Gatlin's leg in the 4x200 at World Relays

I think it's baton carrier at the stagger to baton carrier at the finish. The 2nd runner can be up to 9.99m beyond that mark at the pass. So it would depend on where Gatlin got the stick.

mid 17 for a 190 fly would be mid 18 for a 200 fly or 19 high for a 200 blocks FAT. So good, very good, excellent. But no Usain! Denied.

Splits are determined by where the baton is and not who's carrying it.

Bad Wigins wrote:

I think it's baton carrier at the stagger to baton carrier at the finish. The 2nd runner can be up to 9.99m beyond that mark at the pass. So it would depend on where Gatlin got the stick.

mid 17 for a 190 fly would be mid 18 for a 200 fly or 19 high for a 200 blocks FAT. So good, very good, excellent. But no Usain! Denied.

Great reply, thanks. Here's a video, mid 18 just tracking the baton looks about right. Definitely an entertaining race.

Steve on a cell in Brooklyn wrote:

Splits are determined by where the baton is and not who's carrying it.

True the legality of the pass depends on the stick not the runner, but there's nothing in the competition rules about when the split starts. Certainly it ends with the 4th leg's chest at the finish, so it makes little sense (or difference) to start it with the baton instead of the 3rd leg's chest.

The thing is gatlin lined up at the wrong line... Watch the video and compare where he is starting the handoff versus where the team on the outside is.

Thus the quicker split.

The irony is that the US dropping the baton saved us from the utter embarrassment of being DQ'd because Gatlin couldn't figure out what line to stand on.

Bad Wigins wrote:

I think it's baton carrier at the stagger to baton carrier at the finish. The 2nd runner can be up to 9.99m beyond that mark at the pass. So it would depend on where Gatlin got the stick.

mid 17 for a 190 fly would be mid 18 for a 200 fly or 19 high for a 200 blocks FAT. So good, very good, excellent. But no Usain! Denied.

You don't add that much time for blocks in a 100 let alone a 200.

Who cares? The team had two dopers on it, and Gatlin is the most ridiculous one. Stop giving these people your attention. They do not deserve it.

It did look like Gatlin lined up too far forward. Indeed his split was under 18 sec. He is in spectacular shape.

Mrr82 wrote:

You don't add that much time for blocks in a 100 let alone a 200.

You do if you want an accurate comparison. 1 second for no fly + .2 for reaction time is conservative.

Bad Wigins wrote:

there's nothing in the competition rules about when the split starts. Certainly it ends with the 4th leg's chest at the finish, so it makes little sense (or difference) to start it with the baton instead of the 3rd leg's chest.

Of course there would be no competition rule about splits because the competition is about attaining a single team time.

It's just easier to track the baton passing through the 200m segments.

If the exchange is made before the 200m mark, the baton passes through the 200m mark at the same time as the outgoing runner.

But if the exchange is made after, then the outgoing runner hits the mark before the baton.

Let's say the third runner gets the baton a step before the 400m stagger.

His split starts (and the prior split ends) as that outgoing runner AND the baton pass the 400m mark. (It's pretty much simultaneous unless you want to split hairs)

Now assume the anchor gets the baton 8m after the 200m mark (still in the zone).

Here, the outgoing runner and the baton are not crossing the 200m mark at the same time.

The outgoing runner hits the mark before the baton.

If you hit the split when the outgoing runner hits the 200m mark, then the third leg split will be for less than 200m. (he nor the baton has reached 200m yet)

Now take the split when the baton crosses the 200m mark and the 3rd leg split is for 200m but the anchor will be a little less than 200m.

Because the incoming and outgoing runners never line up chest to chest you can't get even splits by tracking the torsos.

But you can get perfect 200m splits by tracking the baton.

Gatlin is ending the debate about the need for lifetime doping bans. Clear support for the idea that several years of intensive, systematic doping give an unfair advantage longer than the current bans.

I am interested in the rules for splits if the runner is doped to the gills.

This is going to be cycling all over again.

sc42 wrote:

Gatlin is ending the debate about the need for lifetime doping bans. Clear support for the idea that several years of intensive, systematic doping give an unfair advantage longer than the current bans.

Gatlin was mediocre when he returned from his ban a few years ago. Now he is running as well as he ever has. Which is the more likely situation:

1) The benefits of Gatlin's PED-taking persisted since he stopped taking them, but were somehow dormant for a long period of time, after which he started training hard and the residual effects of his PED-enhanced-body-from-many-years-ago suddenly reasserted themselves and he found himself in lifetime best shape once again, despite not having doped for years and years, or

2) After testing positive, Gatlin stopped doping and his body crashed. No longer relying on exogenous testosterone and other anabolics, his body was forced to turn to his now-atrophied testicles to produce testosterone; but years of doping without sufficient attention to PCT (Post Cycle Therapy) drugs had left his balls shut down but good, and only a long treatment program with Clomiphene (Clomid), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and other drugs endocrinologists, his underground lab experts and friends in the bodybuilding world recommended to him could stand a chance of ever returning him to full function "down there". UNFORTUNATELY, because he was claiming he was clean to begin with, had never intentionally doped, etc etc, he was still subject to being tested 24/7/365, and he couldn't use any of the drugs that might help save his balls. The longer he put it off by fighting the court case, the less chance he could make a full hormonal recovery. Eventually things would be settled, though, and Justin could and did a full PCT, and it worked, and then, after a hopeless attempt at rekindling his athletic career clean reminded him that CLEAN he was a 10.20 runner, or maybe 10.15 with a 2.0 behind him, and that he couldn't make any money, win anything, sign any contracts, etc etc as such Justin sought out some familiar contacts in the sprinting world who were very happy to work with him once again; mutually satisfying arrangements were reached, and Gatlin is flying and he and his friends have well-lined pockets and nice cars and send their kids to the best schools, and so on.