Simpson wins 1500m - Uceny falls!

sanchobaile wrote:

Did anyone else think it was strange how she took off her shoes and was holding them with the flag? seemed like kind of shameless promotion of NB. Warranted, I guess, since they pay her big bucks. But it still struck me as a little odd.

Yeah, that didn't sit too well with me either, but I guess I understand the product placement. How much do you want to bet that that image with the shoes in both hands and the American flag (and not the ones before it with just the American flag) end up in posters, print ads, websites, etc.

Her NB spikes are dooooope.

Good for her promoting her sponsor. If DL meets would list athletes according to their sponsor and not nationality, perhaps it would encourage more money into the sport.

PS Jenny B Simpson is a boss.

I consider myself a very knowledgeable track fan. I'll admit it that I seriously was wondering why she would move down to the 1500 back earlier in the year. I thought it was the wrong choice.

Huh, weird how my judgments on a person I've never met before were wrong. Surely that's never happened before in our society in any other circumstance.

galt wrote:

Jamal burst right when the Ethiopian came up on her shoulder and took down the Kenyan, then Uceny.

Yes, Jamal caused the falls. Uceny would have won that race by a good margin.

I take it a lot of posters here have never actually run a track race.

Here's the dealio - Uceny's fall is a crying shame. But if you want to ensure 100% not getting tripped up, throw the tactical bullshit out the window and run hard, up front, from the gun. That is always an alternative. Rupp and Solisnky take note....oops, too late for that.

Sprint Geezer wrote:

First, great win for Simpson--she earned every bit of it. Good for her.

Second, great exhibition of honor from Uceny--she got up, kept running, and finished the race. Good for her.

Third, in complete contrast to the integrity and honor of both Simpson and Uceny, there is...............Solinskrap.

Are you still going on about that? Time to start singing a new song.

I think it is awesome that Jenny made the right moves and won! It is unfortunate for Uceny, but that is how races go. Things happen and the one in the best position wins, today that was Jenny Simpson. In no way should she be discredited because of a fall, that is just the chances you take in a race. She should be proud and excited, so give her a break for jumping up and down. I am sure she has talked with Uceny and consoled her. Now on to Uceny, kudos to her interview. She did a very respectable interview even though you could tell she was upset and just wanted to leave. She was amazing the way she praised Barringer and said things happen and I hope I show something more in my next races. I wish we could of had a 1-2 finish, but maybe next year!

Kudos ladies!!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the video seems to show that Simpson won the race by running a perfect race. She stayed out of trouble, positioned herself well, saved her strong move for exactly when it was needed, and HAD a strong move at that point. Over the last 50 yards, only the English girl and she were accelerating; the rest were fading. She was the fastest, strongest runner on the track as she hit the tape. Isn't that the result that the race is supposed to deliver?

Too bad for Uceny, but them's the breaks. Have a good cry with Mary Decker. Seriously: life sucks sometimes.

But it's also unsurpassable sometimes, and Simpson's slo-mo response is priceless. She deserved every bit of that jumping-up-and-down. You bet. Hard earned, well earned.

Go USA.

Great race for Simpson! That was a weird race, basically nothing went like I expected, except that when Jenny was with the leaders with 150 to go I thought she had an outside shot at the win. But she murdered everyone. Jamal ran like the crazy kid on your middle school track team. Gutted for Uceny. She didn't do anything wrong.

Jenny B and England were at the back of the main pack with 400 to go. Only those who fell or were already falling off the pace were behind them. Meanwhile Rodriguez was charging to the front, intent on not getting boxed/DQed again.

At 200 to go JBS started moving up and England was still in last in the pack. With 100 to go JBS was in 4th on the outside and England was STILL in 7th on the rail.

They both had fast finishes while the rest of the field faded. Rodriguez especially paid for going with 400 to go.

Has there ever been a better case for waiting to kick? Gold and silver went to the women who left their kicks to the very end.

Well, hindsight's 20/20 I guess. Those that are trumpeting Simpson's racing prowess and those that are chalking up Uceny's fall to her picking the wrong spot to run in should note that Simpson was lucky no such shenanigans as befell Uceny happened in front of her. With pretty much the entire field in front of her for a good portion of the race, it was possible. Thankfully, such things don't happen that often, but regrettably, it did happen to Uceny. She had no chance even with the relatively generous spacing between herself and Obiri when Obiri hit the deck. If anything, Simpson chose the riskier line in staying closer to the rail, running less distance of course, while Uceny was more conservative staying wide. Simpson also found herself in a box at 1100 which opened up by 1200. Thankfully. To her credit, it takes some guts to put yourself on the rail and trust that you can make it work, and she did. Insert tired cliche here (i.e. "you make your own luck," "fortune favors the bold," blah blah blah). Hopefully both of them will be medalists in London.

Funny quote from the British announcers in that youtube video after the race, something along the lines of "I can't remember the last time a woman won the world championship 1500, let alone an American", or something like that. Pretty sure the last time a woman won the world championship 1500 was the last world championships ;)

Hey Sancho, Marathon winners in the Olympics had a tradition for years of taking off their shoes and doing a victory lap holding them.

Glad to enlighten you.

Night Runner wrote:

Hey Sancho, Marathon winners in the Olympics had a tradition for years of taking off their shoes and doing a victory lap holding them.

Glad to enlighten you.

I think calling that a "tradition" sounds like a stretch.

I'm a huge JBS fan. But the display of the NB "N" appeared very deliberate.

Showing your shoes is the kind of thing that'll make your sponsor happy, especially when your sponsor is a less well known brand. Skiers take their skis off immediately after finishing their race and wave them around so everyone sees their sponsor.

What do you think this guy is doing?

http://www.letsrun.com/photos/2008/olympics5/thumbnails/tnWillis_NickFlag-OlyGames08.jpg

Captain Spalding wrote:

Showing your shoes is the kind of thing that'll make your sponsor happy, especially when your sponsor is a less well known brand. Skiers take their skis off immediately after finishing their race and wave them around so everyone sees their sponsor.

What do you think this guy is doing?

http://www.letsrun.com/photos/2008/olympics5/thumbnails/tnWillis_NickFlag-OlyGames08.jpg

Shhh! You can't deprive people of silly things to complain about!

Those Reebok spikes were actually pretty nice.

Let's see she's in a Nike kit but sponsored by NB. The first thing I'd do is stick my shoe in the shot. They do pay her you know.

sanchobaile wrote:

Night Runner wrote:

Hey Sancho, Marathon winners in the Olympics had a tradition for years of taking off their shoes and doing a victory lap holding them.

Glad to enlighten you.

I think calling that a "tradition" sounds like a stretch.

I'm a huge JBS fan. But the display of the NB "N" appeared very deliberate.

All the more reason to be a JBS fan. She understands that this is a professional sport and her sponsors aren't paying her because they want to help such a nice woman. Now she needs to get in the habit of thanking the great folks at New Balance for their support in every interview.

Maybe I'm overly optimistic but I think there would be more sponsorship money available in track if the sport as a whole did a better job of ensuring that the sponsors realized benefits from the money they spent.

Brojos, put up the black screen for Jenny. If anything deserves it, its this occasion. This isn't just running a fast time, this is a gold medal at worlds. Give her just as much respect as you give the guys.