Jeneba Tarmoh, PLEASE do not be bullied into the run-off! You are an OLYMPIAN.

First, I'm not sure how you think Jamaica will have 4 athletes make the Olympic final.

Second, Felix beat Cambpell-Brown, Fraser, and Stewart in Doha.

I'm not saying it's going to happen, but Felix has a solid track record in championships and there's no reason to think she couldn't pull off a medal on a good day.

I would bet you any running shirt out your closet Felix beats Stewart in London?

Come on people. All she talked about in her interview which was shown on the local news station was her "heart-to-hearts" with her AGENT. That's a business deal IMO, not a heart to heart. Those conversations are made with family, not agents. I think it's pretty obvious that NIKE payed her a decent amount to no-show. Felix is their poster child. Who the hell just gives up on an Olympic spot. COME ON.

to all those saying that they should have waited until both athletes were fresh to do a runoff, "USA Track and Field must submit its final team roster to the United Stated Olympic Committee by July 7," so obviously there wasn't too much time.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/tim_layden/07/02/jeneba-tarmoh-allyson-felix-100-meter-runoff/index.html#ixzz1zYZXpU5T

Jeneba is a COWARD who brings shame to the sport. Bad calls or unfair calls are part of ANY sport. You don't see a professional team quit a playoff series because of a bad call. You don't see a tennis player quit a match because of a bad call.

You suck it up and you go out there and your test your mettle on the court or track or whatever or battlefield. Win or lose you battle with dignity to the conclusion.

You don't quit. You don't quit. You don't quit.

Jeneba brought dishonor to herself and the sport.

i see that shirt and raise you any running watch that you have that felix doesn't beat stewart.

champyoyoza wrote:

to all those saying that they should have waited until both athletes were fresh to do a runoff, "USA Track and Field must submit its final team roster to the United Stated Olympic Committee by July 7," so obviously there wasn't too much time.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/tim_layden/07/02/jeneba-tarmoh-allyson-felix-100-meter-runoff/index.html#ixzz1zYZXpU5T

The roster includes an alternate. They still could have submitted a roster with one of them listed as competing and one as the alternate and decided later.

Before Tarmoh Decision-

Siegel-"I've seen this on everything from `CNN' to the `Today' show," said Max Siegel, the recently hired CEO for USATF. "We've got to capitalize on the attention they're giving us."

Like Siegel, Hightower has seen this situation explode. She's hearing from people she hasn't been in contact with in a long time.

"I'm getting text and voice mails from all over the world," she said. "They are stay-at-home moms to retired folks to business leaders in my community, texting me, saying, `They've got to do a runoff, not the coin toss.' It's becoming a media topic that I think is good for the sport. We're going to leverage it."

For a sport that really only attracts the spotlight every four years, this is generating quite a few headlines. And Hightower insisted this was a chance to push track forward -- even if some have said it's actually a black eye.

"It's a chance to educate folks and get them engaged in a different way and at a different level," Hightower said.

"I honestly can't tell you why a protocol wasn't in place," USATF President Stephanie Hightower said. "No one ever thought through it. The likelihood of it happening didn't cross anybody's minds."

Surprising, since this has happened before — to Hightower, no less.

At the 1984 Olympic trials, she finished in a three-way tie for second place in the hurdles. A grainy photo was used to break the tie and she was the odd person out, failing to earn a spot.

"There's no question that everyone was caught off guard," Hightower said. "At least this gives us the motivation to look at our bylaws and competition rules to see if there are any other gaping holes we need to shore up before the next big championship or Olympic trials

Drummond- Former sprinter Jon Drummond thinks the attention is fantastic.

"You've got two great athletes at the Olympic trials, dead-heated, both pictures showing the same thing and now you have to decide a selection?" said Drummond, who coaches the men's and women's relay teams. "This is like a reality show you couldn't script. This is great for TV, made for TV."

Especially if they decide to participate in a runoff. Drummond would.

"I'm a junkyard dog. We're going to the line," he said.

Also that evening Drummond, acting in his role as chairman of the USATF athletes advisory committee (a liaison between the athletes and USTAF bureaucrats), spoke to Tarmoh and would say later that he was convinced that Tarmoh had decided to run.

Decision time-

“After we had the discussion [Sunday morning], and [USATF officials] pretty much said. ‘Jeneba, what do you want to do, forfeit or do you want to run?’ I said, ‘Are they my only two options?’ They said, 'Yes.' So I said, 'I will run.' But throughout the day I thought about it. I ran that 100 [meters final, on June 24], and I did the victory lap, and I got my medal, and then they say I have to run again—after I ran the 100 and the 200, the three rounds.

"I had a whole lot of emotions and I was heartbroken," Tarmoh continued. "In my mind I felt that my joy was kind of taken away—after I had gotten third [in the 100]. And my legs were tired [after the 200-meter final on Saturday in which she finished fifth]. It was more of my emotions. It would have been unfair to myself to go out there not wholeheartedly.”

After Tarmoh decides not to run-

Hightower, the USATF president, said the organization was "disappointed" over Tarmoh's change of mind and decision to concede a possible Olympic berth. "We all worked hard to reach a consensus on the tiebreaker, but we know that Allyson, Carmelita and Tianna will represent Team USA well."

