worst 800m Olympic final in a long time

THOUGHTSLEADER wrote:

I can only imagine how much you guys would hate this race. They ran 400 easy before getting to it, but in this World Final, I would argue everyone was chilling (remarkably) until the 600m mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lClq994-cgY&ab_channel=jbcoachathl%C3%A9tisme

You're right. I hate that race. 55? Really? That's some hot garbage. I'm sure they often go out faster at D3 nationals. The final was slow this year, but even there you see a fair amount of 54s or better.

I wish Isaiah Jewett had been reinstated. I bet that would have been a very different race with him in there.

back to reality wrote:

a regular guy wrote:

no. Not in the way it was run. It is like that argument of saying that a Paralympic 1500m champion ran faster than the Olympic 1500m champion. That actually happened. But no way the Paralympic runner would've beaten Centrowitz.

Only if you don't understand a clue about track and field you could make that argument as well as this one that a woman could've won that race.

You are making my point for me, you know that right?

Just because Paralympians and women HAVE run as fast as Centro 2016 doesn't mean they would have won that race.

And by the exact same token, Snell (who never broke 1:44) would not have won today's 800. Korir and Rotich would have done enough to comfortably beat him, just like they beat a raft of 1:42-1:43 guys and legendary kickers today.

You use an example of one of the greatest runners of all time nearly 60 years ago, who competed on grass and cinders and never lost a championship race, to try to make these guys look good? Put them back in his era and Snell would have made them look as ordinary as they did in this race.

Without readi g a bunch of armchair 800 comments adnauseaum Im just going to say thats the nature of the 800m for men in a championship race more often than not. Personalities, strengths etc...vary the most in this race. NASCAR event. All about positioning.

Was a perfectly fine and enjoyable race.

Arop would have made this a far different race. That was boring garbage.

Apparently NBC's video editor thought the race was boring too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWKlotwuuEk&ab_channel=NBCSports

1:14 long vid for a 1:45 race, nice one NBC!

I don't get it. Everyone is accusing everyone of doping, but once you get a clean race, it's of a sudden not exciting enough.

THIS is what clean sports looks like, enjoy.

Armstronglivs wrote:

You use an example of one of the greatest runners of all time nearly 60 years ago, who competed on grass and cinders and never lost a championship race, to try to make these guys look good? Put them back in his era and Snell would have made them look as ordinary as they did in this race.

One of the most "era privileged" runners.

Another version of the flying-fin of Zatopek for middle distances, or that British runner that won 4 world cross country titles before 1950.

Fatigued after his Olympic buildup and second world mile record in 1964, his final track season in 1965 was characterized by a string of losses to such athletes as Olympic 1500 m silver medalist Josef Odlozil, Olympic 800 m silver medalist Bill Crothers, U.S. high schooler and future world record holder Jim Ryun, and the American Jim Grelle. Snell then announced his retirement.

Peter Snell was aged 26 in the season 1965.

a regular guy wrote:

What a joke. Winning time 1:45 after a pedestrian first lap. It seems like nobody wanted to win.

Murphy and Amos - both very disappointing.

Did you say that when the US guy won the 1500 last Olympics?

Forgot his name - Centrowitz.

Its a race.

Karma Police wrote:

Salty american wrote:

Clayton Murphy got screwed. Couldn't pass unless he wanted to go into lane 3. Impossible situation

Wtf? He chose his own positioning. If he got screwed it was by C Murphy.

+100

Coevett wrote:

It was the worst and most devalued middle-distance Olympic final since Seoul 88 1500m.

Brazier and Burgin both injured, Amos falling flat on his face in the semi must have taken something out of him. The other faller wasn't allowed in to the final. A possible medalist and somebody with insane closing speed - Oliver Dustin - sabotaged by a French lab at the worst possible time of the season.

Korir is not the best 800m runner in the world, probably not in the top 10 unless it's a dawdle like today.

Just like Centro wasn’t the best, or even top 10 when he won his Olympic gold. It’s not about being the best, just gotta get the win.

sprinter guy wrote:

mbai haule wrote:

You could have still gone, raced and won at your own convincing/ appropriate time!

Stop this overreaction please

Sorry for caring about the sport and caring about achieving actual greatness unlike a lot of the people in that 800 meter final.

What do you know about greatness?

You call yourself sprinter guy, but I doubt you could hand with any of these guys for 60ms.

You're a jogger. In your imagination you think you see something no one else does. You don't.

Likely when you are maxed out, they are heading into the second lap.

Yes, Clayton Murphy can only blame himself.

He got injured in the semi final....

Snell ran his PB on grass. May very well be equivalent to an 1.42 on today's track.

a regular guy wrote:

What a joke. Winning time 1:45 after a pedestrian first lap. It seems like nobody wanted to win.

Murphy and Amos - both very disappointing.

You guys are funny

Centro wins a jog and sprint in 3:50 and he is a hero

sprinter guy wrote:

Harold #1 wrote:

It was a well run race by the two Kenyans who controlled things and negative split. Mission accomplished for the Kenyans - Goid and Silver. The times are unimportant as they were racing to win medals.

I would never accept a medal for 1:45. That’s pathetic. That’s not an Olympic performance in this day and age. No one deserves a medal. I’d be all for having minimum standards to get medals or an eye test where no medals are awarded if people aren’t trying and are just out there for a hobby jog.

Lol

Whoops. Forgot link https://twitter.com/zay_800/status/1422914625482395653?s=21