'Year-End Rankings' Correction - Kiprop #1, Centro #2**

You could look at it hat way, or...

Kiprop- look at me, I run fast when there is no pressure. I have already been paid. I could even drop out of the race and who cares.

Centro- One race(and only one) counted in 2016 and I have the GOLD MEDAL.

Kiprop pooped his pants at the biggest possible stage in the sport, the only 1500m that mattered in 2016.

Centro beat the world twice in the same year. Every time it came down to a championship race, Centro won. He never messed up once.

I don't think it's even close between Centro and Kiprop when you factor in World Indoors. You can tell me it's not important but it is if you show up. He won that, had the world leading mile.

Personally, I had more trouble on the women's side. I wanted to put Genzebe Dibaba at #2. I know she didn't race on the DL circuit but her indoor and outdoor mile times are way faster than any 1500 that anyone ran and she was undefeated except for the Olympics.

I would have put Muir #3 and G Dibaba #2. but got overruled by the rest of the staff.

In case you haven't read the rankings. The men are here:

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2016/12/2016-lrc-year-end-rankings-mens-1500mile-olympic-champion-matthew-centrowitz-world-1/

Women are here:

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2016/12/2016-lrc-year-end-rankings-womens-1500-faith-kipyegon-unseats-genzebe-dibaba-world-1-jenny-simpson-back-top-u-s-rankings/

I agree.

The OLY 1500 final should have a big asterisk next to it, Centro was barely faster than the women's world record. With that race the integrity of our sport went home devastated.

OP. The Brojos had I right (sounds weird to say that...). If you win the Olympics (biggest stage for track and field) and world indoors (though minor, still a global championship) and have the fastest mile in the world this year. There is no way you're not the world #1.

He won two global championships at 1500meters. Game over. He is the world's best.

Kiprop is like like 2007 Pats or the 2015-2016 Warriors. He performed all year, had the hype, talked a big game, but when it mattered most - he lost. No way he's the world #1.

Either you don't understand the value of winning the Olympics or other global championships or you're an incredible troll.

Centro won World Indoor. Centro won World Outdoor (Olympics). He won the U.S. Indoor title and the U.S. Outdoor title (Olympic Trials). Centro had the fastest mile time in the World. He was undefeated in the 1500/mile all year. He won the biggest indoor invitational mile in the World (Wannamaker/Millrose) in a World best time (3:50). And he beat Kiprop head to head in the Olympic Games final...

CLEARLY, Centro is an undisputed #1.

Wasn't Centro undefeated over 1500m/mile indoors and out?

a$$tricks wrote:

I agree.

The OLY 1500 final should have a big asterisk next to it, Centro was barely faster than the women's world record. With that race the integrity of our sport went home devastated.

The time is of absolutely ZERO relevance. Period. It is not Centro's fault the race was slow. If Jiprop is so good why didn't he run away with it. Also, Kiprop respects Centro far more than LRC boards do. Centro is the greatest tactician at 1500 in the world. I loom forward to Centro to doing more great things.

Also, Centro is the best poster boy for American distance running we have. He has swagger, style, and delivers. Like it or not, that is more interesting to fans than dweeb like Centro and Ritz (both if whom I love.)

Sorry, rant.

The Son /Sun wrote:

OP. The Brojos had I right (sounds weird to say that...). If you win the Olympics (biggest stage for track and field) and world indoors (though minor, still a global championship) and have the fastest mile in the world this year. There is no way you're not the world #1.

If you don't race a single DL event all year and have the 21st fastest 1500 time (the actual event) in the world, there is no way you are the world's #1.

Read that sentence again and tell me he's the best this year. 21st!!! 0 legit victories at the actual distance besides the slowest Olympic 1500 of all time.

The Son /Sun wrote:

Kiprop is like like 2007 Pats or the 2015-2016 Warriors. He performed all year, had the hype, talked a big game, but when it mattered most - he lost. No way he's the world #1.

Those teams are and will be considered the best of that year by just about everyone? Two of the best teams of all time - just like Kiprop, one of the best all time.

rojo wrote:

I don't think it's even close between Centro and Kiprop when you factor in World Indoors. You can tell me it's not important but it is if you show up.

