Would Kenny B have won the 800m final in Osaka?
Would Kenny B have won the 800m final in Osaka?
no
But he would be able to run 52 or fatser of a 55 opening lap don't you think?
probably, but he wouldnt have been able to run that 52 last lap if he waited until the last 200m to go like everyone else. it was a tactical race... there are many people in the world who can run 1:47.09 . Only one person can do it the way Yego did. That is why he is the World Champ.
That whole race was pretty weak, actually. They jogged 400m before going 27, 25. Not very scintillating stuff for "the best event of the WC's". The combination of Osaka's pollution, heat, and humidity mixed with the toll of the rounds are not getting their due. Hold this thing in northern Europe next time.
Just because Kenny B. can run 53 secs last lap does not mean he could do two of them in an 800. It is easier to run a faster last lap off of a pace which is slower.
I think Kenny B., if trained well, could run around 1:45-1:46 for 800, but he would need to devote a year of so to specializing for the event. Gebreselassie might have been close to those times too.
Ghost in Korea
So what time would Bekele run for a flat-out 400m compared with the best 800m runners?
Bek would get crushed in an 800. NCAA guys could spank him.
He's fast, but he's not that fast. Its completely different. He could go 55-54 (doing the last 2 in 27,27).
I've never seen him move faster than 13 seconds for 100 in anything, even his 2nd WR 10k. Completely fresh he's maybe good for 12.2-11.9. Maybe. And you guys want to compare him to guys who run 10.9 at top end, and can hold their water at 50 seconds for 4, yeah.
In the 800 in Osaka, he *might* have made the final. However with about 150 to go, he'd be left behind. He wouldn't exactly be tired, but those guys just have another gear that he doesn't have. Would he be alot more competitive in a 1000 or 1500? yeah. Would he win those too? No, those guys would also outkick him, no matter his fatique level.
He only starts to be competitive above 2k, when the grind really takes out that extra gear on *some* individuals. And in 3k he can beat most, but still wouldn't beat the best steepler's or EL G, Komen, Lagat etc. He becomes almost totally dominate above 3k, and even more so above 5k. And totally ineffective under 20k.
In fact, I might question his dominance at every level. If Lagat and El G had really wanted to, I think they easily could be in 26:40 range for 10k, and with their speed El G would never win a medal. Thankfully for him they didn't do that. And he's almost assured 10k gold in Beijing, barring the Kenyan that comes out of nowhere to run 26:20, or the Chinese Bionic Man with springs as legs.
When you really look at it, its not that easy at all to win, and even harder to win twice. And you guys think he could go run an 8 and take it. Yeah- and I'm sure your mommies didn't pork the milkman.
*and with their speed, Bekele would never win a medal*
some good points, but you really gotta proofread your post
I read a Nic Bideau interview where he claimed Mottram did an 800 time trial in 1:46. And shit, if Mottram can do it....I say Kenny B's good for at least a 1:45 right now.
1980 Olympic 800m -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrYY5pLhZrM
They were just under 55 at 400m, but still managed 1:45 low for the final time. More exciting to watch, if you ask me.
What are you guys on?!
Bekele would run 1.45 no problems, if Alan Webb can run 1.43, then Bekele would be able to run 1.45 - no sweat. Guys that are saying 54, 54 - get real. The guy often closes in with a 24 last 200m. Plus he's run 3.33 for 1500m and hasn't ran many of them. I wouldn't be that shocked if he broke 1.45.
He closed in at 1.53 for the last 800m @ the Worlds! Peace Out.
Bekele King wrote:
What are you guys on?!
Bekele would run 1.45 no problems, if Alan Webb can run 1.43, then Bekele would be able to run 1.45 - no sweat. Guys that are saying 54, 54 - get real. The guy often closes in with a 24 last 200m. Plus he's run 3.33 for 1500m and hasn't ran many of them. I wouldn't be that shocked if he broke 1.45.
He closed in at 1.53 for the last 800m @ the Worlds! Peace Out.
quess there is only one way to really find out.
.....but he wouldn't have got a medal at 800m at World's, no way, those boys have more raw speed that Bekele. Could he have made the final?! That's another question.
Would he have gotten a medal? Probably not. But I think he could compete. The first 600 probably wouldn't take as much out of him as some of the other competitors, so he would have a strong kick. It is true that some of those guys have an extra gear that Bekele lacks, but let's not sell Bekele's speed short... No one would say he can't run a 49. He can almost certainly run a 48. 47? I'm not so sure, that's getting into El G/Lagat/Webb 400 speed. Let's say he can run a 48. How many people in that final could honestly run more than a second faster than that? I'd be surprised if more than 1-2 of those guys could run a 46. Maybe Borza or Bungei. The point being, I doubt more than 1-2 guys have a significant speed advantage over Bekele. And it's interesting to think that Bekele would probably fair better in a slow 800 than a fast one. He hasn't trained specifically enough for 800 to handle grinding out 2+ 200's at 25 seconds per, but he could probably cruise through the 400 in 54 and have a monster kick with 200 to go.
Oh, and Lagat 26:40? Come on now. What have we seen from Lagat to suggest anything close to this? El G maybe, since he could clearly run 12:45 or better for 5k, but Lagat's PR is barely under 13. That's a long way from 26:40 when you're a miler.
To the guy that said that Bekele wouls lose to Lagat and the best steeplechasers in the 3k...
Did you forget that he destroyed Sheheen in the WC indoors 3k two years ago over the last 400? Did you forget that Lagat has never run anywhere near 7:25?
Try to think of every race he has lost in his career. I can think of:
07 XC 12k -- obviously off form
06 5k to Lagat-- Lagat defintly outkicked him. No question. But if it had been a 12:4x race, I gaurtuntee you Lagat loses
06 5k to Songock--no excuse
05? 3k to Geneti -- fiancee
05? 3k to Cragg -- fiancee
04 OG 5k -- tired from 10k and too slow
03 WC 5k -- tired from 10k and young
When the pace is decent he has only lost a few times in the last few years.
THE GUY IS GOOD.
Then, how does it sound when it is announced that Kenny will be running 800m in olympics? it doesn't go down well, why? simply because many people know as matter of fact that he will hardly make it to finals...or in other words not medal! 800m is different ballgame guys..don't cheat yourself. It is argued the most difficult race on track, why because it does not only need speed, but it is also tactical which calls for a lot of experience. KB would find himself in unfamiliar territory. And that is why it can't happen.
Rodie wrote:
It is argued the most difficult race on track, why because it does not only need speed, but it is also tactical which calls for a lot of experience. KB would find himself in unfamiliar territory. And that is why it can't happen.
Bekele is the king of tactics. Hasnt he owned everyone using a great variety of tactics? negative splitting the 2nd 5k of a 10k, playing with the kenyans at the olympics, slow and gunning the last lap, his stunt at the WC a few days ago, fast running from the start to the finish of a race, and plenty of other ways.