“I now know why I lost out on the medals in the final 100m,” says Lobalu. “I didn’t kick like how I could and I also didn’t see the guy who was coming behind me.
“All my focus was on those in front of me, so when I saw the American guy next to me I was like: ‘What the hell?’. I have to accept, though, that this is sport.”
From childhood trauma to a European title and a spot at the Olympics, Lobalu opens up about his remarkable journey and the importance of inspiring others
I think there is something in Lobalu that is being suppressed, the feeling that he feels the American guy could be doping? just my guess. he felt fisher doesn't belong in the top few.
I think there is something in Lobalu that is being suppressed, the feeling that he feels the American guy could be doping? just my guess. he felt fisher doesn't belong in the top few.
Not doping.
Dominic had just outkicked Grant in the London DL 3k race as their final tuneups pre-Olympics.
Simply surprised that Grant turned the tables on him.
I think there is something in Lobalu that is being suppressed, the feeling that he feels the American guy could be doping? just my guess. he felt fisher doesn't belong in the top few.
Nothing about his use of “the American guy” suggests surprise at it being an American. It’s surprise that given his focus on the people in front of him, he didn’t expect someone from behind to overtake him.
I think there is something in Lobalu that is being suppressed, the feeling that he feels the American guy could be doping? just my guess. he felt fisher doesn't belong in the top few.
Not doping.
Dominic had just outkicked Grant in the London DL 3k race as their final tuneups pre-Olympics.
Simply surprised that Grant turned the tables on him.
He may first learn the guys name who has beaten him before.
Nothing about his use of “the American guy” suggests surprise at it being an American. It’s surprise that given his focus on the people in front of him, he didn’t expect someone from behind to overtake him.
I bet Grant was similarly surprised when Aregawi went by him in the 10,000 - it looked like both guys were dead in the water (Grant in the 5K) before furious charges the last 100. Grant in the 10K and Kwemoi/Lobalu in the 5K had more conventional finishes where they did a lot from 300 to go and then in the last 50 were running on fumes/momentum.
The quote makes it sound as if he could have held off Fisher if he saw him coming, but Fisher wound up close enough to Kwemoi that that doesn’t really make sense.
1. Ingebrigtsen 13:13.66
2. Kwemoi 13:15.04
3. Fisher 13:15.13
4. Lobalu 13:15.27
5. Gebrhiwet 13:15.32
If he could have held off Fisher he’d have been leaning at the line vs. Kwemoi, and he wasn’t.
I think there is something in Lobalu that is being suppressed, the feeling that he feels the American guy could be doping? just my guess. he felt fisher doesn't belong in the top few.
He is likely annoyed that grant pulled an Ian Stewart. He knew that American Prefontaine would never take the easy way out to medal so why would Grant?
“I now know why I lost out on the medals in the final 100m,” says Lobalu. “I didn’t kick like how I could and I also didn’t see the guy who was coming behind me.
“All my focus was on those in front of me, so when I saw the American guy next to me I was like: ‘What the hell?’. I have to accept, though, that this is sport.”
Yeah I also can't really make sense of what he's saying. You didn't "kick like how (you) could" - maybe you just overestimated your ability mate.
"I also didn't see the guy who was coming behind me" - and? What difference would that have made? The only thing I can think of is if he was inferring that if he had he could have made some potentially illegal move to block him - but why would you ever want to infer that?
I mean it sounds like he took his spot on the track for granted (no pun intended) and is trying to come up with some weird excuse which he softens with the "this is sport" comment. The overall narrative comes off as disparaging to Fisher tbh - not a great look.
“I now know why I lost out on the medals in the final 100m,” says Lobalu. “I didn’t kick like how I could and I also didn’t see the guy who was coming behind me.
“All my focus was on those in front of me, so when I saw the American guy next to me I was like: ‘What the hell?’. I have to accept, though, that this is sport.”
Yeah I also can't really make sense of what he's saying. You didn't "kick like how (you) could" - maybe you just overestimated your ability mate.
