Robert Farken: The contact with Cole Hocker "wouldn't have made any difference"

Definition of impede: "to slow the movement, progress, or action of (someone or something)". Cole definitely did this in the final straight to one if not two runners.

Athletics Canada didn’t bother to put in an appeal for Malleck

Gotta think something like this wouldn't have ever happened if someone had just had the b@ll5 to run fast, like 3:30 or so. It makes sense why JI always does (when he's fit) this and Cheruiyot used to when he was at his best; less risk of collisions and getting boxed in. I can't believe the heat would make it that hard to do run a bit faster.

Disagree. Go round the outside like everyone else. You push through and impede someone, you get DQ'ed. Them's the rules.

That´s not the point. We can´t have rules that makes it possible for runners to run like tactical idiots and allow themselves to get boxed in and then allow them to jostle their way through the crowd in front of them. Imagine what would happen if eveerybody ran like that in the last lap.

Cooper looked horrible. Wasn't in lane 1 for the entire race

Cole Hocker was not being foolish. I think people are confusing foolishness for arrogance and entitlement. He was in shape to get into the final in either heat, clearly. He was arrogant because he must have thought even if I got a bad spot and save a lot of my energy for the final, I can just push anybody on the inside lane out of my way and I’ll be good.

I think it was a close call and I accept it, but you could also say that they impeded his progress by rigging up dramatically in the front of a huge pack of runners. That was bound to cause problems even without Cole doing his bull-in-china-shop maneuver.

Was your brother getting tired of being the one tasked with making dumb comments for clicks?

This is an incredible argument. Not having a kick as fast as the ones behind you implies that you are impeding them? Just accept that Hocker hoped for the rail to open like it did in Paris.

Farken admitting he was going backwards does NOT mean Hocker's move was called for. The officials made the right call. It was a stupid move on Hocker's part. He's not being targeted- it just clearly affected Farken's run. It's not about whether Farken was going forward or backward. In this sport, we don't just move people that are in our way. Hocker allowed himself to fall into a bad position and he could have prevented that. He's gotten away with passing on the inside and slithering through tiny gaps for years, he was bound to find one that he should not have done.

It's going to be okay guys, you can be a Hocker fan without pretending that he can do no wrong.

I'll bite: Hassan and Assefa were side-by-side, they touched shoulders as both tried to hold a straight line. Hocker was clearly behind Farken and pushed through then stepped directly in front of him.

The Farah incident has nothing at all to do with contact with another athlete. Moreover, it occurred at an inconsequential point in the race, not 50m from the goddamn finish line.

Stop this special pleading. Your boy screwed himself

I honestly find it funny how there is so much fuss over this. This is EXACTLY what rounds are for. The fastest dudes will usually finish at the front of a single fast race. BUT, it takes all the skills of fitness and racing to make it through rounds without wearing yourself down and without making a huge blunder that costs you a spot.

sparknotes: This is what rounds are for. The drama.

Likely, he was told to make the latter statement

That is not a winner attitude Mr. Farken.

I can agree with a DQ but I can also see how Hocker could be allowed to run. If Farken is such a wonderful guy, gracious etc and admitted it wouldn't have made a difference then he could give his spot to Hocker. He has no shot of medaling, Hocker does. Let him have it. Farken would gain far more with such a gesture than he ever would getting 8th at the Worlds. Hocker could take gold but Farken's gesture would be the bigger story.

If jostling were truly enforced then half the runners in the 800m would be DQ'd and nearly as many in the 1500m and so on for the rest of the distance races. It happens and sometimes its very aggressive, as aggressive as Hocker's move. Yet virtually no DQs. That's why people think its suspicious.

Sure jostling and aggressive race tactics are all part of the game and under different circumstances it would be nice for Farken to give up his spot. But Hocker raced poorly from a strategic perspective. Put himself in a terrible position, no gap, forced his way through and boom. Crap racing, crap tactics and crap attitude. He should acknowledge his very obvious mistake, apologise to Farken and learn from this.

You cannot "create space" That is clearly what Hocker did. Easy call.

Shame because he is in very good form. A threat to win gold, no question.

Cole runs every race at the rail, whether warranted or not. It's a surprise he made it this far without a DQ in a major race.

Either move to the outside or kick from the front, as Farah did. It's not particle physics.