Abbey Caldwell makes the Aussie selectors look like fools - Bronze in 1500 at CGs!!

I didn't bump into Nic. Weldon and Jonathan did. They had a nice chat with him. I'm sure we'll discuss it again on the pod.

Total rubbish.

She did not qualify for worlds.

She won tge trials but did not get a qually time til later.

Its nice she got the bronze. You'll note she ran past those who tried to win in the home straight. Didn't run a pr.

Didn't race.

First oz home is what its called.

Lol mate did you watch that race? If Hull and Hall wanted to race for the win they shouldn't have let the race go through in 2:15, and should not have let Muir take the front and the rail unchallenged. There was only going to be one result in a sit and kick.They raced for the win in the same way Caldwell did.

The only person who gave a good fist of it was Mageean.

Hi Nic.

I gave this whole topic a lot of ink in this week's weekly recap.

letsrun.com

WTW: Olli Hoare & Mary Moraa Win Big, Abbey Caldwell Gets Bronze, & Ethiopia Is Loaded For The Future

Robert Johnson

What a week for track fans, worthy of an epic 3,000+ word WTW breakdown. In it, we tell the Aussies how to pick their team, guess what Sydney M can run for 400 and wonder if the next Ethiopian star has arrived.

Open link

Abbey was definitely robbed of her WC spot. It would have been valuable experience for her, and she deserved to be there. She was clearly the better than Griffith, even at the time of selection.

The outcome for Australia at the world championships would have been similar though if she was there. Abbey would have made the final, and not medalled, which is exactly what Griffith, the person she would have replaced did. The bronze medalist, Muir, from WC won this race convincingly just after having run an all out 800m the day prior. So we know that in order for Abbey to have medalled at WC she needed to win this race. Now I do think Abbey probably would have been higher up in the standings than Griffith, possibly as high as fourth.

The Aussies looked like fools by not selecting their national champion, who beat Griffith and Hall head to head. The result here didn't change much, this is the shape we should have all expected from her given her national champ win and the 800m result. Do the Aussies look like fools, yes. Anymore so than before the race, not really. If she beat Muir they would have looked like fools squared.

She ran with the pack at the start, just like the other girls. Debut senior team for Caldwell, perhaps a bit of nerves at the start. Also got pushed and shoved a little probably due to lack of experience in big race sBut to run a 2.04 last 800 and 61 second last lap shows her ability. Definitely one to watch in the future.

She is quite good tactically. National championship video below where she defeats Hall and Griffith

Hull is classy and was undoubtedly Australia's lead chance at Eugene, a shame she missed the jump in the final + covid.

Caldwell has class and poise, her coach is a goofball. For whatever reason, maybe yin and yang, they seem to be a good team.

I'd say with some reluctance, Griffith seems to be inproving with Bideau.

Hall is good, but like her mate Bissett, it's time to make a move. Ned Brophy has done a great job keeping them happy under trying circumstances after their previous grub of a coach. It's time to transition to a new coach and group with middle distance experience, they both move inefficiently and lack racing skills.

Add to the women - Hoare, Bol, McSweyn, Charlie Hunter, Jye Perrot, Jye Edwards, Peyton Craig, Charlie Jeffreson and Claudia Hollingsworth and it's a very exciting era of Australian Middle Distance running

The larger question - OZ sends full teams to every major championship (incl juniors).

Is there an ROI (return on investment) from sending full teams to every major championship? Shouldn't OZ finish top 6 country in every championship they attend based on full teams?

The three selected for WC peaked in Eugene, this outcome should come as zero surprise to anyone with a decent knowledge of training or coaching. It's really no significant comment on the appropriateness of the selection, either. I know your intent is to manufacture controversy with your hot take.

GG has definitely taken big steps forward this year. With MTC she's moved to more aerobic-based training which clearly suits her. That said, I hope she doesn't end up driven into the ground like some other MTC....

Within the small pond of Australia where do you see someone like Linden best served? Canberra with Telford? The potential OAC-Australia with Mottram? It would be a shame to think they have to go abroad to find the best coaches.

What's the story behind Bisset & Hall's former coach?

As Caldwell herself said, it hurt to miss out on the world champs and they were misled with incorrect information, but she has moved on. No one knows what she would have done had she raced at world champs. Of course the other 3 peaked for the event, as would she have had she been given the chance. She wasn't and a couple of weeks after finding out she had missed selection, despite everything, ran a 2.00.03 800m. It wasn't the best tactical race I've seen her run in the Comm Games, but she has little international experience and came home faster than anyone to grab that bronze medal and show guts and determination as well as poise beyond her years. Perhaps not being selected in worlds helped her to be fresher than some others in the race. It still is an experience she deserved to have and can never get back.Definitely one to look out for in the future.

Its really too bad, if it weren't for the stupid technicalities I think the Aus system is a great compromise between selection and trials. The champion goes (assuming they have the standard), everyone else has to wait for selection. But if you aren't going to send the champion, then whats the point of even having the national championship as a trials. The flexibility of selection + the objectivity of the champion goes is really great. If only they could stick to it. They could even make it top 2 plus one selection. Also their trials should be later in the season.

Anyone arguing about the semantics of the selection criteria or the merits of Caldwell vs Griffith is missing the real point, which is simply Right vs Wrong.

Caldwell was flat out robbed by the usual suspect and his AA lackeys.

For all the world class athletes and results, the only legacy he will leave is a dirty stain.

You say this like it's a surprise. MTC athletes have underperformed at championships for well over a decade. None of them have even come close to a comm games medal since Mottram.