Soboleva 1'54.85 !!!

Imagine running 1:56.67 and NOT making your olympic team. It's like the 9.8x and 19.9x guys staying home on the American squads.

Soboleva-v-Jelimo is gonna be a barn-burner!

Don't the Russian women have a tendancy to peform much better at their championships than in Europe & the WC's/OC's?

Yelena Sobolevea pic

http://www.iaaf.org/mm/photo/competitions/iaafgrandprix/35189_w400xh600.jpg

Gotta think that Sobo's strength and experience will be an advantage in the rounds in Beijing. Both like to run hard from the gun, so look for a FAST final!

pamela just gone 1'54.97, but pacer slowed up a lot between 400 - 500m & didn't pull over to the side & seemed to slow pamela

i think she was on for 1'54.5 - 1'54.75 today if pacer had dropped out promptly sideways at about 450m

great run for Yekaterina Kostetskaya, former Jonesboro Ark HS and Texas State athlete.

Russian women have very good depth at the mid distances (800, 1500, 3000, 3000 steeple).

yes.

wonder if she is racing too much prior to Beijing?!?

VERY VERY TRUE

she's got no choice but to run as she's still in with a shout for the jackpot

i thought she was starting to past-peak after last week but this race she looked better than ever ( apart from wabbit mess-up )

i think now she's heading towards 1'54-flat shape for 'king

9.90/44.20 is a 1:56.6

Only 4 women in history have run the 800m faster than Soboleva, and they are all probably dopers. I hope she isn’t.

1:53.28 Jarmila Kratochvílová

TCH München 26/07/1983

1:53.43 Nadezhda Olizarenko

URS Moskva 27/07/1980

1:54.44 Ana Fidelia Quirot

CUB Barcelona 09/09/1989

1:54.81 Olga Mineyeva

URS Moskva 27/07/1980

Quirot was beloved by the press but was as dirty as they come, just like Kratochvilova. Quirot used so much stuff her face nearly blew off and the Cubans had to claim she was in a fire or something...

my pants just caught on fire.

Hellloooooo? I can't believe we continue to gawk at these times as if they are legit! The Kenyan is most definitely dirty. The Russians are more than likely dirty. C'mon, 1:54x consistently?

You have to understand that there is a completely different attitude toward doping in these countries. There does not exist the stigma against it that we have in the US. We aren't talking about the shady, back-alley exchanges of a Mexican steroids dealer, or even the masterminded BALCO. We're talking about federation fueled and financed 'science'. These athletes see themselves as leveling the playing field with their countrymen, not to mention the other top performers in the world. After that, let the best athlete win.

They are mocking us for our elementary attempts at besting us at their own game. And they're pissed at us for drawing attention to the elephant everyone on the inside knew was invited to the party. In a recent conversation a foreign athlete explained that track, or athletics as they call it, is "nothing in your country. It is everything to us. Our people love it, our government and corporations support it, and you Americans ruin it for us." They go on to lament how we have options, sport in the universities, money for the sports, jobs. Options. "In our country we committed to sport as children. We know nothing else. If we are big stars in sport we will have jobs forever. Our children will have jobs. If not we retire and go to army or factory. Maybe coach. It is worth the chance for us. Really, not so many get caught."

The only problem with doping in these countries is getting caught.

So please stop acting so impressed by these bogus times. Drugs don't make slow people fast; they make fast people with crazy work ethic amazing. Talented athletes, yes. Fierce competitors, of course. Just don't believe the times.

runner321 wrote:

Yelena Sobolevea pic

http://www.iaaf.org/mm/photo/competitions/iaafgrandprix/35189_w400xh600.jpg

HEY YOU GUYS!!!

The drug infested Russian team will be out in force in Beijeng. Its sad to see all of the drugs at this level of the sport. 1:54 my friend, is pharma!

Spoiler wrote:

Hellloooooo. I'm an idiot.