It's not important. Who was there? 40 year old Nick Willis and a washed up Souleiman? My god.

rojo wrote:

He won that, had the world leading mile.

Wowzerz! The leading mile?! Good thing it's raced so often and accurately reflects the world's best runners!!

How about the 1500, you know, the actual event? 21st?!?!!

Spaghettimonster wrote:

a$$tricks wrote:

I agree.

The OLY 1500 final should have a big asterisk next to it, Centro was barely faster than the women's world record. With that race the integrity of our sport went home devastated.

The time is of absolutely ZERO relevance. Period. It is not Centro's fault the race was slow. If Jiprop is so good why didn't he run away with it. Also, Kiprop respects Centro far more than LRC boards do. Centro is the greatest tactician at 1500 in the world. I loom forward to Centro to doing more great things.

Also, Centro is the best poster boy for American distance running we have. He has swagger, style, and delivers. Like it or not, that is more interesting to fans than dweeb like Centro and Ritz (both if whom I love.)

Sorry, rant.

If he was the best poster boy, how does he have such pathetically low public profile as an ***Olympic Gold Medallist in the 1500***?

Answer, because he is a terrible poster boy. Same as old turnip-brain. (Who could have trounced Centre in the 1500 btw.)

Spaghettimonster wrote:

a$$tricks wrote:

I agree.

The OLY 1500 final should have a big asterisk next to it, Centro was barely faster than the women's world record. With that race the integrity of our sport went home devastated.

The time is of absolutely ZERO relevance. Period. It is not Centro's fault the race was slow. If Jiprop is so good why didn't he run away with it. Also, Kiprop respects Centro far more than LRC boards do. Centro is the greatest tactician at 1500 in the world. I loom forward to Centro to doing more great things.

Also, Centro is the best poster boy for American distance running we have. He has swagger, style, and delivers. Like it or not, that is more interesting to fans than dweeb like Centro and Ritz (both if whom I love.)

Sorry, rant.

When was the last time you Englished?

Kiprop lost a bunch of Diamond League races he should have won. It wasn't just the Olympics, he bombed the entire second half of 2016, ever since he was supposedly distracted due to his manager getting accused of doping.

macdaddy wrote:

I Particularly enjoy how Letsrun.com chose to highlight Centro as the 'US Olympic Trials Champion', but don't mention Kiprop's Kenyan Championship until later on. Talk about favoritism.... One is much more impressive than the other...

#1 Kiprop

#2 Centro

Actually, the U.S. Olympic Trials is just as competitive at the high end as the Kenyan Trials for 1500m.

These are championships, not time trials, keep in mind.

Let's look at the championship records of the competitors in the finals of each trials and match their highest World or Olympic championship achievements:

Matt Centrowitz (1 Oly Gold) vs Asbel Kiprop (1 Oly Gold)

Leo Manzano (1 Oly Silver) vs Elijah Manangoi (1 World Silver)

Robby Andrews (1 World 4th) vs Silas Kiplagat (1 World Silver)

Ben Blankenship (1 Oly 8th) vs Timothy Cheruiyot (1 World 7th)

I've left out anyone without a World or Olympic top 10 placing. Hopefully I did not miss anyone who has such marks.

So the USA has produced a similar number of milers with similarly outstanding championship results as Kenya over the last few years. Typical of LetsRun posters to exhibit irrational negativity when it comes to top American athletes.

I think we can all agree that 2016 was a weak era of 1500/mile running.

Oops, Robby Andrews should be 11th WC. The 4th was for Indoors, which I'm not considering here.

disgraceful_admin wrote:

macdaddy wrote:

I Particularly enjoy how Letsrun.com chose to highlight Centro as the 'US Olympic Trials Champion', but don't mention Kiprop's Kenyan Championship until later on. Talk about favoritism.... One is much more impressive than the other...

#1 Kiprop

#2 Centro

Actually, the U.S. Olympic Trials is just as competitive at the high end as the Kenyan Trials for 1500m.

These are championships, not time trials, keep in mind.

