Jakob - poor sportsman?

Don't you be disrespecting Miruts Yifter, you heathen.

LondonLocal wrote:

Had he have helped, they surely would've stayed on 60s laps tonight?

He lost a lot of important races in the past years when trying to kick from 400m.

Maybe he got psychic about that.

LondonLocal wrote:

Not intended as a Jakob-bashing thread, just curious to get people's thoughts. Was watching the Lausanne 3000m tonight and was thinking how other than front-running some 1500's (usually those which dont involve Tim) we never see Jakob share the lead in longer events (3000/5000), he always sits in and like tonight lets McSweyn or others do all the work.

Of course I appreciate he has no obligation at all to help out, but it does strike me as annoying when someone of that calibre never helps push along the pace in competitive events. Had he have helped, they surely would've stayed on 60s laps tonight?

Shame.

The reason he is that caliber is because he's not dumb enough to lead a race just to "help out"

Earlier this year, Jakob front-ran his "fair share" of the European indoor 3000m.

It got boring for him after a 4:08.25 first half, so he sped up and closed in 3:39.95 for the win.

Jakob took control of the Euro 5000m for the last 2.5 laps, winning that one too.

Jakob had a total kollaps after Tokyo. Couldn´t train normally and only in the week up to DL Eugene he managed to do some race related training.

He said it was heavy in Eugene and today he stated he had to dig hard.

If you rewatch the race you will see he is unusual exhausted and completely pale in his face after the finish line.

So I don´t think he had any strength today to think about sportsmanship. Jakob´s luck was that the other runners who have also been travelling and competed after Tokyo were even more exhausted.

Jacob Kiplimo, Paul Chelimo and Girma possible realized that in time to withdraw from this race.

The athletes are human not machines.

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As stated above a runner naturally is entitled to run in the way he find best. Not long ago many posters here agreed that Jakob had no finishing ability. After he has showed that isn´t fully true it´s quite funny he is now accused of bad sportsmanship!

You are 100% WRONG. Jakob took the lead in the Olympics, the most important race of the year. He was going to run from the front but Tim didn't let him.

There's a time and a place to go for fast times, and now's not the time. They are tired and past their peak. They are racing to pay the bills, not to break records at the moment.

76yukgfr wrote:

Don't you be disrespecting Miruts Yifter, you heathen.

Yes don’t disrespect Yifter the Shifter.

Aussie McSweyn should have done to Jakob what Craig Virgin did to Yifter at the 1979 World Cup 10k, go to around 5:30 in the video:

DC guy wrote:

You are 100% WRONG. Jakob took the lead in the Olympics, the most important race of the year. He was going to run from the front but Tim didn't let him.

There's a time and a place to go for fast times, and now's not the time. They are tired and past their peak. They are racing to pay the bills, not to break records at the moment.

+1

“Help out”? If it doesn’t help you, the competitor out, then why do it? No shame

You, not the competitor***

I prefer watching guys like McSweyn race rather than Jakob I.

Today's race was much more exciting because of McSweyn.

McSweyn went out with the pacemakers. They had already gapped the field by 600 meters. At 800 meters they were moving away with a 15 meter lead, and this forced Ingebrigtsen to set out on his own to give chase to catch up, and he had to work to make up the gap by 1150 meters

But the rest of the field was left far back. As McSweyn began to slow, there was the suspense of wondering if anyone in the pack could catch back up to the two leaders (Ingebrigtsen just sat behind McSweyn). Only Aregawi was able to bridge the gap and challenge for the win.

If McSweyn had not gone out with the pacers, everyone would have probably just sat back till the last one or two laps, and then pushed for the win.

Even though Mcsweyn finished third, he made the entire race more interesting and exciting. The pacers went out fast, so McSweyn following them kept the potential for a really fast time possible. Winning time might have been 7:40 without McSweyn. At ~1800 meters the chase pack was strung out single file maybe 30-40 meters behind, and there were guys at the end of that long train (Ahmed and Fisher) that already had no chance of finishing near the front. McSweyn challenged Jakob early in the race, and Jakob had to push hard (probably harder than he wanted to) to catch up, maintain contact and sprint at the end for the win. It was exciting to watch Aregawi bridge the gap, take the lead, and almost hold off Ingebrightsen.

