runn wrote:
We want the best team for the games and we want to maximize the top athletes' chances of getting there. There has been much criticism, in the past, of the US not having a contingency plan (so to speak) to get the top athletes on the team. If Deena or Meb prove that they are our top distance runners and have a cold on trials day, they deserve to go.
I disagree. One of the virtures of the U.S. selection system is that it is entirely based on merit. There are no officials making selections based on criteria known only to them. There is no room for discrimination, playing favorites, or politics. If you finish in the top 3 and make the Olympic "A" standard, then you're in; if you don't, you're out. Beautiful. I wouldn't want it any other way.