MATT MF CENTROWITZ

madmandoc wrote:

If Kiprop or Souliman wanted to win, they should have run 3:30! There was no rule against it, they just decided not to do it.

I agree - a race as slow as that always means more guys have a chance, so if Kiprop etc. wanted to maximise their chances they should have made the running themselves.

I think Centrowitz ran a great, smart race. He probably had luck on his side in that guys like Willis were boxed when they might have been able to make a run, but that happens all the time - I think you need a bit of luck to win these races unless you're clearly better than the opposition.

As someone else pointed out, Willis too had a bit of luck - his way was very nearly blocked but it cleared at the right moment. When I saw him surging I thought he might get up to silver, but I was really pleased to see him hold on for bronze. That's New Zealand's seventh medal in the event since 1936 by the way - something to be very proud of.

You people make me embarassed to be a runner. A guy wins the gold, and gets no credit.

So you not only have to win Gold, you have to set a WR and run from the front.

idiocy. You children should just stop and learn how to show your superiors some GOD D@MN respect.

Centro will be the gold medal winner forever, and you will still be miserable small people that never accomplish anything.

I realize championship races are slower than races with rabbits, etc but 3:50 gets an Olympic gold medal for goodness sake!

If there are standards runners must race to qualify to run in the Olympics there should be standards the championship race must be run in or the medals are vacated.

Just a quick check shows the Southern Conference and Sun Belt conference outdoor track championships for 1500 meters in 2016 were faster!

Regardless an Olympic 1500 meter gold medal in 3:50 is utter bullsh!t.

You dont understand the sport. Please go watch something else for the love of god.

Tom Hammond is a tranny wrote:

HSers don't close in 50.6.

Time is meaningless. Medals are everything[/quote]

Time is meaningless? I'd say that time, along with place, contribute to the foundation of the sport. Try to think before you post; I know it's hard, but try.[/quote]

OK, let me write very slowly for you. The winning time is meaningless in a championship event.

Thanks for being the only person in the thread who didn't get that.

ncinin wrote:

I realize championship races are slower than races with rabbits, etc but 3:50 gets an Olympic gold medal for goodness sake!

If there are standards runners must race to qualify to run in the Olympics there should be standards the championship race must be run in or the medals are vacated.

Just a quick check shows the Southern Conference and Sun Belt conference outdoor track championships for 1500 meters in 2016 were faster!

Regardless an Olympic 1500 meter gold medal in 3:50 is utter bullsh!t.

Try short track speed skating, then. The lead ref can stop a race and demand a restart for sandbagging at his/her discretion.

It was a complete set-up. Centro only won easily because Kiprop let him. That's right, he sprinted up to him and then backed off completely not because he was "spent" but because he knew if he took the lead and won, that they would bust him for 'drugs'. Both he and Makhloufi both are probably both 'positive' with their 'A samples' and were threatened. Both could have so easily accelerated past him but decided not to in order to stay under the radar and let others win. It's all about 'Dimond League' money and how the 'testers' are getting huge payoffs and kickbacks from that cash flow. Complete BS! How does a 3:27 guy not have a kick? How does a 1:41-2 guy not have the finishing speed. I am not anti NOP or Al Sal either. Love Centro, but come on guys, watch the race again - it's total BS. Makes no sense whatsoever.

How many guys did you think got paid off exactly? Let's say hypothetically that Makhloufi and Kiprop were drugged and paid to not win. How exactly were they supposed to ensure that Centro got the gold? Was Iguider also paid off? How about "clean runner" Willis? Fixing a championship track race is nearly impossible given the amount of shoving and shuffling that can occur.

Also, Makhloufi losing does make sense. He was positioned poorly and had no way to get around Centro without running the extra distance.

Kiprop's tactics though, indeed made no sense. He went from the back of the pack, to the front of the pack, to the back of the pack, to Centro's shoulder, to the back again.

Indeed it was. It also happened to be a USA win. Steve Scott couldn't do that. Nor Jim Ryun (sorry, Ventolin). Nor Spivey or Webb. Kiprop has more ability than any other 1500m runner in history. (Again, sorry Ventolin.). Makker is is Ramzi-level clean. And the entire field was strong. And Centro went wire to wire and beat them all. That's astonishing. So, yeah, the highlight of my Olympics was a 3:50 1500.

sad high point wrote:

Spork wrote:

This was the high point of the Olympics for me. More than Bolt or the 400 WR.