Because of McSweyn, in only 7 1/2 laps we had big gaps open and close, chasers fall far back and catch back up. a close sprint finish, a couple PBs, etc.

Its not like McSweyn totally died either as he led till about 250 to go and his last lap was sub 60.

Jakob is both smarter and faster than his competitors.

LondonLocal wrote:

Of course I appreciate he has no obligation at all to help out, but it does strike me as annoying when someone of that calibre never helps push along the pace in competitive events. Had he have helped, they surely would've stayed on 60s laps tonight?

Shame.

But you can’t really have it both ways: appreciate he has no obligation but still shame him for it. I do hear you though, but don’t find it annoying because it’s not just that he has no obligation, rather he has no other choice. Pushing the pace earlier would be suboptimal for him and therefore likely hurt him. Going too slow is not a realistic option for his opponents nor does it help them because Jakob has a strong kick, so they do what they think is more optimal, which is to tire him out with a fast pace, but that comes with the risk of not being fast enough to tire a strategically drafting-behind Jakob.

The name of the game is for them to find and maintain a pacing that wrecks him, and for him to dodge that strategy by seeking wind cover up to the optimal length before igniting the kick.

All just strategy at work.

Viking rule wrote:

Jakob is both smarter and faster than his competitors.

He's probably the best runner in the world in the 1500m, 3000m, and 5000m. Probably the steeple as well if he cared to compete in it. If someone 10 years ago said that a 20-year-old Norwegian would hold that distinction in an era with times as fast as they are now, I doubt many would have believed.

LondonLocal wrote:

Not intended as a Jakob-bashing thread,

....

Shame.

How do you manage to go through life looking for imaginary faults under every rock? It must be stressful?

Yes, absolutely, the races are faster and more fun because of McSweney. But does he run like he does "because he wants to give the viewers a good competition"? Of course not.

He does it because thats the way he thinks will give him the best final result. Maybe not win, but allways in the top.

Same with Jakob. He does what is required to win. He have more ways to do it than Mcsweney therefore he wait and see how it unfolds. As simple as that.

Stop this foolish "bad sportsmanship". They run to win. Period.

DC guy wrote:

"You are 100% WRONG. Jakob took the lead in the Olympics, the most important race of the year. He was going to run from the front but Tim didn't let him.

There's a time and a place to go for fast times, and now's not the time. They are tired and past their peak. They are racing to pay the bills, not to break records at the moment."

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+ 1

I will add:

Jakob at age 17 front ran the last laps in the 1500m in the European Champion in 2018 and less than 24 hours later again in the 5000m. (Last 800m in the 1500m and the last 1400m in the 5000m). As you possible know he won both races.

Jakob also front ran the last laps when winning the 3000m in the Indoor European Championships in 2019 and tried to front run the last 400m in the 1500m the next day but was oversprinted by Lewandowski in the last 200m.

In the indoor 1500m in Lievin 2021 where Jakob broke the European record he front ran at least the last 600m.

In the 1500m in the indoor European Championships in 2021 Jakob front ran the "last" around 1300m holding Lewandowski and Gomez off all the way to the line and in the 3000m final in the same weekend he front ran the last 900-800m holding off Isaac Kimeli, Mechaal and Katir.

Finally Jakob front ran the last about 450m (from the second pacemaker dropped out) in the 1500m in DL Gateshead 2021 holding off Hoare and McSweyn all the way to the finish line.

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So Jakob isn´t shy of front running but he probably learned (in the hard way) from the 5000m final in Doha that needs to judge if he has the physical surplus to the long run for home or not.

And as also stated by other posters above he hasn´t got that surplus at the moment.

I also prefer people who put concern for others ahead of a desire to win, but I don't expect professional athletes to eschew smart racing tactics out of generosity.

That's why they pay the pacers.

Alternatively you could disqualify any runner from winning who didn't lead for at least 300 meters of the first 1000. That would be a fun race to watch.

I've been frequenting Letsrun since 2003 and I have never understood the criticism that some runners don't share the lead. Rupp got slammed all the time for it.

I didn't understand it then and I don't understand it now. As Herm Edwards said "You play to win the game!"