What's the matter, can't he afford the SUPER SPIKES???
Seriously, to Evan's advantage hardly anybody else is any good at steeple anymore either. There's like one sub 8 guy in the past several years, El Bakkali IIRC. Even the Kenyans have lost it.
He's never likely to get sub 8 but he could still grab medals like Kemboi did until he was about 50.
Since 13:13 indoors indicates much better than 8:35 (he ran 8 and low 8 multiple times with just a 13:02 pr), I have to conclude that either he was injured again since then--in which case he'd probably not even be running this--or he was running it carefully to avoid a re-injury but get back into the event with world championship qualifying pace (8:22) for the last 1k. That he managed. I expect 8:20 or better next time out. They must know that his health is fragile and it must have been difficult for him to make it back after all this time.
Did you listen to his interview?
He is and has been back to base phase after running his 5k.
Watching the RunnerSpace/DyeState interview, it's hard not to feel more positive about his race than any of the negative hot takes in this thread. When he says it was a relief the day before the race to believe that he could actually finish a whole steeple, intact, for the first time in four years, you get a much better sense that this was a rust buster in the fairest sense of the word. Nice interview.
Yes it’s mostly a joke, or me just trying to ruffle malmo’s feathers a bit. I’ve repeatedly seen malmo shun speculation and analysis early in the season in this “just shut up and wait until June” kind of way, but that seems to me like the complete antithesis of this message board’s existence. As a sports fan, I actually think some premature declarations are a healthy part of encouraging fan engagement—you see it every day on Pardon the Interruption and the like.
I don’t think this was a particularly encouraging result for Jager fans. I don’t think it’s proof that he’s done, either. As for your expecting better, lord knows I don’t owe you a thing.
In other words you admit to acting childish.
Yeah, all the time. The mature thing is to recognize it and admit to it, not be blind to it like some people.
So just my 2 cents worth since I had a friend who obviously wasn't Jager's standard but was a good steeplechaser.
He went to MTSAC basically not having race on the track for 4 years since the previous Olympics. His aim was that if he broke 8.40 he'd go for the Olympics (his third). A couple of years older than Jager (35 v 33 I believe). I argued that even if he ran 8.42 he should continue becasue he'd run 10 seconds faster in the next one after a 4 year absence. 8.32 was the B standard at the time for the Olympics. Anyway he ran 8.36. Next race he ran 12 seconds faster (which was actually the fastest time in the world at the time. Albeit early) He made it to the Olympics.
So just my 2 cents worth since I had a friend who obviously wasn't Jager's standard but was a good steeplechaser.
He went to MTSAC basically not having race on the track for 4 years since the previous Olympics. His aim was that if he broke 8.40 he'd go for the Olympics (his third). A couple of years older than Jager (35 v 33 I believe). I argued that even if he ran 8.42 he should continue becasue he'd run 10 seconds faster in the next one after a 4 year absence. 8.32 was the B standard at the time for the Olympics. Anyway he ran 8.36. Next race he ran 12 seconds faster (which was actually the fastest time in the world at the time. Albeit early) He made it to the Olympics.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
For the times they are a-changin’
None of us knows Evan Jager’s running future. There is reason to be hopeful and reason to have doubt. Neither vantage point is clearly wrong. But I would be much more optimistic if Evan was 26 and not 33. We shall see.
Yeah his best time is almost 7 years ago. Even is now 33 and the steeplechase seems to favor the young and healthy, with few exceptions. Evan is indeed finished as a medal contender.
I turned it on mid-race. The announcer never gave splits so I had no idea what pace the were on but I timed the third to last lap in 67, and the next to last lap in 67 and then saw the total time at the bell and realized, "They aren't even going to break 8:30."
But I at least expected Jager to BLAST the field - figured he was just screwing around. Nope. He gets beat. I had his last lap in 65.6.
I pray to God there were some sort of instructions of "Do not run hard". If that was all out, it was no good at all.
Even if conditions were BAD last night, Evan just is not the same runner and he never will be again. He is getting very close to Jenny Simpson territory. Evan was one of the most accomplished and exciting US runners of the past decade. He was fantastic.
John MCEnroe’s last major was at age 26 , and in his book he said he could feel the loss of his elite athletics ability leave his body at age 27. I think Borg was done at that age as well. Jager is holding on, and Emma C on the womens side has completely unraveled in her mid 30’s .
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