The high point of the Olympics for you was a 3:50 1500? lol

I vaguely remember a bunch of us writing angry letters in 08 and maybe 12. I think we're stuck with shtti coverage.

bron bron wrote:

If you call Centro a doper then you have to call Murphy a doper.

Seriously bron bron??? Matt's daddy was a doper, his coach was a doper, his team is being investigated by USADA for doping. Grow a brain cell please.

Looks like Centro wanted this win the most.

Kiprop ran 11.9 for the 100m down the back straight to get into position, and run 5.5m wide on the last lap. That effort down the straight, and running 3.5m wide on the bend in the previous 100m in 13.0, meant that he was spent on entering the straight.

That 200 stretch in 24.9 at the beginning of the last lap would have felt more like 24.5, and he still had 200m to run!

Talk of a set up is nonsense.

Metric Miler wrote:

Kiprop is not the GOAT. Not even close. He doesn't know how to win championships.

Kiprop doesnt know how to win championships? You mean like the 2011, 2013, and 2015 1500 m world championships...cause it looks to me like he knew how to win those.

Funny thing is that multiple times runners pulled up right alongside of Centro during that race. Blankenship did with about 800M to go. I have to think in his case he was sacrificing for Centro even though he didn't say anything about it post race.

Souleiman and Kiprop both made strong surges to the front but then basically stopped to the outside of Centro's shoulder. That was late in the race. You have to wonder what they were thinking. If you are going to make a strong move to the front you may as well go all the way. Centro may have faked them out and spooked them. Centro made a real quick acceleration when Souleiman moved up beside him but didn't really up the pace that much. But Souleiman stopped his surge when he did that.

Here is another crazy thought. Were the runners all conspiring to keep Makh from the gold medal? It seems ridiculous. But that is what it looked like. At every point Makh practically had to go into the 3rd lane if he wanted to get by Centro.

Kiprop isn't going to conspire to deny Makh when it hurts his own chances. Kiprop just ran a foolish race. Starting in the back was OK because it keeps him out of trouble, but when he moved to the front the first time he should have just taken the lead. He ran a little scared (of Makh).

Souleiman took the lead but didn't surge the pace, he didn't want to really push it yet from 450m out, and Centro elbowed him out to take the pole position back.

I'd take an Olympic gold medal if I ran a 5 min. mile and all the favorites were down with stomach flu. When it comes to the time IDGAF. Just win baby.

Absolutely agree with this. I lost it watching this race. Not quite Centro Sr. level but pretty close. I remember a quote from one of the kiwis in the 76 5k. He said something like "Viren somehow mesmerized the field" and no one was able to pass him on an extended close even though there were faster pr's in the race. This made me think of that quote (even though the race and the runners are wildly different). They let Centrowitz completely control the entire race and he took home the gold.Posters who are writing these poorly concieved conspiracy theories, consider this: If someone asked you before the race if Centro would win gold you would most likely have said no. I certainly would have. I thought he had a good chance at a medal but almost zero shot at the win. But the same question with the stipulation that Centro is allowed to determine the pace for literally the entire race every step of the way? No one is allowed to try and pass him until the last 150. That's what he was able to do. F*cking hypnotize those guys. Incredible run.

Spork wrote:

Indeed it was. It also happened to be a USA win. Steve Scott couldn't do that. Nor Jim Ryun (sorry, Ventolin). Nor Spivey or Webb. Kiprop has more ability than any other 1500m runner in history. (Again, sorry Ventolin.). Makker is is Ramzi-level clean. And the entire field was strong. And Centro went wire to wire and beat them all. That's astonishing.

So, yeah, the highlight of my Olympics was a 3:50 1500.

sad high point wrote:

The high point of the Olympics for you was a 3:50 1500? lol

50.6 is among the fastest closes ever in a 1500m. I think that there have been several other races with documented 50 or maybe 49.9 closes (maybe Cacho and Coe?), with the fastest one I am aware of being Ryun's 3:38 on dirt in 1967 with possibly a 50.x close and a 36.xx closing 300m (2 seconds faster).