MacLean should be DQ'd.

It seems like Osika caused all the stumbling.

It was all accidental everyone went out hard then they all slowed down. Thankfully no one got hurt.

I thought you were DQ for running inside the rail? Why wasn’t Elle DQ for stepping on and running more than one step inside the rail? After all, isn’t this why Quigley was DQ from worlds a few years back, just stepping on the line? Didn’t Elle do more than thar??

I do appreciate this answer with regard to its honesty. Some folks just don't want anyone who qualifies further away from the rail to seriously contend for the win in an event where you, by definition, need to "cut someone off" in order to win.

Anyway.... I asked a non-running friend who they thought was most at fault here and here's what I got back:

gina2002 wrote:

I thought you were DQ for running inside the rail? Why wasn’t Elle DQ for stepping on and running more than one step inside the rail? After all, isn’t this why Quigley was DQ from worlds a few years back, just stepping on the line? Didn’t Elle do more than thar??

Because she was pushed out. Otherwise, the easiest way to be a guaranteed champion would be to have a teammate (who didn’t have a realistic shot of winning), shove the favorite out of bounds and hve both people DQ’d.

Yeah, the Quigley DQ was somewhat controversial (at least in the U.S.), but the argument is that you can’t let runners step inside the oval in order to gain an advantage or avoid traffic up against the rail. Totally different situation if the runner is forced out.

She cut in fast. It looked like no one's fault. Just converging with not enough room for everyone.

comedyrel!ef wrote:

[quote]RunRaider wrote:

If she wanted a better inside position at the start she should have run faster in the semis

I hate to see runners make BS moves like this.

Might as well not even let someone advance at all if you think that person needs to gracefully accept the L at the back of the pack. Just have the three winners of the first round square off in a final.

If the others wanted to advance, they should have run faster.

prosper in the way wrote:

comedyrel!ef wrote:

[quote]RunRaider wrote:

If she wanted a better inside position at the start she should have run faster in the semis

I hate to see runners make BS moves like this.

Might as well not even let someone advance at all if you think that person needs to gracefully accept the L at the back of the pack. Just have the three winners of the first round square off in a final.

If the others wanted to advance, they should have run faster.

Why stop there? We could make it way more unfair! Just make the thirteenth qualifier start thirteen meters behind the starting line, Formula 1 style.

It's ridiculous -- MaClean cut in because she wanted to make the team. Mission accomplished; good for her.

FWIW -- Here's what Jenny Simpson had to say about the start.

https://youtu.be/kKCWWeWsE-U?t=238

TL;DR -- She thinks there was more contact than is typical, she wouldn't have objected to the officials calling it back, but doesn't cast any blame and says it didn't affect her race.

there is no such thing as calling it back. Once the gun goes off, that's it. If EVERYONE falls down in the first 50 meters, everyone has to get back to their feet and finish the race.

tradition wrote:

She cut in fast. It looked like no one's fault. Just converging with not enough room for everyone.

Which is the fault. She directly obstructed at least two runners (Osika and Mehra) on her mad dash across the lanes (only to settle in towards the back half of the pack anyhow) and set off a chain of collisions that almost cost her teammate a place in the Olympics. If Purrier were to have fallen as a result, McLean would have certainly been DQ'd. The only reason this is being debated is because nobody fell.

USATF Rule 163.4

Any competitor or participant responsible for jostling, running across or obstructing another competitor or participant so as to impede his or her progress shall be liable to disqualification in that event.

zikes wrote:

there is no such thing as calling it back. Once the gun goes off, that's it. If EVERYONE falls down in the first 50 meters, everyone has to get back to their feet and finish the race.

Yeah -- Jenny says as much. Not trying to suggest that's the proper remedy; it just adds some context that that was Jenny's reaction.

Basically what she says is that "I don't know what the rules are. Maybe they should have called it back if that's in the rules" but otherwise didn't think it seriously affected the race enough to affect the outcome or justify any DQs.

comedyrel!ef wrote:

tradition wrote:

She cut in fast. It looked like no one's fault. Just converging with not enough room for everyone.

Which is the fault. She directly obstructed at least two runners (Osika and Mehra) on her mad dash across the lanes (only to settle in towards the back half of the pack anyhow) and set off a chain of collisions that almost cost her teammate a place in the Olympics. If Purrier were to have fallen as a result, McLean would have certainly been DQ'd. The only reason this is being debated is because nobody fell.

USATF Rule 163.4

Any competitor or participant responsible for jostling, running across or obstructing another competitor or participant so as to impede his or her progress shall be liable to disqualification in that event.

Can't forget the rest of the sentence. It's not "impeding ... progress" to try and beat the field for a favorable position. Everyone is trying to do this.

The rule is obviously not designed so as to make it impossible for anyone except the runner closest to the rail to win. If you go faster off the line than other competitors, it's your right to make a move toward the rail so long as you have space to do so. Otherwise, they would just run the entire race in lanes.

Problem solved?

comedyrel!ef wrote:

tradition wrote:

She cut in fast. It looked like no one's fault. Just converging with not enough room for everyone.

Which is the fault. She directly obstructed at least two runners (Osika and Mehra) on her mad dash across the lanes (only to settle in towards the back half of the pack anyhow) and set off a chain of collisions that almost cost her teammate a place in the Olympics. If Purrier were to have fallen as a result, McLean would have certainly been DQ'd. The only reason this is being debated is because nobody fell.

USATF Rule 163.4

Any competitor or participant responsible for jostling, running across or obstructing another competitor or participant so as to impede his or her progress shall be liable to disqualification in that event.

She didn't obstruct anyone you babbling boob.

I finally managed to watch this on a computer instead of my phone. Put it on 0.25x playback speed.

By the last frame where the camera is viewing the runners from behind, and again in the first frame from the front (when the race clock says 4.6 seconds), it appears Osika has enough distance in front of Simpson to cut over.

Also at 4.6 seconds McLean looks comical, every other runner is facing forward while she is facing at a 45 degree angle toward lane 1.

4.7 seconds - Osika's right hand goes up, maybe to keep McLean from making contact?

4.8 seconds - Osika's left hand goes up. Sensing Simpson from behind? See it's this point that makes me think she's doing that in response to McLean. Why have both hands in the air?

5.2 seconds - Osika contact with Simpson. I don't think McLean has hit anyone yet, but the way she has moved almost sideways I can definitely buy that her movement is causing Osika's reaction.

So I'm saying it's McLean's fault here. Her movement across the pack looks crazy unnatural.

So you observed multiple athletes NOT named Heather MaClean raising their hands to impede and make contact with other athletes, and this leads you to believe that MaClean is at fault?

Yes, correct. Not a hard concept that you raise your hand to brace for contact when someone is moving at you.

I appreciate you taking the time to break down the start of the 1500.

But since no one went down it was a case of no harm no foul.

As someone mentioned earlier people need to learn to run the tangents.

Some of the 800 guys were cutting in too early also.

MacLean was all over the place in the previous heats as well. A menace on the track. Cant wait to watch her be out after the 1st round of the Olympics, just wonder how many people she runs into in the process.