I called this when Athing mysteriously withdrew - I told my friend I think there is a new drug test that has Kersee nervous and I said “just watch, I’ll bet Sydney quietly withdraws too.” I am not surprised, but I am sad.
In track & field, the world championships are a VERY big deal. This isn't like the NBA where it's not really a thing. The runner the fans wanted to see most drops out of the biggest meet of the year after training all year to chase a world record that's been on the books since 1985. She didn't race much this year because the coach was only focused on having her peaking during this meet. And now she's not running... that's a big deal.
They’re only a very big deal because we are told they are. It’s dumb to only have one week a year where track matters and treat the other 51 weeks like the off-season.
Agreed. I've never understood the athletes who have no chance at global medals yet point to those events all year. They should be prioritizing and cherishing the regular season and also indoors. American football has the perfect setup because fans can anticipate their favorite team's next game for a full week for several months, then the postseason is like a totally separate entity.
World championships are only fractionally as significant as the Olympics. Most of the athletes understand that even though forums try to pretend otherwise. There's even a track and field moderator on Reddit who tries to pretend a world championship gold is equivalent to an Olympic gold. I chuckle every time he posts that.
IMO, track and field has actually been fortunate that almost all of the elite athletes do value the world championships. That's why Sydney and Athing are a bit of a shock. I follow swimming closely also. There are far more athletes there who devalue the world championships. The 200 butterfly world record holder Krstof Milak skipped world championships this year. So did 100 breaststroke world record holder Adam Peaty. One of Canada's top swimmers and Olympic gold medalist Penny Oleksiak doesn't care about world championships at all. She is solely Olympics focused to the point she bails out of one event after another when it's not an Olympic year. She'll be ready for Paris next year. Olympic fans will tune in and assume she's been competing dependably throughout.
Sydney pulls out with an injury and everybody here crucified her character. Only proves most of you hated her from the beginning. Why hide behind a fake reason?
Would Syd and Mu avoid crucifixion if skipping Worlds has something to do with Hungary being overrun with fascists in general and Budapest becoming a safe haven for white nationalists in particular?
China is run by a facist government, nobody I can recall ever skipped the Olympics there or world championships.
The athletes are protected and never have to leave the village.
IMO, track and field has actually been fortunate that almost all of the elite athletes do value the world championships. That's why Sydney and Athing are a bit of a shock. I follow swimming closely also. There are far more athletes there who devalue the world championships. The 200 butterfly world record holder Krstof Milak skipped world championships this year. So did 100 breaststroke world record holder Adam Peaty. One of Canada's top swimmers and Olympic gold medalist Penny Oleksiak doesn't care about world championships at all. She is solely Olympics focused to the point she bails out of one event after another when it's not an Olympic year. She'll be ready for Paris next year. Olympic fans will tune in and assume she's been competing dependably throughout.
You forgot to mention Arian Titmus and Emma McKeon who skipped the Worlds last year to "focus on the Commonwealth Games."
So will Bob Kersee be at Budapest? He still coaches Keni Harrison after all whose part of the training group. Might be a chance Athing runs but eh i doubt it.
So does this preclude post Worlds, indoors and any tune up races before the Olympics? If so, extremely suspicious. If not suspicious I think it's a foolish coaching decision.
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I feel like this here situation is completely destroying the already mostly destroyed sport.
It doesn't make a lick of sense for anybody. Literally. The two athletes waste a year of their prime, the fans eat a fat one and it's going to make contracts harder to get with more fine print.
These two are DOOFUSES. Silver spoon LOOOOOOSERS.
I don't even put it on the coach. If these two divas can't tell a turd from a snickers it's their own fault.
The posts telling the truth are being deleted. Next year we’ll be seeing astounding performances from Kersee’s stable. The media will play it up as incredible triumphs over injury and racism.