I am not a kerr fan. I have to admit on lap 1/2 i noticed he looked really really lean and fit, ready to go. But when he started limping I was thinking "you kidding me, dude?" all that smack talk just to cramp up in a slow race?
I am not a kerr fan. I have to admit on lap 1/2 i noticed he looked really really lean and fit, ready to go. But when he started limping I was thinking "you kidding me, dude?" all that smack talk just to cramp up in a slow race?
Not a fan either. The guy is a real arrogant jerk. Not saying I’m glad he got hurt. I hope he is okay. I am glad he didn’t medal though. He’s an egomaniac. Yeah technically he is the defending and returning champion, but he talked himself up like he was defending a wrestling or UFC heavyweight belt. Track isn’t like that. Every new major championship is a fresh start. You don’t lose a medal you already won. He reminds me of Noah Lyles in that he just can’t accept that the sport is supposed to be peaceful athletic exercise competition. It isn’t even close to fighting. There is a tradition of friendliness and encouragement in track and celebrating your competition, not talking like you are about to enter an elimination cage match against them.
Being close to 30, and I realize this is difficult to know, injured or not I think we have seen the best of Kerr. I doubt we will see him in the medal hunt next year and after. He’s peaked, on the downhill, doesn’t race enough, and there is too much competition for him now in the 1500 and it is the only event he was world class at. I’m calling it. This Connor McGreggor wannabe is done.
One point that hasn't been raised is the warm-up situation in Tokyo. For the OG, there was a warm-up track next to the stadium. That is now gone - meaning athletes warm-up at a different track (10+ min drive away) and then are shuttled to the stadium to enter the call-room. Call-room check-in can be 45 min prior to the race. So that means individuals are warming up, then sitting in a shuttle and the call room for potentially close to an hour prior to racing.
I think this is part of the reason why so many of the races have been slow (coupled with the later-than-usual WC and athletes potentially being past their peak).
Kerr knew he was out of shape in 2022 and still ran for 5th in the finals. He admitted to being insecure about it and showboating in his semi but didn't give up.
He tried to convince his coach to let him run Milrose after not being able to keep down food just this year.
We'll see behind the scenes on his YouTube channel in a couple weeks, but he's never backed down willingly before.
He's very cocky, but not the kind of cockiness that gives up. He's the kind of cockiness that believes he can win a world title on an injured calf.
This post was edited 2 minutes after it was posted.
It's easy to strain your calf muscle in warm weather. You can keep running on it with significant pain, but not at Kerr's speed. I have to stay super hydrated in the Summer to avoid straining my calf.
Hopefully that's all it is. If so, he should be back to full speed within a couple months.
One point that hasn't been raised is the warm-up situation in Tokyo. For the OG, there was a warm-up track next to the stadium. That is now gone - meaning athletes warm-up at a different track (10+ min drive away) and then are shuttled to the stadium to enter the call-room. Call-room check-in can be 45 min prior to the race. So that means individuals are warming up, then sitting in a shuttle and the call room for potentially close to an hour prior to racing.
I think this is part of the reason why so many of the races have been slow (coupled with the later-than-usual WC and athletes potentially being past their peak).
If this is accurate this is actually a crazy setup, and would be interested in an article going deeper on this
One point that hasn't been raised is the warm-up situation in Tokyo. For the OG, there was a warm-up track next to the stadium. That is now gone - meaning athletes warm-up at a different track (10+ min drive away) and then are shuttled to the stadium to enter the call-room. Call-room check-in can be 45 min prior to the race. So that means individuals are warming up, then sitting in a shuttle and the call room for potentially close to an hour prior to racing.
I think this is part of the reason why so many of the races have been slow (coupled with the later-than-usual WC and athletes potentially being past their peak).
If this is accurate this is actually a crazy setup, and would be interested in an article going deeper on this
A number of athletes talked about it in interview vids; it’s accurate. I think in an early Hiltz one it comes up (“it is what is is” Hiltz said). There’s a lot of sitting and then standing around long after warming up…
I thought it was a hammy, based on how he kept pulling to the left. Not sure why he finished, he stepped on the infield enough times to be DQ‘d until 2027.
