Amazing win over the half in Houston over Obiri. I imagine she has plans for an upcoming marathon, if she runs quicker than Worknesh Degefa did in Valencia, does she take the third Ethiopian Olympic selection?
London should be a battle royale for that 3rd spot. I still think Gebreslase has the edge.
I would choose her, too. My conjecture is that the WR holder, Tigst Assefa, is a waste of a selection space. Completely unknown on a course like Paris will have, and as such is zero chance of a podium finish.
It’ll probably go to Degefa who has shown in the past that she’s not afraid to race and push for the win. Although I hope that Almaz Ayana would be chosen for that third spot. She’s great at racing and might have the edge especially considering that Olympic marathons are usually not very fast. It would be cool to see her medal or even win after her WR run in the 10k at Rio.
I think the next 3 months of Tokyo, Boston, Rotterdam, and London and how they affect the 6 contestants for Paris across the two countries, is more exciting than the olympics itself
I think the next 3 months of Tokyo, Boston, Rotterdam, and London and how they affect the 6 contestants for Paris across the two countries, is more exciting than the olympics itself
If she has a really good race in Tokyo I could see Kebebe maybe making it. Beriso has to be on the team I think--she's super fast and the world champion. Gebreslase should be there as well with a gold and silver at the WCs this cycle, which is more impressive than it usually is considering the strength of the teams ETH and Kenya sent to Eugene and Budapest.
Aussiestatman makes a good point about the risk of picking Assefa. I think Degefa is a stronger choice personally, with the combination of her speed and proven ability to win unpaced races (Boston 2019), but the optics of not picking the fastest woman ever by almost 2 minutes are pretty rough. Degefa also suffers from only having 1 race under her belt since January 2020. I think she needs to win Boston to be selected.
Assuming Beriso and Gebreslase's spots are secured, I think at the moment the last is between Degefa and Assefa. If Kebebe is able to only be beat by Hassan and Beriso in Tokyo and manages to run in the 2:16 range I could see her getting the nod. If Megertu wins a major in a similar time range she I think immediately is one of the top contenders since she can run super fast and also seems to be unable to finish off the podium. Ayana is also a dark horse. It really does just come down to how everyone's spring marathons compare, which is a bit of a copout but Ethiopia does have like 6-7 women all operating on similar levels.
If she has a really good race in Tokyo I could see Kebebe maybe making it. Beriso has to be on the team I think--she's super fast and the world champion. Gebreslase should be there as well with a gold and silver at the WCs this cycle, which is more impressive than it usually is considering the strength of the teams ETH and Kenya sent to Eugene and Budapest.
Aussiestatman makes a good point about the risk of picking Assefa. I think Degefa is a stronger choice personally, with the combination of her speed and proven ability to win unpaced races (Boston 2019), but the optics of not picking the fastest woman ever by almost 2 minutes are pretty rough. Degefa also suffers from only having 1 race under her belt since January 2020. I think she needs to win Boston to be selected.
Assuming Beriso and Gebreslase's spots are secured, I think at the moment the last is between Degefa and Assefa. If Kebebe is able to only be beat by Hassan and Beriso in Tokyo and manages to run in the 2:16 range I could see her getting the nod. If Megertu wins a major in a similar time range she I think immediately is one of the top contenders since she can run super fast and also seems to be unable to finish off the podium. Ayana is also a dark horse. It really does just come down to how everyone's spring marathons compare, which is a bit of a copout but Ethiopia does have like 6-7 women all operating on similar levels.
Amazing win over the half in Houston over Obiri. I imagine she has plans for an upcoming marathon, if she runs quicker than Worknesh Degefa did in Valencia, does she take the third Ethiopian Olympic selection?
Beat Obiri by 90 sec. No woman quicker the last 17 months over the half
I think the next 3 months of Tokyo, Boston, Rotterdam, and London and how they affect the 6 contestants for Paris across the two countries, is more exciting than the olympics itself
Amazing win over the half in Houston over Obiri. I imagine she has plans for an upcoming marathon, if she runs quicker than Worknesh Degefa did in Valencia, does she take the third Ethiopian Olympic selection?
Verrry interesting now after she wins a match race with Beriso. I’m really not sure their best move. Feels like Gebreslase should be looking to run sub-2:16 to secure her spot. I know there was the top 3 thing but it feels like a win or sub-2:16 needed.
If she has a really good race in Tokyo I could see Kebebe maybe making it. Beriso has to be on the team I think--she's super fast and the world champion. Gebreslase should be there as well with a gold and silver at the WCs this cycle, which is more impressive than it usually is considering the strength of the teams ETH and Kenya sent to Eugene and Budapest.
Aussiestatman makes a good point about the risk of picking Assefa. I think Degefa is a stronger choice personally, with the combination of her speed and proven ability to win unpaced races (Boston 2019), but the optics of not picking the fastest woman ever by almost 2 minutes are pretty rough. Degefa also suffers from only having 1 race under her belt since January 2020. I think she needs to win Boston to be selected.
Assuming Beriso and Gebreslase's spots are secured, I think at the moment the last is between Degefa and Assefa. If Kebebe is able to only be beat by Hassan and Beriso in Tokyo and manages to run in the 2:16 range I could see her getting the nod. If Megertu wins a major in a similar time range she I think immediately is one of the top contenders since she can run super fast and also seems to be unable to finish off the podium. Ayana is also a dark horse. It really does just come down to how everyone's spring marathons compare, which is a bit of a copout but Ethiopia does have like 6-7 women all operating on similar levels.
Megertu in London is the only one now standing in the way of a Ethiopian team of Gotytom, Beriso, and Sutume
If she has a really good race in Tokyo I could see Kebebe maybe making it. Beriso has to be on the team I think--she's super fast and the world champion. Gebreslase should be there as well with a gold and silver at the WCs this cycle, which is more impressive than it usually is considering the strength of the teams ETH and Kenya sent to Eugene and Budapest.
Aussiestatman makes a good point about the risk of picking Assefa. I think Degefa is a stronger choice personally, with the combination of her speed and proven ability to win unpaced races (Boston 2019), but the optics of not picking the fastest woman ever by almost 2 minutes are pretty rough. Degefa also suffers from only having 1 race under her belt since January 2020. I think she needs to win Boston to be selected.
Assuming Beriso and Gebreslase's spots are secured, I think at the moment the last is between Degefa and Assefa. If Kebebe is able to only be beat by Hassan and Beriso in Tokyo and manages to run in the 2:16 range I could see her getting the nod. If Megertu wins a major in a similar time range she I think immediately is one of the top contenders since she can run super fast and also seems to be unable to finish off the podium. Ayana is also a dark horse. It really does just come down to how everyone's spring marathons compare, which is a bit of a copout but Ethiopia does have like 6-7 women all operating on similar levels.
Megertu in London is the only one now standing in the way of a Ethiopian team of Gotytom, Beriso, and Sutume
A Kenyan podium in Boston effectively ruled out the chances of fringe contenders like Teferi. Less than a week to wait now