Nijel Amos 1:41.89!

Sub 1:42 races are very rare. Nice to have just watched one and see guys running 1:43 way back.

A fast pace would help him a lot in the final, but if it's not him I'm not sure who would take it out. He is sooo strong. There're some guys with great, potential kicks/turn of speed off a slow pace ~ Brazier, Kszcot, Murphy, Saruni, Emmanuel Korir, Bosse, Rotich.

His splits today were pretty ridiculous ~ these are rough: 23.9, 48.8 (24.9), 1:15.22 (26.42), 1:41.89 (26.67).

That was an unreal run to watch.. in a paced race, balls-to-the-wall Nijel looks pretty unbeatable right now. But unfortunately he has the tactical acumen of a doorknob. I really hope he medals at worlds though, but it's gonna be tough unless he learns how to race well tactically.

For all the hate that the OTC get, this was a great result. I didn't know what to expect when he went out that fast. Agreed that the WC is still up for grabs - he's not Rudisha kind of dominant.

This is pretty amazing. Only 3rd person to run two 1:41s. The other two being Rudisha and Kipketer. The crazy thing is that Rudisha and Kipketer did all of theirs within 2 years of each other (Kipketer 96-97, Rudisha 10-12). Amos ran 1:41 seven (2012, 2019) years apart. Amazing!

Amos is certainly a favourite for gold in both Worlds and the Olympics based on the regular season. But his track record in major championships since London 2012 speaks otherwise. Fails to make final in 2015, bombs out in heats in 2016, and in 2017 he makes final and is out kicked by athletes he dominated all season. Amos doesn't seem to have any intelligence when it comes to race strategy and fails to peak for major championships. If there isn't a pacer, he gets whooped. Rudisha served as a pseudo-pacer in London and it is why he does so well. I wouldn't bet on Amos winning a medal.

time machiner guy wrote:

This is pretty amazing. Only 3rd person to run two 1:41s. The other two being Rudisha and Kipketer. The crazy thing is that Rudisha and Kipketer did all of theirs within 2 years of each other (Kipketer 96-97, Rudisha 10-12). Amos ran 1:41 seven (2012, 2019) years apart. Amazing!

This is an awesome point to bring up. Running 1:41s that far apart really is incredible.

Posted on another thread by mooonshot, but Top 2 Average, All-Time.

Amos improves on his standing of all-time greats over 800m!!

All-Time 800m Best 2-Race Average

1. David Rudisha (KEN), 1:40.96

2. Wilson Kipketer (DEN), 1:41.17

3. Nigel Amos (BOT), 1:41.81

4. Sebastian Coe (ENG), 1:42.03

5. Joachim Cruz (BRA), 1:42.05

1:41szn wrote:

2019 Worlds & 2020 Olympics Favorite?

Discus.

Remember when his coach was arrested for having a hotel room full of drugs? Interesting how the E. Africans, even when living in the West, make pitstops in the Mother Land to fuel up on the EPO sauce and officials turn a blind eye.

As predicted when Jakob and other juniors began to run well, the powers that be cranked up the payoffs to allow the approved third worlders to have more leeway when doping. We'll see a boatload of incredible performances in the next 8 weeks.

This is a way better result than the women's mile WR, which was (and remains) very soft. To be equivalent to the w1500 record it will have to get to 4:09. Three seconds off that doesn't compare to less than one second off 1:40.91.

Also, Nijel Amos's "bad" form in the stretch is really great form - he understands the power gained by using full extension to engage the stretch reflexes, and is able to dramatically alter his form without slowing down much. Hassan's bad form is just plain bad.

I like the way it's taken him 7 years to rediscover the form he had as an "18 year old" at London. Damn biopassport.

ClonedDuck wrote:

time machiner guy wrote:

This is pretty amazing. Only 3rd person to run two 1:41s. The other two being Rudisha and Kipketer. The crazy thing is that Rudisha and Kipketer did all of theirs within 2 years of each other (Kipketer 96-97, Rudisha 10-12). Amos ran 1:41 seven (2012, 2019) years apart. Amazing!

This is an awesome point to bring up. Running 1:41s that far apart really is incredible.

I sure wish Seb Coe would give it another shot

gledfuldedful wrote:

1:41szn wrote:

2019 Worlds & 2020 Olympics Favorite?

Discus.

Remember when his coach was arrested for having a hotel room full of drugs? Interesting how the E. Africans, even when living in the West, make pitstops in the Mother Land to fuel up on the EPO sauce and officials turn a blind eye.

As predicted when Jakob and other juniors began to run well, the powers that be cranked up the payoffs to allow the approved third worlders to have more leeway when doping. We'll see a boatload of incredible performances in the next 8 weeks.

Amos was NEVER coached by Aden. However, the resurgent Soulieman certainly was- privsvkybstill is.

Armstronglivs wrote:

I like the way it's taken him 7 years to rediscover the form he had as an "18 year old" at London. Damn biopassport.

Oldmanstrength.

Snell ran 1:44.3 in 1962 on a grass track.

Given that the track at Monaco must be at least a second a lap quicker, we haven't moved forward that much in 57 years have we?

milermb wrote:

Snell ran 1:44.3 in 1962 on a grass track.

Given that the track at Monaco must be at least a second a lap quicker, we haven't moved forward that much in 57 years have we?

1:44.3 - 2 = 1:42.3, not 1:41.89

And Snell always said that grass track was super fast.

I have raced on grass tracks and for 400m-Mile that's my favorite surface.

yrtutyjuh wrote:

milermb wrote:

Snell ran 1:44.3 in 1962 on a grass track.

Given that the track at Monaco must be at least a second a lap quicker, we haven't moved forward that much in 57 years have we?

1:44.3 - 2 = 1:42.3, not 1:41.89

And Snell always said that grass track was super fast.

I have raced on grass tracks and for 400m-Mile that's my favorite surface.

And there was no EPO in 1962.

Is Real wrote:

Armstronglivs wrote:

I like the way it's taken him 7 years to rediscover the form he had as an "18 year old" at London. Damn biopassport.

Oldmanstrength.

Oldmanstrength = Onthejuice

Armstronglivs wrote:

Is Real wrote:

Oldmanstrength.

Oldmanstrength = Onthejuice

After 1st missed test.

After 2nd missed test!

And the idea he was 18 in 2012 is also ridiculous.

Almost certainly an age cheat and running in a country with very little testing. Let's hope the IAAF catch up and enforce the same level of testing in Botswana as they have recently applied to other coubtries like Kenya.

And Monaco is far and away the fastest track ever for middle distances, possibly illegally so as it is the home of the IAAF and represents it's flagship meet. I would expect on any other track it would have been about a second slower for the 800 and 2 seconds for the 1500m. As much as it's good to see Grice from the UK run a 3:30.6, thete is no way he would even approach beating a peak Ovett back in the day, yet here he is running a faster time. Had Ovett and co. had the Monaco track to run on, you can probably take off 2 secs for their pbs.