Let’s face it, we all know that Hocker’s Olympic gold was a fluke. It was just one of those odd occasions when all the stars align.
And he still needs a haircut.
It wasn’t a fluke, but it just shows you how hard it is to consistently perform at the top. It’s pretty clear that the hierarchy is as follows rn:
1 Jakob
1a Yared
1b Cole
1c Josh
2a Hobbs
2b Laros
3: Neil Gourley, Arese, Tim C, …
On any day that Jakob falters or is weakened, then he is vulnerable to 1a-1c. These runners often don’t perform at their best, so they often lose to Jakob.
W/L among the top 4 excl. prelims (Yared was 3-0 today, Josh was 0-3)
Jakob: 6-5
(Pre 2-1, Monaco 1-0, Paris 0-3, Lausanne 1-0, Zurich 2-1)
Yared: 5-6
(Pre 1-2, US Trials 0-1, Monaco 0-1, Paris 1-2, Zurich 3-0)
Biggest four races of the year (Pre, Olympics, Lausanne, Zurich) have had four separate winners. There's legitimate parity at the distance that is rare at this level.
If someone has an outlier performance to win at the Olympics then falls off that standard afterward back to their baseline. Is that more suss of well timed performance enhancing drugs that are now no longer offering any benefit, or is it more in keeping with the “cant hold a peak for long if natty”. I’m not sure.
Or maybe his primary goal this season - the goal that has consumed him - was winning Olympic gold. Now that he has accomplished that perhaps his motivation is not quite the same. Tara Davis-Woodhall said in an interview the other day how hard it was to keep training and competing now that the olympics is over. Maybe Hocker was able to really dig in Paris in a way that just isn't happening for a Diamond League circuit race.
There is scientific research that supports that once a goal is accomplished motivation definitely declines. Maybe that explains the drop offs we are seeing since Paris rather than runners coming off the dope. Maybe the stars who called it a season after Paris aren't ducking competition but understand this and see no need to keep pushing for races that are not related to their main goal.
I agree with this and there is also the fact they have nothing to prove, no axe to grind. They peaked when it mattered.
Some of you are really downplaying the Olympics versus the DL circuit. The Olympics are once every 4 years. It will be all consuming for these athletes. This has been their sole focus for the last 3 years. They need to show form, then win or come second at their national champs to even get a spot. Then hold that peak. It’s no wonder many are done and have closed their seasons down.
I think we are seeing tiredness, maybe a bit of illness and a bit of lack of motivation. That’s why it’s a different guy winning each time. Nuguse is always coming second/third. For such a great runner he rarely wins. Today he had something to prove and that motivation.
Got to see one future Usain Bolt in Tebogo fro. BOTSWANA. THE WAY HE CAUGHT Bed erek toward the end was a testament to his greatness and his future. People talk about Holloway and Noah Lyles as the face of 100 or 200m. But Tobago barring any .misfortunes as has happened to some great track stars. Tobago is the man or Goat.. I really mean it.
“Tactically, it is always more difficult when you have a pacer, but it makes it interesting nevertheless. In races like this, with such a field, it makes you appreciate even more when you win or do well.”
I think this is solely true for the “racer” types like Cole or Centro. Their advantages in running a shorter line, having a big kick and measuring out when to go are diminished in the fast DL races. Those guys seem much more at ease when they don’t have to measure how fast is too fast and when they should start their kick off an all-out effort up front.
Please Noah please, can't you see how artificially adjusted Nuguse is huh??????
You got 2 athletes Nuguse and Kerr both going back to America on a long 14 hour flight topped with among other things aviation RF and communications systems onboard their flights, artificial pressurization of plane cabin, ascending and descending and subjecting their bodies to great amounts of electromagnetic forces, for 3 weeks of altitude training each in Utah and Alburquerque respectively, and then both returning on the same 14 hour flight topped with the same RF to Europe, and the former outruns and smashes a far better miler in the latter by 2 seconds in Zurich after running like a shy kitten over in Dusseldorf Germany a few days earlier against Giles who is a far more inferior miler than Kerr???????????????????
What's going on man Noah???????????????????? You feeling me right??????????
