
El Guerrouj set his records relatively early and then remarkably was able to approach them quite a few years later, whereas Kiprop never even ran below 3:30 for years before really setting down a fine time last year and now with his 800m at 1:43 low soon before the race, he looks to make a very good attempt at sub 3:27. I don't think he can drop all the way below 3:26 this year, but I expect him to break 3:27. Too bad Farah and Rupp won't be in the race. This would be a great chance for Rupp to break 3:30 if he's been doing some speedwork.
El Guerrouj broke 3:30 at 21 and a half. Kiprop broke through 3:30 at 23; he's not time trialled as often as El Guerrouj and had won an Olympic gold medal at 19.
The sheer repetitive practice El Guerrouj put into his time trialling is what makes it unlikely Kiprop pulls this off. His career has not had the gimlet eyed focus on times and victories that El Guerrouj managed. El Guerrouj's appetite was insatiable.
If Kiprop has done the work and has his head right though - easier said than done - his talent appears unparalleled.
He could do this.
Just remembered Aman ran 1:42.37 for the WL last year late in the year.
If he shows that form he could challenge Rudisha.
He also beat Symmonds in that race who ran the 2nd fastest time in the world - I miss him. He's fun to watch.
Who will be the top american? Can Huddle hold off Rowbury again?
reed wrote:
M1500m Gonna be bad pacing, too fast through 400, too slow at 1200. Kiprop will win in 3:28.60, Centrowitz will run 3:32.40. Manzano will run poorly, maybe 3:34. Willis could PR, I'll say 3:30.50
Willis could PR at 3:30.50? That would be odd since his PR is already 3:30.35!
Seems he's got as good a shot as any of these guys to end up 1st or 2nd. If he does PR, it'll probably be mid 1:29s
johhnyb wrote:
Who will be the top american? Can Huddle hold off Rowbury again?
Huddle's gotta be in sub 14:50 shape. I don't think Rowbury has the same strength, but sub-15 should be checked off the list.
Kiprop ran 1:43.17 already in 2009, so he's been basically at the same level in the 800 for the past six years (he usually doesn't race a lot of 8's and so could likely run faster), and he already won Olympic gold in 2008, so he was clearly very capable of a sub 3:30 when he was 18 or 19 by Kenyan age standards, but he didn't even break 3:30 until 2012. For years, he would run the "time trial" races but not go with the pacers or not ask for fast splits, just going for the wins with a kick at the end. El Guerrouj had that gift of being willing to go hard the entire way, rather than mentally saving for the kick. Too bad that 3:50 kid from Morocco running for Qatar or Bahrain hasn't measured up to his early success--he was cut from the same cloth. But Kiprop has proven the past two years that he can go with the pacers and the article on the front page certainly suggested that big drops are possible even at his level.
Another scratch from Martinez. Is she even going to try and run this year or just keep scratching?
Star wrote:
Cool. Manzano got in.
Subplot of him against Centro.
I expect Centro to finish well ahead of Manzano but if Manzano beats him and sets a PR that would be an interesting story.
I guess we have an interesting story.
Centro skips USATF to focus on running fast.
Manzano wins USATF and then beats Centro and Centro's PR.
I do think Centro is the guy to eventually take Lagat's US record.
After seeing the linep for the 800m and the 1500m I just decided to do a 1000 km trip through the Alps (stupidity) to Monaco (great choice).
What a meet! I think this meeting was on a par with some of the best Zürich meetings from the past.
800m (Ferguson who?) and 1500m (Ronald who?) for the ages. The best runners in the world at the moment against each other - how many times didn't we have this in the past?) In many seasons this was the normal thing. Ayana (what a beautiful runner to watch) and Dibaba in the 5k. And many other wonderful performances. Great to see Bondarenko and Barshim (one or two very close failures at 2,40m) for the first time live as well as this Isaac Makwala in the 400m. 12,95 for the french hurdler. And other great performances.
Also wonderful atmosphere in this unique town (just a sidenote: I was "shocked" by the ticket price of ... 8 Euro - was expecting a multiple of that). Maybe I havn't seen a track meet in the stadium for too long a time. But in Germany and Switzerland you will not get this price.
Only really weak point to me was the program booklet - no comparison to other meetings here.
