Almost none of you have the mental equipment to be a World and Olympic champion and yet you are know it alls who criticize someone who has shown that she does have the requisite mental equipment. She has done what few American women have ever done and yet she gets scathing criticism. Most of you sit and type this criticism but if you were in the arena you wouldn’t even be noticed. She is a star and she does not deserve this criticism. As far as her coach that is another deal.
Almost none have the physical ability, but quite a good number have the mental equipment. There are doctors who go through 20 years of training to stand over a patient on an operating table, knowing if they mess up the patient will be dead. There are single moms who work three jobs to support their kids and try to give them a better life. There are soldiers who need to operate under intense enemy fire and risk their lives without hesitation to save someone else.
All of these, and plenty of others, involve more pressure, hard work, and sacrifice than getting paid to run around a track and trying to win a medal.
100%. I've stopped rooting for Athing after reading stuff like this. So disappointing.
Like yeah, I get someone can have tough issues mentally. I'm a fricking mental health nurse, so I get it, but this is just so disappointing.
As others have said, why even call yourself a professional athlete if you race like, what, once a year? Especially when you're as good as she is.
Elliott was already married by the time of the 1960 Olympics. He married in May, 1959, and the Olympics were September, 1960.
You're right about Cerrutty though. He thought athletes should abstain from relationships, and - paraphrasing a bit here - when they had proved themselves superior males, they would have the pick of women.
Although Elliott did look to Cerrutty as an inspirational figure, Elliott was pretty much his own man with regard to his beliefs and world view. Cerrutty actually never oversaw Elliott's training on a day to day basis either, more giving him general principals - "He was never terribly interested in what I was doing in my training. He was more interested in my state of mind.."
The parallels I would draw between Mu and Elliott are - retiring young (potentially in Mu's case); both attributing that in part to the pressure of maintaining a win streak; and not having that "running is everything" singular focus. In fact, Elliott described as giving "..the impression that running was not that important to him.."
As someone who enjoyed the process of training, wanted to achieve results, but who get extremely nervous before competition, I could get why someone would reach the point where they wanted to stop, especially when it is an all-absorbing lifestyle, rather than a hobby.
Jakob is a very obvious doper,every bit as obvious as the kenyans and ethiopians,if you know what to look for.Nothing clean or natural about him.
I guess I don't know what to look for. Could you please explain to us why Jakob is an obvious doper?
Ok,stick thin yet muscled figure,acne,widened jaw,never gets tired,runs personal bests like he's going for a casual jog,and doesnt look even the least bit fatigued,even after hes beaten the worlds best,and runs personal bests.As soon as hes finished his races,he keeps on jogging,and waving,no hint of tiredness,looking like he could run another 1500 meters.Kenyans,moroccans and ethiopians are also like that.Also quite honestly,he doesnt look well.Pale as a ghost.He looks ill. He has a win at all costs doper mentality,and will stop at nothing to be the best runner the world has ever seen.
Elliott was already married by the time of the 1960 Olympics. He married in May, 1959, and the Olympics were September, 1960.
You're right about Cerrutty though. He thought athletes should abstain from relationships, and - paraphrasing a bit here - when they had proved themselves superior males, they would have the pick of women.
Although Elliott did look to Cerrutty as an inspirational figure, Elliott was pretty much his own man with regard to his beliefs and world view. Cerrutty actually never oversaw Elliott's training on a day to day basis either, more giving him general principals - "He was never terribly interested in what I was doing in my training. He was more interested in my state of mind.."
The parallels I would draw between Mu and Elliott are - retiring young (potentially in Mu's case); both attributing that in part to the pressure of maintaining a win streak; and not having that "running is everything" singular focus. In fact, Elliott described as giving "..the impression that running was not that important to him.."
As someone who enjoyed the process of training, wanted to achieve results, but who get extremely nervous before competition, I could get why someone would reach the point where they wanted to stop, especially when it is an all-absorbing lifestyle, rather than a hobby.