"I also didn't see the guy who was coming behind me" - and? What difference would that have made? The only thing I can think of is if he was inferring that if he had he could have made some potentially illegal move to block him - but why would you ever want to infer that?
I mean it sounds like he took his spot on the track for granted (no pun intended) and is trying to come up with some weird excuse which he softens with the "this is sport" comment. The overall narrative comes off as disparaging to Fisher tbh - not a great look.
TBH all he is saying is gold and silver were out of reach, and he thought he had bronze locked up. He was being honest in saying he should have finished harder but he mentally didn’t because of where he was on the podium, and it ended up costing him a medal. He may have been a bit arrogant in implying that if he knew grant was closing that he was fast enough to hold him off.
TBH all he is saying is gold and silver were out of reach, and he thought he had bronze locked up. He was being honest in saying he should have finished harder but he mentally didn’t because of where he was on the podium, and it ended up costing him a medal. He may have been a bit arrogant in implying that if he knew grant was closing that he was fast enough to hold him off.
Yes it sounds a lot like Morgan McDonald after his prelim where he didn’t get in, as claimed he didn’t see a couple guys. These guys are competitors and like to think if they had perfect knowledge they had that extra push/gear. In reality, in most cases they probably do not unless you can literally see them ease off too early. That isn’t the case in most instances especially in a tight, narrow finish where medals are at stake. Still I wouldn’t think its arrogance/hubris, just a guy thinking he had a little more.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
Yeah I also can't really make sense of what he's saying. You didn't "kick like how (you) could" - maybe you just overestimated your ability mate.
"I also didn't see the guy who was coming behind me" - and? What difference would that have made? The only thing I can think of is if he was inferring that if he had he could have made some potentially illegal move to block him - but why would you ever want to infer that?
I mean it sounds like he took his spot on the track for granted (no pun intended) and is trying to come up with some weird excuse which he softens with the "this is sport" comment. The overall narrative comes off as disparaging to Fisher tbh - not a great look.
TBH all he is saying is gold and silver were out of reach, and he thought he had bronze locked up. He was being honest in saying he should have finished harder but he mentally didn’t because of where he was on the podium, and it ended up costing him a medal. He may have been a bit arrogant in implying that if he knew grant was closing that he was fast enough to hold him off.
Well then there's his mistake to begin with. It's an Olympic final - you don't take any spot/or place for granted. In the end I don't believe any of it - he was cooked and got beaten for bronze by the better guy on the day. This notion that "oh well you know I could have but I just made a mental error" is totally disparaging to GF. He was better than you physically and mentally on the day and got his due reward. Period.
This post was edited 22 seconds after it was posted.
I think there is something in Lobalu that is being suppressed, the feeling that he feels the American guy could be doping? just my guess. he felt fisher doesn't belong in the top few.
Not doping.
Dominic had just outkicked Grant in the London DL 3k race as their final tuneups pre-Olympics.
Simply surprised that Grant turned the tables on him.
Sorry I just don’t think so. His element of surprise definitely contained a questionable factor like doping. He sees GF as like an outsider.
Agree it wasn’t hubris but it was still shock. Shock because he didn’t think GF is a threat to the top 3 positions at all. Probably saw him as the next guy. Not the T Dawg.
The best way to piece together the information is to do a meta analysis of where Lobalu and GF were with 300, 200, 150, 100, 60, 30 meters to go. That way we can tell the time rate of closing, the distances made up and how fast, the number of impediments and obstacles from other runners or boxed in etc. GF may have too much ground to make up at this level and yet still beat the heck out of Lobalu. Lobalu may also have made his comment after hindsight upon reviewing race footage after the fact.
Lobalu may be slightly disgruntled by trying to make a point about GF doping by not making a point about it and camouflaging it with some other statements and words that indirectly shows his displeasure at GF doping.
It was most certainly doping alright. You made good on that point but whether or not it was EPO is uncertain so I won’t judge on the type of drug. There was thread previously about GF coach Scannell which had lots of emphasis on doping being the reason for GF double bronze antics.
