I did not see the race but my guess would come down to tactics and luck as sometimes you just find yourself in the wrong place. Hocker was lucky that Jakob made room for him. Still it was the right move as Kerr was the bigger threat. Hocker would have never won if Jakob would have taken the inside of the lane and that would have most likely secured him a Bronze. Some things just turn out a certain way.
If you look at the past few races, you will see that Kessler and Miller supported each other. In the 1500, Kessler was out of his element as his mechanics were at least beginning to give up on him at that pace. That took a toll that is more than any one regular race.
I did not see the race but my guess would come down to tactics and luck as sometimes you just find yourself in the wrong place. Hocker was lucky that Jakob made room for him. Still it was the right move as Kerr was the bigger threat. Hocker would have never won if Jakob would have taken the inside of the lane and that would have most likely secured him a Bronze. Some things just turn out a certain way.
If you look at the past few races, you will see that Kessler and Miller supported each other. In the 1500, Kessler was out of his element as his mechanics were at least beginning to give up on him at that pace. That took a toll that is more than any one regular race.
There was a moment in the 800 when he could have taken the train, keeping connected to the lead pack, but it seemed he just couldn't - I think he's tired and rightly so. What experience he gained, though! Massive week for him running at max.
There was a moment in the 800 when he could have taken the train, keeping connected to the lead pack, but it seemed he just couldn't - I think he's tired and rightly so. What experience he gained, though! Massive week for him running at max.
This is the Olympics. It’s not about gaining experience or having fun. It’s about competition. He ran great in the 1500 and I give him credit for that. But he treated the 800 as an afterthought. That’s what I don’t like. The 800 should be taken seriously not treated as an afterthought.
LRC is mostly populated by no talent turds, former high school JV scrubs, and fat old hobby joggers that know nothing of top flight athletics. This place is no better than the ball sports sites where morbidly obese senior citizens and unemployed losers kvetch about their local team while pretending that they can suit up and play better than anyone on the current roster.
It was a tactical prelim. He was not seeded to make the final, not even particularly favored to make it to the semis.
It reaffirmed my concern with him in the 800m tactically. Since it was slow, this was more of a cagey affair where his usual tactic of going out slow through 150 and moving up in the field deliberately through 600, then kicking was hard to execute. He had to do some work to get into a decent spot by 500, but then everyone turned it on and he was boxed and didn't have an extra gear. No doubt without the 1500m in the legs maybe he could overcome that somewhat, but this was a semi that was tricky to navigate even for the experienced guys. Top 2+2 is a brutal system as is, and you either have to be a class above, luck into a heat with a frontrunner like Wanyonyi or run a great tactical race.
It reaffirmed my concern with him in the 800m tactically. Since it was slow, this was more of a cagey affair where his usual tactic of going out slow through 150 and moving up in the field deliberately through 600, then kicking was hard to execute. He had to do some work to get into a decent spot by 500, but then everyone turned it on and he was boxed and didn't have an extra gear. No doubt without the 1500m in the legs maybe he could overcome that somewhat, but this was a semi that was tricky to navigate even for the experienced guys. Top 2+2 is a brutal system as is, and you either have to be a class above, luck into a heat with a frontrunner like Wanyonyi or run a great tactical race.
Excellent analysis. That’s another reason we should have had an 800 specialist in that spot. Someone who knows what they’re doing and who prioritizes that event.