What did Rui Silva run for his last lap during Athens 1500m final?

51.1

Check foryourself at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3edgRcYN7Ts

Silva wasn't even jamming it, looking around and easing up. El G hurt everybody with that change of pace look what it did to Heshko and Esteves. Silva came by them after they cracked

BTW today is his birthday.

Silva is 2:50 with 400m to go (that's 2:50 on youtube clock, not the official race timer). He crosses the finish at 3:36-7 on the youtube clock.

You can see his foot hit the start finish line with one lap to go (he was on the far outside). Then, you can see him clearly cross the finish with no obstructions.

So, Youtube clock:

start last 400m: 2:50

end last 400m : 3:37

--------

last 400m was 47.xx

with 300m to go, Silva was in the last 1/3. I suspect the between 300m to 100m to go, he put on a surge that is unheard of to this day.

Yeah, uh, you'll notice that, according to the YouTube clock, El Gerrouj hits the bell at 2:49 and finishes at 3:36, which would mean that he also closed in 47.x. Which he didn't. That's why we don't time races using the YouTube clock.

seriously guys,

this topic comes up every six months. yes, this EXACT topic haha. Look up the precious threads in the search.

I'm not being a jerk, I'm just trying to save you some time and show you that an answer to your question has already been provided.

Silva won Bronze not Silver.

The clock jumps a few seconds on the final bend. it glosses over the comments "will this be his time in Athens"

or around that. Still Silva closes in about 50 high, 51 low. Had he placed himself about 5 meters further ahead of where he was with about 500 to go (which was almost nothing at that pace) He would have had a serious chance at winning.

Take his finishing place, add 5 meters too it, and consider that the last 10 meters or so he eased up and celebrated. With El G and Lagat fighting it out and tying up considerably, Silva had a serious shot at beating both of them if he happened to have that 5 meters.

That race is one of the most impressive kickers races ever. It really displays what you need to have to win at that level- a 51 last lap ability. Very few have that ability. If you can't do that you should look at the 5k and 10k, where those races end in 52-54. If you can't do that you should look at the Marathon, where they often run the last mile or so in about 4:15 when in company. If you can't do that Karnazes will take ya'.

He's at 1100 at around 2:44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge6_o4SkQGg&feature=related

He finished in 3:34.68.

so we can say he did a 50 give or take some. Very very quick. I'd have to say without that push and a few meters he would have won.

And some highschool 400 guys think they're movin' when they do a 50. Just shows you how good these guys are.

I have no idea why this topic keeps popping up again and again.

Here's a summary of that thread, with a link to a better (larger) video than the one on youtube. It's a shame that the images I posted on tinypic are no longer there.

Athens 1500, final results

1 3:34.18 Hicham El Guerrouj MAR

2 3:34.30 Bernard Lagat KEN

3 3:34.68 Rui Silva POR

4 3:35.61 Timothy Kiptanui KEN

5 3:35.82 Ivan Heshko UKR

6 3:36.33 Michael East GBR

7 3:36.63 Reyes Estévez ESP

8 3:37.17 Gert-Jan Liefers NED

Splits

0400 60.42 Songkok (El G 5th)

0700 1:47.3 El G (Silva -0.7)

0800 2:01.93 (61.91) El Guerrouj

1100 2:42.2 El G (Silva -1.1)

1200 2:55.21 (53.28) El Guerrouj

1500 3:34.18 (38.97) El Guerrouj

“to go” splits, El Guerrouj leads the last 800

800 14.4 28.2 54.9 1:46.9 (Silva 1:46.7)

700 13.8

600 13.4 26.7

500 13.3

400 12.9 25.8 52.0 (Silva’s last 400 was approx. 51.4)

300 12.9

200 12.7 26.2

100 13.5

Video of the race

http://www.racingsnailclub.com/video/2004Olympicmen1500m.wmv

From Track and Field News

Hicham El Guerruoj (MOR), 3:34.18

60.9, 2:01.93 (61.0), 2:55.21 (53.3), 39.0

(13.1, 26.2, 51.9, 1:46.7, 2:49.2)

Bernard Lagat (KEN), 3:34.30

60.7, 2:02.1 (61.4), 2:55.4 (53.3), 38.9

(13.1, 26.1, 51.9, 1:46.8, 2:49.4)

Rui Silva (POR), 3:34.68

61.4, 2:03.2 (61.8), 2:56.2 (53.0), 38.5

(13.1, 25.9, 51.3, 1:46.3, 2:49.3)

I think the craziest part is that they didnt even really get going til 700 to go, yet three of them still ran 1:46's last 800. Rui has run his last 700m at 1:44.5 800 pace.

Rui did something similar in the European X-Country Champs. He came through the field like a train over the last km to claim bronze I think.

Rui was the faster one on that one because he did run more distance tahn both Lagat and El Guerrouj. he runs on lane 2 3 and 4 for some periods during the track curves.

Rui Silva wrote:he runs on lane 2 3 and 4 for some periods during the track curves.

Are you blind or hallucinating? Silva spent much of the race in the back hugging the rail. The furthest he got out was the line of lane 2 for short periods.

When people say they themselves or an uncle or friend could probably make the Olympic team and they ask how good you have to be to make the US team and/or make the final and/or medal and/or win...I tell them how fast the 2004 Athens 1500 was and the fact three guys closed in well under 1:47....which was faster than the winning time in 800 meters for men at the 2007 NCAA final....

That is how good you have to be....

Neuropsychiatrist wrote:

When people say they themselves or an uncle or friend could probably make the Olympic team and they ask how good you have to be to make the US team and/or make the final and/or medal and/or win...I tell them how fast the 2004 Athens 1500 was and the fact three guys closed in well under 1:47....which was faster than the winning time in 800 meters for men at the 2007 NCAA final....

That is how good you have to be....

I do the same thing and most of these people still don't get it. I laugh when they tell me that the 800 and 1500 guys look like they are going slow and I have to tell them that "those guys" are probably moving faster than the couch potatoes and erstwhile Olympians could run gunning for a PR in the 100.