And most people don't get too far in the sport lacking determination and a bit of capacity for self-delusion. You're thinking that you've had days before where it didn't look like it was going to go well, but it came together in the race anyway, because you started. Now it's the olympics. If you can just get to the start, maybe a miracle will occur.
She has likely been injured for a while and knew it. Did not run the 10k track Trials. The alternate came to Paris a week ago 'just in case'.
Long term injuries just do not miraculously go away overnight, or even within a few days.
Even Noah Lyles chose to pull out of the 4x100 relay when he realized there were other US athletes that could run faster than him (inability to complete baton exchanges not being considered...) When you are one of the best you might be able to finish a sprint race acceptably, but you can't limp through a full marathon and expect to do well.
I do not know if she has an eating disorder or not, or what her mental health is like, and I hope she is ok. But it is common for other people with mental health issues to be in denial...'no I do not drink too much alcohol', 'no I eat enough to maintain a healthy weight', 'no I am not injured and will be able to finish the race and do well',
Maybe it is not on the same level, but imagine what it would be like if Biden (or Trump) were elected as POTUS, were sworn in, and then decided February 1 that they were unfit to serve, could not continue and resigned!
I am trying to say this gentle, but it is beyond clear she has a serious eating disorder. I don’t think acting like we’re unsure is helpful, especially not for younger generations of runners who want role models & to perform in the sport. I know I’m going to get downvoted for this, but it’s so hard to want okeefe to succeed when she’s so clearly not taking care of her body. I always thought making it to the start line of this marathon would be a long shot, based on the way she looked at trials, and based on the comments she made about fueling on Ali fellers podcast.
She has likely been injured for a while and knew it. Did not run the 10k track Trials. The alternate came to Paris a week ago 'just in case'.
Long term injuries just do not miraculously go away overnight, or even within a few days.
Even Noah Lyles chose to pull out of the 4x100 relay when he realized there were other US athletes that could run faster than him (inability to complete baton exchanges not being considered...) When you are one of the best you might be able to finish a sprint race acceptably, but you can't limp through a full marathon and expect to do well.
I do not know if she has an eating disorder or not, or what her mental health is like, and I hope she is ok. But it is common for other people with mental health issues to be in denial...'no I do not drink too much alcohol', 'no I eat enough to maintain a healthy weight', 'no I am not injured and will be able to finish the race and do well',
Maybe it is not on the same level, but imagine what it would be like if Biden (or Trump) were elected as POTUS, were sworn in, and then decided February 1 that they were unfit to serve, could not continue and resigned!
“Hip flexor tightness.” Yea right. Everything about her gait and inability to go faster than a jog screams pelvic stress fracture, and if she went to the start line knowing this and her coaches knew this, she should be dropped by her sponsor and her coaches should be sanctioned by USATF for coaching malpractice.
Really? So if she was leading at 10 miles and then stepped in a hole and broke her ankle, you say too bad?
Assuming this refers to my sub-80 at half suggestion: the catastrophic injury to a 100% healthy athlete doesn’t seem like a very likely scenario compared to the athlete who toes the starting line knowingly unfit, which happens again and again.
Even so, I can think of a way to avoid it: the sub-80 half cutoff as a good faith fitness test could be only for those athletes who decline to submit to a fitness test in training before traveling to the Olympics. Nothing crazy, just a quick video clip plus Garmin/Strava activity documenting a workout that any marathoner in 2:30 or better shape would be able to do. To be submitted between 2 and 4 weeks out from race day. That would secure the contract bonus for the fully fit runner who unfortunately breaks her ankle at mile 10.
95% of you would do the same in O’Keefe’s position. She has been training her whole life for this moment. Especially if her livelihood (bonus) depends on her being an official Olympian. McClain didn’t earn that spot. Fiona did.
Exactly, Fiona earned the spot, and it would be so much more powerful than a contract bonus if she gave the spot away because she was not able to race. She would gain not loose followers which then her company would appreciate that. Now, there's all this negative talk...
But “all this negative talk” is coming from deluded individuals who (a) know nothing about the details of her situation, (b) have never made an Olympic team and therefore identify too strongly with the non-qualifier instead of the Olympic athlete and (c) are working themselves into a tizzy over a situation where their opinions mean NOTHING.
Fiona O’Keeffe earned the right to be on the starting line in Paris. She played the cards she was dealt. End of story.
If you’re so enamored of “powerful” gestures, go binge-watch some vapid movies on the Hallmark Channel.
I just want to echo the previous comments that failing to run a step of the marathon was an embarrassment to the United States and unfair to all the other American athletes that wanted and were healthy enough and eligible to compete. Along with her coaches, she should be penalized, stripped of any status as an Olympian, and I believe it would be reasonable to ban her from representing the United States for the next Olympic cycle.
