Official Men's 800m Thread

Yes, of course the Olympic track wasn't measure correctly. Are you freaking nuts?

What spikes was Rudisha wearing? Anyone know?

Adidas MD

Reg wrote:

Here's Symmonds' story: "Well kids, I was in dead last most of the race and managed to pass a few guys but still lost by about 25 meters. Just hope your mom didn't see this one."

Fixed

What a terrible call by the NBC announcers...don't get too excited guys

The live stream announcers were going nuts, as they should have been!

Coach B Money wrote:

What a terrible call by the NBC announcers...don't get too excited guys

The live stream announcers were going nuts, as they should have been!

If NBC's football announcers were as bad as their Olympic track announcers, they could make most Americans actually hate football.

pointer wrote:

Just think about that 1:14 split when you're out sweating you're 74sec 400 reps today. DR is half a lap ahead of you!

Go down to your local track...

What a race. Naysayers don't belong here after a great Olympic day and an amazing 800.

Consider a few things. Yes, 7 PBs and on SB by Kaki. Records for places 1-8. World record. But it gets even more amazing. ALL EIGHT ran under the winning time from the 2011 World Championships. All eight!

And yet still the largest margin of victory since 1928. Largest gap 1st to 3rd since 1908. Some question Nijel Amos. But he came in the 2nd fastest of 2012-- and left 2nd fastest despite the times others ran. I picked him for 2nd in the prediction contest. This great race after heats and semis. Rather than shrink with Rudisha in the field, each and every runner rose to the occasion. I cannot think of any similar race, all runners reaching so deep so well.

Oh, and Manteo Mitchell of the US broke his leg, his fibula, a fourth of the way through his opening turn in the 4 by 400. Yet finished, in 45, and the US advanced. What a day.

Osagie in last place with his 1:43.77 would have won every Olympics/Worlds final since 2001.

Wondering in the West wrote:

Yes, of course the Olympic track wasn't measure correctly. Are you freaking nuts?

How much shorter than regulation would it have to be to make, say, a .03 difference in this sort of race? Four inches, perhaps?

And would it be worth the world's eternal condemnation if it were discovered afterwards to be that much shorter?

I suspect that the contractors who build the track and the men who measure it afterwards feel their asses to be on the line in the matter of it being precisely the right specifications. I can't imagine that anybody involved in the process is willing to err in that way, and I can't imagine a coordinated conspiracy lasting very long when the fast times are recorded.

It's fun to imagine conspiracies, but they're hard to pull off.

signed,

--Lance Armstrong

kudzurunner wrote:

How much shorter than regulation would it have to be to make, say, a .03 difference in this sort of race? Four inches, perhaps?

More like 4 ft

And would it be worth the world's eternal condemnation if it were discovered afterwards to be that much shorter?

Yep. Because I would have came myself with 1:40.94.

signed,

--Lance Armstrong

Amos kinda reminds me of Ngeny (especially during El G's mile world record - just clinging on for dear life).

krispy wrote:

Did Amos just run the most impressive PR of all time?

1:43 to 1:41 in an Olympic final.

After just watching the replay on NBC, it looks as if Symmonds needed about 10 more meters to medal. He ran the best possible race he could, but he just kicked it a little late. Everyone else except Rudisha and Amos were blowing up that last 50.

ukathleticscoach wrote:

'Let's give some credit to both Solomon and Symmonds running personal bests, but I have a hard time rooting for Symmonds who tried that come from behind bullsh*t. This is the f*cking Olympics, there are no boys in that final. You're racing the world record holder, you don't think it's going to be fast?!? '

Garbage if they had gone with a 49 they would have blown up. I always thought American's were positive thinking. They just ran brilliantly ...1:42 and you are coming up with this sh1t

Don't talk about something you know feck all about!

Symmonds' first 400m was fine, but he needed to get himself into a better position down the backstraight and from 600 to 700m . Ive watched this 10 times and I'm convinced he should have got the bronze. He ran that last 50 very fast but did not start the kick soon enough. You cannot be in 8th place with 100m to go and expect to medal. He almost did.

Incredible race. Rudisha is a champion of the finest form. He knew he was the best in that field and wasn't afraid to go for broke on the biggest stage...49.3 opening lap, then a HARD surge on the back stretch. After all of those rabbited time trials in history, David comes out and does the work himself and goes even faster. And man I loved watching the raw joy pour out of him after the race.

But kanny is right, Amos just hung and hung and hung. Sure he was close to a second behind, but at his age and with his rate of improvement...the great champion had better think about setting that record even lower if he wants to keep it in the long run.

I'm probably getting a bit ahead of myself, but how awesome would it be to see Amos continue to develop and come to battle it out with Rudisha...could be the sort of thing necessary to start pushing towards the holy grail of 1:39.99.

I just can't believe what just happened. I think this race embodies the theme of the London Olympics to inspire a generation. I guarantee that in four or eight years there will be some Olympic champion when if you ask them what was their primary inspiration, they will say "David Rudisha". Just incredible.

Also a great run by the Americans. Symmonds played it right hanging back. And Solomon has really got some guts. Personally, I don't think anyone in that field could have done any better. They all left it on the track. Best 800m race of all time!

1. Rudisha (49.28,51.63) +2.45

2. Amos (49.66,52.07) +2.41

3. Kitum (49.92,52.61) +2.69

4. Solomon (49.88,52.94) +3.06

5. Symmonds(50.44,52.51) +2.07

6. Aman (49.52,53.68) +4.16

7. Kaki (49.43,53.89) +4.46

8. Osagie (50.18,53.59) +3.41

You're all right, Symmonds ran his race...and finished 5th. He ran one of the faster 2nd laps, had the most even splits...and finished 5th. If the other competitors cracked in the 2nd lap, then yes I'd be on here giving him complete props for his race.

He's no longer a D3 athlete, he's an Olympian and a 800m finalist so let's stop using his backstory as an excuse for him not performing better.

As for strategy, it's historically implausible to negative split a 800m; so as you have only two approaches to the 800:

1) You run hard, stay in the pack thru 1st lap, and hold on as much as you can in the 2nd lap.

2) You hold back in the 1st and try to outkick everyone in the 2nd lap.

If you're a coach, training for the 2nd strategy is tougher because you're at risk of holding too much early and being out of it. It also only works when you're running in a slow race; if you're in a very competitive race it will be very difficult to outkick anyone. Both of which, I'm sorry, was the case for Symmonds. By going out the way he did, he conceded in "hoping" others would run poorly and sneak in from behind. It "worked" against 3 competitors, but he still had to run probably his fastest 2nd lap ever to do that.

Symmonds' training has done a great job in promoting even splits, and I'm sure that was one of his goals whenever he races the 800. His popularity is being the toughest runner in the 2nd lap of any 800. As he said on Twitter, he could go to sleep knowing he did his best. He should be proud of racing a personal best. That was the fastest 800m ever raced and that will be a memory that will be with him forever.

Looking ahead, is that the best he can do? Has he peaked? He peaked at the right time for this race, but he's not done. In the next few months, when he and his coach look at the tape and discuss how to make him better in future races, I would not be surprised if they start tweaking his strategy. He ran the race of his life, and finished 5th. We'll never know what would have happened if Symmonds ran with the pack because that's not his strategy. But if he wants to know, he'll start training for it.

Oh, thank you YouTube!

Nick Symmonds changing how he runs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icfOIf2qoYQ&playnext=1&list=PL421A42E869BE11AD&feature=results_video

True. Also the US has yet to come close to its potential in the 800M. With the talent at 400m and 400m hurdles the time is here to make a move on the world in this event.