Perhaps but you make your own "luck" to certain degree. ...Like tying your shoes tight. By not getting tangled up with other runners, especially when they're 5" taller and 30 pounds heavier. Make better space for yourself. ...Also keeping your head together when the going gets dicey. He got visibly mad on the course today at his competitors when he got tangled up and no one else lost their $hit like he did.
Yes, he might have won today if he kept his shoe but he didn't. I wouldn't blame bad luck though. He didn't put himself in safer situation, he didn't tie his shoes well enough, and he ran with inferior tactics compared to Graham Blanks.
He’s only a sophomore but he had a good chance to win today if he had both shoes.
You didn’t even mention he broke 27 and then the Eritrean Olympic powers didn’t enter him for Paris. That being said the New Mexico opportunity has been great for him overall, and he seemed happy to get runner-up despite the 1 shoe.
Perhaps but you make your own "luck" to certain degree. ...Like tying your shoes tight. By not getting tangled up with other runners, especially when they're 5" taller and 30 pounds heavier. Make better space for yourself. ...Also keeping your head together when the going gets dicey. He got visibly mad on the course today at his competitors when he got tangled up and no one else lost their $hit like he did.
Yes, he might have won today if he kept his shoe but he didn't. I wouldn't blame bad luck though. He didn't put himself in safer situation, he didn't tie his shoes well enough, and he ran with inferior tactics compared to Graham Blanks.
This is a stupid post. In order for a person to avoid this situation entirely they would have run either in the front with clearance, or on the side with clearance.
Graham was in the middle of the pack for much of the race in a completely unsafe spot. He didn’t get tripped but he certainly put himself in position to be.
If someone ran onto the course a tackled Graham would he have made his own luck?
He’s only a sophomore but he had a good chance to win today if he had both shoes.
You didn’t even mention he broke 27 and then the Eritrean Olympic powers didn’t enter him for Paris. That being said the New Mexico opportunity has been great for him overall, and he seemed happy to get runner-up despite the 1 shoe.
Eritrea is one of the nastiest dictatorships in the world. I wouldn’t be surprised if Samuel tries to defect and gain citizenship somewhere else.
As far as “making your own luck” goes, a lot of people were pretty harsh on Athing Mu. I think we have to apply the same standard here. The fact that this has happened repeatedly to Samuel suggests there is some pack running skill he needs to develop. He responded really well though. Super impressive to finish second in one shoe.
Perhaps but you make your own "luck" to certain degree. ...Like tying your shoes tight. By not getting tangled up with other runners, especially when they're 5" taller and 30 pounds heavier. Make better space for yourself. ...Also keeping your head together when the going gets dicey. He got visibly mad on the course today at his competitors when he got tangled up and no one else lost their $hit like he did.
Yes, he might have won today if he kept his shoe but he didn't. I wouldn't blame bad luck though. He didn't put himself in safer situation, he didn't tie his shoes well enough, and he ran with inferior tactics compared to Graham Blanks.
This is a stupid post. In order for a person to avoid this situation entirely they would have run either in the front with clearance, or on the side with clearance.
Graham was in the middle of the pack for much of the race in a completely unsafe spot. He didn’t get tripped but he certainly put himself in position to be.
If someone ran onto the course a tackled Graham would he have made his own luck?
Blanks was never in the mid pack! For the first 3k he was around 15-26th but always on the runner's left edge, not the middle. He was 26th at 1k, 16th at 2 & 3k, then top 10 or top 5 after that. That is not mid pack with a total of 255 runners! Then, being significantly larger human than Samuel he doesn't need to be as aware or as careful as Samuel does. While he was in the top 15 for most of the race, Samuel positioned himself right in the middle of guys around him and he got pinballed around a lot. He reminded me of Tsegay trying to elbow Kipyegon in the Olympics last summer! Little people trying to push big people then getting upset about getting smacked back. Graham Blanks ran a masterclass race of tactics, didn't get pinballed, didn't lose his shoe, didn't lose his cool and won the race. Samuel lost his shoe, got in skirmishes for the second race in a row, lost his cool and came in second.
This is a stupid post. In order for a person to avoid this situation entirely they would have run either in the front with clearance, or on the side with clearance.
