Yeah, the problem with American distance running in my view is that this bizarre reverance for hobbyjogging 75% of the race and then going into an all out sprint finish has been ingrained into every single american athlete and fan of the sport. It's holding us back.
Yakob is smarter than Cocker. Yakob never runs as fast as Hocker does in races because it simply doesnt make sense for him to ever reach that speed in a middle distance event. If youre reaching that speed in a 1500m, thats far from optimal, and theres a lot more risk involved.
I dont care at all what someone can split for a 200m inside of a 1500m, because unlike sprinting events, in middle distance events no one is EVER trying to reach max speed.
Once you realize that, it becomes clear that running a 12s final 100m in a 1500 is less of an achievement and more of a sign of a poor pacing strategy. Even if you win with a finish like that, you could have won in a safer way. If Hocker matures as a competitor he will realize this and ditch the flashy finishes for safer, more evenpaced efforts.
i do think the sit and kick style employed by many americans is dumb especially in the context of the faster style championship races that are going on. right now hocker has proved he is leaps and bounds ahead of any other american, but still a ways behind the world leaders. tbh the front runners like stewey dont fare any better. it was pretty hilarious to see his face as hocker tracked in down in the final 100 of the olympic final. i think tim was injured, but maybe jakob has surpassed him. next olympics could be a foregone conclusion, but i believe they will be more interesting than that.
His name is Jakob, not Yakob. You don't spell based on pronunciation. For Jakob, it is wise to push the pace and not leave it to a kick, while for Hocker, it is wise to draft and kick at the end. There is not one optimal racing strategy for all runners, irrespective of talents.
I think Stew and Cole are two sides of the same coin. Hocker is basically the reverse McSweyn. If they could both manage to run a more evenly paced effort closer to what Yakob does, they'd fare better. Problem is that theyre evidently used to running races in one particular way and one way only.
Hocker is a tremendous talent except how many times have we seen flashes in a pan a la German Fernandez and Robbie Andrews only to see them struggling to find the same groove after their initial stride into greatness?
That said, Hocker is more likely to he defeated by another up and coming fellow countrymen than he is to beat the defending Gold Medalist. Jakub is a prodigy through and through versus Hocker who is really, really great. No disrespect to Hocker, things need to go right for several years before he can take on Jakub. It might also be that Jakub beats Jakub himself (mentally, depression) before Hocker beats Jakub outright.
I think sometimes people look down on Jakub, maybe nationalism contained within sport has something to do with it (i.e. the belief the USA can and should do better) but I have to say that I thought from his interviews Jakub was a decent kid and if he was beaten he would be gracious in defeat. I think Jakub given his prowess has a decent head on his shoulders and is out there grinding like the rest trying to improve and attain his goals.
We dont always have to hate the competition off the track, you know.
His name is Jakob, not Yakob. You don't spell based on pronunciation. For Jakob, it is wise to push the pace and not leave it to a kick, while for Hocker, it is wise to draft and kick at the end. There is not one optimal racing strategy for all runners, irrespective of talents.
No need to change the pronunciation of Yakob for your European ears. Go to SW Asia. It's Yakob!
Hocker is a classic sandbagger. When Steve Ovett shocked the world, 1977 World Cub Athletics, men 1500m, Ovett sprinted final 200m in 25.xx seconds from close to the front. Ovett was ON pace not kicking OFF the Pace. At this time Hocker is not a sub-1:45 800m man. The big Hocker kick is phoney. Because Hocker outkicked an old man past his prime at Olympic Trials does not make Hocker a big kicker. Next international race, tell Hocker to be within 1/2 a stride with 450m to go. Then we will see.
His name is Jakob, not Yakob. You don't spell based on pronunciation. For Jakob, it is wise to push the pace and not leave it to a kick, while for Hocker, it is wise to draft and kick at the end. There is not one optimal racing strategy for all runners, irrespective of talents.
No need to change the pronunciation of Yakob for your European ears. Go to SW Asia. It's Yakob!
Hocker is a classic sandbagger. When Steve Ovett shocked the world, 1977 World Cub Athletics, men 1500m, Ovett sprinted final 200m in 25.xx seconds from close to the front. Ovett was ON pace not kicking OFF the Pace. At this time Hocker is not a sub-1:45 800m man. The big Hocker kick is phoney. Because Hocker outkicked an old man past his prime at Olympic Trials does not make Hocker a big kicker. Next international race, tell Hocker to be within 1/2 a stride with 450m to go. Then we will see.
This is what I try to tell people. Im spelling Yakob's name right, and Hocker's kick is overhyped.
Not a great example, the last 200 wasn't the thing with Jakob in the euro final. It was the last 1000m that was mind blowing. Anyhow it is too early to have this thread, Cole is not the problem. Jakob is amazing but hard to be always on form and he will have plenty to worry about aside from the mighty Tim C, lots of other classy Ugandans, Kenyans, Ethiopians and 3 hot Aussies to think on among others. He is plenty good enough to win a medal but for him it is by no means guaranteed imho. The 1500m seems stacked this year more than maybe any other in a long time.
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I agree that Hocker hardly will be a problem for Jakob in the near future.
I, however, disagree that Jakob has a lot to worry about apart from Timothy.
I don´t think there are dangerous competitors in Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia.
In Uganda Ronald Musagala had a good season in 2019 but he has shown nothing since then, I learned from another that he beat Chepegei narrowly in the 1500m in around 3:36 after Cheptegei had been frontrunning the first 1400m. So at the moment Uganda doesn´t seem to have any top runners.
Kenya have o my knowledge no top 1500m runners apart from Timothy.
Etiophia only has Tefera but I don´t think will be a threat to Jakob.
I don´t think any of the Australians can match Jakob either.
I think the English (Wightman and Kerr if he can find his 2019 shape) will be more dangerous.
Jakob ran the fastest 1500m indoors this year frontrunning he last 3 or 4 (200m) rounds despite he was coming almost directly from base training. So I think he is one more level up this year and if so, no other than Tim will have a chance to beat him.
Finally : 2021 might be the year where Jakob passes Timothy. Many people on these pages acts as things last for ever. Nothing is more wrong: Things are ever changing and Jakob´s might finally catch up with Timothy who didn´t look too convincing last season:
He did win narrowly twice over Jakob in the 1500 but then disappeared. When he came back in the last DL meet he was out of shape running a mediocre 800m.
Jakob ran the fastest indoors 1500m this season despite coming almost directly from base training so I think he will be one more level up this year
Shoutout to this guy who said that Jakob’s biggest threat was Jake Wightman in spring of 2021. Flash-forward to Worlds 2022 and Wightman narrowly outkicked Jakob for the 1500m world title.
Well, as a matter of facts before the Tokyo Olympics I picked 3 runners as Jakob´s main competitors:
Timothy, Wightman and Kerr (provided the latter regained his 2019 form). In the Olympics Tim and Kerr medaled and as you said Wigtman beat Jakob this year.