Great try Alan, anyone can win in that kind of race and you made us proud.
Great try Alan, anyone can win in that kind of race and you made us proud.
I agree with you 100%...dont bash the guy..he did well...and yes..we are proud of him
Hear, hear. Good work, Alan. Not bad for Lagat as well.
He did well. But our hopes were high after a 3:46, the tools to beat anyone and even a favorite status according to a few. I don't like bashing, but you can't call disappointment bashing. I'm sure Webb himself thought he'd run a lot better.
Webb ran too many races earlier in the year, and peaked too soon.
Yeah, Alan, I know it's not what you wanted, but you are an incredible and inspiring runner. Seven tenths of a second seperated you from 2nd place. We are proud of you and wish you the best of luck the rest of the season and especially 2008.
Congratulations to Lagat. One of the best runners ever to not win gold until now. Great job!
if we would have been told at the beginning of the year that webb would finish 8th and less than one second off of gold we all would have been thrilled. add on to that everything else he accomplished this year and the international respect he has earned and we should all just sit back and admire his season for what it truly was.
Does anyone else think that this result will actually lead to a better finish for him in Beijing next year? He strikes me as the sort of guy who is going to internalize his disappointment and convert it into a sh*tload of motivation for next year. While of course it would have been great if he had won, a) he would have been THE guy to beat in Beijing, and b) there's a risk of complacency.
Just a thought.
I don't think you'll ever see complacency in Alan Webb. He didn't chill out after the HS record or US championships or the WL in the 1500 this year. He's improved every time he's been on a championship stage, let's home that trend continues next year.
He absolutely had a heck of a season! I'm glad this thread was made because what he did this season was simply fantastic and will lead to bigger and better things next season.
It could lead to a better result if he times his season better, as he looked tired in both his semi and final.
With 300 to go he already looked like he was in his top gear and it didn't appear that he could hold it all the way to the finish.
I have no doubt that Webb can win the Olympics. This race was a dissapointment yes, but at the same time Webb has earned his name around the world now. He has made a statement that he is one of the best in the world, and a race such as this indicates he is on another level, even though he finished 8th, he still was up there in contention. His bad races now are much better than his bad races he used to run. I wish him all the best for Beijing.
My thoughts prezackly.
He's had a cold this week.
He put himself in position but just didn't have it. It happens to the best every now and then.
I hope to see him finish higher next year.
i agree totally TMI - dont think he quite got his season right. dont get me wrong its not a disaterous mistake like some people thought it would be when he ran 3.51 in April but his 3.46/1/43 form was probably the height of his peak- obviously he was still a genuine contender despite not being in HIS prime shape at the right time but to me he just looked a little tired (not just in the final but in each round) and seemed to lack that zip and powerful leg speed that saw him win many races and run some fast times.
but i think things should be put into perspective he deserves a lot of credit for he's made big breakthroughs this year and ran a soild championships. He got to the final and put himself in a good position coming into the home straight unfortunately it just didnt happen for him.
He will have learnt loads from this year and will only get better- he has time on his side and many future World champs and Olympics. Good luck to him
pre went for it and ended up 4th. remember that america. dont go for it.
Webb had his "A" game a month ago, brought his "B" game to the WC and finished less than a second out of medals. He just wasn't sharp in the semi or the final. However I expect he'll run a couple fast races over the next few weeks, maybe run a super fast 10km in the fall and break one/two US indoor records prepping for the Oly games.