A question I would have would be Elliott’s ability to earn a good living as a “professional” runner of that time and the economic pressure he and his peers faced to get out of the sport early. Mu on the other hand is likely making a very nice living by running pro, a living she might have trouble matching in another line of work. Elliott’s income probably went up when he quit, no?
Elliott was already married by the time of the 1960 Olympics. He married in May, 1959, and the Olympics were September, 1960.
You're right about Cerrutty though. He thought athletes should abstain from relationships, and - paraphrasing a bit here - when they had proved themselves superior males, they would have the pick of women.
Although Elliott did look to Cerrutty as an inspirational figure, Elliott was pretty much his own man with regard to his beliefs and world view. Cerrutty actually never oversaw Elliott's training on a day to day basis either, more giving him general principals - "He was never terribly interested in what I was doing in my training. He was more interested in my state of mind.."
The parallels I would draw between Mu and Elliott are - retiring young (potentially in Mu's case); both attributing that in part to the pressure of maintaining a win streak; and not having that "running is everything" singular focus. In fact, Elliott described as giving "..the impression that running was not that important to him.."
As someone who enjoyed the process of training, wanted to achieve results, but who get extremely nervous before competition, I could get why someone would reach the point where they wanted to stop, especially when it is an all-absorbing lifestyle, rather than a hobby.
A question I would have would be Elliott’s ability to earn a good living as a “professional” runner of that time and the economic pressure he and his peers faced to get out of the sport early. Mu on the other hand is likely making a very nice living by running pro, a living she might have trouble matching in another line of work. Elliott’s income probably went up when he quit, no?
That is true. It was common for athletes in the US to quit post college in that era, although there were a few exceptions, like Horace Ashenfelter.
Eastern bloc athletes tended to get military or police jobs and train full time. A lot of the British were working full-time and competing internationally.
Elliott could have carried on training full on at Cambridge (as Bannister did at Oxford), but that wouldn't have lasted to the next Olympics. He did compete at a lower level while and Cambridge (best was a 4:06 mile, I believe), and he clearly enjoyed competing for it's own sake, running as an individual in the English Nationals at 9 miles (finished a very respectable 35th), but he generally wasn't training very hard (ran outside 2 minutes for 880 yards in his last ever race).
He did turn down $250,000 to compete as a professional, but I'd agree, with a wife and the intention of having a family, there would have been little economic incentive (actually considerable disincentives) to continue to compete at a high-level post college. He said that he compete on the track for Cambridge out of a feeling of obligation, rather than desire, so I think the fire had gone out as far as high level track training was concerned.
It's shame really, as we would have had a 26-year-old Elliott versus Snell in the 1964 Olympics.
I have no idea if she has booked photo shoots or runway work but if her contracts are sweet enough, then perhaps she follows the Lance Armstrong reasoning. For him there was only one race that mattered, he barely messed around with any one day classics, other grand tours, he was focused on France. Maybe Mu, because of timing can focus only on the Olympics. But it will be difficult after this cycle to disappear until LA. Her competitors are catching up and she needs to be racing all different scenarios. She may be in for a surprise next time she mixes it up with the internationals.
"Barely" is not nothing and "Le Tour" alone was three weeks. But he'd do some early season racing as training-- Australia, something in Belgium or Nethlerlands, then Tour de Georgia when that existed... the Tour of Switzerland or that other one...
After the Tour except if Olympics or Worlds he was done save a few criterium paydays but still... that's 40-50 racing days...
Compared to MUUUUUUUUUU... one, two. Do we need to count higher har har?
Almost none have the physical ability, but quite a good number have the mental equipment. There are doctors who go through 20 years of training to stand over a patient on an operating table, knowing if they mess up the patient will be dead. There are single moms who work three jobs to support their kids and try to give them a better life. There are soldiers who need to operate under intense enemy fire and risk their lives without hesitation to save someone else.
