It's also Euros this year, so many are targeting that in early June rather than indoors. It's hard to peak three times in a year for most athletes, though I think they should prioritise a home champs over Euros. But as someone else said, Britain doesn't have much of a culture of indoor athletics
Yeah you are right. I think I’m impatient to see some form! And athletes from other countries such as Bol have been all over the indoors. But I guess it is different in each country.
Do we know Keely has definitely been injured? As she has definitely been training in South Africa. Maybe her team want to be cautious with her.
Bol's awesome, but an outlier, same as Jakob, Muir, and usually Keely as well. They race all the time.
Not sure about Keely's status. I saw a lot of posts of her training with the group but there's been no updates. I think if she was fit, she'd race. She's a competitor through-and-through
This made me think of Aaron Bienenfeld and the situation in Germany as well. He commented that there just isn't really any infrastructure in place to bring in the numbers of younger athletes they need to build the sport or to support them as they become pros.
What is going wrong in those countries? How can Germany and the UK be so weak. Holland and Norway seem to be doing just fine. But these two, not so much...
This made me think of Aaron Bienenfeld and the situation in Germany as well. He commented that there just isn't really any infrastructure in place to bring in the numbers of younger athletes they need to build the sport or to support them as they become pros.
What is going wrong in those countries? How can Germany and the UK be so weak. Holland and Norway seem to be doing just fine. But these two, not so much...
I don’t think we are weak in terms of quality athletes (especially middle distance runners) but this is definitely in spite of Uk Athletes rather than because of. There seems to be some dodgy decision making there. And yes not great infrastructure to support young athletes.
This made me think of Aaron Bienenfeld and the situation in Germany as well. He commented that there just isn't really any infrastructure in place to bring in the numbers of younger athletes they need to build the sport or to support them as they become pros.
What is going wrong in those countries? How can Germany and the UK be so weak. Holland and Norway seem to be doing just fine. But these two, not so much...
Germany and the UK are incomparable when it comes to athletics. You can go to any DL or Gold Label meet and not see any German athletes at all. They have two world class athletes in total (Koko and Mihambo). The UK has global medal contenders across multiple events, names you'll see at the highest level meets: Kerr, Wightman, Muir, Hodgkinson, Johnson-Thompson, Asher-Smith, Hughes, Hudson-Smith.
Norway and the Netherlands are doing OK, but they're reliant on a handful of generational talents. Once you get below Jakob and Warholm in Norway, and Bol and Hassan in the Netherlands, there's not a lot of depth, just the odd athlete like Nordas and Laros. It reminds me of Sweden in the early 2000s when they had Karolina Kluft, Christian Olsson and Stefan Holm winning medals. They were just huge talents, there wasn't a system behind them to being more through.
Britain won 10 medals in Budapest, Netherlands 5, Norway 4, and Germany 0. Spain won 5 as well but two of them were for race-walking
This made me think of Aaron Bienenfeld and the situation in Germany as well. He commented that there just isn't really any infrastructure in place to bring in the numbers of younger athletes they need to build the sport or to support them as they become pros.
What is going wrong in those countries? How can Germany and the UK be so weak. Holland and Norway seem to be doing just fine. But these two, not so much...
Germany and the UK are incomparable when it comes to athletics. You can go to any DL or Gold Label meet and not see any German athletes at all. They have two world class athletes in total (Koko and Mihambo). The UK has global medal contenders across multiple events, names you'll see at the highest level meets: Kerr, Wightman, Muir, Hodgkinson, Johnson-Thompson, Asher-Smith, Hughes, Hudson-Smith.
Norway and the Netherlands are doing OK, but they're reliant on a handful of generational talents. Once you get below Jakob and Warholm in Norway, and Bol and Hassan in the Netherlands, there's not a lot of depth, just the odd athlete like Nordas and Laros. It reminds me of Sweden in the early 2000s when they had Karolina Kluft, Christian Olsson and Stefan Holm winning medals. They were just huge talents, there wasn't a system behind them to being more through.
Britain won 10 medals in Budapest, Netherlands 5, Norway 4, and Germany 0. Spain won 5 as well but two of them were for race-walking
Interesting that you mentioned Spain's five medals with the caveat that two of those medals were for race walking implying that race walking is possibly not a bonafide athletic event. Of course, I'm biased, because I like race walking and value the event but I know that many or most people do not really respect race walkers and have no idea about the athleticism and work required to reach a high level in that particular discipline.
However I do agree with you that getting medals in race walking may be advantageous because many countries do not field serious race walkers. For example, I cannot recall the Netherlands as ever having world-class race walkers, to name just one country.
This made me think of Aaron Bienenfeld and the situation in Germany as well. He commented that there just isn't really any infrastructure in place to bring in the numbers of younger athletes they need to build the sport or to support them as they become pros.
What is going wrong in those countries? How can Germany and the UK be so weak. Holland and Norway seem to be doing just fine. But these two, not so much...
