I also think it's annoying that he's been saying all along that he was going to race and fans bought tickets expecting him to be there.
He could have said weeks ago when he had medical issues that he wasn't going to race, he could have at least said last week that he wasn't, but he waits until after the Opening Ceremony to make the call?
Maybe things weren't going great and he wanted to wait until the last minute to see if they turned around, but you certainly wouldn't have known that from his interviews before now.
Look at this Facebook post from July 16th: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152531746219710&id=260571864709
His management team said: "Mo Farah is healthy, back in full training and looking forward to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow."
Farah himself wrote: "In Font Romeu... Trainings going good!! next stop..... commonwealth Games...!! Shabba"
So what's happened in the last week that is so drastically different he's had to pull out? Clearly he's in good enough shape to race if training was going "good" as he says. Maybe not 100% London double gold shape, but clearly good enough.
Not Farah certified: Mo Farah pulls out of the 2014 Commonwealth Games 10,000 and 5,000
Report Thread
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rojo wrote:
It's certainly Farah's right to do whatever he wants and coming back from a marathon isn't easy.
That being said, when people who wonder why track and field isn't more popular, this is the perfect example of the inherent aspects of the sport that make it not popular. There is no required, set schedule.
Can you imagine an NFL athlete skipping a playoff game because he's not 100%? Of course not.
Yet in track, everything is basically practice for the athletes except for the major championships and for the very top stars like Farah, i guess Commonwealths at home in the UK don't even count - the only championship that truly matters is the Olympics/Worlds.
Track and field is largely a sport that results in the top stars being paid for being their own brand. I guess it's better for the brand of Mo Farah and Usain Bolt to not race at all than it is to race and maybe finish second or third.
But it's not good for the sport.
He's going to get ready for Europeans? Where he won't face anyone from Kenya? As a fan, that doesn't excite me.
rojo,
Your constant harping on this issue is off base.
Athletes in the '60s & '70s used to be forced to run meets that they didn't want to take part in. Those athletes fought so that they weren't being controlled by the governing bodies.
It seems like you want it to revert to this system. Similar to how USATF makes reigning world champions run at the US championships, even though they have an automatic bid into the championships.This is so that they can "show fitness".
Well, they could show more fitness by running in europe running against the best, and probably get paid a lot more too. If you want governing bodies to be able to control athletes, it opens the doors for more things like this.
Track is not the NFL. And I'm glad it is not the NFL. Constantly comparing it to a team sport game, when track is not a game, makes little sense. -
Farrah is such a wimp. I have no respect for him
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wow that marathon sure looks like a smart choice now *sarcasm*
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NotAustin18 wrote:
wow that marathon sure looks like a smart choice now *sarcasm*
Considering he got paid something like 750k GBP (over 1 million USD), I'd say it was a good decision. -
Emaciated Hobby Jogger wrote:
Mo Farah = the next Ryan Hall
Ryan Hall would love to have half of the accomplishments of Mo Farah. -
Biggest mistake with Marathons is to resume training to quickly afterwards. Can't blame Farah as it was his first but Salazar should have known better.
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Sub240 wrote:
Biggest mistake with Marathons is to resume training to quickly afterwards. Can't blame Farah as it was his first but Salazar should have known better.
That's probably it. Disappointing all the same :( -
Caleb Ndiku...
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Did he finally realize that Rupp wouldn't be in the race to be his pacer?
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OK, I don't get it. He won the Boston Marathon and attributed all to his "that's what champions do" and now he can't even run a friggin 5k/10k lap-race?
No surprise this dude doesn't even dare to show up to a real competition like CrossFit Games. -
Sub240 wrote:
Biggest mistake with Marathons is to resume training to quickly afterwards. Can't blame Farah as it was his first but Salazar should have known better.
He took like two weeks off after the marathon. -
I came on here last year and wrote that Farah wouldn't be running the Commonwealth Games, they're an irrelevance.
And we get idiots on her like "trackcoach" arguing
they're second only to Olympics/WC (which makes them third I guess). -
Here's what's clear:
1. He did not recover well from the London marathon (whatever the reasons might be).
2. He has been suffering from some abdominal problems that have had an effect on his training, problems that landed him in the hospital this month.