Who came up with this nonsense idea that you're "not an Olympian" until you actually start a race? If a member of the national soccer team is second-string, warms up with the team, but never gets put on the field because the team is eliminated early on, is he not an Olympian? If you qualify for Boston but choose not to run, are you not a Boston Qualifier? Ridiculous. Why does hobbling down the road for a few minutes magically grant Olympian status, when you've already qualified for the team?
Even during the 1500m prelims it made me sick to hear Goucher reminding viewers that Nuguse "wasn't an Olympian" until this year. Nuguse made the right decision for his long-term career, and he doesn't need to be told by a has-been that he should've gone out there and risked permanent damage by racing on an injury.
The incentives are obviously bad here. Bonuses should be for: (1) making an Olympic team, and (2) performance-based incentives for the Olympics race, based on RESULTS. Bonuses to start a race (O'Keefe) and bonuses just to make it to the finish line (Emma Bates at Chicago) both create bad short-term incentives.
Lastly: this reflects horribly on Cragg and whoever O'Keefe's agent is. If I were at a high school meet and saw an all-state runner limping through a stress fracture at 8:00 pace, my immediate reaction would be to think that her coach is an awful person. I actually have some sympathy for O'Keefe here, but zero for her coach.
I was watching the race at KM 1 in Paris and noticed O'Keeffe, who was already a full minute behind in last place. She was clearly hobbling. Here's a video:
It was disappointing to later learn that she could have given up her place to let McClain run--as Lemma did for Tola, who won yesterday. If she wanted to run on an Olympic course for only a couple of miles at an easy pace, she could have easily done so at the side like many spectators did (as seen in the video above), while cheering on her teammates.
It was unfortunate O'Keeffe was injured, but it was also a missed opportunity for McClain--who obviously would have been more competitive--and the United States.
I think someone who pulls this kind of crap should no longer be allowed a spot on a US team. She had to know at decision time that she was not going to be able to compete. Whatever incentive makes people feel compelled to do this needs to be removed. She cost team USA and she cost McClain. I wouldn't blame McClain if she had hard feelings toward OKeefe moving forward. Whatever circumstances compel a person to do this need to b re-evaluated.
Tamberi having kidney stones or whatever has to be on the list.
Ana Peleteiro not medaling also.
None of Spanish 1500 men even making semis.
Tamberi and Peleteiro made it to the finals of their events. Obviously they weren't at their best but they were healthy enough to compete and they beat other athletes. The same cannot be said about O'Keeffe.
I am trying to say this gentle, but it is beyond clear she has a serious eating disorder. I don’t think acting like we’re unsure is helpful, especially not for younger generations of runners who want role models & to perform in the sport. I know I’m going to get downvoted for this, but it’s so hard to want okeefe to succeed when she’s so clearly not taking care of her body. I always thought making it to the start line of this marathon would be a long shot, based on the way she looked at trials, and based on the comments she made about fueling on Ali fellers podcast.
This board is disappointing. That was her spot! Unless the governing bodies make changes in the future, but they haven't. It’s also clear that there's negativity towards her here, like this one, comments alluding to an eating disorder and hoping for her failure. Understand that runners naturally have varying body types, with some being thinner than others. It's no one's responsibility to look like a 'role model' for younger generations. If it bothers you, look away. More than not women who think this way and are triggered by thinner women are typically fighting their own ED or had one. Wishing harm on her because you don't like her body is disgusting.
I am trying to say this gentle, but it is beyond clear she has a serious eating disorder. I don’t think acting like we’re unsure is helpful, especially not for younger generations of runners who want role models & to perform in the sport. I know I’m going to get downvoted for this, but it’s so hard to want okeefe to succeed when she’s so clearly not taking care of her body. I always thought making it to the start line of this marathon would be a long shot, based on the way she looked at trials, and based on the comments she made about fueling on Ali fellers podcast.
This board is disappointing. That was her spot! Unless the governing bodies make changes in the future, but they haven't. It’s also clear that there's negativity towards her here, like this one, comments alluding to an eating disorder and hoping for her failure. Understand that runners naturally have varying body types, with some being thinner than others. It's no one's responsibility to look like a 'role model' for younger generations. If it bothers you, look away. More than not women who think this way and are triggered by thinner women are typically fighting their own ED or had one. Wishing harm on her because you don't like her body is disgusting.
And pretending someone is ok when they clearly need help is disgusting too.
Yes, she had a spot to compete. She did not have a cosplay spot to pretend to be an Olympic marathon runner when she was not healthy enough to jog a single step at that easy pace.
Yes, runners have different body types, but tryingtobegebtle was correct that O'Keefe looked unhealthy and emaciated at trials - not thin, but an unnaturally low body weight. I don't think anyone is wishing harm on her, almost all of us on the board want American distance runners to succeed. If someone is not healthy enough to make any effort to compete, they should give the American spot to another deserving runner. We want everyone to be healthy and fast.