Generally speaking, the 1500 final could be run 10 times with 10 different results. Everyone in the field is capable of a medal given the right race conditions for them. They all have great kicks and the race is too short to really put anyone out of contention. The 10,000 is different. There are only about 5-6 capable of a medal in a field of 24, no matter how the race is run. This is because it will always be run just fast enough and is long enough to burn off the non-contenders.
I agree that marathoners get nice appearence fees so an Olympic marathon title could garner some decent money.
Now look the names of Olympic champs in the marathon and the 1500 and see which stands out.
Wanjiru, Baldini, Abera, Thugwane, Young-Cho, Bordin, Lopez, Cierpinski, Cierpinski, Shorter, Wolde, Bikila, Bikila
Kiprop, El Guerrouj, Ngeny, Morceli, P Rono, Coe, Coe, Walker, Vasala, Keino, Snell, Elliott
Maybe I'm partial but I think those 1500m Champions create more of a buzz overall.
it's thoroughly credible that a guy buckled down, left his family, trained incredibly hard with a great training group and a former IAAF coach of the year and dropped from 3:32 to 3:30. What is not credible is that that same guy destroyed a field with three sub 3:30 guys and other 3:30 runners.
The 1500m was stacked with a lot of runners who ran crap races
I am insulted that Leo would carry a Mexican flag along with the American flag. I understand he moved here as a four year old but, he became an american and represented this country not Mexico!
SPMBLNPF wrote:
Now, before anybody gets their undies in a bunch, I want to congratulate Galen Rupp on winning the silver medal on the world's biggest stage in the 10,000m in London. I really didn't think you had it in you. Congratulations.
The only reason I assert that Manzano's silver medal is worth more is that the 1500m was stacked with a superior field (in relation to the 10,000m) which I admit did not really produce as a collective, but little Leo Manzano capitalized in a way which for me was the most unforgettable moment so far in these Olympic Games.
Of course, there is a chance that Leo will eventually be awarded the gold medal, and that chance doesn't appear to exist for Galen, as if Mo Farah is busted, I would assume that Galen would be also.
Leo Manzano's silver was unforgettable, and Galen's was also memorable, and nobody should take anything away from either one of them. I just think Leo Manzano's medal was the one that I will remember most vividly, although Galen Rupp, that was no joke when you rose to the occasion on the last lap.
jjjjjj wrote:
it's thoroughly credible that a guy buckled down, left his family, trained incredibly hard with a great training group and a former IAAF coach of the year and dropped from 3:32 to 3:30. What is not credible is that that same guy destroyed a field with three sub 3:30 guys and other 3:30 runners.
Respect my authorituh!
I agree with this. But between 1500 and 10,000, this olympic cycle I would have to say that Manzano's silver was more surprising, but I think silver in the 10,000 means slightly more. It's hard to compare the two since USA hasn't medaled in either event in like 40 years. Can't we just agree that it is awesome?? Seriously, we have more distance medals than Kenya!! This may never happen again. Soak it in!
fddsfds wrote:
I'd say the 5000 is the most competitive field, regarding distance/mid-distance, most years.
Manzano was more surprising but not a threat for the gold. Rupp actually looked as if he might have won the race. So the Rupp silver seems gilded in comparison to Manzano's.
stating the truth wrote:
SPMBLNPF wrote:unforgettable moment so far in these Olympic Games.
Of course, there is a chance that Leo will eventually be awarded the gold medal, and that chance doesn't appear to exist for Galen, as if Mo Farah is busted, I would assume that Galen would be also.
That is the the post of the year and I'm not meaning to imply anything about them. But that's the state of our sport isn't it?
And it should be. They need more testing.
I was thinking this algerian was dirty but then I thought about it. Why couldn't a guy who had run 3:32 get down to 3:30 by switching coaches and really dedicating himself and not seeing his family for 7 months.
Tbat's probably equally as feasible as an American who can't break 4:00 in the mile until like 2009 closing in 52 in a 5k.
I thought the bigger issue was that he was kicked out of the race for not trying in the 800, but then reinstated because he said he didn't try in the 800 because he was injured. Then he comes back in to the 1500 final and wins. Something is suspicious there.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/taoufik-makhloufi-goes-from-evicted-to-gold-medal-in-1500-meters/2012/08/07/2712900c-e0d9-11e1-a421-8bf0f0e5aa11_story.html"On Monday, he was forced to compete in an 800 qualifying race because his country’s Olympic committee failed to withdraw his name. Already qualified for the 1,500, Makhloufi ran barely 150 meters of the two-lap race, apparently because a pre-existing knee injury flared up."
So they kicked him out for not putting an effort forth in the 800, which he protested and said was due to a knee injury.....which was suddenly better when he took gold in the 1500.
coach bigfoot wrote:
soon to be gold wrote:
Manzano's silver is worth more than Rupp's because Manzano's silver will soon be traded in for a gold one Jihad McTaliban's blood sample comes back and his gold is stripped.
I usually hate when people find any excuse to call racist on this board, but this is about the most blatantly racist sentence I've seen here.
Looks like I was right. I'm not surprised you didn't come back to apologize for falsely accusing me of racism, though. Common sense, not race, told me that the dude was/is doping.