I wouldn’t say she has no shot. we haven’t seen Sydney have a bad race in …maybe forever. But Femkes PR is only .3 behind her now. Any mis-step by Syd gives Femke a shot.
The relays should be an absolute lock for the US barring a dropped baton or other DQ (which history has shown us certainly can happen)
Should she even be part of the relays as The Netherlands have no shot at Gold in both?
Better to stay fresh for the 400h to fight for her individual bronze.
What do you mean individual bronze in 400H? She's the clear world #2 in the event and it's not remotely close. Dramatically higher odds of Bol upsetting Syd than the field upsetting either of them for gold/silver.
(The gap between Syd and Bol this season is 0.3s; the gap between Bol and world #3 this season is 1.5s lol)
Should she even be part of the relays as The Netherlands have no shot at Gold in both?
Better to stay fresh for the 400h to fight for her individual bronze.
What do you mean individual bronze in 400H? She's the clear world #2 in the event and it's not remotely close. Dramatically higher odds of Bol upsetting Syd than the field upsetting either of them for gold/silver.
(The gap between Syd and Bol this season is 0.3s; the gap between Bol and world #3 this season is 1.5s lol)
What do you mean individual bronze in 400H? She's the clear world #2 in the event and it's not remotely close. Dramatically higher odds of Bol upsetting Syd than the field upsetting either of them for gold/silver.
(The gap between Syd and Bol this season is 0.3s; the gap between Bol and world #3 this season is 1.5s lol)
The gap between Sydney and Bol is 0.80s
No it isn't. Syd's WR from hurdles was 50.65. Bol ran 50.95 three weeks ago at Resisprint La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Her best chance was always the mixed relay. I knew that prior to Tokyo 2021. That was the opportunity. The United States wasn't taking it seriously. If that race had been male/female/male/female then Bol and the Dutch would have won the gold medal.
NBC and Ato Boldon didn't even bother to mention the shake up in the Dutch mixed relay lineup. Their best 400 guy Liemarvin Bonevacia was a late scratch with a hamstring injury. He's the only guy who was capable of a 44 something opening leg to keep it reasonably competitive with the Americans.
Klaver could have kept it tight on leg two. The third guy Klein-Ikkink is better than he showed today. He is superior in chase mode than while leading, just like Bol.
Now it doesn't matter. Omalla probably ran better at lead today than he will in the final. The Dutch will be far behind and scrapping for any medal. They are fortunate that Ireland gave away this event with a terrible line up today, after fighting so hard to qualify at World Relays then winning gold at European Championships.
Cathelijn Peeters did a very nice job filling in for Bol today at anchor. A year ago they never would have trusted her in that role. Late bloomer who is very scrappy.
I know it's hard to understand for some Americans, but silver actually has value for the Dutch. When your country averages less than one T&F medal per Olympics, you don't really get to just diminish the value of a silver or a bronze.
If the Netherlands gets silver today, it will be a victory.
This post was edited 27 seconds after it was posted.
I know it's hard to understand for some Americans, but silver actually has value for the Dutch. When your country averages less than one T&F medal per Olympics, you don't really get to just diminish the value of a silver or a bronze.
If the Netherlands gets silver today, it will be a victory.
And a diminished paycheck. None of the relay team members is running for pocket change. A silver's winnings, divided by four, isn't quite on par with the Dutch standards of living.
I know it's hard to understand for some Americans, but silver actually has value for the Dutch. When your country averages less than one T&F medal per Olympics, you don't really get to just diminish the value of a silver or a bronze.
If the Netherlands gets silver today, it will be a victory.
And a diminished paycheck. None of the relay team members is running for pocket change. A silver's winnings, divided by four, isn't quite on par with the Dutch standards of living.
I was wondering about this - so team and in this case, relay $ gets split? Lebron if he wins gold will get like 3 grand?
I know it's hard to understand for some Americans, but silver actually has value for the Dutch. When your country averages less than one T&F medal per Olympics, you don't really get to just diminish the value of a silver or a bronze.
If the Netherlands gets silver today, it will be a victory.
And a diminished paycheck. None of the relay team members is running for pocket change. A silver's winnings, divided by four, isn't quite on par with the Dutch standards of living.
You win a Olympic medal in the Netherlands you become a household name.
The earning potential dwarfs any prizemoney they might earn from winning the medal.
And a diminished paycheck. None of the relay team members is running for pocket change. A silver's winnings, divided by four, isn't quite on par with the Dutch standards of living.
You win a Olympic medal in the Netherlands you become a household name.
The earning potential dwarfs any prizemoney they might earn from winning the medal.
Right. And you become more of a household name winning gold, not silver.
I'm sorry, but none of my Dutch colleagues can point out Eveline Saalberg for the life of them. They struggle with Cathelijn Peteers as well. It's not due to a lack of understanding, it's because they are not household names in Amsterdam or Utrecht or most other places in the country.
Bol running the mixed relay or not isn't likely to change the outcome of the 400mH. Whether she runs 50.9 or 51.5 isn't going to change that SML wins gold and Bol wins silver.