Germany and the UK are incomparable when it comes to athletics. You can go to any DL or Gold Label meet and not see any German athletes at all. They have two world class athletes in total (Koko and Mihambo). The UK has global medal contenders across multiple events, names you'll see at the highest level meets: Kerr, Wightman, Muir, Hodgkinson, Johnson-Thompson, Asher-Smith, Hughes, Hudson-Smith.
Norway and the Netherlands are doing OK, but they're reliant on a handful of generational talents. Once you get below Jakob and Warholm in Norway, and Bol and Hassan in the Netherlands, there's not a lot of depth, just the odd athlete like Nordas and Laros. It reminds me of Sweden in the early 2000s when they had Karolina Kluft, Christian Olsson and Stefan Holm winning medals. They were just huge talents, there wasn't a system behind them to being more through.
Britain won 10 medals in Budapest, Netherlands 5, Norway 4, and Germany 0. Spain won 5 as well but two of them were for race-walking
Team GB needs to dissolve and countries need to represent themselves like in every other sport. That would solve the funding issue. Kerr and Wightman and Muir run for Scotland. Other blokes can run for England, etc.
That would amplify funding crises not solve them. Dumb idea.
It’s in Glasgow for god’s sake! They don’t even have to pay for a flight”
Josh Kerr has to pay for a flight. (From US) UK athletics sucks at developing their own would be medalists these days.. but I guess in that same sense, so does the US
Seems I have to take the L on this one. It's now coming out that qualified athletes have been denied places in Glasgow, including Guy Learmouth, a Scottish athlete denied the chance to run in a home games. UKA again, man
Guy doesn't have the time standard. The selection policy is pretty clear. Whether it's fair or not is a different matter.
That's true, but he is in the rankings quota and Britain hasn't selected any men at all for 800 and as hosts, they get a place in every event. It's a home games and UKA has a responsibility to generate interest in the event. There's no better way to do that than having home athletes competing in as many events as possible.
Fortunately, it looks like some athletes will be selected on rankings (Amy Hunt, Scott Lincoln), but Learmouth seems to have been excluded despite his expressed interest.
Germany and the UK are incomparable when it comes to athletics. You can go to any DL or Gold Label meet and not see any German athletes at all. They have two world class athletes in total (Koko and Mihambo). The UK has global medal contenders across multiple events, names you'll see at the highest level meets: Kerr, Wightman, Muir, Hodgkinson, Johnson-Thompson, Asher-Smith, Hughes, Hudson-Smith.
Norway and the Netherlands are doing OK, but they're reliant on a handful of generational talents. Once you get below Jakob and Warholm in Norway, and Bol and Hassan in the Netherlands, there's not a lot of depth, just the odd athlete like Nordas and Laros. It reminds me of Sweden in the early 2000s when they had Karolina Kluft, Christian Olsson and Stefan Holm winning medals. They were just huge talents, there wasn't a system behind them to being more through.
Britain won 10 medals in Budapest, Netherlands 5, Norway 4, and Germany 0. Spain won 5 as well but two of them were for race-walking
Interesting that you mentioned Spain's five medals with the caveat that two of those medals were for race walking implying that race walking is possibly not a bonafide athletic event. Of course, I'm biased, because I like race walking and value the event but I know that many or most people do not really respect race walkers and have no idea about the athleticism and work required to reach a high level in that particular discipline.
However I do agree with you that getting medals in race walking may be advantageous because many countries do not field serious race walkers. For example, I cannot recall the Netherlands as ever having world-class race walkers, to name just one country.
The hill I will die on is that if anyone goes to watch a 50km racewalk live at a good level (Worlds/Euros/Olympics) they will stop being so snooty aboit race walking and recognise it for the great sport that it is.
It's a crying shame they killed off the 50km
This post was edited 4 minutes after it was posted.
The hill I will die on is that if anyone goes to watch a 50km racewalk live at a good level (Worlds/Euros/Olympics) they will stop being so snooty aboit race walking and recognise it for the great sport that it is.
It's a crying shame they killed off the 50km
The problem is when you watch it on TV and it's very clear that they're all just running in a stupid style.
They deliberately banned slow motion replays of them waddling because it was just so ridiculous.
The hill I will die on is that if anyone goes to watch a 50km racewalk live at a good level (Worlds/Euros/Olympics) they will stop being so snooty aboit race walking and recognise it for the great sport that it is.
It's a crying shame they killed off the 50km
The problem is when you watch it on TV and it's very clear that they're all just running in a stupid style.
They deliberately banned slow motion replays of them waddling because it was just so ridiculous.
Yeah i agree it's poor on TV, absolutely Epic in person
I'm fairly sure but for Bol and maybe the young lad Laros and then one family and part of that family's project in Nordas, both Holland and Norway would much rather have the UK's strength and depth in Track and Field