The Centro hate on this board will never cease to amaze me. For the first time in decades, a American miler wins Olympic gold--after winning WC bronze, WC silver, and WIC gold--and everyone here cannot wait to pile onto him. I grew up watching the likes of Alan Webb crash and burn in championship races, and for me, Centro's win was like deliverance. Finally, an American Olympic champ! But for people here, he might as well have DNFed.
In any case, for any true student of the sport, it should be obvious that the super shoe era marks one of the most significant technological advancements in competitive distance running--the closest track and field has come to finding its equivalent to all those speedsuits in swimming. I had a conversation recently with one of the most decorated runners in women's American distance running, and she said that the races she ran in super shoes were without a doubt the easiest ~4:00 1500s she had ever run.
People on this board are generally quick to judge and slow to think, and as a result, they focus too much on final times. One thing they neglect in their assessments is the fact that Championship racing is no longer about prioritizing energy. It used to be the case that people would run at least *somewhat* conservatively in the opening rounds of the 1500 at the Championship level. But now, people go balls to the wall in semi-finals. Before super shoes, people would have paid a serious price for that in the finals. But now, not so much. Why? It's not just because of superior training. It's because the shoes make recovery significantly easier.
All this is to say that you can scoff all you want at the time, but Centro's Olympic win was against some brutal competition. How many other people can say they beat a 3:26 1500m runner in the form of Asbel Kiprop? And drug allegations aside, Makhloufi was simply one of the greatest to do it--a true, pure speed, 800/1500 runner, the likes of which are rarely seen. Iguider, Souleiman, Willis--these guys were all legit,, too. In no world was anyone at the time calling it a weak field. The only reason it looks weak now is because super-shoes have made the superhuman look pedestrian.