Let's just admit it -- Rupp's silver was fluke and not indicative of his talent level vs. the world

Okay, a pure troll post, taken seriously as a counter-troll ploy.

Rupp could repeat his silver metal if the other runners fall into his hide-in-the-pack, then-kick, bullet-proof strategy. Which is no longer bullet-proof.

That is all very nice, but, well, the other runners know Rupp's kick is not that good in a really fast race, and since this weekend, not that good in a really slow race.

Other runners now know know Rupp will never lead. The other runners could conspire to slowly walk the first 4000m, and Rupp would still find a way to not lead, and hide himself within the walker pack. Rupp will wait until someone else initiates "the kick" (Inception movie stlye) and then, finally, start running, for real. But, the other runners know they have an advantage over Rupp in this type of slow race.

Rupp has to counter by taking the lead and trying to get everyone to run within his "optimal" zone. We don't know what that zone is, but it is probably somewhere between 13:05 and 13:30.

Though I know you are trolling, I actually agree somewhat. He earned his medal, you can't take that away from him. But he won't ever get another. Still that is better than pretty much anybody else in the world can say.

Liar wrote:

Irrespective of his "silver" medal in the olympics, he is simply not silver medal material. It was one of the slowest all time 10k olympic final in a year in lacking the best talent.

Don't get me wrong, Rupp is a great talent. He is right up there with the best current US distance runners, if not the best. But he is simply not World Championship/ Olympic medal material.

He won't ever duplicate his accomplishments. Eventually he will make his mark in the marathon but that will be more like Hall's record - great showing, no wins to show for it.

It's called international pro racing, bro. Galen learned how to play that game where other Americans had failed.

his 26:48 American record showed he could run with the best in the world. He's run world class times in other distances as well and consistently placed in the top 10 at worlds. He peaked at the right time and had the race of his life. He could do it again. The olympics mean everything, lesser races mean little in comparison.

As prescient as those who predicted, pre-London, that he would never win a medal at an international competition.

[quote]Government Cheese wrote:

He earned his medal, you can't take that away from him. But he won't ever get another. Still that is better than pretty much anybody else in the world can say.

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You do realize Rupp is the 16th fastest 10000m runner EVER right?

um, 3:50 and 26:48 is one of the best ranges on the planet. he deserved the medal as much as anyone.

but in a sense you are right though - probably half of distance medals are 'flukes' and won't be repeated. That's the reality of championship distance running. You have a good day on the big day and someone else has a bad day.

Dennis Reynolds wrote:

You do realize Rupp is the 16th fastest 10000m runner EVER right?

Misleading stat

agip wrote:

um, 3:50 and 26:48 is one of the best ranges on the planet. he deserved the medal as much as anyone.

but in a sense you are right though - probably half of distance medals are 'flukes' and won't be repeated. That's the reality of championship distance running. You have a good day on the big day and someone else has a bad day.

The 3:50 was on a springy indoor track with no wind (obviously). The 26:48 was a losing effort.

The Olympic Silver was his finest moment, but not a great field since KB wasn't anywhere near full strength and the real talent goes to the marathon these days.

He is a great runner, but not a dominant figure outside of US championships.

JoggerMeister wrote:

agip wrote:

um, 3:50 and 26:48 is one of the best ranges on the planet. he deserved the medal as much as anyone.

but in a sense you are right though - probably half of distance medals are 'flukes' and won't be repeated. That's the reality of championship distance running. You have a good day on the big day and someone else has a bad day.

The 3:50 was on a springy indoor track with no wind (obviously). The 26:48 was a losing effort.

The Olympic Silver was his finest moment, but not a great field since KB wasn't anywhere near full strength and the real talent goes to the marathon these days.

He is a great runner, but not a dominant figure outside of US championships.

_-

right - 3:50 doesn't count, 26:48 doesn't count, olympic silver doesn't count. You gotta laugh at attitudes like this.

JoggerMeister wrote:

agip wrote:

um, 3:50 and 26:48 is one of the best ranges on the planet. he deserved the medal as much as anyone.

but in a sense you are right though - probably half of distance medals are 'flukes' and won't be repeated. That's the reality of championship distance running. You have a good day on the big day and someone else has a bad day.

The 3:50 was on a springy indoor track with no wind (obviously). The 26:48 was a losing effort.

The Olympic Silver was his finest moment, but not a great field since KB wasn't anywhere near full strength and the real talent goes to the marathon these days.

He is a great runner, but not a dominant figure outside of US championships.

Only because he doesn't race much. We know he owns the Americans, we know he has a truly epic PR that's better than almost everyone still competing seriously in the 10k today, and we know he can kick like crazy.

Yeah, there's a lot of talent out there, but of course you always bet on the field. The question is how many people can you actually name who are better than him. I can only name two: Mo and Kenny B.

Everybody uses excuses and misleading stats. The only thing you need to know is that he backed his way into an accomplishment that he can never repeat. I think not all Olympic medals are equal. You say "He's an olympic medalist" and that carries some rightful cache. Unfortunately, his does not count nearly as much as the average medal. In the end he got an amazing, lifetime achievement and a nice resume padder. It will look great on his LinkedIn profile.

JoggerMeister wrote:

agip wrote:

um, 3:50 and 26:48 is one of the best ranges on the planet. he deserved the medal as much as anyone.

but in a sense you are right though - probably half of distance medals are 'flukes' and won't be repeated. That's the reality of championship distance running. You have a good day on the big day and someone else has a bad day.

The 3:50 was on a springy indoor track with no wind (obviously). The 26:48 was a losing effort.

The Olympic Silver was his finest moment, but not a great field since KB wasn't anywhere near full strength and the real talent goes to the marathon these days.

He is a great runner, but not a dominant figure outside of US championships.

nope.

3:50i-7:30i-12:58-26:48

no runner in history has ever beaten ALL these times.

Rupp is one of the fastest runners ever across a range of distances, and is one of the fastest finishing runners in history. He has a global silver already, and you could very well expect more to come.

Nobody can take Rupp for granted at any distance 1500-->HM.

The Champ wrote: Nobody can take Rupp for granted at any distance 1500-->HM.

HM??? His/Her Majesty?

He can kick very well in a slow race-He just can't hold his fire enough for a 54 in a 5k with a 3:37 last 1500m.

The Champ wrote:

nope.

3:50i-7:30i-12:58-26:48

no runner in history has ever beaten ALL these times.

Rupp is one of the fastest runners ever across a range of distances, and is one of the fastest finishing runners in history. He has a global silver already, and you could very well expect more to come.

Nobody can take Rupp for granted at any distance 1500-->HM.

^THIS^

I'd also say championship racing favors him.

Some of you are just living in a dreamworld. I would say fairly confidently that Ritz is more talented and has a better lifetime chance of getting a medal than does Rupp (not withstanding his current silver* )

9/10. For a moment there I thought you were serious until I read "no runner in history has ever beaten ALL these times".............. Riiiiiiight.

The Champ wrote:

nope.

3:50i-7:30i-12:58-26:48

no runner in history has ever beaten ALL these times.

Gebrselassie has. His 3:31.76i is about two seconds better than Rupp's indoor mile best.

But that's good company to be in.