I don't like Kerr at all, but I feel so sad for him. I didn't want him to go out this way, I was hoping for a super fast race and someone to beat him in a 3:28 or 3:29 type time. He is 27 and will be 29 when the Olympics arrive. He will end his career as "almost" as good as Steve Cram. Cram ended with 1 Olympic silver and 1 world cham gold, and one world record. The exact same thing Kerr has.
Also, the first World Championships in Athletics were held in 1983 when Cram was 22 when they were held once every four years, unlike now when they are much more frequent. And now there are also Indoor World Championships in Athletics.
Yep, Cram would have won were they held in 85. Kerr doesn’t hold a torch to steve cram.
He didn’t seem himself even before the calf pull. I won’t pretend to know his race strategy, but it was odd to see him file in towards the back of the pack like that. At 600ish the camera zoomed in on his face and he seemed to be grimacing. I just thought it was a fitness issue before he pulled up.
I posted in the Day 5 thread wondering if he had done something to his leg at the finish of the semifinal. Looking at the replay (around 6:53 in the video) he has an awkward step with his R leg that could definitely have tweaked something. He didn't express any sense of an injury in the interview right after, but I know from experience with that sort of movement that you sometimes don't feel anything wrong at all until hours later.
From the slow motion it looks like he slammed his right shin into his left calf after dipping at the finish line. That was the same side he was limping on in the final, so that could have done some damage. Or, as you said, it could have been the awkward step during or after the dip at the line.
Either way he probably damaged it somewhat, then had a true muscle pull in the final. Maybe he was feeling it throughout the race, he did not look good even before pulling up.
He pulled a "Joe Falcon" He limps for a good bit, changes his mind and returns to normal full strides, and then returns to limping once he makes up his mind to quit for sure.
Something happened to Kerr's calf during the semis. His finish in that race was unusual. Either his fall, the race itself, or even warmups started it, because his heat was running normal.
He looked uncomfortable in that final from the start.
I tried to express quite clearly that I'm in no way either accusing him of faking, or am myself "anti-Kerr" (and I'm not even going to address the "conspiracy theory" nonsense)
The 3.29 in London argument doesn't hold up, as there were a host of sub 3.30 guys who were well off the pace these whole championships.
You may well be right in that something happened in the semi final after which he needed to hold back. I haven't had the time to wade through messages, know what may or may not have been an issue, and did indeed myself say that something wasn't right from the off. So stop with the conspiracy theory nonsense please
Saying that Kerr held back because he was mentally unready and that suffering a mid-race calf pull was some sort of convenient excuse does make you sound like a conspiracy theorist. I'm not the one coming out with the wacky story here. I think he pulled his calf. Whereas you think the reigning champ- who ran 3:29 in the build up, who is famously super consistent in championships- actually had a mental crisis of confidence and that him very obviously pulling his calf and his race falling apart was just a happy accident that he could use as an 'excuse'. The reason I'm calling you a conspiracy theorist is because that theory makes you sound like one.
I thought (in real time) he stepped on the rail.....and that caused it.....
I thought this too but I went back and watched the footage multiple times and that wasn't the case. With about 650 to go his form got ever so slightly more choppy (than normal) and then with 600 to go it looked like Taylor Negron popped him from the top of the stadium (Last Boy Scout reference for anyone born before 1990).
But no, wasn't a rail issue and it looked like it was his right or outside leg anyway.
Yes this could be the fake injury syndrome to disguise lack of fitness or poor racing. Known here in the USA as DBFIS. Defensive Back Fake Injury Syndrome. Usually pulled as the receiver puts a couple of fakes on the DB and gets open downfield for a TD the DB will suddenly grab his hammy and fake a hobble as he 'tries' to recover so the crowd and his coaches know ' He woulda had him'.
I thought something was wrong when he immediately went to the pole and made no effort to get in a better position as the race went on. When he started limping I wondered why he didn't just pull out; no good could come from finishing. It reminded me of Moorcroft in '84 5k.
Somone speuclated to me there might be Brooks bonus tied to the Worlds final.
It's possible - though I think that it's unlikely Josh Kerr has that in his bonus structure given that he's kind of a lock to make races like these to begin with.
Plus he made the final two days ago. I don't think a bonus is contingent on him physically starting. I don't think Brooks would want their substantial investment rolling out there injured to potentially do more damage - I'm pretty sure they would happily just pay him the bonus vs that possibility.
I don't like Kerr at all, but I feel so sad for him. I didn't want him to go out this way, I was hoping for a super fast race and someone to beat him in a 3:28 or 3:29 type time. He is 27 and will be 29 when the Olympics arrive. He will end his career as "almost" as good as Steve Cram. Cram ended with 1 Olympic silver and 1 world cham gold, and one world record. The exact same thing Kerr has.
some guy could literally drop dead on the track and some posters here would be accusing him of faking it
I respect Josh Kerrs ability a lot but you think it's never been done before. In fact it's happened in a 1500m event in a major final before. Suzy Favor-Hamilton a familiar name? I'll put this in bold so it's very clear, I am not accusing Josh Kerr of faking an injury, but reasons why people might aren't that far fetched.
I don't think he was in the shape he wanted to be in. I felt he looked okay in the heats - not awesome, but I was expecting him to bounce back with authority in the semi and he didn't.
When you think about the nature of a calf muscle injury, the reality is it's not the most common thing we see from middle distance runners happen in a race. I would expect a calf muscle pull to happen with someone who has done a lot of cumulative racing heading into an event (not Josh Kerr) and if that's not the case, then an inexperienced athlete that has overtrained coming into an event (not Josh Kerr) - in fact he's the best in the event at getting to the start line in his best shape of the season because as we know he runs all his SB times in finals. If you had told me before the race that someone would go down with a calf muscle pull, Josh Kerr would literally have been the last guy I would personally have picked. Not only is that a surprise, I have to admit that I am a little surprised he would actually continue - what is the net benefit of that (yes he got the feel-good respect but what if it really screwed him up?)
Back to the Favor-Hamilton reference, she was ultimately was honest about it and said she did it due to the immense pressure of winning a medal. I don't know if that existed for Josh Kerr (maybe it did) but come on now, he does have a large ego (some might say necessary to be as good as he is) and in this new era of social media and "content" maybe the possibility of just having a bad race was too much? Again, we don't know what goes on in the head of these guys - but it's not completely implausible.
Whatever happened he didn't win the world title, might have been his last shot to do so. Hopefully he's fine both physically and mentally - it's just running at the end of the day.
Something happened to Kerr's calf during the semis. His finish in that race was unusual. Either his fall, the race itself, or even warmups started it, because his heat was running normal.
He looked uncomfortable in that final from the start.
He got clipped from behind by Philstrom on the line in the semi. Could be a result of that. It doesn't really matter. It's a shame it robbed us of a 100% Kerr racing for a medal, or for his haters, a fully fit Kerr not making the podium.
I'm still not sure why he finished the race. I guess it's pride but a bit misplaced with an injury like that