My reasonings are extremely persuasive alright and I want to assure you that Nuguse is doped af!!!!!!!!
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
Thank you sir, but I urge you to focus only on my persuasive reasons regarding Nuguse in this Zurich race and to a certain extent also Hocker. These 2 Americans will always let their American pride and vest get in the way of clean sport. They absolutely WANT THE VICTORY AT ALL COSTS, you feeling me sir???? This is wrong and must be stopped!!!!
Or maybe his primary goal this season - the goal that has consumed him - was winning Olympic gold. Now that he has accomplished that perhaps his motivation is not quite the same. Tara Davis-Woodhall said in an interview the other day how hard it was to keep training and competing now that the olympics is over. Maybe Hocker was able to really dig in Paris in a way that just isn't happening for a Diamond League circuit race.
There is scientific research that supports that once a goal is accomplished motivation definitely declines. Maybe that explains the drop offs we are seeing since Paris rather than runners coming off the dope. Maybe the stars who called it a season after Paris aren't ducking competition but understand this and see no need to keep pushing for races that are not related to their main goal.
I agree with this and there is also the fact they have nothing to prove, no axe to grind. They peaked when it mattered.
Some of you are really downplaying the Olympics versus the DL circuit. The Olympics are once every 4 years. It will be all consuming for these athletes. This has been their sole focus for the last 3 years. They need to show form, then win or come second at their national champs to even get a spot. Then hold that peak. It’s no wonder many are done and have closed their seasons down.
I think we are seeing tiredness, maybe a bit of illness and a bit of lack of motivation. That’s why it’s a different guy winning each time. Nuguse is always coming second/third. For such a great runner he rarely wins. Today he had something to prove and that motivation.
Oh well sir, your post really sums up the ignorance on this board!!!!!!
I don't see nor find any LRCer with a better ability than me to convince also me of their reasons!!!
I dont think Kerr can beat Ingerbritsen. I really don't. I think Ingerbritsen both physically and mentally. I think Kerr to me is lucky to have gotten silver in Paris. Kerr .ight have a great race up his sleeve like Hocker but that doesn't make one great. It is proving it in meets like these. Hocker is showing much progress in that regard. But Kerr won't be considered great
Got to see one future Usain Bolt in Tebogo fro. BOTSWANA. THE WAY HE CAUGHT Bed erek toward the end was a testament to his greatness and his future. People talk about Holloway and Noah Lyles as the face of 100 or 200m. But Tobago barring any .misfortunes as has happened to some great track stars. Tobago is the man or Goat.. I really mean it.
Yes Tobogo is such a welcomed addition to clean sport. I like this attitude, his humility and his unsuspicious behavior. His performances are all very consistent in space and time and no susceptibility found for drugs!!!
I dont think Kerr can beat Ingerbritsen. I really don't. I think Ingerbritsen both physically and mentally. I think Kerr to me is lucky to have gotten silver in Paris. Kerr .ight have a great race up his sleeve like Hocker but that doesn't make one great. It is proving it in meets like these. Hocker is showing much progress in that regard. But Kerr won't be considered great
INCORRECT, your bases are all wrong which led to baseless conclusions. Hocker is on the dope, Nuguse as well, so any comparison you wanna make between them and Jakob and Kerr will naturally be highly ignorant and ill-informed!!!!
Look this is the way I see it Kerr had something to prove. AND Kerr failed to prove anything other than that Ingerbritsen is a superior runner. What Kerr has talked about or saying is tgat he is going to beat Ingerbritsen blah blah blah. Well it didn't happen. Like the saying goes, " You put up or Shut up" I think care needs to stop talking and doing because it is so easy to talk trash.
“Tactically, it is always more difficult when you have a pacer, but it makes it interesting nevertheless. In races like this, with such a field, it makes you appreciate even more when you win or do well.”
I think this is solely true for the “racer” types like Cole or Centro. Their advantages in running a shorter line, having a big kick and measuring out when to go are diminished in the fast DL races. Those guys seem much more at ease when they don’t have to measure how fast is too fast and when they should start their kick off an all-out effort up front.
Please Noah please, can't you see how artificially adjusted Nuguse is huh??????
