HUGE race. Nice work Duane!
HUGE race. Nice work Duane!
Not surprising; Los Angeles is the track and field capital of the world.
duane solomon now has the 5th fastest 800 meter time in 2012 and 2 of the people ahead of him WILL NOT be running in the olympics.
I think I might be more impressed with symmonds. His latest interview says he still has a ton of speed work to do.
I guarantee Duane is peaking and he will do shit at the olympics.
nick symmonds would have run faster if he had a better start and wasnt running from the back. he was way off the front guys. but duane solomon ran a perfect, great race. hes coming on in leaps and bounds and may be a great dark horse pick to medal in the Olympics.
I like Duanes chances at making a final. He's not afraid to run near the front which will be helpful in qualifying rounds. Symmonds plays with fire.
If Solomon makes the final, he has it in him to get on the medal stand but needs to stay in close contact and sharpen the elbows.
It's Rudisha's to lose, then a guy like Duane that can run off of a fast pace, stay close and finish as relaxed and strong as he does has an awesome chance to grab a medal. Position, Position, Position then STRIKE WHILE the IRON IS HOT and don't look back!!!
I'm worried Duane may be doing too much. But he looked very good.
Still I expect Symmonds has the better shot in the final. Symmonds looked like he was holding back. Symmonds also looked rough around the edges and still ran 1:43.
I hope they both make the final and work together so that at least one of them gets a medal. It would awesome if they both got medals they're both capable of it.
This is likely both Duane's and Symmond's last chance in an Olympics.
I am incredibly psyched about this performance from Duane Solomon. He had looked like a good 800m runner for years, a threat to finish well in medium level American 800s and maybe make a US team, then he drops 1 second to do that against a pretty strong field and he's floored by it. Then he goes to Europe and drops almost 1.2 seconds AGAIN and he makes the most difficult drop of all for Americans. We get a lot of guys breaking 1:45 in college or soon after, but very, very few break 1:44 ever. And Solomon did not only break 1:44, but he ran 1:43.44, which is the fastest time by an American since Kenah's 1:43.38 in 1997 (and he won a bronze at world's). In fact, of current Americans competing, only Symmonds multiple times around 1:43.8 (1:43.76/78/80s several times), Webb once 1:43.84, and KD (1:43.68) had run sub 1:44. I think this puts Solomon up to #5 American all time.
The list now:
1. Johnny Gray 1:42.60 and many other races (4 sub 1:43)
2. Mark Everett 1:43.20/1:43.40
3. David Mack 1:43.35
4. Rich Kenah 1:43.38
5. Duane Solomon 1:43.44
He is in tremendous shape just before the Olympics and proved he could do rounds pretty well last month. Any runner in the Olympics who's just run sub 1:43.5 is a strong medal contender. I hope it happens.
Symmonds is Mister Consistent, five straight U.S. titles, and sub 1:43.9 in, at least, 2009, 2010?, 2011, 2012. If he is ready for a real breakthrough at the Olympics, he is a legitimate medal threat and I hope he does become that 1:43 low runner he can be with a quicker first 400m and daring enough to be closer to the front from 400m-600m.
Olympic rounds are not the same as the U.S trials rounds.
The Semi-finals for the men's 800 should be treated more seriously than the finals by Non-Rudishian athletes.
Symmonds experience alone still makes him the favorite among Americans, but Duane will need to make the same effort in the semis that he makes in finals.
There is an outside chance, slim that all 3 Americans make the final probably a better chance of this happening than ever. These guys need to take the semi's seriously, its the attitude that Americans have in regards to the 8 that makes it so difficult just to make the finals. Only 8 guys go and really we know there's only room for 7. Its not like a sprint where the best US sprinters can jog and make the final, or a distance race where everyone good goes.
The semis are the final in the 800, the olympic 800m is really 1600m long. Thats the secret these guys need to get.
If Solomon gets in the semi with Rudisha, he should make the final. His style will shadow The Boss perfectly.
I agree. If you don't run the semi like it's a final, it will be your final. Once there, anything can (and will) happen.
Still leary about Symmonds. Need to see that zip but not from too far back. All things equal, you can't spot these guys 2 seconds with 250 to go and expect to sweep them all for a medal.
This is one distance where experience is good but can't be considered too much of a factor. It's really about who's sharp and ready now with less than two weeks to go.
However, you can't be "ragged" now and hope 1:43 high will get it done. Rounds are about positioning and still having something in the tank for the final. The final could go slow and raw speed takes over. Not likely with Rudisha gunning from the front if he does. But if it does go slower through 500 then you'd better be in a good position to have a chance.
Mulder figure this out at the trials. Man I was bummed for him. Tactical mistake and miscalculation of his opponents abilities. Too busy spectating.
I'm really excited for Duane, and he clearly had a GREAT race, but is anyone else a little suspicious? The guy's been good--not great--and has been running 1:45s for the past 5 years. Now all of a sudden, at age 27, in an Olympic year, he drops his PB by nearly two full seconds and destroys America's top-ranked 800m runner?
Don't get me wrong, I like the guy and I've been a fan since he made the World team in 2007. I just think it's a bit strange that no one's commented on this yet.
Here's his yearly progression list from IAAF:
800 Metres
2012
1:43.44
2011
1:45.86
2010
1:45.23
2009
1:46.82
2008
1:45.71
2007
1:45.69
Are you suggesting a "Gray area" being a factor?
rbock wrote:
I'm really excited for Duane, and he clearly had a GREAT race, but is anyone else a little suspicious? The guy's been good--not great--and has been running 1:45s for the past 5 years. Now all of a sudden, at age 27, in an Olympic year, he drops his PB by nearly two full seconds and destroys America's top-ranked 800m runner?
Don't get me wrong, I like the guy and I've been a fan since he made the World team in 2007. I just think it's a bit strange that no one's commented on this yet.
Here's his yearly progression list from IAAF:
800 Metres
2012
1:43.44
2011
1:45.86
2010
1:45.23
2009
1:46.82
2008
1:45.71
2007
1:45.69
Symmonds has the third best PB of the American Olympians..
Nick will get him at the Olympics, and then post-olympics, that's all that really matters.
So, any reason Duane is getting the free pass from you losers who accuse every other athlete who improves and runs fast of drug use? He's every bit as guilty as the rest of them. If you're running sub-1:44, you're not clean. Wake up.
Are you suspicious of Evan Jaeger? He just broke the AR in his 5th ever race at the event?
steeplerube wrote:
Are you suspicious of Evan Jaeger? He just broke the AR in his 5th ever race at the event?
You think he kipped the course? Did you notice the bicycle stashed in the infield?
here you go wrote:
800 Metres - Men
1 Rotich , Abraham Kipchirchir KEN 1:43.13
2 Kosencha , Leonard Kirwa KEN 1:43.40
3 Solomon , Duane USA 1:43.44
4 López , Kevin ESP 1:43.74
5 Symmonds , Nick USA 1:43.78
6 Olivier , André RSA 1:44.29
7 Lewandowski , Marcin POL 1:44.37
8 Osagie , Andrew GBR 1:44.48
9 Kaki , Abubaker SUD 1:44.89
10 Bube , Andreas DEN 1:44.89
Scherer , Matthew USA DNF
Scherer always DNFs.
One might be inclined to be suspicious if the American Record were not so weak.
steeplerube wrote:
Are you suspicious of Evan Jaeger? He just broke the AR in his 5th ever race at the event?