Shelby MF Houlihan - She just took down Semenya and moved to #4 all-time in US history

Twig Mzungu wrote:

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvXzbP4qjSs

Love the awkward hand shake with Caster around 4:28 after all the hugs and touchy stuff with the other competitors.

all that hugging is hot wrote:

Love the awkward hand shake with Caster around 4:28 after all the hugs and touchy stuff with the other competitors.

I noticed that too. Hug the women -- hand shake with the man.

Having now watched that 1500m kick, I am going to walk back my statements a bit. Her kick destroyed some of the best in the world here, but it wasn't the rocket-powered looking burst she had at USA's, obviously in a slower race. It did look more like a typical Jenny Simpson winning kick. She'll still smash the AR and run 3:55 or even 3:54.

Race recap is up: http://www.letsrun.com/news/2018/07/dominant-357-34-win-us-4-time-lausanne-shelby-houlihan-worlds-best-1500-runner

Just watched the race video and wow, she powered straight through the finish line. I think she could've run faster if she needed to today.

Virgil Runnels wrote:

“Just wait until next year when my balls drop!” - Caster Semenya post race.

Ha Ha!!!!!! Well played sir;)

If her progression listed on the IAAF site is accurate, it clearly raises a red flag. This is the largest season-to-season percentage drop in time she's ever had. Not normal. Not completely unprecedented, but certainly not normal.

2018 3:57.34 Lausanne (SUI) 05 JUL 2018

2017 4:06.22 Birmingham (GBR) 20 AUG 2017

2016 4:03.39 Eugene, OR (USA) 28 MAY 2016

2015 4:09.62 Liège (BEL) 15 JUL 2015

2014 4:10.89 Victoria (CAN) 08 JUL 2014

2013 4:13.64 Tempe, AZ (USA) 05 APR 2013

2012 4:22.95 Tempe, AZ (USA) 24 MAR 2012

2011 4:26.39 Eugene, OR (USA) 24 JUN 2011

2010 4:31.21 Des Moines, IA (USA) 24 APR 2010

2009 4:37.03 Des Moines, IA (USA) 25 APR 2009

Jenny Simpson (progression below) had a similar jump going from age 21 to 22, but it was done at a younger age and she hadn't had a season of stagnation before that huge leap forward.

2018 3:59.37 Eugene, OR (USA) 26 MAY 2018

2017 4:00.70 Bruxelles (BEL) 01 SEP 2017

2016 3:58.19 Paris (FRA) 27 AUG 2016

2015 3:57.30 Monaco (MON) 17 JUL 2015

2014 3:57.22 Paris (FRA) 05 JUL 2014

2013 4:00.48 Monaco (MON) 19 JUL 2013

2012 4:04.07 Rovereto (ITA) 04 SEP 2012

2011 4:03.54 Monaco (MON) 22 JUL 2011

2010 4:03.63 New York, NY (USA) 12 JUN 2010

2009 3:59.90 Eugene, OR (USA) 07 JUN 2009

2008 4:11.36 Lucerne (SUI) 16 JUL 2008

2007 4:21.53 Walnut (USA) 13 APR 2007

2006 4:32.17 Boulder, CO (USA) 06 APR 2006

Again, this is why we can't have nice things. Criticize Americans for not winning, accuse Americans of doping when they do win. You people are the absolute worst.

Good response ~ wrote:

all that hugging is hot wrote:

Love the awkward hand shake with Caster around 4:28 after all the hugs and touchy stuff with the other competitors.

I noticed that too. Hug the women -- hand shake with the man.

yea that was pretty weak. because on a spectrum she is probably closer to the middle than most women as well.

She's still @shelbo800 to me

Based on Semenya’s 1500 it’s clear he’s a 400/800 guy. How fast do you think he could run the 400? 47? High? Low?

I’ve always thought the “Semenya looks like a male” stuff was just exaggerations and trolling banter but he really does look like a man when he was shaking hands with those girls...

NC Runner 34 wrote:

She basically just pulled a Rowbury, followed Muir til the last 100, swung wide and kicked

Rowbury never "kicked" like that. Not Slaney, either, or Simpson. Destroyed Hassan and Muir who are sub 1:59 and sub-3:57 runners at the peak of their careers. Imploded the Semenya bubble. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Good response ~ wrote:

all that hugging is hot wrote:

Love the awkward hand shake with Caster around 4:28 after all the hugs and touchy stuff with the other competitors.

I noticed that too. Hug the women -- hand shake with the man.

It's like she is saying "Nice to meet you, sir!"

Anyone who followed her closely indoors is not surprised at all of this. When Jerry's athletes make the jump, they make it stick.

notrump wrote:

Rowbury never "kicked" like that. Not Slaney, either, or Simpson. Destroyed Hassan and Muir who are sub 1:59 and sub-3:57 runners at the peak of their careers. Imploded the Semenya bubble. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Total nonsense.

Mary Decker outkicked world record holder Tatyana Kazankina and other world class runners down the stretch in both the 1500 and 3000 events in the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

Sifan Hassan finished a 1500m race a few years ago with a 1:56.9 last 800.

And it's so nice that Speedy Gonzales could come out of retirement to do the play-by-play.

No, sorry, this year needs some explanation. Just like Bolt’s 2008 drop from like 10.10 to 9.69, Houlihan coming out and dropping a huge PR and seeming like the worlds best mid-d runner is completely suspec.

To those jumping straight to conclusions that she is doping. There is not much grounds to go off. She has steadily been improving in one way or another every year, staying injury free and has now made it to the world beater level. She is only a couple years out of college and has the perfect middle distance body and form. I've been noticing her in races since 2014 and she has always been able to switch gears and kick like crazy, now she is just able to do it against the worlds best.