Does anyone remember an 800 meter runner named James Robinson ??

Yeah, as I recall he won a ton of US Championships at the 800m (not to be confused with Olympic Trials in Oly years . . . )

Something like 1976, 1978-1982, 1984.

Sorry, though, don't know what he's up to now.

Yeah, I just always was amazed to see an 800 meter like him who systematically almost always stayed in last place thru the first 500 meters of the race.

If I recall Juantorena may have also had this style too ??

Always worn white high knee socks!

Yep your right !! How could I have forgot those socks. Pretty big hair if I remember right and may have had sweat bands around head or hands ???

Didn't James Robinson pace Sebastian Coe to several of his world records?

He is now running in the Bay area. there was a thread this summer about Masters meets at Los Gatos High. There his named showed up in some results for a few races.

I saw him run the the 400 in Los Gatos in July . Won the 50-54 age group in 54.80 (with no competition) wearing his trademark socks. He is still a thing of beauty to watch stride around the track.

RB

Now that I think about it, I believe he ran and (won) several events at the masters' champs in Hawaii.

He was a UC-Berkeley grad. JR coached there in the mid-1990s too and the guy was an animal.

James was the first man to beat Juantorano in an 800 after Juantorano won the double Olympic gold, 400/800 in 1976. Had the opportunity to race him a few times and he always won with a strong kick.

Amazing thing is he ran 1:43.92 and only took 4th at the Olympic trials not making the team. 143.92 back in 84' only taking 4th at a national meet with heats? They must have had some excellent testing going on then huh...Nike West did wonders.

Joe Rubio should have the low down on JR.

Not only was he forth at the US trials, but he was only .24 off the US record at the time.

..or was that 0.18?

disc rat wrote:

If I recall Juantorena may have also had this style too ??

A front runner from the gun to the tape.

drunkenhyena wrote:

Didn't James Robinson pace Sebastian Coe to several of his world records?

I believe he did just that.

For me, that '84 US Olympic Trials race was the watershed event for the 800 metres -- taking it out of the hands of the "middle-distance" athletes and putting it firmly in the grasp of the "long sprinters". (as a side note, Robinson ran almost perfectly even 52 -second splits that day finishing in a photograph with John Marshall of Villanova - running the race of his life - and just behind Earl Jones and Johnny Gray).

He was an exceptionally strong runner - said to come from the constant hill running during training in the Bay Area - but prone to bad luck.

Robinson was a heavy favourite to win the 83 World Championships in Helsinki, but stepped in a pothole somewhere in Finland during training in the days prior and severely sprained an ankle. I think he wound up finishing fifth of sixth to Rob Druppers' gold.

He was also screwed by the US boycott of the Moscow Olympics.

He was stylish as well ... typically racing in "Issac Hayes" style shades and beads well before it was trendy to do so, matched with the aforementioned knee-high white socks and wrist bands.

And he's responsible for one of my favourite athletics-related quotes of all-time ... when asked if he was planning on moving up from the 800, he replied: "No way, that mile's too long, man."

Martin

I saw Mike Slack beat Robinson at his own game, the 800, once. Anyone who has ever seen Slack run would imagine it to be some sight. Slack's turnover must have been 900 strides per minute!

(maybe Robinson just got slack at the tape, come to think of it I'm not sure.Slacks time was 1:46)

Jimmy Robinson! If you see him, tell him he still owes Roscoe $50 for that whore in Oslo.

My bad- different James Robinson in Hawaii.