Official 2024 Lievin Indoor Live Thread

Hannah England: “This is the best race Van Diepen has run in years!”

Van Diepen: runs the last 100m in 18.1

lol, I was thinking as she said it, he better have a surge cuz Robert would shove him into the stands if he dared try to cut him off

Why do you care? we are in virtual world hidden by E-mails?

At least you don't see people using anonymous names?

Half these guys look like they’ve never run indoor before.

4:51.23. He looks pretty tired this season so far. Hopefully just training through.

No WR — Girma wins in 4:51.23.

Girma is the most consistent Ethiopian runner since Bekele. I think he will be fine if not injured.

I do wish he’d move to a real event though. Would love to see him in the 5000 vs Jakob. He would have a shot at medals in the 1500 and 5000, in my view. But since he is more of a 3k/5k guy best to save himself for a try at 5000 gold

According to that really good video someone posted about her periodization she is in the middle of her 4 week indoor competition phase for February. However the graph in the video shows progression all the way to Worlds, no peaking in the first two weeks and then holding the peak so she should be faster when Worlds begin.

I froze it when her torso was about a meter past the line and the clock read 23.6 so maybe mid-high 23.5x?

Actually the WA article states 23.63.

"In Apeldoorn, Bol got a typical strong start and went through 200m in 23.63 before surging over the finish line in 49.26, chased by her training partner Lieke Klaver who was second in big indoor PB of 50.34."

Looks Tired? Training through? You think he's training through when he's gone for 2 of the hardest WRs on the books?

I think he was just too ambitious. Do we really think we are just going to break WR after WR?

When Girma runs, he's just so beautiful. I thought he looked smooth as hell.

And to the guy telling him to find a 'real event'. Do you not enjoy the steeple? YOu have the WR holder vs El Baakali. It's fascinating. It's like Geb vs Tergat. I don't know how putting him the 5000 would change anything. It would just be another Ethiopian who doesn't have the kick of Jakob.

Having him in the steeple makes that event WAY mroe interesting.

Femke will break the 400 indoor record this year, sub-49.

She will break the outdoor 800 meter record in 2025, 1:53 flat.

Last year:

Metz 23.93(49.96)

Lievin 23.64(50.20)

Apeldoorn 23.63(49.26 WR)

Istanbul 23.73(49.85)

This year:

Metz 23.93(49.69)

Lievin 23.47(49.63)

He ran 7:23 last year. He was 5+ seconds off it in Boston and then a 4:51 which is somewhere in the realm of running a 3:50 mile (aka well in the wheelhouse). He’s by himself but unable to lift the pace off of decent enough pacemaking. So to me it’s more that he is not at the same level as last year, but unlike last year there is World Indoors. He was one-and-done last year indoors. Perhaps holding back for that reason or just trying to round into form a little slower.

I like that he does the Steeple, but he needs to go earlier because his hurdling disadvantage in a flat-out kick is huge vs El Bakkali.

I typically tend to think that the steeple is much less competitive than the other events and only has 2-4 people who would be able to qualify for a world final in the 1500 or 5000 at any given time.

since he is a 7:23 guy and legitimately one of the best 3k/5k guys in the world I want to see him vs the best. Especially because Bakkali has more pure speed and can just sit and kick on him in the steeple.

There will be some pressure on Bol next week. The home fans are anticipating a world record to such extent the arena is already sold out for Sunday.

Her coach Meuwly said Bol is stronger this year but last year she ran a perfect race in the 49.26. He said it's a challenge to run another perfect race even if you're faster.

Klaver needs to back off a bit more and allow Bol a tension free drift down to the inside lane. Today was a bit tight.

This was Klaver's fastest 200m split by far, and she ran a marginal SB. She's been 23.9, 24.2 and 24.0 in her previous 3 races, and now this 23.6.

I'm sure it helped having someone to chase on lap 2....but she had to cut her stride going into the bend to allow Bol to cut in. You then see her try and lengthen it again and push as she comes off the bend.

This is her problem. She knows Bol will win, but why mess up your own race pattern and rhythm just to give your team mate an easy ride? Bol is going to win anyway, but at the moment Klaver is disrupting her own rhythm , whereas I think she should make Bol disrupt hers. You could see it in the race, and the official splits, halfway through the second bend on the first lap, Klaver starts to ease off, and then as they break, she reduces her stride length to let Bol over take. On the other hand, Bol has an easy, controlled, rhythmical race. Had she not slowed down on the bend & cut her stride at the break, Klaver may have run a 50.3 and broken her PB.

Let's see if any other athlete is capable and willing to challenge Bol at the break in Glasgow.