Let's look at the championship records of the competitors in the finals of each trials and match their highest World or Olympic championship achievements:

Matt Centrowitz (1 Oly Gold) vs Asbel Kiprop (1 Oly Gold)

Leo Manzano (1 Oly Silver) vs Elijah Manangoi (1 World Silver)

Robby Andrews (1 World 4th) vs Silas Kiplagat (1 World Silver)

Ben Blankenship (1 Oly 8th) vs Timothy Cheruiyot (1 World 7th).

I'm seeing a 4-0 sweep in favor of Kenya.

Manzano is awful nowadays.

Blankenship is a nobody on the world stage.

Andrews couldn't touch Kiplagats jock strap.

Just as competitive? That was a joke, right?

Those guys wouldn't even make the finals at the Kenyan trials.

Loving the fact that people are discrediting the OLYMPIC FINAL for one reason or another. That alone proves he's the best, nevermind the fact that he won world indoors, ran a decently fast mile, etc etc. He had a stellar season and deserved to be #1. If he was so desperate to get the #1 ranking, and for some reason thought fast times counted, I'm sure he would have got into a fast 1500 at some point and ran fast. You guys act like he can't run fast. He'll never be a 3:26-3:27 guy but he will likely be a sub 3:30 guy at the end of his career, in addition to being a world championship medalist and an OLYMPIC CHAMPION.

For me, the big hole in the Letsrun ranking criteria is it is not based on the entire SEASON's results as it is with T&FN rankings. With T&FN the criteria and weights are 1) honors won; 2) head to head results; 3) marks. With Letsrun's criteria with, it appears with no weighting are 1) big race performance; 2) times -- but very strange how times run with better competition count more than with lesser competition. So 3:26 against a good field is "better" than 3:26 run solo? It's actually easier to run that time with a group rather than solo; 3) unnecessary/unclear third criteria -- seems to imply a certain number of races is necessary for ranking in second event but not first, in any case Letsrun breaks their own rules; 4) including indoor performances which are by nature (including world indoor) against inferior competition. World/Olympic semifinals have better fields than World indoors. If you're going to include World Indoors results, shouldn't World/Olympic prelims against better fields also count? The Letsrun criteria haven't been thought out and there is an inconsistency and lack of transparency in the ranking process. How is it that Dibaba "loses major points for not running a single Diamond League 1500" yet Centrowitz who ALSO didn't run a single Diamond League races doesn't? In any case, no point totals were given by Letsrun so we have no way of knowing if the referred-to "points" were just mental or a real objective number. My major beef is it's pretty clear the criteria were set up to favor American/European athletes like Centrowitz/Muir. Centro won the biggest race of the year, but that was his sole achievement. Letsrun included indoor results basically to pad his resume,yet ignored the fact that he didn't race a single Diamond League race against much superior competition. Basically highlighting his season strengths while ignoring the glaring holes. In the case of Muir, Letsrun completely goes the opposite way, ignoring her blowing up in the biggest race of the year while focusing on her late season Diamond League successes. There might not be "shame" (strange choice of word) in trying to match Dibaba's surge, but there shouldn't be CREDIT GIVEN for poor pace judgment, which is what Letsrun is doing. She finished seventh. Medals (and credit) shouldn't be given for seventh place. Tangible results, please, not intangible ones. If Muir had gone out at world record place and faded to seventh would you still be crediting her or calling her stupid?

I personally believe that SEASON RANKINGS should reflect an entire season's results. If a runner chose not to compete except for a minimum number of competitions, they shouldn't be credited for it. If the New England Patriots were allowed to only play the Super Bowl and no regular season games and won it, would you feel comfortable saying they were the NFL champion over a team that played a complete season? They may have won the Super Bowl but it would be hard for me to say were the champion. My personal number #1's for the season for that reason are Makhloufi and Kipyegon. That did well in both the big meets and the Diamond League. Not saying that Centro is doping, but running only the big meets and doing well while not running the season is the same competition pattern as people like Dibaba and Russian/Chinese dopers. It looks suspicious.

Hopefully, next season Letsrun will have an objective, fair, transparent ranking system.