Did Young let Mantz Win?

He will return the favor in Paris

Probably should have offered Young a bigger bonus for winning the trials then.

I read what you guys wrote and totally agree. I can't rewrite my original post, so I'll just say it here, you are correct. For Young and Mantz, it was 100% the right choice. And those two are truly the best guys we've got, so they've done their part, as you guys said.

I think I was just annoyed that I had watched that whole race and when it was finally down to two guys, they just ran into the finish line together. And it was weird that the stronger runner let the other guy have it. I was personally looking forward to a real "race" for the win and there wasn't anything... No other sport really has this kind of dynamic.

Good question. Running has a history of this; the first London marathon with
Dick Beardsley and Inge Simonsen. Shorter and Moore at the 1972 trials. Shorter and Rodgers in the Virginia 10 miler just off the top of my head. Is it about comradery? Mutual respect? Spur of the moment? Or did they do a deal? I don't know if it is different though, but it feels different to me - somehow (?)

Yes. This is interesting. How pissed is Asics going be about this? It was Young's choice to let Mantz win but is that how a competition is supposed to work? It feels off to those of us who were watching it as if it were the US National Championship (not just a qualifier for something down the road).

Young scored a lot of PR points today. Company should realize that.

Clayton was jogging, Mantz was struggling. Which is great for our Paris chances. In an open marathon today, Clayton breaks the US marathon record. I am stoked for Paris

It's a badass winner's attitude to feel that the Olympic Trials doesn't rise to a level of importance that justifies racing your teammate.

Please show proper respect.

Wildin, Mantz was dying and said so , the last 2 miles. Young is a class act and let his training partner take the win. He was clearly jogging the last 800 meters and enjoying his moment while Mantz was just trying to get to the line

Not a lawyer

It's always discussed with each other! The World Srries Of Poker for example they may play for the title and bracelet but you don't think that money has already been chopped 5 ways or even 9 in some events? The short answer is yes. Same thing with 2 training partners why not make it equal makes racing a lot easier when you are 1 2!

What you are describing here is collusion and not in the spirit or, generally, rules for competitive sport. So, you’d be happy with the top contenders at high paying races deciding the finish order in advance to maximize their pooled revenue? This is gaming the system rather than fair competition.

The spirit of sport is why athletes are banned from using performance enhancing drugs while scientists can take LSD and get ideas that lead to Nobel prizes and Edgar Allen Poe can take narcotics to inspire his writing and are not not judged in the same way. So, what is the actual "rule" against maximizing prize money and team tactics?

The "bona fide effort" rule.

See:

worldathletics.org

Book of Rules | Official Documents

In this section you will find the Constitution and the Rules and Regulations of World Athletics.

Open link

C1.1 & C2.1 - Competition Rules & Technical Rules - 4.4.3

(4.4) At all competitions under paragraphs 1. (a), (b), (c) and 2. (a), (b) of the World Rankings Competition definition, an athlete shall be excluded from participation in all further events (including other events in which they are simultaneously participating) in the competition, including relays, in cases where: (4.4.3) an athlete failed to compete honestly with bona fide effort. The relevant Referee will decide on this and the corresponding reference must be made in the official results.

It was applied against Makhloufi in 2012 but he was reinstated.

bbc.com

Algerian athlete Taoufik Makhloufi reinstated to Olympics

https://www.facebook.com/BBCSport/

Algeria's Taoufik Makhloufi has been reinstated to the Olympics after being excluded for not trying in the 800m

Open link

Here's the difference. In the WSOP everyone knows how much 1st, 2nd, etc. get. The commentators won't shut up about it. There's a graphic on the screen showing exactly what everyone gets.

Shoe contracts, on the other hand, include non-disclosure agreements. Now these guys, of course, break them all the time. That's universal. Rupp tells his non-working wife exactly how much he pulls in every time he cuts a deal. She is dependent on that income and he figures it's very much her business. Nevertheless, it violates the contract if it says you can't tell anybody.

If it says you only can't tell media, these guys didn't break any rule. They both told their wives and each other, but not Gault. If that's how it's written, it's OK to blab about it all day as long as reporters don't hear. We just don't know what the agreement exactly is becuase we can't see their contracts.

Yeah, I thought it was pretty commonly known that Mantz typically looks like he’s pushing hard even when he might not be due to his form and facial expressions. I remember watching his NCAA XC wins and even in the middle part of the races he appeared to be struggling before throwing the hammer down.

I can't recall the details, but in the 1960s or 1970s, a runner who had already qualified for the 10,000m blatantly let another runner qualify for the marathon team in third place. It might be the 1972 trials as the first four times are very interesting..

Sun July 9, 1972 Eugene, OR
Starters: 100
Finishers: 66
Frank Shorter and Kenny Moore broke away early in the 1972 trials race and ran together to finish in a tie. Frank Shorter would go on to win the Gold Medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics and Moore would finish fourth at those Olympics.
1.
Moore, Kenny ( OR)
2:15:58
1.
Shorter, Frank ( CO)
2:15:58
3.
Bacheler, Jack ( FL)
2:20:30
4.
Galloway, Jeff ( FL)
2:20:30
5.
Brock, Greg ( CA)
2:22:30
6.
Kardong, Don ( CA)
2:22:42
7.
Covert, Mark ( CA)
2:23:35
8.
Hoffman, Tom ( WI)
2:23:45
9.
Higgins, Norm ( CT)
2:24:08
10.
Houk, Skip ( NV)
2:24:41

Also, about a decade ago a Duke student competed in the heptathlon at the trials or world championships in Eugene and blatantly let another athlete beat him in a running event so that he could get the world record. I don't think either of these cases were questioned, nor are team tactics usually flagged or result in a DQ.

Eaton would have still broken rhe WR if (can't remember his name now) didn't let him pass. There was not a single extra point for winning the Deca 1500. It is true that it was ridiculiusly obvious. He went out several lanes like Chelimo. But he did not do it "so that he could the world record." Eaton would have still earned the record if the dude had sprinted across the line.

Curtis Beach is his name, and he received an award for his action.

goduke.com

Curtis Beach Receives Fair Play Award - Duke University

@DukeTFXC

Curtis Beach Honored for Sportsmanship

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