Gutted for Leah Falland

She missed the part of broadcast of the qualifying heats where Kara revealed repeatedly that there is no give to the barriers

Can we stop arguing about if she hit the barrier, and whether it was her toe or knee? She very clearly states in her interview her toe hit as she was going over.

No. Not only are we going to continue to argue about it...seeing as it bothers you we're going to argue longer and more vehemently.

Proof of where she commented on it? If you have none then it didn't happen.

Rastus wrote:

No. Not only are we going to continue to argue about it...seeing as it bothers you we're going to argue longer and more vehemently.

Proof of where she commented on it? If you have none then it didn't happen.

Hah, wow, it was literally the FIRST thing she said in the post-race interview, which was posted by Brutal Exit on the previous page of this thread. Watch it. You'll have to wait a whole six seconds.

Flagpole wrote:

Nope. Not dumb. There were two laps left. She was not guaranteed to fall. She could have held back and guaranteed to get kicked down by a better sprinter. She did what she had to do to give herself a chance. Just didn't work out. She wasn't trying to beat them. She was trying to make the team. Also, they weren't on their PR pace. You're wrong here.

They weren't on their PR pace, they were FASTER THAN THEIR PR PACE. Falland ran two 70 second laps, which is SUB 9 PACE. It was suicide. plan and simple.

She does state in here interview that her toe clipped the barrier.

But watching this frame by frame, and being a steepler myself, the way she fell, she didn't hit the barrier at all. Somehow she lost her balance when her lead leg hit the ground and that is what caused her to fall. Her upper body was turned and that might have contributed to it.

If either of her toes hit the barrier (even just a slight clip of it) you would see movement in her leg when it does and you would see the momentum of that leg be disrupted. There is none of that in either leg.

I feel horrible for her, because she was running great and putting it out there to make her dream come true of being an Olympian. Whether she would have held on to 3rd or not, she was putting herself into position to get on the team.

Emma has got a number of good years left, but Constien as another NB steepler to take up the legacy would be a nice story. Emma’s protege, not a replacement

juvie wrote:

She missed the part of broadcast of the qualifying heats where Kara revealed repeatedly that there is no give to the barriers

+1

If you're a fan of hers from back a few years, it's heartbreaking. As Leah O'Connor, she led the MSU XC juggernaut, including the Spartans' team title in 2014 I think it was. She's a really big deal among distance runners from Michigan.

zikes wrote:

She wasn't close at all. She was in over her head going with Coburn and Frereichs. She was out of control on every hurdle, a fall was imminent. She ran a dumb race and paid the price.

This. She was running on the limit and fell with 500 to go. Got up and couldn't run with the slower group the rest of the way

She won't be the first, nor the last, but she gave it her best. Maybe. Maybe if she'd stayed in the bunch she wouldn't have been exhausted and fallen.

So basically you're saying she's lying in her interview. That's fine if you think that, but come out an say it.

When I saw Leah Falland go down, my first thought was actually that maybe, just maybe Mel Lawrence (who like Leah had a huge comeback from a series of injuries) might make the team. Normally I root for Ritz's athletes, but I just really respect Lawrence for staying at it for so long despite only having Oiselle behind her.

I am certainly not shocked by the amount of bad takes on this thread. I will point out that what Falland did and what she is being criticized for, going for it all, even when it would've been safer to run for 3rd, is literally the strategy that Pre used in '72 that galvanized him as an American Running Legend. But since it wasn't a white dude, so it doesn't count?

She's not throwing herself a pity party, she is handling herself with class. My wife, who knows literally nothing about track, was captivated by the race, and we were both shocked by the fall. Gutted for her, proud of her for just going for it and giving everything, and happy for the top 3.

You are not wrong, i do think that she lied in her interview, and no one will ever know why.

If you ask why would someone lie about that? Because they are embarrassed that they fell on their own without hitting the barrier. Look how long Suzy FH lied about the famous fall she had in the last 100 meters.

Look at the video slowed it down to .25 speed, not one part of her body hits that barrier.

No talent at all....Houlihan behind her, Quigley and so on and so on. Easy 4:27 mile in college. Any of you posters ever run a 4:27 mile???? If you cant see her left knee go right into the barrier you are blind!!

You should try watching again. The reason she landed off balance on her front leg is because her back leg hit the barrier. Not that hard to figure out, and she acknowledged it in her interview.

Curiosity wrote:

You are not wrong, i do think that she lied in her interview, and no one will ever know why.

If you ask why would someone lie about that? Because they are embarrassed that they fell on their own without hitting the barrier. Look how long Suzy FH lied about the famous fall she had in the last 100 meters.

Look at the video slowed it down to .25 speed, not one part of her body hits that barrier.

Fair enough. It's too close for me to see a slight nick, but I'm not a steepler.

WinnytheBish wrote:

Snapshot wrote:

At some level over a longer career this is bullshlt. She is not a world class runner and it matters. It matters a lot.

It amazes me that people on this board can be this clueless.

This board typically praises runners who go for it, but for some reason Falland is getting flack for trying to secure third place. The move she made was a little risky, but it definitely was a calculated risk.

Also, if you're ripping her for having weak PRs...she's been injured for the better part of 4 years. When what she supposed to run faster? Are you people just that stupid or are you just not paying attention to the sport?

You are the idiot. I asserted that she is NOT a world class runner. I did not knock her for going for it. She is NOT a world class runner and your reply is she is not durable. OK…case closed. She is NOT a world class runner.