We have no claim to Mu's time, energy, or passion. Why do some of you feel that she's indebted to you in some way? She's not. Her performances were gifts, not obligations.
But isn't it strange that so many people thought that she probably wouldn't turn up? By contrast, how many people thought that Mary or Keely or any other other if the entrants wouldn't turn up?
To the poster that said Keely hadn't even opened her season: yes she has, she ran a 400m PB of 51.61 in Italy on May 15th.
To the poster that said Bol hadn't even opened her outdoor season: as Awsi Dooger says, she had run a 100/150m. And the point being, she had a full indoor season, so of course is going to open outdoors later.
To the posters that question why an athlete should run if they're getting big bucks from New Balance, Nike or other sponsors: for the love of the freakin sport! Because you want to race, you want to compete, you want to run against the best! THAT is the reason why normal athletes train hard, to race & compete because they love it. So, if Mu and Sydney do noy love it, then they really need to move on.
Finally, I understand the frustration aimed at both women, but there is one common denominator here, and that is their coach, Bobby Kersee. HE is the problem. He has restricted their racing programmes, rather than get them to compete MORE, which would be healthier for both of them, emotionally and mentally. If McLaughlin really does have such bad race day anxiety, she needs to race more. For sure if you run the 800, you need to race and be race fit. It's tactical. Entering them in events and then pulling them out is sh1t. It's disrespectful to the fans, to those that have paid for tickets, and for the meeting promoters. But he's doing that, not them. Our anger/frustration/bewilderment or whatever should be directed at him. He's the problem.
To the poster that said Keely hadn't even opened her season: yes she has, she ran a 400m PB of 51.61 in Italy on May 15th.
To the poster that said Bol hadn't even opened her outdoor season: as Awsi Dooger says, she had run a 100/150m. And the point being, she had a full indoor season, so of course is going to open outdoors later.
To the posters that question why an athlete should run if they're getting big bucks from New Balance, Nike or other sponsors: for the love of the freakin sport! Because you want to race, you want to compete, you want to run against the best! THAT is the reason why normal athletes train hard, to race & compete because they love it. So, if Mu and Sydney do noy love it, then they really need to move on.
Finally, I understand the frustration aimed at both women, but there is one common denominator here, and that is their coach, Bobby Kersee. HE is the problem. He has restricted their racing programmes, rather than get them to compete MORE, which would be healthier for both of them, emotionally and mentally. If McLaughlin really does have such bad race day anxiety, she needs to race more. For sure if you run the 800, you need to race and be race fit. It's tactical. Entering them in events and then pulling them out is sh1t. It's disrespectful to the fans, to those that have paid for tickets, and for the meeting promoters. But he's doing that, not them. Our anger/frustration/bewilderment or whatever should be directed at him. He's the problem.
Look, some athletes find that racing more often helps them chill out on race day. It's like, the more you do something, the less scary it gets, right? But that's not always the case. For some people, racing more just throws them into the deep end, making their anxiety even worse. It's like constantly facing your fears head-on, which can be overwhelming. We've all got our own ways of dealing with anxiety, and what works for one person might not work for another. So, yeah, more racing can be helpful for some, but it's definitely not a one-size-fits-all solution.
It seems she might be actually hurt this time so, okay. It seemed clear last year she showed up to WCs not sharp, and by Pre had a couple races under her belt and won. She would have won Worlds with a few rust busters. Your rust buster cannot be the heats, and your only prior race of the year cannot be in an off distance. I hope he plan isn’t to just run the OTs and Olys this year, or Moraa or Keely will get her.
We have no claim to Mu's time, energy, or passion. Why do some of you feel that she's indebted to you in some way? She's not. Her performances were gifts, not obligations.
Nonsense. Shes a professional athlete being paid by sponsors to perform for her fans. How else will they get any payback from endorsing her?
So are we just going to get 2 races from Mu this year?
Its weird that everyone is making her out to be a cross between a PED user and a loud mouth. ...just because she doesn't race enough for you? She isnt a terrible person, she just wins gold for US and A. She can race when she wants. It would be weird if she is super healthy and chooses never to race. Im guessing that's not the case. The Tom Bradys and Tiger Woods have always made it clear they are only playing for championships.
I was just thinking that out of the more than 330 million people in the United States only about 10,000 of them would comprehend the statement "Mu out of Pre". The rest would ask if you were speaking Filipino.
I still find it amusing how half this forum has jumped to the completely illogical and unfounded conclusion that she's suddenly doping when her career has literally gotten worse post-Kersee and she's only competed several times in that period.