What the heck was Marco Arop doing in Lausanne?

That was frustrating to watch

pacemaker was an idiot

maybe that threw Arop off? Don’t know what he was doing on the backstretch

Shifting lanes and speed there definitely cost him the race and maybe the wr.

To be honest, I couldn’t tell if it was the rabbit not getting off in time or if Arop was simply impatient. Regardless, what a blunder.

It really looked like at 550m Arop knew he didn't have it and let Wanyonyi go for the world record. Pretty class move. Not sure what happened at 400m though with the pacer

It’s not clear to me that the pacemaker caused this issue, Arop just seemed to want to hang out in lane 2 for a couple hundred meters.

Would he have any sort of incentive to essentially take a running dive in that race and let someone else win when he likely had it in the bag?

Beast mode . helps being 6-3 “ too

I think he was being a gentleman weirdly. Knew his WR/winning chances was gone, so let Wanyonyi do his thing and go for it on Sunday.

He probably wanted to demonstrate to the rabbit the proper technique for getting out of the way, or didn't want to compromise Wanyonyi's record chances after the rabbit got in his way.

The pacemaker moved out to drop out as Arop was passing. Why they don't step off the inside is beyond me.

Arop is a hard worker and wanted to work hard by setting the WR from lane 2.

Arop ran in Paris 805m 1,41,2, Counting those extra meters 51,0+49,5. this man should run sub 1.40.

This WR was setup for Arop. And he blew it. And not for the first time. Did the same thing in the Indoor 1000M WR attempt.

EW 50S first lap was never at WR pace. His strength is holding the pace not accelerating after. It was his rehearsal and still PB.

Silesia has all elements aligned. great pacing, fast track and a well rested EW.

Is it possible that the bicarbonate supplement improves physiological capacity but is deleterious for mental capacity?

On the other hand, Bryce on the rail all the way.

I actually like that he let Wanyonyi pass him. He knew he blew his chance, but he didn't want to blow other's.

Why isn't there some type of standard with these pacers where they and all the competitors know they are going to step to the inside/outside prior to the race? Why can't they let the runners know in the call room beforehand? It seems every meet a pacer screws something up or a racer doesn't correctly anticipate what they are going to do. Just freaking figure it out beforehand.

Seemed very clear cut to me. They didn't talk it out with the pacemaker ahead of time toward when/how he should step off the track. Since Arop didn't know and was getting jammed he decided to move right. It was the wrong guess.

On the backstretch Arop understood the extra meters had cost him any chance at 1:40 so he moved out and let Wanyonyi attempt it.

Arop is incredibly versatile and adaptable, especially given his frame. Every race unfolds differently for him.

I think this is right. He was even smiling as Wanyonyi went through. I think with the owner, Arop just lost patience at the pace and knew someone needed to push it so he took it on. It was all a bit weird, but it's a no-consequence race and probably very little prize money. Even so, it's good to see the 1:41 streak continue

Yeah let's first address the heat on Le Meur the pacer and here is the replay for reference.

In no world is he at fault for the decision Arop makes to go around him. The only criticism I would have is that he could only make it 415m but I don't know what was agreed on with JD so maybe that was the distance. For one look at the inside of that curve with all the speakers and a cameraman right there - you aren't stepping off inside there just for straight up safety alone - you could catch the rail and bring down the race, run into the cameraman and cause a mess - him exiting wide was the right thing.

What Arop is doing in a WR attempt ever coming off the rail is beyond me to begin with and Le Meur is clearly showing intent to get out of the way. Look at 3:03 on the above replay - why could Arop not have been in lane 1 simply passing on the inside? It's ridiculous.

But what happens down the back straight I have simply never seen before in an 800m race at any level. Any level. Arop visibly slows down and moves aside as if he was the pacemaker, does he also flash a weird smile at the 600m point - who would ever know. But wait, he's not because he gets back into lane one and then even moves wide into lane 2 again up the homestraight presumably in an attempt to win.

I would love to hear an honest explanation of that one from Arop, I really would.