Ben Saarel: Sorest loser at NCAA's?

He never looks at the camera/interview people for more than half a second, that's just how he is.

He is the very typical runner (besides the fact he's much much faster than the typical runner). slightly awkward, good student, quiet, very self motivated, very analytical and critical of himself. He'll get better at this stuff.

he's a kid & upset/disappointed. sheesh, give him a break.

i'm sure you handled every disappointment LIKE A CHAMP when you were 19, 20, 21....probably not though.

OP should get screened for being a giant idiot.

He is a very good runner. This is just a case of being disappointed. It can happen to anybody in a championship meet where you have to run a qualifying heat. Sometimes you just get caught in a race that doesn't go your way or play to your strengths. He will learn from the experience and continue to move forward.

he is an 18/19 year old kid with a life that revolves around running given a general lack of maturity most at that age have coupled with the mentally unstable/socially awkward types that distance running attracts it is obvious he is going to give a sub par interviewcut him a break, im sure he'll see this interview, feel uncomfortable about it, and work on it for next timei hope your a collegiate athlete yourself, if older learn to not be so damn petty.

come on dude wrote:

Lost a lot of respect for this kid. Was really terse in his post-race interview. Couldn't even look anybody in the eye, and was pathetically blatant in his disappointment.

You're a freshman and you ran stupid! Get over it!! Also, he should probly get screened for asperger's

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAbcfGdGe_w

He seems to show just the slightest sign of entitlement in his shock of "I didn't do better?!" But as others have said he's young and not familiar with giving a proper interview or showing that he's grateful to even be there and be fully financially supported at university.

Kids fricking gassed and disappointed.

Personally I love that hes disappointed and not chatting more.

Original Poster - Typical jealous LRCer still upset about his own lack of performance so he'll attack anyone else who has success for whatever reason. Attacking people who are better than you makes some people feel better about their own lack of achievement.

come on dude wrote:

Lost a lot of respect for this kid. Was really terse in his post-race interview. Couldn't even look anybody in the eye, and was pathetically blatant in his disappointment.

You're a freshman and you ran stupid! Get over it!! Also, he should probly get screened for asperger's

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAbcfGdGe_w

Agreed. He appears more tired than most after his races. I honestly don't think he's as talented as everybody makes him out to be. Likely peaked early and will soon plateau. You would think somebody as supposedly as intelligent as him would run smarter. Obviously he hasn't learned that this is college not high school and he can't simply swing wide and kick down everybody. He will learn this in time but honestly I'm more impressed with Oregon freshman Sam Prakel. Ben will likely never be as saavy a racer as Sam IMO

First, who's the idiot asking questions? Those were horrible questions. To not know that this was his only event of the meet is just plain ignorant.

Saarel is a frosh. He had a very disappointing race and he thought he'd make the final. He's allowed to be disappointed and is obviously just stepping off the track and realizing he isn't going to make the final. He's crushed. Saarel is a good kid (if you've ever talked to him for more than two minutes asking dumb questions, you'd know this), is super competitive, a big-time talent and will bounce back next fall in a big way. He had a great freshman year and should be applauded for that. Oh, and I bet he gets better at doing interviews over the next few years, too.

No reason to lose respect. I just gained respect for him. You can see that it burns him up that he didn't run better. He's mulling it over and trying to figure out what went wrong as well as planning the next move. He was totally respectful, he's just a competitor. If he keeps this fire burning, he'll be doing amazing things very soon. Fun Fact: Asperger's actually doesn't exist anymore (at least with new cases). It falls under Autism Spectrum Disorder. I'm not trying to be a douche as that's not common knowledge yet. Thought it'd be cool for you to share with others.

He's on the road to Ruppdom.

1. The interviewer was asking the shittiest, most insensitive questions- what kind of response was he looking for? Lack of respect.

2. It is 100% okay to be disappointed and even dismissive after having a race like that.

3. He's only a freshman, going to be killing it by senior year. 99% of the letsrun crowd is in no position to talk shit about him.

There is nothing disrespectful in this interview. What I see is an 18 year old guy who is painfully shy and also very disappointed. I this era of so many young people who are overly concerned with their "image", I find Saarel to be rather charming actually. A sore loser is someone who denigrates the achievements of others. He is hard on himself but at 18 that is not so unusual. Good lad. He will get faster and more comfortable in front of the camera.

absolutely nothing wrong with this interview and there is nothing remotely indicating the presence of or a need for Aspergers eval. You are wayyyy off. Thank you.

Hey Sam Prakel's brother or dad.

Not everyone has the charisma of Bernard Lagat, especially not college freshmen. Just the way it is I guess.

Didn't you see a big bright light at the screen behind him...meaning there was probably a bright light alongside the camera. I wouldn't look at it either.

Interviewer: How do you feel?

Saarel: Terrible, really bummed out.

Interviewer: Great!