His pride is why he finished. And the goons on here would call him all kinds of names if he didn't finish. They'd claim Jakob would finish even if he broke his leg in half.
One point that hasn't been raised is the warm-up situation in Tokyo. For the OG, there was a warm-up track next to the stadium. That is now gone - meaning athletes warm-up at a different track (10+ min drive away) and then are shuttled to the stadium to enter the call-room. Call-room check-in can be 45 min prior to the race. So that means individuals are warming up, then sitting in a shuttle and the call room for potentially close to an hour prior to racing.
I think this is part of the reason why so many of the races have been slow (coupled with the later-than-usual WC and athletes potentially being past their peak).
If this is accurate this is actually a crazy setup, and would be interested in an article going deeper on this
As a curious creature, I did a bit of research. It seems to be true, sadly. I don't want to risk getting banned posting links here again, so I post the title of the article so you can google it. 【世界陸上】3km離れた会場間を15分で移動？2025年東京世界陸上のサブトラック問題を徹底解説 (Track and field: 3km away from the stadium? The problem of Tokyo WC sub-venue.)
Just watched the race again. His calf clearly seizes right before they hit 900 meters in about 2:14, which is a gentle stroll. He's just a stride or two behind Nader, the eventual winner, when it happens.
There is absolutely no reality in which Kerr would fake an injury at that point when he's still in the race and the racing has yet to start. If anything, I found his tactics surprisingly unaggressive, and the more logical conclusion is that he did tweak something in the semifinal and was trying to stay conservative and out of trouble and work his way into things and hope for the best.
But we live in an age of conspiracy theories so logic doesn't much win out any more.
As a footnote, I can't say I really understand all the hate for Kerr. Maybe he's not your cup of tea, but he's clearly maximized his potential and he's shown up for the big occasions and contributed to some of the most thrilling finals in recent memory. Maybe you don't like him, but you should respect him, because he's more than earned that.
I am not a kerr fan. I have to admit on lap 1/2 i noticed he looked really really lean and fit, ready to go. But when he started limping I was thinking "you kidding me, dude?" all that smack talk just to cramp up in a slow race?
that race explains valudates to some extent, jacobs strategy.
as in , who is the fastest 800m guy today, with the best trip?
answer
the fastest 800 guys with a groovy trip.
cannova nailed it, read his post. i had no clue about the portugese guy.
you could easily see that wrightman found his legs and game in the heats.
crazy how many guys are getting run down on the line.
that said, it was a miracle that at the OG everybody made it to the line with the A game.
Sad races this year. Ingebrigtsen unable to keep up in the heats, Hocker DQ'd in the semis, Kerr injured in the finals. Hopefully everyone recovers well for a better season next year.
Hearing about the warmup situation is disappointing, would have expected better from Japan.
Rec runners, sure, but when do you see elite guys not switching shoes from warm up to workout to cool down? Or wearing super shoes for easy runs?
Many do. Trust me.
If anything, rec runners are more likely to be protective of their freshest new supershoes and take them out solely for races or key workouts/simulations.
Pros and even many quasi-pros just get them for free and seemingly love training in them. To the detriment of their lower posterior chain.
Weak calves, weak intrinsic foot muscles... injury risk for the plantar fascia, Achilles and calves. I called this early in the explosion of shoes marketed as "propulsive" (and with poor ground contact).
While I criticized Kerr on the podcast last night for not meeting with the media after the race (Weldon and Jonthan thought it was crazy that I'd expect an athlete to meet with the press after being injured), let me now defend him.
This is a crazy stupid thread.
Kerr is a proven championship performer. He knows how to peak. He's also good in tactical races - look at GST.
And yet some of you are saying he faked that injury? That's crazy. No way anyone fakes a calf injury that well. He was clearly hurt. These guys aren't scared to lose - Jakob showed up. Same thing with Josh.