As a total Jakob Stan I was very happy to see this classy post by him. All the sh*t talk has been very entertaining over the past year, but clearly the race today demands total respect for the competition and nothing more.
I also very much loved the last line, which is exactly why Jakob is my favorite runner: He may lose today, but tomorrow he will be on the start line, and will try to kick everyone’s ass all over again.
What I simply don't get, is how after 2 prior races of strategic perfection and the fact he practices his craft so often and is now highly experienced in big time races, this happened. This to me is the biggest surprise of the entire race. Not that Hocker won, not that Jakob didn't medal - but how Jakob got this so wrong from the gun.
There is ZERO doubt in my mind that field was waiting on him and because of that he could have done what he wanted in that opening 300m. He could have jogged off the line and run the slowest opening 100m just like the heats and semis and all that would have happened was that the field would have got out hard as always, slowed down and settled and he would have moved through the field in the next 200m probably onto either Komen or Nuguse who would have led it out. From that point onwards if he was able to run his 55.5's (given he in his own words "felt so good") then he has a much better chance to front run that to victory or at least win a medal.
Well, I guess he did show up after all...! Hocker and Nuguse as well.
My team always say that "because you have a big mouth and is the one to beat, you have everything to lose in competitions". Today, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse and Josh Kerr outsmarted me. They were "the best guys" when it really mattered. And I want to congratulate them all on a great performance!
Of course, I am disappointed!
Running is the ultimate sport. Everyone can participate. Everyone can set their own goals and achieve them. All you need is to show up. Not long ago, I trained alongside kids and average runners at Sandnes stadium. Today, I competed alongside one of my countrymen in an Olympic 1500 final. Ten years ago, no one in Norway would have believed this was possible. Until Henrik and Filip showed us all that it is.
I sincerely want to express my gratitude and love to them and the rest of the team, and to my partners and the Norwegian athletics association and all my followers for the support this year. Thank you so much. It means a lot to me!
Thank you also to all my competitors for putting on a great show today. Congratulations to the guys bringing home the medals!
Luckily for me, I get to do it all again tomorrow morning.
Thanks for sharing this. It seems he has grown a bit and it's good to see. With this attitude I wish him the best and hope he succeeds in goals that he sets for himself. He definitely can break the 1500 world record based on today's performance.
LetsRun posters would have called his tactics stupid in any outcome other than him winning, so I was peeved to see that several times on the live thread. Lets it go slow for any length of time and gets outkicked: stupid, he should have made it a 3:26/3:27 race from the gun. Tries to make it a 3:26/3:27 race from the gun: stupid, he served as a pacer and wasted energy. I personally don’t think he could have outright won today no matter how he played it; he probably could have medaled, but hindsight is 20/20.
It was similar in the men’s 10k when I saw people ask “Wtf were the Ethiopians thinking??” I’m sure we’ll hear the same thing if they don’t set a fast pace in the 5k (or if they do).
If you’re trying to blast a 3:26/3:27 to kill off all challengers you have to run 55s, so 54.9+ at 400 isn’t that awful a misjudgment. Of course it’d be better to err on the cautious side through the first lap, but again, hindsight…
This is where I slightly disagree. After all he has run both 3.27.1 and 3.26.7 off basically 56.0 seconds in the opening lap (55.8 in Silesia and Monaco) which seems to be key for him. 54.82 is very big step up from that - especially without a body in front of him. I also got him at exactly 27.0 for the first 200 which is very quick for him. And this comes from someone that has defended his 800m ability because I think he is much quicker than 1.46.4, but the reality is he doesn't have that raw foot speed/anaerobic capacity of the guys of yesteryear (even back to Coe, Cram, El G etc) which would handle that better.
I do think he could have won today but as has been discussed to death, his winning "equation" was a really difficult one and a very fragile one. It's not easy to front run 3.27.5 in the Olympic final, especially when it has to be done in a way that is so unrelenting it makes a pure war of attrition. He got it wrong and he's only human - pressure affects the all time greats too and he most definitely is one irrespective of todays result.
True. You run a 54.8 first lap and a 56 second lap, those a couple spots behind you run 56-56.
