The biggest disappointment of all within the last 50 years has to be the 1980 Olympic boycott. So many athletes’ careers and legacies were ruined by that.
Dejen Gebremeskel's failure to ever regain 2012 form after injury in 2013. I've always felt he was criminally underrated and that he never quite fulfilled his potential. 12:46.81 with a 54.6 leader to leader final lap split (probably really 54 flat for Gebby) is an absolutely crazy performance even in perfect conditions. I really wonder if he could've run 12:35-37 in a true time trial type of setting. In the 2012 oly final he runs one of the most horrifically tactically inept races ive ever seen and still got the silver. If you rewatch the race (last 1k or so) from gebremeskel's perspective it's painful to watch and despite the extra distance run and energy wasted accelerating and decelerating he still got something out of it. I truly believe he was fitter than Farah that year and should have beaten him. Then again its championship races aren't just about who's the fittest but rather who can put it all together on the day.
The biggest disappointment of all within the last 50 years has to be the 1980 Olympic boycott. So many athletes’ careers and legacies were ruined by that.
Tim wins the Olympics in 2020 if Covid doesn’t happen. Pretty crazy to think of some of the butterfly effects. Brazier is probably Olympic Champ as well
Yeah, and it means Jakob will have 2 more Olympics in his prime, and I wouldn't bet against him still being a contender in 2032 at age 31, and perhaps the marathon in 2036 at age 35.
I’ve learned to never get against Jakob but a lot can change in a decade. Not to mention the marathon is a whole different beast. That said, he’s definitely the favorite for the 1500m/5k double in 2024.
Yeah, and it means Jakob will have 2 more Olympics in his prime, and I wouldn't bet against him still being a contender in 2032 at age 31, and perhaps the marathon in 2036 at age 35.
Why would he torture his body to become a marathon runner when he will be so wealthy? It makes no sense for him.
Kipchoge is worth 3 million dollars it was reported the other day. In terms of relative wealth in Kenya, that's the equivalent of having 250 million dollars in the USA. Ask Kipchoge why he is still torturing his body when he is wealthier than 99.99% of Kenyans.
Gatlin testing positive just before Bolt surprisingly started to be good in the 100m. Also Tyson Gay getting injured in 2008, probably wasn't beating Bolt but did run 9.71 so it would have been great to see the matchup. Perhaps Bolt would have had to run through the line and would have set an even better WR.
1980 Olympics tops the list. Many greats were unfairly denied their legacies at a time that the Olympics were the only showcase. Amateurism was the law of the day. To this day no one can make the political decision make sense. and it did not prove a damn thing
Balco all around period. Everything about it and all the people it enveloped directly and indirectly. Mostly for giving credence to the conspiracy theories that dominate the track and field landscape.
I generally like Morgan McDonald, but from the guy who won so many titles and made beating Fisher look easy, I expected far greater success as a pro :/
The untimely death of Wanjiru is far and away number one for me. The best marathon runner in the world dying in suspicious fashion as he was entering his prime was a truly shocking event.