Tyson Gay Running the 100 at the Adidas Grand Prix

Let's hope he makes it.

THIS IS TYSON'S COMEBACK RACE!

Look for him to win 100m gold in London!!

He is racing the B race, not against Blake :-/

WHAT ABOUT THE SPORT?

In NBA news today, Miami and Boston will play on Tuesday. Chris Bosh will play - play in a free-throw shooting contest at half-time.

Ridiculous. I mean I feel for the guy and he's one of my favorites in track and field but if there was a commissioner, this simply wouldn't be allowed.

Other sports do allow this in the context of returning from an injury. This situation could be viewed as comparable to a Baseball all-star playing a few games in the minors when coming off the DL.

I'm fine with it. Straining to win, a real racer's urge, could cost him the season or a career. Same as in marathoning, what makes one a great marathoner, running through pain, can also make one an injured marathoner. I know from experience. A coach can make a choice a high end athlete might not, for what is good in the long run.

Your point is a good one, however the difference is the setting. If Tyson Gay wants to get a race in, but not against top competition, then go find a local meet. Showing up at Icahn for a B race is crazy, just as it was for there to be a 2 mile and a 3k in BIG so Dibaba and Defar could avoid each other.

Mike M wrote:

Other sports do allow this in the context of returning from an injury. This situation could be viewed as comparable to a Baseball all-star playing a few games in the minors when coming off the DL.

rojo wrote:

WHAT ABOUT THE SPORT?

In NBA news today, Miami and Boston will play on Tuesday. Chris Bosh will play - play in a free-throw shooting contest at half-time.

Ridiculous. I mean I feel for the guy and he's one of my favorites in track and field but if there was a commissioner, this simply wouldn't be allowed.

Rojo let me explain this to you since you clearly lack the ability this think coherently about this right now.

Tyson clearly respects the sport and his main competition which is why he's doing this. He clearly KNOWS he can beat Blake, but he also knows that he would have to STRAIN to do so. The man is recovering from injury, still and knows that's straining at this point may further aggravate his injury and risk injury seeing as US trials are just a few weeks away.

It would be great for the sport if he showed up at NY raced blake and pulled up lame because he got caught racing out of fitness level, right? Okay.

Tyson is doing what's best for himself so that he's able to

Be his BEST for the Olympic final. He's taking it easy and will qualify at trials easily. THAT is what is good for the sport, not Tyson beating Blake and injuring himself before the big stage at the Olympics.

Furthermore, let's not pretend that MLB players have never played in the minors when first returning from

Injury (actually, it's required), or NBA players haven't played in the NBADL or NASCAR drivers haven't taken a few races on the nationwide tour. Of course this happens in other sports. Tyson ain't duckin nobody.

MK wrote:

Your point is a good one, however the difference is the setting. If Tyson Gay wants to get a race in, but not against top competition, then go find a local meet. Showing up at Icahn for a B race is crazy, just as it was for there to be a 2 mile and a 3k in BIG so Dibaba and Defar could avoid each other.

Imagine that: his primary sponsor is having its biggest meet of the year in the capital of the world, and he is going to race, but at some all-comers meet in Florida instead of at their event where, whether he runs well or not, it can be on international television.

He got all kinds of flack for having a rust buster 100m in Florida the same day as Prefontaine last year, if you'll remember.

rojo wrote:

WHAT ABOUT THE SPORT?

In NBA news today, Miami and Boston will play on Tuesday. Chris Bosh will play - play in a free-throw shooting contest at half-time.

Ridiculous. I mean I feel for the guy and he's one of my favorites in track and field but if there was a commissioner, this simply wouldn't be allowed.

Track is an individual sport. Everyone is in it for himself.

I can't think of another event where athletes routinely dodge each other and then come up with lame ass excuses. At least own up to the fact that you're scared to get beat and hurt your ego.

I wonder if Gay would scratch if suddenly the announcers said "the A and B heats are combined due to X,Y,Z dropping out."

The interview would go something like this

"Why did you scratch today, Tyson? Is your training still on schedule for the Trials?"

Tyson: "Well I just felt a slight twinge on the hamstring. Nothing serious but I just wanted to risk it on an Olympic year. Training is still on track for the Olympics."

LOL

rojo wrote:

WHAT ABOUT THE SPORT?

In NBA news today, Miami and Boston will play on Tuesday. Chris Bosh will play - play in a free-throw shooting contest at half-time.

Ridiculous. I mean I feel for the guy and he's one of my favorites in track and field but if there was a commissioner, this simply wouldn't be allowed.

I agree! The antics of Mr. Tyson Gay never fail to amaze me. It was not so long ago he wanted us to believe that he was capable of running 9.71 in the 100m on "one leg"; many of us believed him I did not and neither did Usain Bolt. Tyson Gay’s full competition schedule was never made public after receiving his 1st whoop ass from Usain Bolt in 2008; his schedule has always been tentative. He plays these mind-games thinking that it's going to work (beating Bolt) but he fails to understand that it only works on Asafa Powell. Let us face it, intimidating Asafa Powell doesn't take much but the likes of a GATLIN, BLAKE AND A BOLT it will take much more. Many of you guys are going to feel sick when I say this but Tyson Gay was never and will never be a true sub 9.80 runner and if you don’t believe me check the wind gauge speed on all his sub 9.80 accomplishments. He needs to stop crying and bitching, just show up and take a flogging like every other athlete running in the 100m.

MATT CENTROWITZ DID THE SAME THING AT PREFONTAINE... ran the baby Mile.

rojo wrote:

WHAT ABOUT THE SPORT?

