...would he have repeated at London?
...would he have repeated at London?
Brianruns10 wrote:
...would he have repeated at London?
Sure why not
and if he had, would cheptegei's career have gone the same? he said stephen kiprotich was a major inspiration/motivation to keep going
Probably Rio as well, maybe even Tokyo
He is my number 1 marathoner of all time. He probably would not have broken the WR , but inarguably the best 'racer' ever, not afraid of anyone or any strategy.
2008 OG, oppressive conditions, OG record.
London 2009, course record after insane midrace 5km split, Chicago 2009 course record (american all comers record), marathon majors title.
2010 Chicago with a stomach virus, you can watch the duel with Kebede over and over again
He had the HM speed (WR) for breaking marathon WR, but he wasn't a paced type of runner.
Likely no. Too many flash in the pans similar to him. Mosop. G Mutai. Kimetto. Excellent runners but faded away.
Kimetto a great example - he ran arguably the best marathon of all time (2:02 pre-vapourfly in a real race. Even Kipchoge couldn't manage that) ... if Kimetto had died people would be saying he was an all time great. Instead he's criminally underrated.
Colin Montgomerie put his penis in an exhaust pipe wrote:
Likely no. Too many flash in the pans similar to him. Mosop. G Mutai. Kimetto. Excellent runners but faded away.
Kimetto a great example - he ran arguably the best marathon of all time (2:02 pre-vapourfly in a real race. Even Kipchoge couldn't manage that) ... if Kimetto had died people would be saying he was an all time great. Instead he's criminally underrated.
Disagree.
1) Ran 26:41 WJR in the same race Bekele set his WR.
2) Ran the half WR three times (59:16, 58:53, 58:33) with the last coming over 14 years ago, long before bounce shoes.
3) Destroyed the field in Beijing, over two minutes faster than the previous record, in hot and humid conditions, going out at WR pace.
4) Won and set the CR in Fukuoka, then Olympics, then London 2009, then Chicago 2009...he was simultaneous course record holder at 4 different marathons, all highly competitive.
5) Epic duel with Kebede in Chicago 2010, best last two miles of any marathon I've seen
So no, Wanjiru was never a flash in the pan. He was only 23 when he won Chicago 2010, and he had the talent to be the greatest ever.
That said, had he lived, he wouldn't have set the WR nor would he have had longer term success. The very reasons he isn't with us is why. Undisciplined at home, drinking, taken advantage of by everyone around him, shady characters, multiple wives and/or womanizing. It was not a lifestyle that ends well, and it didn't.
But damn was he exciting. I actually just re-watched London 2009 last week, and Beijing 2008 the week before. He was in total control of those races. Pushing when he wanted to push, surging over and over to break people.
I agree he did not live a lifestyle of longevity. Maybe he would have tried to straighten out.
career wrote:
I agree he did not live a lifestyle of longevity. Maybe he would have tried to straighten out.
Before he died, he told his old coach at Toyota that he wanted to return to Japan. That may have helped. He was still just a kid and needed some structure in his life.
Funny. The Letsrun Webmasters have decided that the name of Sammy's coach at Toyota is a vulgarism that shall not be uttered on this site. Brain dead.
His career would have followed a similar path to Henry Rono.
Taro wrote:
Funny. The Letsrun Webmasters have decided that the name of Sammy's coach at Toyota is a vulgarism that shall not be uttered on this site. Brain dead.
Koichi Moripoopa?
His death was bizarre to say the least. What the hell was he doing out on that balcony. SMFH
The official version, and the one I find most plausible, is that he'd had a fight with his partner, which led her to lock him in the master bedroom (Not sure why the room locks from the outside but okay), and he attempted to go after her, by exiting onto the balcony and jumping down. It's a manageable distance. But he lost his footing, fell and landed on his head. Lights out.
Let's do a seance and ask him.
Sammy Was murdered and everyone knows it!!!! There is no way in hell he sustained those injuries without being bashed over the head from behind.
He revolutionized the marathon.
Ran very fast in extreme heat.
Had he lived, he would likely been paralyzed or neuralogically injured. No way could he have won another marathon.
The Unkle wrote:
He revolutionized the marathon.
Ran very fast in extreme heat.
Yes, his Olympic Marathon was unreal in the heat. No fear.