Q (Paraphrased): Hicham El Guerrouj tweeted about you with a congratulations and king emoji. What's it mean for someone like that to react to your performance?
A: Ummmmmmm I mean It's cool that people ummmm follow along I guess.
I think that Jakob pretty clearly doesn't care much for El Guerrouj. Reading between the lines, it's either professional jealousy, competitiveness, or suspicion of drug use. A very different reaction to this sort of question than you might get in other situations.
"What's it mean for someone like that to react to your performance"?
Without further evidence or context, it's pretty unfair to assume professional jealousy, competitiveness, or suspicion of drug use based solely on Jakob's response to El Guerrouj's tweet.
If there's one thing we have become aware of Jakob through all of his interviews, it's that Jakob unequivocally focuses on personal performance.
That being said, Jakob has probably (again, and on cue) prioritised his own performance rather than sought external validation. By stating that it's cool people (El G) follow along, it's totally conceivable that Jakob could be emphasising that he's more concerned with his own progress and personal goals rather than seeking approval or validation from others.
I think you are 100% correct and this is a common manner with great champions. Some may label it arrogant or aloof, but it’s really just the manifestation of the supreme focus Jakob has on his own abilities and progress. What everybody else has done or is doing is not relevant to what Jakob is trying to accomplish. History so to speak does not register. Have you listened to Michael Jordan interviewed? Exactly the same. Go watch the Last Dance, it’s a master class in the irrelevance of what others are doing in your personal pursuit of athletic perfection for the truly great champions. Even Kipchoge, who everybody things is a sweet and humble man, does not name his competitors or spend any time speaking on their performances relative to his, even in defeat. Watch his post Boston interviews.
This post was edited 7 minutes after it was posted.
I was just looking at El Guerrouj and people talk about the spikes and recovery…
El Guerrouj in 1998 ran the ridiculous 3:26.00 world record in Rome on July 14. He ran 3:44.60 for the mile in a different country (France) on July 16. OK pretty good time to put the legs up? Right? Nope he traveled to Gateshead and ran 4:48 for 2000 on July 19.
As someone who is smarter than you, I NEVER said Jakob didn’t know about him, just as Sebastian would have known about Landy. That was not my point and the fact that you misinterpreted it shows your paucity of it intelligence. I would have known about Emil Zatopek but if somehow he were still alive I am not sure his tweet would have meant that much to me.
What? If Emil Zatopek tweeted you it wouldn't have meant that much? Are you being serious Jsoed?
Yeah that’s a wild take by Jsoed. If the great Zatopek tweeted nice things about my running I would immediately cry tears of joy on camera.
Q (Paraphrased): Hicham El Guerrouj tweeted about you with a congratulations and king emoji. What's it mean for someone like that to react to your performance?
A: Ummmmmmm I mean It's cool that people ummmm follow along I guess.
I think that Jakob pretty clearly doesn't care much for El Guerrouj. Reading between the lines, it's either professional jealousy, competitiveness, or suspicion of drug use. A very different reaction to this sort of question than you might get in other situations.
I took it as Jakob doesn't think he's done anything yet with the 1500m, so it's ahmm... nice that people are following along, but he's ~2 seconds away, so let's not make a big deal about it.
If you ever watched Team Ingebrigtsen or previous interviews, he was asked if there were other people he looked up to in the sports from the past and he always says no, he only looked up to his brothers and respected them, but since the age of 12 he knew he would be better than them and beat them. I don't think I ever heard him say a very positive word about other runners with out qualifying it. In 2017 or 18 he beat Centro in a 1500 race, the Olympic champ and all he said was it was the easiest race, never congratulated Centro. His mentality is just different. He is ultra competitive. I always compare him to a "prime Michael Jordan" type of mentality. Most great distance runners are very humble people, not this kid. He is a killer and he's been since he was 10 or 12.
He knows Jakob is doped just as much. All the best are. But Jakob's simply not as fast as El G.
Even if your belief that 'everybody dopes' is true, I'm pretty sure Jakob isn't in a position to dope with EPO or HGH as much as El G was, given that no effective test for either existed until 2005 (the year he retired).
He may not be using what El G was but the experts say the drugs are changing all the time. The crucial thing is evading detection and the consensus on that is that is easily done now, too.
i think he'll easily become as fast as hicham though.jakob is only 22 and still improving.i wouldnt be at all surprised if he breaks the world record,then runs a 12.35 5000.
Runners often peak young. It isn't a given that he will continue to get better.
If you ever watched Team Ingebrigtsen or previous interviews, he was asked if there were other people he looked up to in the sports from the past and he always says no, he only looked up to his brothers and respected them, but since the age of 12 he knew he would be better than them and beat them. I don't think I ever heard him say a very positive word about other runners with out qualifying it. In 2017 or 18 he beat Centro in a 1500 race, the Olympic champ and all he said was it was the easiest race, never congratulated Centro. His mentality is just different. He is ultra competitive. I always compare him to a "prime Michael Jordan" type of mentality. Most great distance runners are very humble people, not this kid. He is a killer and he's been since he was 10 or 12.
Jordan was typically seen as an *sshole - even by his team mates. The comparison to Jakob doesn't do his personality any favours.
