World Athletics Moves Away From Small q in 2024

This sounds awful tbh. Adding that additional "losers bracket" round to the 1,500 will extend the schedule even further. No small q could also mean we see some heats run >4 minute 1,500's with no potential to get a time qual.

And they made the 10K standard 27:10? Looking like they want to emphasize their world ranking system more. But it seems kind of odd in the 10,000 where nobody races each other outside of championships?

Just some real head scratchers in there, but curious if other people have a different point of view on it.

Too clever by half.

A solution to a non-existent problem.

Great idea. Solves the huge problem of the “false start DQ” issue.

Another way to deemphasize time in favor of finish place. Will result in even more slower sit and kick mid distance races. No incentive to run faster.

Why time the races at alI? Seiko will not be happy.

Introduces potential strategy of not going all out if athletes are placed in very tough heats with top competitors. lethal kickers and/or fall far behind. Save energy for the repechage round/loser's bracket.

Will this mean some 1500m runners will do 4 races in five days? (heat, repechage, semi-final, rest day, final)

Might make it tougher for mid distance racers to double,

The marathon 'auto' standard is now 2:09:40 and 2:28:00. Yet the quota says 100 athletes. Which is it?? There won't be 100 men and 100 women who run under 2:09:40/2:28:00. To be ranked in top 100 when limiting to only 3 per country you only need be a consistent 2:13/2:14 guy or 2:32/2:33 woman. If you need to have the 2:09:40 standard then a guy like Cam Levins, who ended up being 4th this year, wouldn't have even qualified since he just had a 2:10 to get him into the race this year. There were only 40 women who started the marathon in Eugene, it looked like a tiny field of athletes for a marathon road race. There shouldn't be such an emphasis to limit the field size of the marathon.

The only benefit I can think of is that it removes the advantage runners have in the later heats since they know what time they need to hit to get the small q. Now everyone's on an equal playing field. Still, the disadvantage of an extra race seems worse. I'm curious which athletes they supposedly consulted with on this change.

Agree on both counts, it's almost uncanny how almost all the WA 'innovations' to the standard T+F prog, with the exception of the False Start revisions, seem to be given thumbs down by elite athletes and established fans. Adding the extra round will surely screw up the chances of the middle distance athletes and in the sprints it's likely that numerous of the affected runners will be in 4 x 1 or 4 x 4 squads so won't really relish the extra race. Strangely imo the wierdest Q/q anomaly, that in the 5000 with huge advantage to second of 2 heats, seems not to be tinkered with.

Did anyone think the previous system of Entry QTs, in its absolute form, had any obvious errors (leaving aside the 3 per nation max)? The latest 10,000m times look ridiculous, over 100m faster than what were already really tough marks.

What was wrong with the small q? I thought it worked well and gave people a reason to race.

Wow this is so stupid. They should just have more big Q's and have it all be about place and not time.

Clearly I'm in the minority, but I think it could add to the fan experience. They aren't going to lengthen the schedule, so this adds more action for fans to watch. You're favorite athlete gets eliminated, well let's see if they can battle back! Honestly, I'd like to see them do it for the semi-finals too. Heck, given them 1 spot and make them come back 60 minutes after the semi-finals and run again.

They need less rounds, not more. Get rid of anything between heats and the final and get it over in 2 or 3 days. Fastest x number of athletes from the heats go to the final (number depends on event) and that is that. No guarantee a heat winner gets in, you aren't just racing your heat you are racing everyone. No more slow tactical heats, everyone has to go for a fast time.

They should at least seed the heats if they’re going to do this. It’s bs to end up in a stacked heat, run a fast time, have to run another fast race to get in while someone else cruises through an easy heat.

Am I being dumb here? I feel if someone knows they won’t qualify in their heat they would purposely sandbag their race to save for the losers race right? I know most wouldn’t do this but if you’re in a heat with like a reigning world champion/Olympic champ it would only make sense.

I was thinking the same exact thing. Like that 1500m heat with Jakob, Tim C, and Kerr. Why waste your effort going all out to lose that heat, when you have to come back again anyway for the losers bracket race.

As long as there are a lot more Q spots than second chance spots it would rarely be advantageous to sandbag. What if there's only 1 spot and the reigning champ ends up in the 2nd chance race too? Then you're in an even worse spot. Everyone in those races who has a legitimate chance at coming through the second chance race also has a legitimate shot at a Q in the first place.

Now if there are 6 Q spots and 6 second chance spots then sure go ahead and sand bag.

It's kind of like the wild card in MLB. Sure it's better than nothing. But you'll never see a team sit their ace on the final day (to save them for the wild card) if they have a shot at winning the division on the last day.

I wonder if anyone would take it even further and decide to just jog the equivalent of a a 5-6minute mile in the first race. That way they go into the repechage race totally fresh and they’re racing the second tier runners. Could even be done by medal contenders if they’re really trying to save as much as possible for the final as it gives them weaker competition when they make their effort. Seems unlikely because it might be seen as poor sportsmanship but it might technically be the best strategy

Doubt the average American track fan will understand thus. Forgan about your casual fan

I like it. Not unlike NBA play-in tournament for teams that don't qualify outright. As it stands now, there is no consistent method for all athletes to advance. There is a place qualifier and a time qualifier. Athletes who don't qualify by place and are in a slow heat are penalized, while athletes who don't qualify by place in a fast heat are aided, through no effort of their own, just coincidence. Imagine the last few NBA playoff spots being decided not by head to head results but by statistics like number of points scored.

A case of fixing something that isn't broken.