Here we go again, typical LR Forum blaming the black fella.
Would you prefer that people discriminated against black people and treated them differently, or ignored them?
White female athletes have awful things said about them on this forum all the time, as do white British and European runners. There isn't any special non-hurty allowance just because you're black.
Totally Kerr’s fault and he should know better. Deliberately shoved Giles and should be penalized for this.
As a life long national class track runner until my knees gave out, my take is Giles taking the lead moved down on Kerr (Giles did not have clearance but forced Kerr to make a decision [to back off or defend his lane]. Kerr [I think wisely] let him in. In almost 100% of races the leader usually move out in their lane to make the chasers to go wide.
However Giles kept his lane 1 position, but [guessing here: Kerr was pissed] Kerr saw he was blocked and couldn't get out so went inside and took his chances. Like a real pro Giles, feeling contact, simply blocked Kerr and Kerr paid the price and took Giles down with him. Usually high class runners learn over the years going inside is a trap purposely used by the leader. If leading, I never left enough room for anyone to get through on the inside and if pressed, ended it for whoever tried it. While I occasionally got spike marks on my calves or shoes, the trailing runner trying to pass learned if was far safer to go around.
i think kerr anticipated a gap forming that never did. even without the slight move to the left, it wasn't there.
Kerr and Giles are both big guys. with the kind of arm pumping going on in the last 100 meters of an 800, there just isn't room for two guys to run in one lane, unless you are able to make yourself very small and get by them extremely quickly.
That's what I saw. Kerr is totally at fault. He ran reckless and assumed an outward drift that didn't happen. Two big guys with wide elbows. In horse racing standards this wouldn't even be a question. The one initiating contact would be quickly disqualified.
It's only being viewed differently here because Josh Kerr is the adopted hero, the great Paris hope. Put Jakob in that race doing exactly the same thing and he'd be condemned in one thread after another.
Giles was drifting to block out Burgin and Pattison on the curve so his left foot is well over at lane 2 when Kerr begins to attempt the inner overtake. Kerr couldn't have known that Giles would abandon the drift to the right and suddenly take two large steps inwards as soon as he sees Kerr approaching on the inside via the big screen to his right.
Yeah, Giles definitely moved inside even though he was unimpeded. Kerr rewarded that move with a forearm shove that put Giles down but Kerr probably got the worst of it. Fun stuff from afar.
i think kerr anticipated a gap forming that never did. even without the slight move to the left, it wasn't there.
Kerr and Giles are both big guys. with the kind of arm pumping going on in the last 100 meters of an 800, there just isn't room for two guys to run in one lane, unless you are able to make yourself very small and get by them extremely quickly.
This. Remember all the criticism that Kessler got after squeezing by some guys at the L.A. Grand Prix 800 last month? He's a smaller guy and also tried to make himself small while going by and made it through without anyone falling. I thought it was fair game for Kessler in that race, and I think it was fair game for Kerr to try that gap. But there is a risk, especially since Kerr and Giles are bigger dudes. That doesn't mean he doesn't get at least a part of that blame when that risk doesn't work out though. Part of the game is going through holes and having a little rubbing. Otherwise you'd argue that anything that someone does to get out of a box is illegal.
In the end, I'd call it a racing incident. There have been big upvote ratios arguing for both Giles and Kerr being at fault when pointing out different aspects. The racing rules can't account for everything when there's so much up for interpretation.
Giles was all over the track in that race. He was in lane 3 with 200m to go, then he was on the outside of lane 1 and then he moved over the inside to block Kerr. He would have done better if he had stayed on the inside and waited for a gap to open for him, because by the time he hit the finishing straight, he was slowing down and getting in the way of runners who had timed their race better.
Why did Giles waste so much effort sprinting past Kerr with 200m to go? Surely at that level after so many races, you know that however good you feel at 200m, using your strength to get into the lead at 200m doesn't work for you, as you always fade in the finishing straight and get nowhere
He knew he was slowing down so instead of running a true finish, he made Burgun and Pattinson go wife round him then moved over in the other direction to shut the door on Kerr to protect third place. The same Kerr he had just used too much energy on passing on the outside.
Giles was going backwards. He wasn't going to make top three. Kerr looked like he had some run left and would have probably got up for 2nd or 1st maybe. Will be interesting to see if the selectors pick Wightman or Giles. I think Giles should be picked seeing he turned up at the trials and is healthy but wasn't running great before the fall. The selectors will probably now pick Wightman for the third spot.
Giles was going backwards. He wasn't going to make top three. Kerr looked like he had some run left and would have probably got up for 2nd or 1st maybe. Will be interesting to see if the selectors pick Wightman or Giles. I think Giles should be picked seeing he turned up at the trials and is healthy but wasn't running great before the fall. The selectors will probably now pick Wightman for the third spot.
Josh would of won in around 1:45 flat which would be epic for a 2 mile indoor WR holder, and would of been a PB too. He was clearly closing the gap on everyone just before the accident. If I was Jakob I would be sitting on my toilet seat right now taking a massive dump. With Josh's 800m speed combined with his 2 miles endurance, the gold will be his in Paris in the 1500m
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