Taoufik Makhloufi runs 1:43.92 at small meet in France

This is part of a series just outside of Paris. I recognized it from the video. You have to either be part of an official club, with proof, or have a doctor's note to compete. I was in Paris a few years back and took the commuter train out there to run, missing the first one because I didn't have either certification, and then running the next one or two. They actually have pacers in many of the races and some pretty quick runners on a regular basis, but we're talking about sub 1:50, not sub 1:44. The best thing about the meets is that they go throughout the evening until almost midnight, so that the weather is perfect under the lights at the Michel Jazy track. But because there are so many heats, it is tough to time your warmup. I wish other major European cities had as good a track series in the summer.

Past midnight this season, if you competed in the 3000m or 5000m (last distance, in general) and you're not very good. They will make enough heats to let anyone who comes run.

This year at least, they took the registrations, with your expected performance, until 45 minutes before the start of the first heat for your distance. Then, about 15 minutes later, they group people by expected performance and publish the start lists next to the start line for your distance. They always start with the best heat and then go down. So, if you are not among the bests, you get to know your heat some time in advance. Otherwise... I guess you were among the good ones.

I can't really compare with other meetings, but I found the organisation and the atmosphere really nice and relaxed (there was an ovation for the M75 1500m record, people cheered all the way). Also, it costs 3 euros for an evening, and you can run any number of races (some people will for instance run a race first, then pace a team-mate in another heat). I found it great.

Watch they way Ramzi wins in 2008. Now watch Taoufik Makhloufi win in 2012. I suspected Taofik the second the two races became parallels in my mind. As if some sort of Deja've had just paralyzed me I finally came around and looked up the 2008 Olympic final to review again. You can tell to a certain extent that overextension a doping athlete seems to exert in the last sprint 300m to go or so. On a class field it just seems they have outclassed them with by, quite plainly, just out muscling them. I've been suspicious and watching his races for a while.

Someone made a fantastic point about him running the 1500m in London to get himself under that proverbial "red flag zone." I couldn't agree with you more.

asfsdagds wrote:

Dorhermtag wrote:

Yet Gatlin is OK to compete?

Double standard

And Makhloufi has never tested positive.

It's not a double standard at all, nobody wants Gatlin to be competing either.

I do. There are plenty with me.

Was that the easiest looking 1:43.92 anyone has ever seen? Looked like he could have kept at that for a full 1500. Then again, this guy runs 1:44 in practice.

I still think he'll get Kiproped.

Tnfmedia wrote:

[quote]Feuer for presidente sdfd wrote:

Is he doped to the gills or eyeballs? I forget which is worse

Gills. Humans all have eyeballs. If you grow gills, it's a sure sign you're on some weird cutting-edge gene doping stuff. (Cool way to suck in more oxygen though..)

jjjjjj wrote:

This is part of a series just outside of Paris. I recognized it from the video. You have to either be part of an official club, with proof, or have a doctor's note to compete.

When I was a kid you needed a doctor's note to be allowed NOT to do sports.

Is this some "this guy will not die of a heart attack" thing?

+1

RRRR wrote:

kajsbdfkjadsbfsdaf wrote:

I like Makhloufi. Haters say he's on drugs but he's never, no not once, had a single positive test so I don't get all the hype.

Gatlin is another story, altogether. Proven cheat.

If you are going to pick on Makhloufi you better throw in Bolt, Farah, Rupp and Centro.

Just saying.

Truth.

I'm totally fine with you throwing them all in as well.

Truth.

eurodonkey wrote:

jjjjjj wrote:

This is part of a series just outside of Paris. I recognized it from the video. You have to either be part of an official club, with proof, or have a doctor's note to compete.

When I was a kid you needed a doctor's note to be allowed NOT to do sports.

Is this some "this guy will not die of a heart attack" thing?

Yes. In France, this is required by law for any running competition.

kajsbdfkjadsbfsdaf wrote:

I like Makhloufi. Haters say he's on drugs but he's never, no not once, had a single positive test so I don't get all the hype.

Gatlin is another story, altogether. Proven cheat.

If you are going to pick on Makhloufi you better throw in Bolt, Farah, Rupp and Centro.

Just saying.

Truth.

RRRR wrote:

And agreed, no one wants Gatlin out there representing the US...he makes a mockery of the entire sport.

If Jama Aden is your coach...

Just a fantastic meet for an all-comers meet and the races being so late in the evening made conditions absolutely perfect. However, I recall having warmed up about an hour before my race actually took place and then racing back to make the last(?) train for the night back to Paris. Even when they wouldn't let me run and with my very poor French, they were extremely nice about it and wrote down on a piece of paper what I needed to tell the doctor in Paris. There were doctors at apartment buildings all around us in Paris and the charge was only 25 Euros, the standard--not even a real checkup was needed and the doc said that I should have told him and I wouldn't have had to wait in line at all. (Another doctor in the neighborhood below Pere Lachaise took reassuring care of my daughter when she fell and hit her head, same price, no waiting this time).

No drug testing at low key meets

bloodhound wrote:

Race Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDM2zqhg3Zo&feature=youtu.be

Claims in post race interview that he was hoping for 1:42 - this meet is about as low key as it gets, bordering on a French club meet.

Not sure how this missed the front page.

5th fastest time in 2016.

Gatlin seems like a chill dude, no hate here.

mahkloufi is the dopiest dope to ever dope in our sport and get away with it. just ban him already.

farts wrote:

mahkloufi is the dopiest dope to ever dope in our sport and get away with it. just ban him already.

No that person is Kiprop.

Jogs past world class milers like they are high school kids, most of those milers you say are doped up (Makh, Iguider, Souleiman, Farah, Centro etc.)

Kenneth Davids wrote:

Was that the easiest looking 1:43.92 anyone has ever seen? Looked like he could have kept at that for a full 1500. Then again, this guy runs 1:44 in practice.

I still think he'll get Kiproped.

I disagree. His splits (hand timed ones, as there is no onscreen clock) don't show 1:42 form, or anywhere close.

He ran on inside of lane 1, therefore no extra distance, and was drafted from 200m to almost 600m. He therefore got about 200m extra drafting than what would be considered the norm in a fast solo time trial/WR attempt. And the pacing up to this point was very good, and pretty even for a 1:43 flat final time. However, he couldn't maintain that over the last 200m, and drifted out to 1:43.92.

Using a stopwatch on this race, I got his 200m split times as: - 24.8, 50.5, 1:16.6, 1:43.8.

In other words, 200m of - 24.8, 25.7, 26.1, 27.2

Now the announcer clearly calls out the first 200m split (in French) as 24.3, and Makhloufi was in 3rd place at this point, about 3-4m behind. That corroborates a 200 split of 24.8 for him. Couldn't quite work out if the announcer called out splits for the 400 and 600m!?

He was clearly a lot slower in that last 200m, and with the good pace and drafting, he should certainly have been able to hang on for a 26 low over the last 200m, if he were in 1:42 shape. He was about a second slower than that, so at present he is in 1:43 mid-high 800m shape.

He's got some work to do before Rio if he wants to defend his 1500 title.

400m of drafting is the norm for fast solo time trials. The pacer will be there by 200m and hold to 600m, though it is true that more recently, most pacers have made it only to about 500m. In the past, it was common to make 600m in the 800m.