rojo wrote:
Rory2 wrote:
In every subsequent race I ever saw Hall run, he was either somewhat disappointing or much worse - an embarrassingly bad choker.
The dude runs 2:06:17 at London and you call that somewhat disappointing? Do you realize it was at the time the fastest time by an American born athlete by more than 2.5 minutes?
What about his 2:04:58?
Hi Rojo - It is exactly because Hall *was* so talented that I used "disappointing" and "choker." If someone doesn't have the physical ability to run with faster runners, I wouldn't describe them as a "choker." But Hall, at the olympic trials in Central Park, looked like he had both the physical talent and competitive ability to be a world beater. Instead: "2:06:17 at London" = 5th place finish; 2:04:58 at Boston = 4th place; 2008 olympics = 10th place (even behind Ritz). Of course, I'm omitting 2012 Olympics (dropped out), 2014 Boston (20th), and all the other races he withdrew from, dropped out of, etc... - perhaps he was genuinely physically unable to run well any more due to injuries, etc..., later in his career. But he seemed for that moment at the trials to have both the physical ability *and* mental/competitive capacity to win races, and even with the fast times you mentioned, I never saw that mental/competitive ability again.
My understanding of the original poster's question was about an imaginary race head to head between Rupp and Hall at a certain moment in each of their careers (not what times they posted when they finished 4th or 5th in other races at other times in their careers). Any other time in Hall's career, I stand by what I wrote, easily give it to Rupp, the much better competitive racer. Hall during that one Olympic Trials race seemed to be a different Hall and, if we're talking about the Hall on that one day in his career, I do not know which of them I'd bet on.
No disrespect intended towards the physical abilities of either athlete - they were amazing! If Hall had the mental/competitive capacity in other races that he did on that day in Central Park, I feel he could have done great things, not just some fast but not-on-the-podium finishes.