He should try the steeplechase! Showing potential there.
He should try the steeplechase! Showing potential there.
Jakub the champ! wrote:
He should try the steeplechase! Showing potential there.
That's funny !!
lame double standard in full effect.
wejo wrote:
I viewed that "no comment" as a way of not criticizing the meet which is so close to Nike his sponsor.
Hopping the fence was pretty funny. I even took a picture of it. Only guy to hop the fence all week.
I definitely felt for him because he has run so damn well this year and came oh so close to going to Worlds but he should have spoken to the media or at least walked by and said he didn't want to talk about it. It's part of his job expectations.
This sums it up for me as well.
A Duck wrote:
I saw what was happening when he was trying to leave and avoid mixed zone, though it didn't click in my head till two beats later what he was trying to do (it was wiltingly hot AND more humid Sat than Friday.
Here's the deal, very soon after they finish they are bum rushed to get off the track and through a path way that has security, rope off the path while they exit, then the security, let's spectators etc., walk through in each direction again. I was about to step forward and tell the security "hey let him go he's an elite runners" (these kind of stupid thoughts go through one's mind in that kind of heat, and the obvious discomfort the guy was in, he looked and acted trapped and you felt for him, if you were that close, and I hated the security for not knowing better to make an exception at that time.... I stopped myself from saying something because I got the evil eye from security as I instinctively empathized with the guys body language that he wanted to escape and gain privacy. Understandable, and they system needs to be looked into. There are going to be rare occasions when an elite is just not going to want to be forced to talk... Someone needs to be around who can make a judgment call in the moment: "this person is clearly not in a place to be forced to answer questions...etc." That's going to happen and they could put a sports psychologist in the area who can see the races and read the body and facial expressions, and see what happened, and escort the athlete to a psychologically private and safe area until they are ready to talk, or permit the athlete to warm down on promise of coming back to the media later.
You couldn't be human and not feel for him, and not want them to let him have his desire for privacy at that time, for some duration until he was ready to speak -- and give all the athletes a free pass to skip the press once a year...
He had a real human need, and unlike body injury, his emotional stress at the moment was not noticed, respected or honored.
We've all jumped a fence to get on a track, or a trail, or a park on occasion to run.
Sometimes you gotta jump a fence.
I respect the man immensely for knowing his needs in the moment and honoring his needs.
Screw the system.
Good luck Ben, get after it this summer, set some PB's!
Probably wanted to avoid the question, "why did you have to throw elbows at one of the smallest runners in the race?"
Screw the system that pays you?
In exchange for getting paid to run, he needs to represent his sponsor and T&F itself.
This wasn't a high school meet. If you did poorly, you need to account for it and stand in front of the cameras and answer some questions. Why else is he getting paid? To run away every time something doesn't go his way?
Jakub the champ! wrote:
He should try the steeplechase! Showing potential there.
I would pay to see a fist fight between Blank and Benabad
"if you don't succeed, quit". great credo to live by!
jjjjj wrote:
he said something about not bothering to compete any more if he didn't make the team. give him a break. that is a huge blow to lose out by that margin.
exactly.
Sad truth wrote:
Rupp would be crucified on here for doing this. Pre or post doping allegations.
Indefensible act wrote:
Probably wanted to avoid the question, "why did you have to throw elbows at one of the smallest runners in the race?"
Saw that too......Manzano hooked Centro with his arm when Centro made his move at 600 to go......Incidental contact? I don't think so.....Should Manzano been DQ'd for that?....Ben threw the elbow after crossing the line....Bad sportsmanship or just incidental contact while trying to keep balance after crossing the line? Championship racing is a battle, got to expect a little banging around but poor sportsmanship? Maybe Ben should be going to the show......No hating just saying......
This wouldn't fly in any other professional sport.
I'm sure he's devastated but being a professional means talking to the media after good and bad races.
Walk up say it sucks, answer like two questions from sympathetic reporters then walk away.
Who is Ben Blankenship?
Maybe he makes a world team at some point, maybe he doesn't. Nobody will really care. Hes just not a runner anyone wants to get behind. Fake and scared and no guts.
So an Oregon runner underperformed and acted a self entitled jerk... And we are surprised?!?
Lol
AxC wrote:
This wouldn't fly in any other professional sport.
Look it up: English Premier League players are under absolutely zero obligation to talk to the press after their games. Only managers.
Just watched the race - he's the guy with 70s style headband, beard, and hippie hair? Wonder what the e. Africans think when he and Leer show up to race.
Speaking of Leer - was he In the race?
Weak.
DaBois wrote:
ya..... wrote:We're not talking about your turkey trot 5ks where you can have a bad race and go home and beat your wife. This is a pro runner in the biggest US event where he is representing himself, his sponsors, and his team. You don't just skip the interviews.
If you've never been upset enough to disregard pretty much everything around you after a bad [or extremely close] race you've never really trained. This guy has put countless hours day in day out for years and to be this close and not get it has to be an unbelievable feeling. This was one of the biggest moments of his life and the following 10 minutes were probably dominated by emotion.
Blue Cow wrote:
Sometimes they randomly select for testing after races. I am not suggesting for a tiny moment that he was avoiding this possibility, but they are anal about that stuff. I hope he didn't get in any trouble because of that business. BTW, I was in Sac at the Olympic Trials when Marion Jones wouldn't go through the fenced area. It was during the scandal and she had a security guard walk her back down the track after the 100m. His reason was much different than that.
I actually sympathize with this guy for wanting to get out of there. He knew he blew it and that chance doesn't come along very often. Especially for him. He probably wasn't avoiding people as much as he was needing to get someplace to calm down and not say or do something stupid in front of other people. In that state of mind he wasn't going to give any solid answers to questions anyways. Sometimes you are aware of your emotional state and you are best not to give heightened responses. Which, of course, is what reporters want to hear.
I think he would have had to stay in line and take a test. He has the time qualifier and #2 & #3 don't yet correct? He may still go. But not if he skipped testing protocol.
wejo wrote:
Hopping the fence was pretty funny. I even took a picture of it. Only guy to hop the fence all week.
post race Blankenship interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTjULWHcp1wEverything about that guy makes you want him to lose.