All of these, and plenty of others, involve more pressure, hard work, and sacrifice than getting paid to run around a track and trying to win a medal.
100%. I've stopped rooting for Athing after reading stuff like this. So disappointing.
Like yeah, I get someone can have tough issues mentally. I'm a fricking mental health nurse, so I get it, but this is just so disappointing.
As others have said, why even call yourself a professional athlete if you race like, what, once a year? Especially when you're as good as she is.
You really shouldn’t be in the profession you claim you are in. You are not a good fit for that kind of work.
You are dead wrong. As a fan I have every right to be mad. I am a dad to a 15 year old girl who happens to run the 800m. She looks up to Athing. I thought she couldn't have picked A better athlete to admire. She has been looking forward to seeing her run in Hungary. We have both wondered why she has run so little this season but in my daughter's words "she'll be ready, she always is." There are so few T&F fans left. I wonder why.
Thank God for athletes like Ryan Crouser and Femke Bol
I agree 100%, Crouser and Bol, are so much fun to root for (both humble and classy people). Mu is so much fun to root for as well, but now with this weird period many of her fans are moving on to root for other runners. After all it is hard to root for someone if they are not in the race......
This. I guess I am upset because I really liked her as a runner, so it's making it feel very frustrating.
For the person saying I'm a bad mental health nurse--I agree. I would never treat Mu like this if she was my patient, but I guess it's the irrational, fan side of me coming out here.
Over Mu. Done with Kersee. This is professional track and this is the World Championship. If something else is going on — emotional issues / stress / injury — then coach and athlete need to be transparent rather than spew BS. If not, then plain and simple this is a profound disservice to the sport.
Over Mu. Done with Kersee. This is professional track and this is the World Championship. If something else is going on — emotional issues / stress / injury — then coach and athlete need to be transparent rather than spew BS. If not, then plain and simple this is a profound disservice to the sport.
I agree, we are die hard T&F fans, the fan base is relatively small compared to other sports, most people dont give a hoot about T&F, it is hard to root for someone when they never show up at Diamond League meets and now possibly the world Champs??????
I guess I don't know what to look for. Could you please explain to us why Jakob is an obvious doper?
Ok,stick thin yet muscled figure,acne,widened jaw,never gets tired,runs personal bests like he's going for a casual jog,and doesnt look even the least bit fatigued,even after hes beaten the worlds best,and runs personal bests.As soon as hes finished his races,he keeps on jogging,and waving,no hint of tiredness,looking like he could run another 1500 meters.Kenyans,moroccans and ethiopians are also like that.Also quite honestly,he doesnt look well.Pale as a ghost.He looks ill. He has a win at all costs doper mentality,and will stop at nothing to be the best runner the world has ever seen.
Do enlighten us to the skin colour you imagine Norwegians born at 60 degrees north should have. Of course he is pale. He's from a country which has considerable Arctic territory and even from Sandnes, you are in tundra quickly. Only 7 hours of daylight for a large part of the year and summer temperatures rarely above 22 degrees with cloudy skies.
It actually sounds to me as if she is going to Budapest and that Kersee just wants attention. Maybe this is his way of generating what he thinks is suspense.
You called it early in this thread but all the venting by the keyboard rage folks was nonetheless entertaining at times.
Athing Mu is healthy and training right now but will not run the 400 as scheduled at the Ed Murphey Classic on Friday and may not race for the rest of the year and focus on 2024.
“It’s in our control if we decide we’re just going to go ahead and train through this year and focus on next year, then that’s what we’re going to do,” Bobby Kersee said. “The training is going well but our thought process, openly, is that we’re going to just train here in L.A. for the next two weeks and the next time she gets on the plane it’ll either be on vacation or to Budapest.”
Mu has only raced at two meets this year and said after Worlds last year that she felt no need to rush back into competition as she adjusted to Kersee's training. It's also clear that she's interested in things off the track, such as modeling, but it would be huge news if she skips the Worlds entirely.