Pacing and Honor - Ben Jipcho's Apology

A guide to the conversation on this topic:

Second Best by Mike Murray - Ben Jipcho's apology to Jim Ryun and the truest measurement of victory.

http://mike-murray.com/second-best.php

People often talk about Keino's performance in Mexico City, and no doubt it was the best race of his life - talking about getting it right on the day, but I think Mexico City was also one of the best races of Ryuns career. He thought a time of 3:38 would win it.

I recall Ryun saying in an interview that while training at altitude with Dr. Jack Daniels, he did everything short of tying a rope around his waist attached to a car and having himself pulled along the track in an attempt to run that time but he never could. He ran even better than he though he needed to in order to win. In fact, had Keino not finished ahead of him, Ryun's time would have been the fastest 1500 ever run at altitude.

For a sea level born runner at a tremendous disadvantage having to deal with the altitude, the fact that his main threat was an altitude native, and the fact that the pace went out so hard, he ran brilliantly. Jim felt, as did others, that he would have won at sea level. Too bad rotten luck screwed him 4 years later being mis-seeded into his heat, tripped, and the victim of political correctness.

Contrast this apology of Jipcho with the poor saps who continually paced El Guerrouj in championship races. Despicable.

I very much respect Kip Keino. For his running career, his success over all the distances from 1500m to 10000m and his unique Steeple triumph from Munich. Also for all which he is doing in his country Kenya. He has done so many good things for so many children.

But his Olympic triumph in Mexico for me always was a triumph with default. No competitor should speak about the tactics with another competitor before the race. What a shame. Same for El Guerrouj. And Morceli. And many others.

Very bad for the sport in my opinion.

I remember reading about the Kenyan officials telling Jipcho to sacrifice his race so Keino could win. Typical Kenyan athletic B.S. Not only was Ryun running at altitude, I believe he also had mononucleosis. It was exciting to see Ryun make a comeback in 1972 & qualify for Munich. But when he got tangled with Billy Fjord of Ghana, it was a tragedy. Jipcho showed the class you don't see today in athletics. I met Ryun at an ITA meet, Portland, Or in 1975 and he was very humble.

Ryun was humbled by Keino.

I would like to slap whoever signed off on having the Olympics at 8000'

whyte light wrote:

I would like to slap whoever signed off on having the Olympics at 8000'

There is speculation that the U.S. State Dept. had a hand in this. Mexico was headed to socialism in the early-to-mid sixties; and the U.S. wanted a way to prop up the Mexican Govt. This was the first and only time an Olympics has been awarded to a 3rd world (country.

The U.S. didn't want a communist country on its border....remember this was the sixties.

Silly Old Fossil wrote: This was the first and only time an Olympics has been awarded to a 3rd world country.

Except China, and Brazil.

Off the Grid wrote:

Silly Old Fossil wrote: This was the first and only time an Olympics has been awarded to a 3rd world country.

Except China, and Brazil.

But you don't disagree with the U.S. State Dept's role.

Finland and Spain also hosted the games. Neither of those countries were aligned with either the US or Soviet Block and as result should be considered 3rd world countries.

Off the Grid wrote:

Silly Old Fossil wrote: This was the first and only time an Olympics has been awarded to a 3rd world country.

Except China, and Brazil.

wasn't Spain member of Nato in 1992??

asdfaafdafasd wrote:

Finland and Spain also hosted the games. Neither of those countries were aligned with either the US or Soviet Block and as result should be considered 3rd world countries.

You need to go look up what 3rd world country means as you clearly don't understand what the designation means.

You should change your name to Confused asdfaafdafasd

asdfaafdafasd wrote:

Finland and Spain also hosted the games. Neither of those countries were aligned with either the US or Soviet Block and as result should be considered 3rd world countries.

"Contrast this apology of Jipcho with the poor saps who continually paced El Guerrouj in championship races. Despicable."

-you mean like lassiter did for lagat when bernie still ran for kenya? weaksauce.

Keino crushed Ryun to win gold. He didn't just beat him.

Both athletes had access to altitude training. One trained wisely and was ready to run when he needed to, the other overtrained his way to mono.

Getting sick probably saved Ryun a chance at a medal because it kept him

from overtraining even more than he already had and forced him to taper.

Daniels simply miscalculated the effect of altitude and Ryun got dropped as a result. Jipcho or no, Keino would have been long gone. The strategy was so bad, it almost looked like Ryun was throwing the race.

And to say national competition shouldn't or doesn't factor into the Olympic distance races is just silly.

FogRunner wrote:"I was pressured into it," he said. "'This is Keino's Olympics,' they told me. 'You must help him. You'll have your day another time."...

"I'm not just trying to be polite," he interrupted with emotion clearly in his tone. "I really mean it. It was not a fair competition. I went into it knowing I had to be Keino's rabbit and that's simply not right in the Olympic Games. It's contrary to the whole spirit of it."...

"I've never felt right about it since. That was the first time he ever beat you. You were better than all of us and under equitable conditions he never would have then. You were cheated out of a fair shot at the gold medal...I think you should have won."

as much respect as i have for ryun as being the greatest 800/1500 talent who ever stepped on a track & capable of high-1'39/low-3'24 in '67 on a '70s synthetic

( but post-mono in '68 & maybe only good for a "mere" 3'30 v a keino who was probably in 3'27 shape that day ), i have to demur from jipcho's apology

if kip had been party to this plan :

why did he start dead fuucking last & waste valuable energy to get upto 3rd at the bell ???

that musta cost him at least 1/2s+ in wasted "energy"

who throws away 1/2s+ against a ryun who you have to assume is in top shape ???

if he'd been a collaborator or even known about this, he wouda stuck to ben like a limpet from the gun !!!

Keino was simply better, he participated in multiple events in 68, Ryun had one to win. Plus, in 2000 El G had a country man to pace for him and still lost to Noah Ngeny.

This is a case of would have been, could have been should have been and just revisionist history. Sort like that of people who sit around and wonder how the Confeds could have defeated the Feds or how the Axis could have defeated the Allies. Pointless and a waste of time.