3. He is not fit enough to race at a high level, something the Commonwealth Games requires in his events. As such, he would not be able to compete against the best athletes and he might go so far into the well that it would compromise the rest of his season.
4. This is disappointing for all track fans.
Should he run in a major championship when not fit enough to compete? The answer to this question is far from obvious and we shouldn't pretend otherwise.
As for comparing him to a football player, who even when not as his best can still contribute to the overall team effort, well, the comparison is absolutely foolish on its face.
And as for those "knee jerk doping posters," apparently when Farah runs well, it's because he is doping; and when he runs poorly or doesn't race, it's because he is doping. Brilliant! No possible factual circumstances can change such opinions.
rojo wrote:
It's certainly Farah's right to do whatever he wants and coming back from a marathon isn't easy.
That being said, when people who wonder why track and field isn't more popular, this is the perfect example of the inherent aspects of the sport that make it not popular. There is no required, set schedule.
Can you imagine an NFL athlete skipping a playoff game because he's not 100%? Of course not.
Yet in track, everything is basically practice for the athletes except for the major championships and for the very top stars like Farah, i guess Commonwealths at home in the UK don't even count - the only championship that truly matters is the Olympics/Worlds.
Track and field is largely a sport that results in the top stars being paid for being their own brand. I guess it's better for the brand of Mo Farah and Usain Bolt to not race at all than it is to race and maybe finish second or third.
But it's not good for the sport.
He's going to get ready for Europeans? Where he won't face anyone from Kenya? As a fan, that doesn't excite me. -
rojo wrote:
It's certainly Farah's right to do whatever he wants and coming back from a marathon isn't easy.
That being said, when people who wonder why track and field isn't more popular, this is the perfect example of the inherent aspects of the sport that make it not popular. There is no required, set schedule.
Can you imagine an NFL athlete skipping a playoff game because he's not 100%? Of course not.
Yet in track, everything is basically practice for the athletes except for the major championships and for the very top stars like Farah, i guess Commonwealths at home in the UK don't even count - the only championship that truly matters is the Olympics/Worlds.
Track and field is largely a sport that results in the top stars being paid for being their own brand. I guess it's better for the brand of Mo Farah and Usain Bolt to not race at all than it is to race and maybe finish second or third.
But it's not good for the sport.
He's going to get ready for Europeans? Where he won't face anyone from Kenya? As a fan, that doesn't excite me.
I've got to agree with Rojo on this, but it's not just at the professional level. I have been involved with coaching track and field/CC since 1983. I follow it online and attend the Olympic Trials every 4 years. However, when I try to attend college invitationals and find that most of the "stars" are running races as workouts or not racing at all, it certainly doesn't encourage me to attend future meets. I can't imagine paying much more for a major professional meet only to have many of the "stars" decide not to race because they're not 100%.
I am perfectly OK with track not being a major spectator sport. In my mind it's a participant sport. But not racing unless you're 100% is not in the interest of professionals who want it to be a spectator sport with accompanying sponsor dollars. -
trollism wrote:
not the press wrote:
Probably received the USADA Yellow card. The courtesy big name no press suspension.
But he hasn't pulled out of the more prestigious European Championships yet though?
In the 5&10, I wouldn't describe EC gold as more prestigious than CG gold these days. -
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But he hasn't pulled out of the more prestigious European Championships yet though?[/quote]
Because Kenya is not in Europe. -
Mo is missing Baby Internationals? Gadzooks! Pox upon him and fie on his misdeeds!
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fsdjhc wrote:
In the 5&10, I wouldn't describe EC gold as more prestigious than CG gold these days.
In a commercial money sense for athletes, sponsors, etc, EC gold is more prestigious, and that's what it's all about. -
That depends on the athlete, for example look at Yuki Kawauchi, the dude hammers out sub 2-10 marathons every month or so and has been doing so over the last few years. With a full time job as well, no altitude training, cryosaunas etc ...
Sub240 wrote:
Biggest mistake with Marathons is to resume training to quickly afterwards. Can't blame Farah as it was his first but Salazar should have known better.
