Nick Symmonds puts on a clinic - 800m

1 Nicholas Symmonds Nike / Oregon TC Elite 1:43.92

2 Khadevis Robinson Nike 1:44.64

3 Duane Solomon Jr Saucony 1:44.65

4 Ryan Martin U C S B 1:44.90

5 Tyler Mulder Nike / Oregon TC Elite 1:45.02

6 Elijah Greer Oregon 1:45.40

7 Mark Wieczorek Unattached 1:45.62

8 Charles Jock Nike 1:49.02

canihavyodigits wrote:

Nick Symmonds puts on a clinic on how to run a 800m. Olympic medal looks like a real possibility

He put on a clinic for how to run an 800m for himself.

Perfect.

Rudisha, puts on a clinic for how to run an 800m for himself.

Greer, goes out too fast again, or makes his move too soon, again...and misses out again.

Lananna needs to get this guy studying his race, and figure out the best tactics for himself.

Symmonds has the confidence of so many races, and having learned to run from the back, and then learned to run from mid pack, but never in the first three.

I knew in the first 150 meters that Jock and Greer were done for.

A Duck wrote:

...

I knew in the first 150 meters that Jock and Greer were done for.

Oh really now? Aren't you the brilliant one?

I read a 27.09 to finish. If he splits 1:15.52 like Solomon at 600 and finishes that way = 1:42.61 AR. He'll need to be at least this close in the 800 final at 600m. Might get a bronze that way(or even a silver). I think he can do it.

Skate wrote:

I read a 27.09 to finish. If he splits 1:15.52 like Solomon at 600 and finishes that way = 1:42.61 AR. He'll need to be at least this close in the 800 final at 600m. Might get a bronze that way(or even a silver). I think he can do it.

Oh, but I thought that the 800 was different. I thought that you really needed a strong positive split to run the 800 efficiently. Gee, I wonder if I got that wrong.

The AR is 1:42.60.

True, sorry. It has been so many years now, probably around the time Nick was born. Tough one to break, Nick has a shot the next couple of years. Wonder what Gray's splits were in that race.

A Duck wrote:

I knew in the first 150 meters that Jock and Greer were done for.

Since Jock was in front at the bell and Solomon was right behind him, wouldn't you have known that Solomon was done, too?

I thought KD also put on a clinic. When Nick really started to move up (maybe about 250 m. to go), Robinson held back quite a bit longer, he was clearly running just to make sure he was on the team. With about 150 m to go, I think he was still in 5th or 6th, but he knew exactly what he was doing - great run for all of the top 3!

49.8 1:15.9 in the 1:42.65 88 Zurich give or take a few 100ths. Can find a video of the 1:42.6 Koblenz AR run.

now if someone can find the Gray video, THAT would be the find of the year...

Hey, how about Ryan Martin...playing second fiddle his entire NCAA career, JUST missing the team. What a story that would have been. But happy for KD and Duane. Good stories.

the find of the year... maybe, but bekele's 12:37 is the holy grail.

I’m not sure but 1:42.6

49.5 - 1:15.5 -27.1 final 200

If he could run 1:12.8 for 600 meters the 1:15.5 must be pretty close. It had to be very close to those splits. Is there an old T & F article or an interview after his AR in 85?

Martin ran a smart race. Jock did not. A shame neither of them made it.

Found something very interesting: From Joe Douglas

http://www.usatf.org/groups/coaches/library/2008/Endurance/Training%20400m%20&%20800m%20Runners.pdf

'To run the fastest time in a race, the pace should be relatively even. In the 800m, the average difference between the first 400(440yds) and the second 400(440yds) for all the 800 m (880yds) world records (except one) is approximately 1.7 seconds. Which 200m was usually the fastest in the world records? It was usually the third 200m. When Johnny Gray ran the American record, his lap times were 50.6 & 52.0. David Mack’s split times when he ran 1:43.35 were 51.4 and 51.95.'

http://www.usatf.org/groups/Coaches/library/2008/Endurance/index.asp

Really? Usually the fastest 200m is the first 200. These splits seem a bit off to me.

Oh Really Now wrote:

A Duck wrote:

...

I knew in the first 150 meters that Jock and Greer were done for.

Oh really now? Aren't you the brilliant one?

No, the unhappy one, I wanted to see Greer have a freaking chance. I wanted to see that Lananna or some Duck Coach had taken the kid aside and really coached him on race tactics after the idiot race he had in the NCAA finals.

Jock has shown he was starting to tire in the semi's, after a long season.

Do people like you really ask themselves if they have fully been paying attention to all these athletes and their races before you comment on my comment?

I've seen every race possible with every one in this final for the last 5 years, so yeah, as soon as Jock went to the front, I knew he would not make the team. As soon as Greer broke into the top group, I knew he would not make the team. His kick petered out at exactly the same point it has in all of his last big races.

His tactics are not working for him.

That is poor coaching.

Back to the OP: Symmonds runs the best final curve of anyone on the planet. It's like he can run right through people without a hitch. If he didn't have to pass,and didn't celebrate a tad early, he would have run 1:43-mid today. Might be in 1:42-high shape by London.

Easy, easy, easy. This happens every WC/OG year at the trials. We've seen KD do it and also Symmonds in the past - just because they put on a "clinic" at US trials doesn't mean a thing when they come up against the top Africans and Euros when it really matters. This was a great race - but thats all...

I have to point out the irony with Charles Jock who is a great guy but up to now seems to have had his priorities a bit mixed up. Last season he was admittedly devastated by not winning NCAAs but then went on to run superbly at the trials and represent the US at the World Championships. He claims doing that did not ease the pain of a 2/100ths of a second loss to RA at NCAA's. This year he wins the title but now is going to watch the Olympics from home. I wonder if he thinks the NCAA title is so important now? Four years is a long time - four years of needing to stay healthy and fighting off the seemingly now endless stream of talented young half milers America produces. At least now there are no NCAAs for him to waste his seasons best running on....

This proves that white male runners are so genetically gifted that they can still beat black doped athletes.