Michael Norman OUT of Worlds!

why so serious

It is an epidemic.

WTF?! What is it with this excuse, "I'm going to focus on the 2024 Olympics?" THEY ARE OVER A YEAR AWAY!

Could you imagine Tiger Woods in his prime saying in April on the eve of The Masters, "I've decided to step away from the golf course for The Masters, the British Open, and the US Open so I can focus on the PGA Championship in August."

What is going on in LA?

WADA raised prices and USADA walked away and told our athletes they are on their own, understandably very frustrating for them.

The cynical side of me wonders is it just coincidence that since Asinga got popped, we seem to be seeing a having a number of "withdrawls" from team USA due to various "reasons".

Of course that's just the cynical side of me though. Poor fella might just need a vacation like Sydney and Mu do.

I'm assuming he knows where his 400m fitness is right now, maybe via a time trial or other means, and is certain he doesn't have a chance at a medal. It would be more like Tiger knowing he can't drive 250 yards on the eve of the masters.

Doesn't get anymore......what a wimp.....than this. What is wrong with this weakling?

He has ADD and needs a lot of focus practice to focus.

it was a surprise when he entered. he tried doing the 100 this year, and was clearly injured. didn't qualify in the 1 or 2, but had the 4 in his pocket. unfortunately, with the injury problems he just doesn't have the fitness to defend. nothing sketchy on this one.

Is it a surprise? He has not been running well all season and I genuinely think he's injured.

For anybody paying a tiny bit of attention to Norman this year, this isn't a surprise for him. He's had bad years before like 2019 where he clearly peaked too early running 43.45 to open his season and then not making the finals at worlds but this year he's been bad the whole year. So any skipping worlds because of doping accusations are unmerited.

So Deno if he is injured and not fit does he really merit your comment? He has more global medals than you and I combined.

What is going on with our top young athletes?

Norman looks miserable every time he steps on the track. Same with Mu and SML. I just don't get it. In virtually no other professional sport would this be tolerated. They'd all be run out of the league. In the NFL, one moment of perceived weakness or lack of a commitment can end a career.

I get that its quite common (and maybe expected) to be influenced by the wording others use, but the whole "refocus for olympics 2024" is just so weird. Think these athletes would gain a lot more by being more open. Even something like the following would be a bit better. "I am not at the level I want to be before a big championship so I am going to withdraw. I have lacked motivation and energy due to xyz and abc events. Participating just for participations sake would hurt my motivation even further, and I feel it is wrong to not threat a big championship with the respect that it deserves. I hope that the time off will help me heal old injuries and niggles and get my mind on the right place before starting the buildup for 2024. I wish success for all my teammates going to the WC!".

This is going to be an interesting championship with so many athletes “ pulling out” at the last minute .
Looks like AIU is serious about their integrity.

This is going to be the “Birth Control World Championships” with pulling out at the last minute being the theme.