Giles vs Kerr

I think that Giles was in the wrong too (though many on here disagree). There was enough room for Kerr - he kept straight and Giles drifted back across that lane also slowed and tied up. I think it was sloppy from Giles.

If there’s a gap you can go for it - nobody got cross with Ciara Mageean when she essentially pushed her way past Reekie and Bell in the final stretch in the Euros. Because she saw a gap and went for it - that’s racing.

Yeah it was all Giles' doing, a lot of the neckbeards on here think anything Kerr does is punishable by death because he dared to beat their lord and savour, the iamverysmart God himself Jakob Ingebritsen.

Yep there is that. Doesn’t really make for a balanced discussion. And then they always bring it back to Jacob. Even when he’s not in the race. So dull.

Just rewatched the race. It's definitely Giles' fault but seems unintentional. Just before blocking Kerr he looks up to his right (at a screen) and veers to his left.

It’s definitely unintentional. He just wasn’t looking and then veered.

Maybe he’s a subconscious sore-loser douchebag. Like those assholes on the highway who change lanes, effectively cutting you off, when they had plenty of clear space to do so in the prior 10 seconds.

"B-but t-they're fanboys!!!!" Notice how there's no actual arguments in your post. I can literally see a puddle of piss where you're standing.

Having rewatched it in slow motion, Giles first puts his right arm out at the beginning of the home straight in an attempt to block Burgin, then further down the home straight puts his left arm out to block Kerr at the same time as veering towards the rail in an attempt to “body” Kerr, then falls to the ground in what I would call a “dive” in football (his knees buckle for no reason and he falls unnaturally).

Overall a shambolic sequence of events and a display of fragility in the home straight that is typical of his career. He has run 1:43 and 3:30, so is never falling apart due to fitness, it looks psychological.

It’s part and parcel of racing. I will admit I dislike Kerr intensely, but on rewatching, it’s broadly 50/50.

That said, I don’t like runners forcing their way through against the rail. It’s not an issue where you seize on a mistake and a gap opens up, but where there isn’t space and you still have a kick, move on the outside.

Kerr knew he couldn’t beat the field running the extra distance on the outside, so allowed himself to get boxed and then forced his way through.

Look at his reaction. He looked apologetic. He knew.

A nonsense take. Kerr clearly intended to lead to the finish but Giles stepped in on him with 200m to go and Kerr stumbled a half step, knocking his momentum. This led to being boxed in and the inner lane being his only realistic option. Giles then left a large gap on the inside for a fast-closing Kerr to capitalise on. Whether inadvertent, or whether he saw Kerr approaching on the big screen to his right, he veered back in very suddenly. Then we got to see what happens when someone veers in front of someone who is running faster than they are. If Giles wasn't already tying up from the previous effort of overtaking Kerr then they wouldn't have collided. Giles arguably sabotaged Kerr twice in the last 200m, once with a (perhaps overly-optimistic) overtake for a short-lived lead and once by closing the door on him like a rhino. Giles can, of course, race the last 200m however he wants, but I can't help but feel that Kerr must have a bit of a sour taste in his mouth after that.

As a fan of the sport - why would you dislike a world champion intensely?
we follow a sport way different to most professional sports in that athletes are accessible. Have you asked anyone on the UNM team what Josh was like? Asked anyone on BB what he is like? Everyone always says confidence can seem like arrogance and I admit he can come off as arrogant but I’ve met him at races 4 times and he’s a nice guy. Unless you are a high school fan boy who loves Jakob which means you have to dislike Josh - actually hating him would imply mental health problems.

Yeah.

Giles stepped in on him. From the outside. Kerr got boxed because he isn’t quick enough to front run an 800m.

And the gap clearly wasn’t big enough, was it? Otherwise they wouldn’t have tangled. And Giles didn’t ‘veer’.

Because he says things like ‘The best part of winning is everyone else losing’, dresses like he’s in a Nespresso advert and talks about himself in the third person.

Passing on the inside is a dangerous move. Kerr should have known better than to put himself in that position, and regardless of the extent to which Giles was at fault (which he was), Kerr should be deeply ashamed of how he took out another runner's Olympic hopes.

I will be rooting for every other 1,500 meter runner in Paris.

"Gap wasn't big enough", "Didn't veer". Look at his left foot.

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Clarification - I should have written that Kerr "participated in taking out another runner's Olympic hopes." Giles does bear his share of the blame.

are their arms tangled up there? that would appear to show not enough room.

No, their arms were not tangled here