In NBA news today, Miami and Boston will play on Tuesday. Chris Bosh will play - play in a free-throw shooting contest at half-time.

Ridiculous. I mean I feel for the guy and he's one of my favorites in track and field but if there was a commissioner, this simply wouldn't be allowed.

Full disclosure: the adidas Grand Prix is an advertiser on LetsRun.com.

I've got a slightly different take on this. I heard last night Tyson Gay would be running the adidas meet. I heard it was in the "B" heat.

My first thought was, "I'm glad we're going to get to see Tyson run."

I was super critical of Meseret Defar running a 3000m and Tirunesh Dibaba running a 2 mile at the New Balance Grand Prix:

I was super critical of Justin Gatlin and Asafa Powell running separate 100m at the Pre meet:

I was trying to think what was different about this situation. I think there are a few things.

1) Tyson has been hurt for over a year.

2) Tyson needs a race before the Olympic Trials

3) Tyson has a limited time window before the Trials

4) I'm curious what Tyson can run.

so with those 4 things would I rather have Tyson race some no name race in Florida or run a "B" race in NYC? The "B" race in NYC.

This isn't creating two equal 100m races so athletes won't race each other like Powell and Gatlin at Pre. It isn't creating a new distance so Dibaba and Defar won't race each other. It's Tyson Gay running a "B" race on a comeback from injury. The "B" race is 2 hours before the "A" race and before the live tv coverage starts. I think Tyson has earned the right to do that.

People often have a gut instinct and rationalize it after the fact so maybe that's what I'm doing. I've been curious whether Tyson would return this year or not. A WSJ reported was asking my for my US medal count a few weeks ago and it made me think of Tyson. Then at Pre his name came up and I said, "I guess he's done this year. If his first race of the year is the Trials, I think he won't be ready." So that got me thinking "Tyson Gay needs a race." So then when I heard it was a "B" race at his sponsors main meet, I was still fine with it.

With the 100 there is always the curiosity of what time someone will run. In terms of the meet, Tyson's time had better not count in the standings.

When I read Robert's original words on the homepage saying "What about the sport", I saw how you could view it as Tyson ducking Yohan.

I don't know a ton about sprinting but if you get crushed in a race can that make you strain more and re-injure yourself?

Form wise does it matter if you're racing better guys than your or worse? I don't know these things.

Some sprint guy can chime in on what the different is for Tyson to be racing a 9.7-10.0 guys versus 10.1-10.2 guys.

You can't compare track to any other sport. Especially team sports like basketball. A basketball player who isn't at 100% can still go out and make a contribution and help his team win. The Miami Heat needs to win every game right now because it affects whether or not they'll get to extend their season and play for the championship. So if one of their best players, Chris Bosh, is able to to just get out there and score a few points then they're going to put him on the floor.

This is not the case with an athlete like Tyson Gay. This track meet in NY is nothing more than a showcase. Sure, sprinters need to race during the regular season to get sharp and prepare themselves for the championships, but in a technical sense these meets mean nothing. Winning in NY won't get Tyson Gay on the Olympic team. And unlike basketball players, a sprinter who is not 100% recovered from injury is not likely to win against top competition. He's more likely to re-injure himself as his instinct to go for the win kicks in against runners who are in better shape. And if Tyson Gay gets hurt in NY, even if he does so while winning the race, what good would that be? It will just mean he won't be going to the only meet that really matters this year. The only meet the general public really cares about that only happens every 4 years. And this is perhaps his last opportunity to make the Olympics.

I do agree that sprinters routinely ducking one another throughout the season is lame....when they're HEALTHY. But when a sprinter is recovering from injury, I don't have a problem with it at all. Trying to beat Yohan Blake before you're 100% recovered is a good way to get injured again and ruin your season.

The only team aspect of professional track and field is when a nation fields a team of athletes to represent them at the World Championships or Olympics. So in that respect, Tyson Gay IS being a team player by trying to keep himself healthy for the trials.

wejo wrote:

1) Tyson has been hurt for over a year.

2) Tyson needs a race before the Olympic Trials

3) Tyson has a limited time window before the Trials

4) I'm curious what Tyson can run.

so with those 4 things would I rather have Tyson race some no name race in Florida or run a "B" race in NYC? The "B" race in NYC.

Wejo has it right. Gay should absolutely race before trials, and this is an opportunity to do so with little travel and disruption of his training, etc.

However, it would be foolish and short-sighted for Gay to go after Blake in his first race back after injury and a YEAR lay-off.

In an Olympic year, it's actually very good for the sport that he's running at high-profile meet when for the same purposed he could go to Claremont. Gay should be given credit for getting right back onto a big stage for his comeback race, which many wouldn't do. Wetmore and the Grand Prix should be given credit for making it happen. If inflexible hardheads prevailed, we'd be watching Gay on a shaky YouTube video from Florida, rather than in a Diamond League meet.

Cheers.

Centro Jr running the "B" mile is a good point. I wondered why Wheating wasn't in it too before he ran. I just didn't know if he was ready for a sub 3:50 mile. So with their being a "B" mile that was good for him.

My question with sprinting is how much can a guy improve in 2 weeks? Does it matter more than psychologically if you get smoked? With longer distances if you can't handle the pace and go out too hard it will set you back.

I think a "B" 100 is very different than 2 equal 100s and that is something Robert missed as his original comments on the homepage were more critical. The wording around the QOD is different than it was original after I posted my comments here.

What if he runs sub-10?

Because probably he didn't open in 2012 because he wasn't in sub-10 shape.