In regards to a protest of the results- “There are procedures in place to protest, and she did not do that in the allotted time period,” Stephanie Hightower, the president of USA Track and Field, said in a telephone interview Monday.

Congrats to Jeneba Tarmoh for standing up for herself and not whoring yourself out like the rest of them. You believe that you were third, they paraded you around and gave you a medal. Then wait you you are not third, we might have to take this away and create some made up on the fly solution which clearly does not favor you. Lets not allow you to protest the results, lets force you and pressure you in to this made up match race so we can get some attention and think we are getting the sport over and capitalize on the moment. The usatf leadership sucks period. They never helped her out with a difficult situation, no apology for her now she let them down. What visible presence does the usatf leadership have? Were they upfront and center? Clearly they need to address a protocol for protest and better way to inform all that a protest has been placed and immediately inform those directly affected in person within the 30min period. How about posting it on the scoreboard or making an announcement. We will not go forward in the sport until we have leadership with vision and main focus of developing talent. Jeneba Tarmoh is a major talent.

Great, now anytime a race is close they'll be saying it is a "tie" so they can get more publicity and money from a dramatic coin toss or run off or something else they just make up after the fact. Greedy USATF just give the spot to Tamorh.

How does it favor one of the runners? they both ran the same amount of races. Allyson is just a better runner and was actually prepared to run. tarmoh knew she wasnt going to run it all along. She needs to stfu and be happy she's still going to London

2x Olympian, 4x World Championships (10 medals), 49.59 400m runner VS. 1x World Championships 22 year old

In a match race on prime time network television. Clearly Felix is better. She is one of the best and most versatile sprinters of all time. Tarmoh would clearly be under greater pressure than when she stepped to the line for 100m final. She had everything to gain in the final. In a match race she would have everything to loose. It would be like you were third but we don't believe it so prove it again. I don't think she has the personality to say "screw you" I am going to prove you all wrong. USATF can't change the rules as they go.

The problem is that Tarmoh TIED for third. I have empathy for her and this horrible predicament that was caused by poor processes on the part of the USATF. I cannot imagine how painful it must be to believe that you have a spot as an individual racer and then have that taken away.

The result, however, was truly a tie and to simply award the slot to Tarmoh is unfair to Felix. I hope that Ms. Tarmoh can come to terms with this over time.

I don't fault Felix for agreeing to a runoff. She is a fierce competitor and competing in the 100m at the Olympics WOULD help her 200m performance.

All of the options were bad, and a runoff was the "least bad."

Maybe someone has already said this on this thread, but this is my read on the situation:

Tarmoh thought that Felix would step aside after the 200 win. Fellix is a professional and competitive and did not step aside. Tarmoh is upset by this, has not been able to process it well, and does not think she is in a good mental place to win the run off. Whatever people are saying about her now, just imagine how much more they would bash her if she had a terrible race in a run-off with Felix. At least this way, her good race time stands.

Maybe someone else said this, too, but this is not 1972 where all American athletes have to be amateurs. They are professionals, and this is their job. It would not be expected for a professional in another field to give up a promotion so that someone else could get it. (And you shouldn't expect Dewey to be President just because the newspaper said Truman lost.) You don't get to be Felix by not having a super competitive drive, no matter how polite and friendly she is. The run-off was the best option for her, especially with the confidence coming off of that fantastic 200, even if her legs were tired.

Man this is dirty.

I agree with the original track judge based on the photograph, Tarmoh won, night and day.

NYRunner1 wrote:

I just saw ABC news- Tarboh is being made out to be the person who has taken the higher road. Much respect to her.

Yes.

Thanks in large part to the reporting in SI and Letsrun, the dominant story has been USATF's incompetence, not the "waffling" they tried to paint on Tarmoh.

xc70 wrote:

Congrats to Jeneba Tarmoh for standing up for herself and not whoring yourself out like the rest of them. You believe that you were third, they paraded you around and gave you a medal. Then wait you you are not third, we might have to take this away and create some made up on the fly solution which clearly does not favor you. Lets not allow you to protest the results, lets force you and pressure you in to this made up match race so we can get some attention and think we are getting the sport over and capitalize on the moment.

TRUTH.

xc70 wrote:

2x Olympian, 4x World Championships (10 medals), 49.59 400m runner VS. 1x World Championships 22 year old

In a match race on prime time network television. Clearly Felix is better.

Exactly.

-Felix has been traveling as a pro since she was 17. That's a decade.

-Tarmoh just went pro.

-Felix has doubled with rounds, in the 200/400, at multiple Olympics and WCs.

-Tarmoh has never been to a show. Rarely even a Nationals.

-Felix: 200/400 background. (i.e. training for strength)

-Tarmoh: "Pure" 100m talent.

Pretty obvious who has the advantage at the end of a meet where both went six rounds and through a media/bureaucratic pressure-cooker.

Under FAIR CONDITIONS, it was a tie for third. Very smart of Tarmoh to not accept UNFAIR CONDITIONS just to satisfy USATF's hope for "reality TV" (their words).

Glad the mess was stopped.

What is she standing up for? She TIED for third. Yes, the USATF did not handle this optimally, but what is fair to all involved?

She framed her resignation in the way most favorable to her.

It is more realistic that she was pretty sure her tie was a fluke and that she could not pull it off twice, esp. after seeing the 200.