First of 5 parts
First of 5 parts
Isn't the World Cup a football tourney?
1500m race with Ovett, Walker, and Straub in video 3 at about 8:20.
Great video, thanks malmo
Wow, Thank You Vafareunculo for preserving these great videos, and to our Malmo for leading us to them.
So many interesting things: How tough Juantorena was, how high off the ground he ran and how very tired he was after both of his wins. (I didn't remember the result, so was rooting for Boit, one of my all-time favorites...).
And Szewinska! I had no idea she was still fast in 1977.
Her dual with Koch was watershed moment
But the 1500 was truly a meeting of the eras. With Morceli's older brother Abderrhamane, and Walker leading then dropping out with 150 to go, clearly crushed by Ovett's acceleration. Here you have connections to the greatest milers of the 70's 80's and 90's in one race.
But I am puzzled, and wonder if any of you feel the same way.
This track meet was far more interesting to me than a Golden League meet nowadays, and I wonder why. Is it just a geezer thing? Or were the characters (Juantorena, Walker, Boit, Ovett...) more vivid and individual? Was it the announcing which is heads above anything you hear today?
Or were the characters (Juantorena, Walker, Boit, Ovett...) more vivid and individual?
I think that's it. The meets now are full of Kenyans all wearing the same Nike uniform with some Ethiopians thrown in and occasionally an American or whatgever.
Back then there were guys from many different countries.
I think the Africans are too mcuh the same to the average viewer and they're turned off.
Man..... that brings back some memories. That's when we knew the East Germans where doing the stuff.
runn wrote:
I think that's it. The meets now are full of Kenyans all wearing the same Nike uniform with some Ethiopians thrown in and occasionally an American or whatgever.
Back then there were guys from many different countries.
I think the Africans are too mcuh the same to the average viewer and they're turned off.
When Bekele, El G and Kipchoge were sprinting down the homestretch in Athens and the WC the prior year, they all seemed very individual and vivid. The guys at the top are always memorable....
I remember watching this when Steve Williams won the 100, everyone thought Eugen Ray won and they even gave him the winner's bouquet! Steve kind of shrugged as if to say "I don't know who won" and then they put up the results on the scoreboard.
I haven't seen the replay of the men's 4 x 4, but I remember the US was cruising and if they win the 4 x 4, they win the meet. Alas, Maxie Parks (I think) goes down like he had been shot, the US DNFs and loses the meet.
Stands looked pretty empty in the first video.
"When Bekele, El G and Kipchoge were sprinting down the homestretch in Athens and the WC the prior year, they all seemed very individual and vivid."
True. Those two 5000's were special, because of the cross-over matchup between Bekele and El G with Kipchoge sneaking in. I never tire of El G.
But I would much rather watch Viren for the nth time than Bekele, and I don't quite understand why. Dunno, maybe it's the "when-I-was-a-boy" syndrome.
And Malmo, I'm sorry I guess I got confused between the name of the YouTube channel and the name of the person operating it.