Wyner

Remember this one? Ten years ago. Løpe Magazine, by Liam Boylan-Pett, went back for all the details on one of the greatest races in Heps history:

https://lopemagazine.com/2019/05/03/heps-ivy-league-jimmy-wyner-1500-disqualified-cornell/

Reminder, Løpe is a subscription site. To register, head to:

https://lopemagazine.com/register/one-year-subscription/

Use the coupon code HEPSHEPS for 25% off the yearly price.

I greatly enjoyed the piece. In honor the piece's publication, I wanted to share the video of what happened at indoor Heps this year in the men's mile.

There was a win, a self-professed showboat and little to no controversy.

My ESPN + colleague said, "When you win the mile, you get to do what you want."

My reply should have been, "When you win the 1500 and your name is Wyner, you get DQd."

I'm sure Jimmy and many others will enjoy this video. Note, I put it as unlisted as I don't want to piss of ESPN + or the Ivy league.

https://youtu.be/SzU0e6XhFww

Thanks for posting Rojo. Is there any footage of the Wyner race?

Here is the men's 1500 from the 2009 Ivies. I think LBP should link to this in his article:

https://www.flotrack.org/events/5001253-2009-ivy-league-heps-championships/videos?limit=27&playing=5143975

Reading all these old posts, I kind of like the fact idiot celebrations like this are discouraged by the occasional DQ. My competitive prime is in the past, but celebrating during a track race was just as stupid and disrespectful of the event and other competitors 20 years ago as it is now (looking right at you 2016 1500m olympic gold medalist). Respect the event and yourself.

To those mentioning Bolt's fame, Bolt's fastest time never happened because he celebrated and slowed off to showboat. Someday, when his record is erased by 2 one-hundredths he can look back at this article:

http://www.espn.com/olympics/trackandfield/news/story?id=3583692

I attend meets as a fan now, and honestly if some idiot did this, I would be tempted to boo the kid and cheer any official that tosses her or him out. Track's great appeal is that it is ultimately a simple and pure sport which is both worth preserving and exceedingly rare. Trying to be like other sports won't make it more appealing, track excels when we invest in what makes it beautiful - the honesty of full effort with nothing left. Who doesn't love the American record in the steeple belongs to a race where he fell, got back up and still damn near broke 8:00?

Our sport is unlike any other save swimming. And yet the most recent megastar in swimming was just as famous as Bolt, but not known for his showboating. Michael Phelps most celebrated wins were the ones he got by a hairsbreadth at the finish line. Can anyone name an example of him showboating in the race that made him more famous than the excellence achieved?

So yes, track won't ever have Dikembe wagging his finger but it still had plenty of room for the Mo-Bot.

Not as easy to see you're winning in swimming. Also not as easy to showboat in swimming. Strange comparison.

I personally think there's nothing bad about celebrating before the finish. Cyclists do it all the time and nobody ever makes a fuss about it. Also, doesn't celebrating early make for some amazing and embarrasing mistakes?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxv6mMBXu0A

Sport is nice when it's pure and all that, but it can be equally nice with some good personalities who "act out" a bit. Makes it easier for casual watchers to enjoy sometimes. Purists won't like it as much but hey, that's just a matter of opinion on any individual's part, right?

Victor Alexander wrote:

Not as easy to see you're winning in swimming. Also not as easy to showboat in swimming. Strange comparison.

I personally think there's nothing bad about celebrating before the finish. Cyclists do it all the time and nobody ever makes a fuss about it. Also, doesn't celebrating early make for some amazing and embarrassing mistakes?

Sport is nice when it's pure and all that, but it can be equally nice with some good personalities who "act out" a bit. Makes it easier for casual watchers to enjoy sometimes. Purists won't like it as much but hey, that's just a matter of opinion on any individual's part, right?

The point of the comparison to swimming was exactly for that purpose - showboating is hard to do in that event. Much like track it is also a simple sport on the surface. And yet, Michael Phelps is instantly recognizable without showboating. Ryan Lochte, never really helped the sport despite his endless self-promotion.

Track doesn't need to be like other sports to be successful. At their best, those efforts would only mildly amuse. Very few if any fans show up to see how someone will celebrate a victory. We are there to see the race, which is why so many of us hate on American TV coverage of distance running - show the start and come back for the last lap. The excitement is in the building tension, the battles mid-race that set up the drive to the finish or separate. There is still nothing more brutal than watching a mid-race move that was over-aggressive comeback to haunt at the very end.

But watching an early celebration cost someone her bronze medal - there's no comparison in devastation. Or worse, do you really want your sport's iconic moment to be:

Did Lindsay Jacobellis really bring that many more fans to snowcross longterm? Do you really want the sport you love to be known for idiots taking a swing at their competitor in the homestretch?

Me, I am entertained by the skill and substance displayed. Flo-jo's name lasted for her running not the silly damn outfits.

I respect your opinion that unsportsmanlike celebrations should be discouraged, but I don't think a DQ like this isn't the way to do it. After a celebration like this happens, you issue a clear message that in the future, similar behavior will result in disqualification. Reiterate that before the championship next year. This way the behavior you want is reinforced without having to take a legitimate win away from someone. If Wyner knew that celebrating like that would result in his title getting taken, he wouldn't have done it. Clear warnings are the way to go