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London – Injuries, Upsets, Questions
The London leg of the Diamond League loomed as the most significant of the year for me. In part because it is the only DL meet to have all of the various events – so somewhat of a full preview before the Games – but also because London is where the Games are being held. We didn’t get a peak at the Olympic stadium, but otherwise the same conditions that will prevail at the Games. So it had the potential to be as close to a pre-Olympic meeting as one could put together. So, what were the results after two days of competition (somehow it still takes us two days…
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Pre–Outstanding Results, Lots of Questions
Trying to put something together on this meet has been giving me fits. Once again the Pre Classic was the best non championship meet on US soil. From the distance races Friday night (streamed live thank you) to the Bowerman Mile that closed out the NBC broadcast, the fields were top notch across the board. And at the end of the day, the results show 10 world leading performances, led by the very deep Kenyan 10,000 meter Trials. But while the results were outstanding, in many cases they were also confusing, as favorites didn’t always perform like favorites; and American athletes often didn’t look like the Trials were a scant…
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Potential London “Upsets”
Reading through the news I noticed that currently the sports books have Usain Bolt as an overwhelming favorite to win 100 meter gold in London. While Bolt has earned the right to be considered favorite vis a vis his competitive record in the last four years, the Olympics is the place where miracles – or at least upsets – occur with regularity. One need look no further than Bolt himself who emerged from last place finish in the ’05 200 final, and a silver in the ’07 race, to double sprint gold – and double WRs – in Beijing. Or how about the Seoul Games of ’88 where record holders…
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2012 Outdoor Preview – Middle Distances
The middle distance events (800 / 1500) should be very interesting this year. There is the potential of a world record, some very competitive women’s events, and the potential for a sweep. Above all, however, I expect them to be very exciting, both during the season as well as in the Games themselves, as middle distance competitors tend to compete fairly often and we should see some solid matchups outside the Games, as opposed to the sprints where we may see only one loaded race all season. So let’s take a look at the players in the middle distances. Men’s 800 – Can Rudisha be challenged? David Rudisha (KEN)…
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Adam Kszczot – A New 800 Challenger
Last week Adam Kszczot (POL) took the indoor world lead in the 800 with a 1:45.44 run in Dusseldorf – fast enough to prompt me to suggest that we get used to spelling his name. Yesterday he dropped his PR, and the world lead, down to 1:44.57 – in the process becoming the 3rd fastest indoor half miler in history! Only Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS, 1:44.15) and former outdoor WR holder Wilson Kipketer (DEN, 1:42.67) have run faster indoors. Combine that with his outdoor best of 1:43.30 from last year, and at 22 years old, the question I now ask is: can he provide WR holder David Rudisha with a challenge…
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Will 2012 be the Year of the Double?
I was reviewing the Marathon Trials finish last night and wondering how well Shalane Flanagan will do doubling in the 10,000/Marathon, when it hit me: we may have more legitimate “doublers” heading into London than ever before! In Beijing we had 5000/10000 double victories turned in by Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba; and a sprint double (100/200) by Usain Bolt. We also had double silver by Elvan Abeylegesse (5000/10000) and Tatyana Lebedeva (LJ/TJ); a double bronze performance by Walter Dix (100/200); and a silver & bronze performance by Kerron Stewart (100/200). Heading into this Olympic season of the ’08 doublers, Bekele, Bolt and Dix seemed best positioned to double again…
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2011 in Review – Men’s 800 Meters
Just as in 2010, David Rudisha (KEN) was the story of the 800 in 2011 – this time carrying the heavy mantle of WR holder. And, just as in 2010, the question on the table was whether or not Abubaker Kaki (SUD) would find a way to upset his rival. Rudisha wasted no time putting the target squarely on his back as he went out during the Australian summer season and scorched a 1:43.88 WL in Melbourne on Mar 3rd – a mark that only 5 men would get under the rest of the year! Another quick 1:44.80 in Sydney on Mar 19thand we wouldn’t see Rudisha again until the…
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Brussels Will End Season with Few Big Match Ups
We were told that the Diamond League was going to bring the best of the best together on a regular basis. That all of those key match ups that had been missing in the sport were going to become reality by the Diamond League contracting with all the main characters to put them together in multiple venues. And that the “piece de resitance” would be Zurich and Brussels, as the season would come to a climactic end with athletes vying for Diamond League titles. So, how’s that working out? Well if the season ending Brussels meet is a guide, not so good. Take the men’s 100 meters for example. The…