If you ever watched Team Ingebrigtsen or previous interviews, he was asked if there were other people he looked up to in the sports from the past and he always says no, he only looked up to his brothers and respected them, but since the age of 12 he knew he would be better than them and beat them. I don't think I ever heard him say a very positive word about other runners with out qualifying it. In 2017 or 18 he beat Centro in a 1500 race, the Olympic champ and all he said was it was the easiest race, never congratulated Centro. His mentality is just different. He is ultra competitive. I always compare him to a "prime Michael Jordan" type of mentality. Most great distance runners are very humble people, not this kid. He is a killer and he's been since he was 10 or 12.
Jordan was typically seen as an *sshole - even by his team mates. The comparison to Jakob doesn't do his personality any favours.
This is just a style point. Kipchoge has a great reputation, kind, humble, etc. If you actually listen to him, he’s just like MJ or Jakob. Go back and listen to his post Boston press conference. He’s not going to concede an inch to his competition or really acknowledge them at all. It’s 100% about what he did or did not do. He’s quite clear, if he executes, he runs very fast and he wins. Jakob took a lot of sh-T for his comnents after Eugene and his inability to give real credit to Wightman. All I’m pointing out is that Mr nice guy, Eliud, was really just the same with Chebet after Boston. Mr nice guy, Steph Curry is also the same. I think it’s wrapped up in a true champions mentality.
Jordan was typically seen as an *sshole - even by his team mates. The comparison to Jakob doesn't do his personality any favours.
This is just a style point. Kipchoge has a great reputation, kind, humble, etc. If you actually listen to him, he’s just like MJ or Jakob. Go back and listen to his post Boston press conference. He’s not going to concede an inch to his competition or really acknowledge them at all. It’s 100% about what he did or did not do. He’s quite clear, if he executes, he runs very fast and he wins. Jakob took a lot of sh-T for his comnents after Eugene and his inability to give real credit to Wightman. All I’m pointing out is that Mr nice guy, Eliud, was really just the same with Chebet after Boston. Mr nice guy, Steph Curry is also the same. I think it’s wrapped up in a true champions mentality.
The question is not "simply a style point" - it is all about style. That is what is being discussed here. In Kipchoge's case you are describing someone who doesn't come across as arrogant or self-absorbed; Jakob can.
This is just a style point. Kipchoge has a great reputation, kind, humble, etc. If you actually listen to him, he’s just like MJ or Jakob. Go back and listen to his post Boston press conference. He’s not going to concede an inch to his competition or really acknowledge them at all. It’s 100% about what he did or did not do. He’s quite clear, if he executes, he runs very fast and he wins. Jakob took a lot of sh-T for his comnents after Eugene and his inability to give real credit to Wightman. All I’m pointing out is that Mr nice guy, Eliud, was really just the same with Chebet after Boston. Mr nice guy, Steph Curry is also the same. I think it’s wrapped up in a true champions mentality.
The question is not "simply a style point" - it is all about style. That is what is being discussed here. In Kipchoge's case you are describing someone who doesn't come across as arrogant or self-absorbed; Jakob can.
Ok, fair enough. I’m just saying it’s a very superficial assessment. Seriously listen to Kipchoge, he’s saying the same things as Jakob. After Boston people were desperate for him to admit the course was hard, or that he underestimated it and his competitor’s experience on it, or that his training was off. He would have none of it and basically brushed all this noise off every bit as “arrogantly” as Jakob. EK smiles and has some generic platitudes to offer and all of a sudden he’s Mr humble and Jakob is a jerk. I’m just saying it’s meaningless window dressing if your asking about their attitude towards sport and their competition. They are very similar. You ever listen to Bekele? OMG, super arrogant.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
The reality is Jakob needs to take 2 full seconds off his PB to be able to say he’s faster than El G… that’s a lot, especially considering how long it took him to take a 1/2 second off of his previous PB with this performance. And he has yet to eclipse El G’s medal count (though that might be just a matter of time). Jakob clearly likes to be dismissive of other athletes / competitors, so it’s hard for him to dismiss El G, when he knows that at the moment, he couldn’t hang with a prime El G. Maybe someday in the future that will change. But at the moment, Jakob is the inferior athlete and he knows it - and let’s be honest, even if Jakob isn’t getting any pharmaceutical help, he is getting help from the shoes and the lights. So inferior is inferior.
"What's it mean for someone like that to react to your performance"?
Without further evidence or context, it's pretty unfair to assume professional jealousy, competitiveness, or suspicion of drug use based solely on Jakob's response to El Guerrouj's tweet.
If there's one thing we have become aware of Jakob through all of his interviews, it's that Jakob unequivocally focuses on personal performance.
That being said, Jakob has probably (again, and on cue) prioritised his own performance rather than sought external validation. By stating that it's cool people (El G) follow along, it's totally conceivable that Jakob could be emphasising that he's more concerned with his own progress and personal goals rather than seeking approval or validation from others.
I think you are 100% correct and this is a common manner with great champions. Some may label it arrogant or aloof, but it’s really just the manifestation of the supreme focus Jakob has on his own abilities and progress. What everybody else has done or is doing is not relevant to what Jakob is trying to accomplish. History so to speak does not register. Have you listened to Michael Jordan interviewed? Exactly the same. Go watch the Last Dance, it’s a master class in the irrelevance of what others are doing in your personal pursuit of athletic perfection for the truly great champions. Even Kipchoge, who everybody things is a sweet and humble man, does not name his competitors or spend any time speaking on their performances relative to his, even in defeat. Watch his post Boston interviews.
Mostly agree with this, however it falls short of the next logical step, that the very elite world class athletes are generally self centered/one dimensional. Thus making them poor role models beyond medals and records.
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