Sifan Hassan will make 1500M Final Fast & Hard!

Fast and hard is always good.

Unhhh wrote:

Fast and hard is always good.

+1

Is there any other way?

I think that's easily her best chance. I mentioned the other day that Hassan should attempt an Ayana/Chepkoech type of devastation from the outset.

If she instead decides to settle in back per norm, then she's got major problems and the theoretical advantage is gone. You don't want Sifan Hassan trying to outmaneuver Faith Kipyegon in a tactical race.

What will happen when Hassan and Kipyegon ask full out during the final lap? IMO, that was easily the most intriguing variable entering this meet -- if Hassan chose the 1500 -- and nothing has changed my mind.

Muir and Houlihan are very good but I'll be quite surprised if a gap doesn't develop between Hassan/Kipyegon and that second tier.

During the 2017 world championships 1500 I had a wager on Kipyegon and wasn't worried in the slightest. There was no chance the flailing time trial girl was going to sustain against a freak athlete like Faith Kipyegon. There is no question it could be different this time. Hassan entered the 2017 race with the best time in the world. But in 2019 the times are more outstanding. Kipyegon appears a bit heavier than 2016 or 2017, which is obviously understandable coming off maternity leave.

But I remain surprised that so many fans are all but conceding this to Hassan. If you assign Kipyegon's identical efforts in those two races from 2016 and 2017 to Dibaba's resume and not Kipyegon's, then there is no question that maternity-leave Dibaba 2019 would be either favored or toss up against Hassan, no matter what Hassan had accomplished recently.

Very odd conventional wisdom. That's all I'm saying. Kipyegon had the baby 16 months ago. She resumed training in January 2019, according to her own words in the Prefontaine post race interview. It's not as if this has been a 3-month rush job.

Current betting odds below

I never thought I would see Faith Kipyegon 4/1 in this era. Maybe the bettors will become so enamored with Hassan it will go even higher. The vast separation between the top 2 and the second tier makes sense:

Hassan -333

Kipgeyon +400

Muir +1400

Houlihan +2500

Simpson +3300

https://sports.bwin.com/en/sports/17/betting/athletics#sportId=17

%%%%%% wrote:

Unhhh wrote:

Fast and hard is always good.

+1

Is there any other way?

So long as there's a strong finish.

That’s what she said.

So long as there's a strong finish.

Yeah, you definitely don't want to peter out. Producing a huge, perfectly-timed spurt is a much more satisfying climax.

Unless Sifan can gap with 150 to go her top speed is way below the rest of the field(no thanks to her flailing arms)

I think Sifan could sit in the pack then 800 out kick it in El G style speeding up every 200m.

I'd feel better about Kipyegon's chances if she looked more trim. She looked fine in June at Prefontaine, and all of her recent training photos and videos look great. But in both Doha races it's impossible not to notice the midsection that doesn't resemble 2017, 2017, or even post-maternity June at Prefontaine.

That minor lack of fitness could be all the difference in holding off Hassan or losing by a meter or two.

She did have the adductor injury from Prefontaine that took her out of training briefly and caused her to miss a Diamond League meet in London.

Am I the only one thinking that Tsegay will take the lead from the gun ?

Could help Hassan but I hope Kipyegon Simpson and Houlihan will medal

She should go at 800m Alan Webb style down the back straight. Sub 2 pace for the last 700m.

I fear Faith might not be at her best with just one race after pregnancy and then getting injured shortly after. I'm rooting for her but a medal of any colour would be great.

awilliamsmax wrote:

Make no mistake, whether its from the gun or at some point 600M or 700M into the race, Hassan will stretch it out to take the sting out of so many great finishers in what will be an Epic Women's 1500M Final - Sifan has greater strength than she does speed, and as we all know is incredibly fit. Sifan for the Win from a long way out!!

She always goes immediately to the back of the pack and stays there for some time in every big race,

Well, I certainly called that correctly - although somewhat predictable, except perhpas the way she tore that field apart. Would have been exciting to watch this field in a kickers race. Incredible times and never seen so many women under 4M in one race!

awilliamsmax wrote:

Well, I certainly called that correctly - although somewhat predictable, except perhpas the way she tore that field apart. Would have been exciting to watch this field in a kickers race. Incredible times and never seen so many women under 4M in one race!

Because there never has been.

LOL at the idiots who tried to rationalize the insane fitness of a 3:59 close in a 10000. "Oh, it's just a tempo jog and then it's like she is fresh...". Morans.

I feel so bad for Faith who ran a fast CLEAN race, as well as Laura Muir.

run a 10000m race, lead out to beginning to end in a 1500m, and then have an extra gear in the last

lap?

Men cant even do this.

no different than Ayana's doped up run

El G did not have as good top end as many of his competitors but he rarely lost. It only seems to matter in a slow, tactical race ---if you are the strongest in the field, you can take the sting out of the best of kickers.

Great call by the OP - practically would have taken a WR to beat her.

awilliamsmax wrote:

Make no mistake, whether its from the gun or at some point 600M or 700M into the race, Hassan will stretch it out to take the sting out of so many great finishers in what will be an Epic Women's 1500M Final - Sifan has greater strength than she does speed, and as we all know is incredibly fit. Sifan for the Win from a long way out!!