Tergat on why non-Africans lose

Rui Silva just beat Tergat. So much for Paul's idea.

Yes, the world has a lot to learn about hard work and mental strength from..eerr Africans!

he's demented

heyyo wrote:

I agree. This thread is 3 pages of excuses.

Great. So, what's your excuse for not competing with the top Africans?

Yes, one European beating one African one time proves your point.

As I posted on the other thread, this is what Renato said several years ago:

This would be a start.

i have no excuse...

The point is Rui has gotten a medal at the Olympics as well as Nick Willis, Deena Kastor, and a bunch of other non africans. The mental toughness and training hard are not the problems. It is the amount of more talented people. Brian Sell can train as hard if not harder than anyone on the planet. But has no chance of winning an Olympic medal. Same goes for alot of the Japanese runners. Now that doesn't mean a guy like Ryan Hall or Ritz or Fernandez doesn't have a chance. But it is a sheer numbers game of more talented runners.

Ruiz Silva wrote:

But it is a sheer numbers game of more talented runners.

exactly...the herd of African athletes at rotterdam and paris cruising through at 14:40-14:50 per 5k with not a single white guy renforced this. Occasionally the camera would flash back to the first dutch guy running 2:18 pace.

Coach D wrote:

Then why does Webb have the fastest 1500 time in the world in the last 2 years and the 8th fastest time in the 800 in that period. Seb Coe in his prime would have likely won the 800/1500 double in Beijing. And Steve Scott would have been right there in the 1500.

Why is it in the US that as soon as we go over 1500, it's like turning a switch? The white genetics stop working at 1501?

.

As others pointed out Coach, you've only strengthened the genetics argument with your examples. Let's turn it around on you: so, the white "attitude problem as far as training and competing exists at 100/200, gets a little better from 400-1500, gets shitty again from 3k-1/2 marathon, and then improves slightly at the marathon??? You don't see the absurdity of that position? Isn't it more likely that the whites tend to be more talented at middle distances than pure sprints or distances, rather than that they have bad attitudes for short or long races?? And if they do have bad attitudes, why do you think that might be?? BECAUSE they get their asses handed to them in those other events.

Again, what comes first, the lack of belief (that wejo talks about), OR... the drubbings that lead to lack of belief. Of course someone is gonna have more confidence and belief in their abilities if they can beat the best in the world. All of Mottram's "great attitude" and "balls" were because he was extremely talented himself. Somehow those "balls" and attitude vanished when he got his ass handed to him in the big races that last few years. Maybe he was castrated, I don't know.

(and to Skuj. good to hear from you my friend. Keep hope alive. When you find a white athlete who is even 99% of the sprinter that Bolt is or 99% of the distance runner Bekele is, give me call. I won't hold my breath waiting for the phone to ring)

Agreed Malmo,

This generation is different from our generation (40 and older). Lifestyle is the issue.

The previous comment about US Sprinters is on the mark about "their killer" instincts to win and be the best in the World! The Gold Medals as it relates to our distance guys/girls says a lot. Even though I believe the US women distance runners seem to have taken it up a lot of late and actually train and "complete" to WIN against ANYONE!

I do believe A. Webb has it yet needs to work on somethings (he trains like he wants to be the best). I also believe G. Rupp has it as well and hopefully German.

I do believe our (current distance runners [not all of them yet most of them]) need to get that "killer instinct" that the Africans/US Sprinters have. The Brits had it as well in the past with Coe, Ovett, and CRAM,

I personally think It has to do with their mental state,They can see that they're better than everyone because everyone thinks that they are better than everyone.

heyyo wrote:

i have no excuse...

Right, and that's why you're beating all the top Africans?

Ruiz Silva wrote:

The point is Rui has gotten a medal at the Olympics as well as Nick Willis, Deena Kastor, and a bunch of other non africans. The mental toughness and training hard are not the problems. It is the amount of more talented people. Brian Sell can train as hard if not harder than anyone on the planet. But has no chance of winning an Olympic medal. Same goes for alot of the Japanese runners. Now that doesn't mean a guy like Ryan Hall or Ritz or Fernandez doesn't have a chance. But it is a sheer numbers game of more talented runners.

The Rui Pedro Silva who beat Tergat is not the Rui Silva who won a medal at the Olympics just so you know. They are different people. The former is a distance specialist and not a miler.

I guess American blacks (west africans) for some strange reason dont put these "mental limits" on themselves like the rest of us Westerners, since they dominate sprints.

Running in Kenya is thier ticket out, cuz their so good at it. I'm sure other poor people around the world would use it to, but they cant cuz they dont have the talent.

When I was in college all of us truly believed we would get better and better and some day be world beaters. Then the dreadful day of "I am reaching my peak and will never set a world record set in" I didnt have the ability.

Im sure NFL coaches dont go around saying, oh I wont use this super fast/quick white guy as a d-back cuz he's white. they will play most talented period. theres alot of $ involved. Race is not a factor in the decesion for a coach. Very few whites have the quickness to play that position. If there close, then its not really close as a "split second makes a big difference"

All the PC BS that were all just equal is crap. If there are differences acknowledhe them, thats what makes diversity anyhow.

except Ethiopians, Burundians and some Morrocans. Oh, and some Ethiopinas and Morrocans born and raised in Europe.

WDOWTIN wrote:I do believe our (current distance runners [not all of them yet most of them]) need to get that "killer instinct" that the Africans/US Sprinters have.

I don't get this 'killer instinct' in US sprinters thing.

Last year we had a 20.66/45.X guy, who was 6-3 naturally lean with good muscle build, who was black. We had a 21.3/48.8 guy who is 5-10 and much more muscular but had to work a lot harder to stay lean and keep muscle on, he was white.

They both worked extremely hard, but there was no doubt in anyone's mind that the white kid would never beat the black kid. I would argue that the white worked harder day by day and definitely was more competitive/motivated on meet day.

If you asked me who had the 'killer instinct' I would have told you the white kid. The black kid was a freak talent and a hard worker, the white kid was out everyday to work against all the guys [including his teammate] that were more gifted than him. He would kill to win his conference, or get to NCAA regionals. Many guys love winning, but US sprinters don't win just because they train like monsters their whole careers.

Many of the US' best are the best because they have always been the best. They were winning in middle school, high school, college and now the pros. It's the simple fact that they were good ever since they can remember, and they don't want to stop winning. Thats called genetics or talent, not 'killer insticts'.

I bet Paula Radcliffe didn't care about genetics when she broke Catherine Ndereba's record and ran a faster marathon than a lot of men can run.

or I can not beat the top africans and not have an excuse...I doubt you get the difference here so I'll supplement this with a definition from the dictionary, which you have likely never seen.Excuse:1 a: to make apology for b: to try to remove blame from

erat wrote:

heyyo wrote:

i have no excuse...

Right, and that's why you're beating all the top Africans?

heyyo wrote:

or I can not beat the top africans and not have an excuse...

I doubt you get the difference here so I'll supplement this with a definition from the dictionary, which you have likely never seen.

Excuse:

1 a: to make apology for b: to try to remove blame from

Look at you, using definitions from the dictionary and everything. So, in conclusion, you're one of those do nothings who sits and pouts in the background and criticizes everyone else for making excuses - good job.