ETHIOPIA cross country trials are a joke look at the times!

It's Cross Country, VIPAM, courses are rarely accurate. Welcome to the sport.

I agree the course had to be short or the ran the whole thing on a downhill point to point course. Those times are amazing for cross country and at altitude. Give up your medals Kenya.

Just because it's cross country doesn't mean the courses should be off hundreds of meters. If you measure all the US X Championships courses from the last ten years I would bet that at least 99% of them are accurate within 20-30 meters.

The Ethiopian course it seems would have to be off close to 300-400m or more and Addis is developed enough to be able to measure a course accurately if it wanted the course accurate.

VIPAM,

Hopefully you have a misprint in the senior women - seems doubtful that someone would win by over three minutes, let alone run a 21:23 8K (faster than the junior men).

Only in the US does anyone take notice of xc times or worry about measuring the course

You should know that

That course has got to be JACKED UP there is no way a woman is capable of 21:23 for 8km and also 6 juniors in the same neighborhood on a cross country course.

She's alittle too confident for me, I hope she gets destroyed at the World X Championships. Meselech Melkamu states, "The competition between athletes used to be very tough when I was a junior, but these days, I think it has become less competitive." That's not confidence it's disrespectful arrogrance, ever heard of being humble?

Meselech time equates

10km 26:57

15km 41:46

1/2 mar 59:58

marathon 2:06:29

more impressive than Paula's WR, heck I don't even believe the 6 junior guys times as their in the same neighborhood of Meselch's ridiculous performance.

http://www.iaaf.org/WXC11/news/kind=100/newsid=59365.html

Only in the US does anyone take notice of xc times or worry about measuring the course.

You should know that.. as well

poor ethiopeans cant afford a measuring stick

The IAAF requires that each country's championship be run at the same distance as it's World Cross Country Championships. Addis Ababa isn't some small rural city in remote Africa. It's one of the more advanced cities in Africa and certainly capable of measuring a course accurately.

The only reason I can see they purposedly shorten the course is for psychological tactics after Kenya sweeping ALL the gold medals in 2010. Those times certainly send a messages to the rest of the world that noone could touch us- too bad they shorten the course so much those times aren't believable.

The time of Meselech in the women senior race is 24:23. There was a mistake in the transmission.

In any case, the distance is not correct.

us wrote:

poor ethiopeans cant afford a measuring stick

I'm sure they know how to spell American's though!

It's amazing they can't measure courses, their runners are all the wrong age and their senior teams could will still hammer your lot 10 x over.

ukathleticscoach wrote:

us wrote:

poor ethiopeans cant afford a measuring stick

I'm sure they know how to spell American's though!

Maybe they even know that you don't add 's to make a word plural...

So you think six Ethiopians could hammer Galen Rupp and Chris Solinsky at 10000m? You are so naive. Hey didn't Chris and Galen beat your best distance runner last year at 10000m? So in that case the Ethiopians wearing a suit and dress shoes could destroy your country's sorry lot.

...oh 'Proud American!'

...When's the last time an 'American' got the finish line in an Olympic Final over the 'Ethiopian?' (races of 5km or longer?) Don't get so cocky for as much I may like Solinsky and Rupp, my money will be on Bekele in London!

Care to place a friendly wager here mate?... Pick your poison 5 or 10k, Bekele wins every time. Go ahead 'and make my day!' bet me! :)

I'm sure they know how to spell American's though!

[/quote]

Maybe they even know that you don't add 's to make a word plural...

I was not trying to make the word a plural. I could hardly replace Ethiopean's (sic - look that up smart ass) with American or Americans'. You are right though I am useless on these things. I have however had articles on athletics published, and you? This is a running site and to take the piss out of Ethiopian's whithout even knowing how to spell it was my point

Back to the op. Do you understand the difference between track and cross country oustide of the US. Have you ever noticed the IAAF does not list xc records - nodody cares oustide of US colleges! It's not a time trial but a race based on position

You should come and run a real xc one time, not on a golf course

nathan jessup wrote:

...oh 'Proud American!'

...When's the last time an 'American' got the finish line in an Olympic Final over the 'Ethiopian?' (races of 5km or longer?) Don't get so cocky for as much I may like Solinsky and Rupp, my money will be on Bekele in London!

Care to place a friendly wager here mate?... Pick your poison 5 or 10k, Bekele wins every time. Go ahead 'and make my day!' bet me! :)

Not that I necessarily agree with Proud American but your statement that Bekele would beat out Solinsky and Rupp is hardly a counter-argument to the notion that LESS THAN SIX Ethiopians would come in ahead of Solinsky and Rupp.

The course was short

The trials are not a joke

You, however, are

Nathan why don't you read the post before you jump into a debate. The poster Uk... stated the senior men's team could whip the US lot meaning their top 6 runners. Oh wait you must be the other poster Uk....

Even on their best day Ethiopia wouldn't put six runners ahead of Chris Solinsky or Galen Rupp in a track 10000m or x-country.

ProudAmerican wrote:

Nathan why don't you read the post before you jump into a debate. The poster Uk... stated the senior men's team could whip the US lot meaning their top 6 runners. Oh wait you must be the other poster Uk....

Even on their best day Ethiopia wouldn't put six runners ahead of Chris Solinsky or Galen Rupp in a track 10000m or x-country.

On their best day, there are 6 Ethiopians that would crush our men.