You got 2 athletes Nuguse and Kerr both going back to America on a long 14 hour flight topped with among other things aviation RF and communications systems onboard their flights, artificial pressurization of plane cabin, ascending and descending and subjecting their bodies to great amounts of electromagnetic forces, for 3 weeks of altitude training each in Utah and Alburquerque respectively, and then both returning on the same 14 hour flight topped with the same RF to Europe, and the former outruns and smashes a far better miler in the latter by 2 seconds in Zurich after running like a shy kitten over in Dusseldorf Germany a few days earlier against Giles who is a far more inferior miler than Kerr???????????????????
What's going on man Noah???????????????????? You feeling me right??????????
My reasonings are extremely persuasive alright and I want to assure you that Nuguse is doped af!!!!!!!!
Can someone get this mentally handicapped child off the message boards!
Yeah and the massive question is exactly how, how in gods name are you cooked when you've run only one major circuit race this season plus your Olympic campaign.
Like Jakob I think we can cut some slack - no it wasn't a classic from him and he will be disappointed but the guy ran 7.17 for 3000m a week ago. He's also run like 17 races this season?
I just don't get Josh Kerr on so many levels.
He's been on fire since February when he set the 2 mile WR indoors, dropped a 3:45 in May, and dropped a 3:27 in the Olympic Final in August. Jakob didn't race until May due to injury, 3 months later than Kerr. I wish Kerr would've raced more, but he's walking away from this season with a WR, indoor gold, and Olympic silver, plus 3:27/3:45 PBs to his name. It shouldn't surprise anyone that he's running on fumes after this long, but he should've raced more when he was in shape.
Thank you sir, but I urge you to focus only on my persuasive reasons regarding Nuguse in this Zurich race and to a certain extent also Hocker. These 2 Americans will always let their American pride and vest get in the way of clean sport. They absolutely WANT THE VICTORY AT ALL COSTS, you feeling me sir???? This is wrong and must be stopped!!!!
I admire your passion, but here are the facts. Yared ran a 3:29. Jakob's best is a 3:26. Why do you suspect Yared and not Jakob? Clearly, Yared simply saved his best for an end of season event where he knew other runners would be tired, offering him his best shot at victory. If you consider a 3:29 time to be suspicious, then every single one of the top 4 is suspicious, not just the Americans.
P.S. You don't need to use exclamation marks to make a good point.
Yeah and the massive question is exactly how, how in gods name are you cooked when you've run only one major circuit race this season plus your Olympic campaign.
Like Jakob I think we can cut some slack - no it wasn't a classic from him and he will be disappointed but the guy ran 7.17 for 3000m a week ago. He's also run like 17 races this season?
I just don't get Josh Kerr on so many levels.
He's been on fire since February when he set the 2 mile WR indoors, dropped a 3:45 in May, and dropped a 3:27 in the Olympic Final in August. Jakob didn't race until May due to injury, 3 months later than Kerr. I wish Kerr would've raced more, but he's walking away from this season with a WR, indoor gold, and Olympic silver, plus 3:27/3:45 PBs to his name. It shouldn't surprise anyone that he's running on fumes after this long, but he should've raced more when he was in shape.
Yeah but this only holds true if you have concentrated blocks of this level of running? That's the whole point and benefit of constantly "going back to training". That's not being "on fire since" Feb. That is "a luxury of rarely racing and because of that being able to pick times to peak and having zero excuses for not being in A1 shape".
Jakob may have started 3 months later but it's really this simple - since that day in Eugene, 25 May, Josh Kerr has laced up for exactly SIX more races including a 1.53.96 800m heat at the UK champs and a 3.35 cakewalk heat in Paris.
What's your guess for Jakob? I'll save you the effort - it's FIFTEEN races since May 25. That's 9 more races in only 104 days. The fact that Josh was in good shape in February for two races only means something if he was consistently at this level competing. But in total he's run 10 races this year over a span of 208 days - or one race on average every 21 days. Jakob has run 16 total races this year over those 104 days - one race on average every 6.5 days. Different worlds mate.
There are zero excuses for Josh Kerr running 3.31 tonight. On the contrary Jakob still broke 3.30 looking about as flat as I've ever seen him in a DL race.
This post was edited 41 seconds after it was posted.
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