Graham was in the middle of the pack for much of the race in a completely unsafe spot. He didn’t get tripped but he certainly put himself in position to be.
If someone ran onto the course a tackled Graham would he have made his own luck?
Blanks was never in the mid pack! For the first 3k he was around 15-26th but always on the runner's left edge, not the middle. He was 26th at 1k, 16th at 2 & 3k, then top 10 or top 5 after that. That is not mid pack with a total of 255 runners! Then, being significantly larger human than Samuel he doesn't need to be as aware or as careful as Samuel does. While he was in the top 15 for most of the race, Samuel positioned himself right in the middle of guys around him and he got pinballed around a lot. He reminded me of Tsegay trying to elbow Kipyegon in the Olympics last summer! Little people trying to push big people then getting upset about getting smacked back. Graham Blanks ran a masterclass race of tactics, didn't get pinballed, didn't lose his shoe, didn't lose his cool and won the race. Samuel lost his shoe, got in skirmishes for the second race in a row, lost his cool and came in second.
I didn’t mean middle as in place. I meant middle as in center. He was clearly in the center, not on the edge, in the beginning. He eventually worked his way to edge after being in the center.
Get Habtom to the roads post college, he simply isn't a good pack runner for some reason. Pretty crazy how that could be when many of us ran our entire lives in far more packed up environments as mid-pack runners and I NEVER fell and NEVER lost a shoe in more races completed than he's run.
Get Habtom to the roads post college, he simply isn't a good pack runner for some reason. Pretty crazy how that could be when many of us ran our entire lives in far more packed up environments as mid-pack runners and I NEVER fell and NEVER lost a shoe in more races completed than he's run.
I think pack running is a skill he can learn. He’s immensely talented on the track, as his 26:53 shows. If he learns to run in a pack he’s a gold medal threat in LA28.
Get Habtom to the roads post college, he simply isn't a good pack runner for some reason. Pretty crazy how that could be when many of us ran our entire lives in far more packed up environments as mid-pack runners and I NEVER fell and NEVER lost a shoe in more races completed than he's run.
I think pack running is a skill he can learn. He’s immensely talented on the track, as his 26:53 shows. If he learns to run in a pack he’s a gold medal threat in LA28.
I guess I just have a lot higher standard for people that someone so talented and experienced is still so bad at running in packs. I don't believe for a second that anyone like him (or anyone that even qualified for NCAAs) could be so unathletic to find themselves in those situations so often.
The luck Habtom did have is he lost a shoe on the best course possible to run barefoot - all grass, and not too muddy or icy today. Imagine running the last half of a 10k barefoot on the crushed shell/gravel course in Tallahassee.
I'd be more impressed with him holding on for 2nd if he had not looked like a tool calling attention to himself at the finish, wildly shaking his fist and pointing to his bare foot like he is god's gift to cross country.
This post was edited 18 seconds after it was posted.
The luck Habtom did have is he lost a shoe on the best course possible to run barefoot - all grass, and not too muddy or icy today. Imagine running the last half of a 10k barefoot on the crushed shell/gravel course in Tallahassee.
I'd be more impressed with him holding on for 2nd if he had not looked like a tool calling attention to himself at the finish, wildly shaking his fist and pointing to his bare foot like he is god's gift to cross country.
He had stitches in three different places, so the cuts must've been deep. Plus, someone spiked him in the achilles after he lost his shoe. OUCH.
He wasn't just showboating, man!!! He had to run through a lot.
I think pack running is a skill he can learn. He’s immensely talented on the track, as his 26:53 shows. If he learns to run in a pack he’s a gold medal threat in LA28.
I guess I just have a lot higher standard for people that someone so talented and experienced is still so bad at running in packs. I don't believe for a second that anyone like him (or anyone that even qualified for NCAAs) could be so unathletic to find themselves in those situations so often.
Habtom Samuel turns 21 next weekend, if Wikipedia is to be believed. He’s not as old as some of the other guys running in the NCAA right now. He’s got some room to be immature, both in his race tactics and his showboating.
If an American 20-year-old had finished second at NCAAs in one shoe the front page would be full of “Habtom MF Samuel” posts.
I like this kid. This is a skill he needs to develop, and I think he will. He could be great.