Josette Andrew’s thinks she can medal LMAO

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A 14:20 female has no chance to medal not with THE TWO FRONTRUNNERS like: Ngetich and Tsegay in the 5000m. One of them will definitely make it a SUB 14:15 race.

Someone already mentioned Rooks. I give her a better chance than I gave him. Battocletti was a minute slower than the women she beat for a medal in the Olympic 10k. Ever heard of Billy Mills?

I can’t wrap my head around why Andrews is such a divisive figure. She’s not that interesting but also harmless.
I know about the doping accusations, but then I also see regularly hobby joggers also asking me in this what supplement should I take? So stop acting so holy.

Nothing happened to Josette this weekend, at least nothing bad.

She was not awful. It was her strategy that was a bit off.

I am not an Andrews nor an OAC troll. Have ofttimes been critical of Ritz's coaching. But can offer a dispassionate perspective.

Here is what I know:

Josette stated post-race her plan was to go from 1000 out. Which was Grants plan, BTW. Unlike Grant, Josette was able to get to the front at the 4000 mark to actually execute her strategy and started ratcheting down the pace.

However, unlike Grant's plan to blow the race open and dramatically string out the field with a 57-58 lap after running 67s, Josette only dropped the pace from 71-mid to 68-flat. There were still 6 runners right with her @ 4200 including Houilhan & Cranny who everyone knew were the best kickers in the field.

Josette then dropped the pace to 66-low thru 4600 -- but the same 6 were still right with her.

In the end, Josette closed in 63.6 -- good by US standards -- which moved her ahead of Roe, Schweizer, Kelati, and pro rookie Bailey Hertenstein who began sprinting at the bell, went from 7th to 1st at 300 out, then crashed into a wall the final 100 to finish 5th with a 64.5 close.

However, very good kicker Cranny closed in 62.7 while superb kicker Houlihan showed she has mostly regained her 2019 - 2020 form with a 61.8 close.

Those are the numbers. Those are the facts why Josette finished 3rd and was in danger of not making the team with 100 to go.

So, scope out to see a bigger picture. Taking the race w/1k to go was not the best strategy -- as Josette is not a world-class kicker in a distance race like Grant is.

On the other hand, leading right from the gun and turning the race into a time trial would not have been the best strategy either. Those same 6 women would have been very content to get in single file, turn off their brains and let Josette do all the work until the end. In this scenario, if Josette misjudges her pace and goes too fast, get a side stitch, or is simply having a bit of an off day, she likely gets swallowed up by the field and doesn't make the team.

So, best strategy? A long surge to the finish, double what you attempted to do.

Take the lead @ 3000 and use your 14:25 fitness to string out the field over the final 5 laps with something like 66-65-65-65-64 paces. At 3000 the pace was 71-mid so a 5-6 second drop would have blown the race open.

Maybe Houlihan & Cranny would have responded and results would have been the same. However, we wouldn't have seen the last -lap drama which actually occurred on Sunday.

Have no reason to doubt Josette when she says she's in better shape than 14:25. That was 2 months ago in warm weather -- and it will be warm in Tokyo so that's a mental plus.

What we know is that Josette likely is the fittest of the 3 but with the worst kick.

Semis in Tokyo will likely be slow and erratic -- good for Houlihan & Cranny -- but dangerous for Andrews.

Still, expecting all three to advance to the finals.

Believe this is the best US women's 5000 team ever at a global championship. And, with Houlihan, the first US 5000 woman with a lethal kick. Just a matter of fitness, staying with the lead pack until it takes off with a lap or two remaining, then pick off as many stragglers as possible. Best a US woman has ever finished at a global champs is 5th. Maybe that's possible with this team.

She gave Agnes Ngetich a heck of a fight in the Philly Grand Slam 3000 and has proven in the past that she can hang with the East Africans in the Diamond League. If she has her A+ game and catches the top dogs on an off day, she can medal.

Very few women in the past 10 years have medaled with a PB in mid the 14:20s (Seyaum,
Klosterhalfen are the only I can think of). Maybe its possible she could medal, but in a super slow race all the top women are capable of running super fast, so her 3:59 is going nowhere in a slow race. And well in a fast race, she isn't as fit as the best on the global stage. That said it wouldn't be 100% impossible.

Chebet took the silver medal in 2022 world champs 5000m with a 14.30 PB (Although she was 21 at the time). But still it shows how possible it is for Andrews to medal with a 14.25 pb. If the race is in the in 14.30s range its very possible

A few months later however chebet ran a 14.12 pb

Andrews says she believes she is fitter she can go faster than 14.25. If she truly is then she can medal probably but if not she is not coming close to a medal

Best summary I have seen. But even this has one flaw. The strategy was the best strategy because it worked. If we had a time machine and she reruns the race using a few alternate strategies, she can only do worse than qualifying. Granted, she could finish higher than 3rd, but she could also finish 4th or 5th. Her trolls are upset that she qualified. They claim that she is not even a good runner. But she made the race with a K to go. Kelati is out. Schweizer is out. Monson is out. Roe is out.

What was disturbing to hear in her interview was the fact that she says “the pressure is off now”, I made the team and get to go to worlds. Oh no honey! The pressure is even greater now because you are representing the USA and not just competing for your big ego but for the whole country. Sad to hear that she’s treating Tokyo like a vacation she got to go to.

First of all there are no trolls here that really hate her. Everyone is voicing their opinion. You want to see hate? Go to threads regarding Tuohy and Shelby.
And NO she didn’t run a good race with a strategy that worked because she was the so called favorite and running for the championship. Shes lucky to be third based on how the race unraveled. She missed her strategic goal to win it. Shelby and Cranny weren’t running on fresh legs and she was. No excuse not be first except for poor strategy.

Rather than tell us there is a better strategy, why not tellnus what it is? Amazing that so many of you now believe that she is a superior runner to Shelby and Cranny. But I can agree with you. Please layout the strategy that guarantees a finish ahead of Cranny, Shelby, Kelati, Roe, Monson, and everyone else. It had to be a guarantee because she is guarantee to qualify today because she already did.

Thinking she can medal is fine. Whatever it takes to get you in the right head space. But to put it out there publicly if you're not in the conversation isn't a good look.

That’s what Ritz gets paid for, not us. I’m sure he’s having a sit down with her to analyze what went wrong. It was obvious she missed her goal of winning. And the only reason she is referred to as favorite is because she ran the best time this season out of all of them. However PBs don’t win championship races and neither did she. You need a head on your shoulders and be an excellent tactician to compete among the best to win.

Says the guy sitting on his couch.

It is a great look.

She qualified. You guys are idiots. We have the facts. Satung she should have done something different is literally idiotic. Because SHE QUALIFIED. Any other strategy may have left her off of the team. Did you expect her to beat Schweizer? Roe? Kelati? No way. You guys claimed all spring that she would not qualify. Now thst she did, you sre disappointed because you consider her to be the top American in a championship race? You have way more confidence in her than I do. You are her biggest fan.

By the way. Most of you don't understand the word favorite.

Chebet is doped so that doesn't count.