Also one thing I would say is we shouldn't let the "legend of the close" start morphing into its own thing.
I know Letsrun reported a 12.34 close for Cohen but I'm calling that out and going on record and saying that is BS - where is that number coming from? I was sitting on the final straight curve literally 40 feet from the 100m to go point recording the finish on my phone and he is right at the shoulder of Charles Jones and the clock is reading 1.32.3. So yes it's another express finish but it's not 12.3 - it's more in the 12.5/6 range and for the sake of what we are talking about, that matters.
NCAA's was still more insane because not only was it faster by about a tenth, it was way more difficult to get there (outlined above).
Just wanted to make sure we stayed somewhat accurate as I read a 12.2 being thrown out there and before we know it, he might have even closed in sub 12 :D
https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/trackfield/us-olympic-trials-womenSeems like a pretty safe bet to put even $ on both - should be guaranteed 1 of those 2 wins
Go to results.usatf.com, go to the 800m semis on Friday June 28th, and click 100m splits at the top of the page. Murphy and Miller don't have their splits recorded so there might've been some timing issues, but Cohen's final split is a 12.34 according to USATF
Now I see it. Thanks. So they have him 1.32.59 at 700m but that is simply wrong unless the stadium timing is so far off what they are looking at/where these splits come from. As mentioned I have a freeze frame of him and Crisp crossing the 700m point and the timing is at 1.32.3. Maybe a tenth of a second is plausible (even though it’s usually much less) but three? But either way I now understand the “12.34” claim. Cheers.
You can't just level drug accusations every time a collegian improves. It is not as if he drops a 1:41 at "18" or anything; he barely broke 1:45 at UVA. His time was not one of the best all time. There are many guys who run 1:45-46 in college. But he has real talent. This is a guy who ran 11.74 and 4:30s in high school while hardly training. He then ran 22 and 48 without knowing how to start from blocks. He ran 1:48 twice at UT. The following xc season, he dropped a ton of time on 50 miles per week for the first time and broke 25 for 8k. So, a guy who has excellent basic speed for an 800m runner markedly increases his mileage for the first time and suddenly has very good endurance for an 800m runner, is going to run 1:45-46 that year. Unfortunately, he was running in the xc postseason on a stress fracture (he does not quit) and that put him out for most of the track season at Tampa last year. In other words, he was already going to run 1:45-46 last year, so when he did it this year it was not a surprise at all to his coaches. It's that mileage that is allowing him to use his natural speed at the end of races, because he's not as tired as these 15-30 mpw 800m guys.
It's not that he 'barely broke 1:45', it's the way he did it
Look at how Makhloufi and Sedjati finish 800s, or look at how Katir would finish in the final 100. That's him
That finish reminds me of Robby Andrews and Nick Symmonds.. and way back, Tony Parrilla. He runs his 800s almost even split, while everyone else is slowing down. I don’t think it means that he’s doping
I ran briefly at Tampa with Shane. They dont face any strong competition so it’s hard to pace in their meets. Now hes in a D1 program running against U.S. top 50s p consistently. Iron sharpens iron. And just to end the debate, he’s clean lol
Yet another finish where he went from 8th to near 1st (letting up because he easily qualified) with a massive kick over the final 100. Considering that the NCAA doesn't drug test at all, does anyone believe he went from 1:53 (1:48) to 1:44 in a year legitimately?
simetimes doping accusations make sense but this is a little ridiculous. he’s had steady progression over the last two years and oh yea he transferred to an incredible d1 program which could also be why he’s gotten faster. a lot of the time ppl who accuse others of doping are projecting because they suck at the sport. someone has to be the best and just because they have more potential than u doesn’t mean they’re doping🤦♂️
This entire thread is absurd. The OP is off his meds.
So if he is finishing an 800 like Bolt at full steam and he is clean what would he be doing if he was doped? 1:42? And 11-flat for the last 100?
Why are you replying to my post with this? Why would you think I believe he’s clean? And what kind of moronic backwards logic are you driving at anyway?
I am not suggesting that you think he is clean. I am simply putting it - to anyone and not just you - that if we were to believe he is legit what kind of performance would he be showing were he to dope.
I looked at some articles about his high school basketball career back when he was winning the NCAA championship. As a 5'7" point guard, he led a 28-4 basketball team to the state semifinals in Pennsylvania his senior year. So, he finished his basketball season at the end of March. No indoor season. Outdoor season he started in April. His season ended probably in late May. So, now it should be clear why he didn't run any faster in high school.
Basketball is the perfect training for a college athlete to run 1:44. It doesn't matter what an athlete does, there's always an explanation that will avoid a more obvious conclusion. Doping is throughout the sport but it is never with any athlete that we might identify. Since it is a common practice at the top levels the exceptional will almost inevitably be doped.
A “gimmick?” That’s a strange way to describe closing a 1:44.9 in 12.3. There are no “gimmicks” for running 1:44.9, and I would think you’d acknowledge that closing in 12.3 in lane 3 is not the easiest way to do it. He has to be capable of significantly faster with pacing that doesn’t allow him to close in under 13 seconds.
The reason I call it a gimmick is as you saw in the final it is uncompetitive against a good field. It is a specific strategy that works in slow races. And it’s a little Kincaid-ish in the execution. I agree if he starts running in a more conventional fashion he’ll run faster but he’ll also stop hitting 12.3s. Right now to me he profiles a lot like Adrian Ben with extreme tactics. I’ve see Ben have huge finishes including last years World Final. But he doesn’t hang back as much.
The final I think he actually tried to track the field, but before 400 Matsatsa cut him off and stopped his momentum. He ran a rough 13.76 segment as result and worse he lost his connection to the pack. I would’ve liked to see what happened in a fast race IF he was more connected the second lap.
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