You run a 56.5 first lap and then run a 54.8, the field either has to run 54.8 too or lose ground. Jakob made it so only he (and Brian komen I guess) had to take a pace that fast that early
People will surely take away from this that there’s no way for him to win because he can’t solo a 3:26 from the front (would be the best 1500 in history by far) and because they think in a slow race he finishes worse (never really tried).
He can win from the front he just needs to get the pace right. No 54 first laps, no 58 second laps (2023).
No it wouldn't make a difference sir!!!!! 54.8 is nothing that harmful on a WR fast track and WR fast supershoes alright????
You asking him to run slower is undercutting his talent and ability which is not correct of you to do so!!!!!
I appreciate Jakob for always telling us what’s on his mind and exactly what he believes. Last year, he was legitimately sick and told us. This year, he went too hot from the start and just didn’t have any legs left at the end. Pretty easy to observe that even without him telling us - look at the very fast 400 opening split that’s about a second faster than his preferred opening, look at the final 100 when he just visibly didn’t have any legs left. I don’t see it as making excuses, just him explaining everything that he felt and thought. I find that much more insightful than a simple “I just wasn’t as good” which may sound humble but doesn’t say anything. It’s much more interesting to think about the why behind a race.
Come on it's excuses man!!!! This guy has talked a lot but not won a single championships since he started talking a lot and behaving badly!!!!!! Let alone winning one CONVINCINGLY!!!!!
Why oh why didn't he just sit on Tim for the first 600m? A fit Tim was a gift for Jakob and he ignored it. Sit on Tim for 600 and long drive for home would have done it.
Yeah but that wasn't obvious at the outset. If Cheruiyot had gone quickly Jakob would have followed. But when nothing happened Jakob felt compelled at go.
I felt Jakob moved 5-10 seconds too early. Once Tim settled behind Jakob it was obvious Jakob could have waited. I spent a few seconds hoping Jakob would recognize the situation and allow Tim to go beyond him. But that's probably too much to ask.
For the remainder I knew the splits weren't perfect but I don't think it mattered anyway. Only briefly on the backstretch of lap three did Jakob create enough of a margin. Once it closed down the remainder was inevitable.
At this point Jakob needs to swallow his pride and undertake a Grant Fisher reinvention of his closing speed. He doesn't need to match what Hocker is capable of. Cut the deficit in half. The current situation leaves too little margin for error.
BTW, I thought Laros ran a good brave race. He never allowed himself to drift too far back and wasn't killed in the homestretch like last year. Sixth in 3:29 was a good result for a lightly raced 19 year old during a trouble prone season. The other Dutch Nillessen was always too far back and ran like Hocker in 2021. But 3:30.7 isn't bad for a guy many here hadn't heard of until this week.
LetsRun posters would have called his tactics stupid in any outcome other than him winning, so I was peeved to see that several times on the live thread. Lets it go slow for any length of time and gets outkicked: stupid, he should have made it a 3:26/3:27 race from the gun. Tries to make it a 3:26/3:27 race from the gun: stupid, he served as a pacer and wasted energy. I personally don’t think he could have outright won today no matter how he played it; he probably could have medaled, but hindsight is 20/20.
It was similar in the men’s 10k when I saw people ask “Wtf were the Ethiopians thinking??” I’m sure we’ll hear the same thing if they don’t set a fast pace in the 5k (or if they do).
If you’re trying to blast a 3:26/3:27 to kill off all challengers you have to run 55s, so 54.9+ at 400 isn’t that awful a misjudgment. Of course it’d be better to err on the cautious side through the first lap, but again, hindsight…
Through 1100m Jakob actually looked pretty smooth, comfortable, and in control of the race. I'm still surprised he didn't have enough left to at least make the podium.
Though, the fact that he kept looking back showed that he wasn't in the right mindset to win that last lap. When you run a race like that, who cares who's still near you? You just have to leave it all out there and not worry about who's around you. Looking back repeatedly the way Jakob did on that last lap is almost like fresh meat to your competitors.
Love or hate him, what he did in the final was courage personified. He went for gold and left it all out on the track. He left nothing to chance. Good for him! I have enormous respect for that. He’s now showed up for the 5k heats this morning and I wish him the very best. Jakob makes our sport better and he’s an amazing ambassador.
Congratulations to Cole, Josh and Jared!!! Top 3 races I’ve ever seen.