Anyone else happy Solomon took down Symmonds?

There were no tactics. No plan to hurt anyone. I don't like how the situation turned out but I can't say I was wrong in responding that way with the information I was given.

The Stache wrote:

3 guys sub 1:44 is fantastic.

Much better than the legendary 2008 OT. But it will never become legend because it was at the wrong track.

C.P. wrote:

You have no idea how hard Duane trains.

ksksk wrote:

There's no award for the hardest trainer.

No.

There is an award for the fastest runner.

Which he won.

Moron.

friend of rojo wrote:

Emil C wrote:

So Solomon stagnated at 1:45-1:46 for years and now he's running 1:42-1:43? Doesn't pass the sniff test.

Symmonds is a guy who heading into the Trials last year had only run 1:43 3 times in his life and now he's run it 3 times in his last 10 races???

Guys get better.

Neither is on drugs. Get a life.

Agreed. Dude spends a few years running 1:45's and happens to drop down to 1:44 at the Oly trials. That would be huge for any runner. He also got into the fastest 800 in history and got pulled along to a 1:42. That might have been a 1:44 low/1:43 high race without Rudisha running like he always does. It's called confidence. Best of luck to him in Moscow.

Truth! wrote:

The guy is definitely full of himself, but he's one of the biggest promoters of the sport that we have today. Track is dying in this country, and the people out there trying to bring attention to it like Symmonds and Lolo Jones get torn apart on this board. Shit, people were criticizing Centro for celebrating too much after he won the 15 yesterday. People need to realize that the sport needs personalities to survive, and Nick Symmonds is one of the biggest personalities we have. Like him or not, he's great for the sport in this country.

How is Symmonds really that full of himself? He dedicated half his post-race interview to how great D-uane is.

crazy raisin wrote:

How is Symmonds really that full of himself? He dedicated half his post-race interview to how great D-uane is.

I agree. There is so much talk about how Symmonds is a douche, Symmonds is a self-promoter, etc.

I almost believe it, until I watch AN ACTUAL INTERVIEW with this guy, and he is one of the nicest and most down-to-earth athletes out there.

I mean, come on, the guy is basically giving away his training logs.

Think about it: If you (or say your kid if you're older) wrote a fan letter to one US track STAR, who would be the most likely to respond? I would assume Symmonds and Jones. Who else? I wouldn't bet the same on Rupp, a guy who doesn't even shake his competitor's hands after they break records.

Kind of hard to criticize Symmonds for being arrogant and a self-promoter yet still admire Prefontaine, isn't it?

Assuming you admire Pre, is the hypocrisy lost on you?

Bad Wigins wrote:

The Stache wrote:

3 guys sub 1:44 is fantastic.

Much better than the legendary 2008 OT. But it will never become legend because it was at the wrong track.

I only became a fan of T&F in 2010 so anytime someone mentions a race I youtube it. I wish I could have seen that live. That was awesome.

Emil C wrote:

So Solomon stagnated at 1:45-1:46 for years and now he's running 1:42-1:43? Doesn't pass the sniff test.

But he was fast in high school.

I would have liked to see Symmonds win his sixth straight, but Solomon earned that win. Furthermore, in all our bickering about personalities we do or don't like, let's not lose sight of the fact that we're sending a strong 800m team to Moscow.

Three 1:43s in the final. Two of those guys have run 1:42, and you have to believe Brandon Johnson has potential to run 1:42 as well. I like our chances at at least one medal.

Oh, and for what it's worth, I've never thought Symmonds seemed arrogant. He seems like a down to Earth guy who loves the sport and wants to build others up. His praise of Solomon after that loss seemed quite genuine. He was grinning ear to ear...after LOSING. Could you imagine Galen Rupp having that kind of reaction after losing? Never. He gets pissed off when someone looks at him wrong during a race. Don't get me wrong, I like watching Galen run and I don't expect everyone to have the same personality, but there is a big difference between arrogance and confidence.

Maybe you should check out the London Olympic 800 again. Both Solomon and Symmonds ran good races, but were nowhere near getting in the medals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKEOjWEzVGs