Uncommon is common at Hayward Field,
where stars mingle readily with the night,
and night gives the stars all the space they need.
Link to Steve Prefontaine tribute: “Steve”
Day 2 - 2015 IAAF Diamond League Prefontaine Classic
There is much chatter in Eugene today about the possibility of a world record.
How realistic is this - and who might the claimants be?
The vertical jumpers have the best shot.
Renaud Lavillenie – pole vault
The French 2014 Male Athlete of the Year (Track and Field
News and IAAF) supplanted Sergey Bubka (UKR) as world record holder with his 20’
2.5” clearance in Donetsk, Ukraine, 15 months ago – with Bubka in attendance.
He’ll have to contend with the often swirling winds here, but gentle versions
of these could be his ally as much as his nemesis.
Mutazz Essa Barshim – high jump
Bogdan Bondarenko (UKR) and Barshim (QAT) electrified this
event in 2014, and many made the case that the men’s high jump was the event of
the year.
Javier Sotomayor’s 8’ ½”/2.45m world record has stood
since 1992; Barshim (2.43m) and Bondarenko (2.42m) are the best since.
A video of Barshim clearing the bar by the proverbial mile
went viral last summer. Nail one of those and that world record is history.
Genzebe Dibaba – 5,000m
Dibaba (ETH) has been on a tear – indoors. Since 2/1/14, she
has set new standards at 1500m (3:55.17), 3k (8:16.60), 2 miles (9:00.48), and
5k (14:18.86). The world outdoor record is 14:11.15 by sister Tirunesh.
Much could be on the line today, including who gets first
dibs on dessert at the next family gathering.
If it were up to me, that would be settled easily if
cousin Deratu Tulu - Sydney Olympic and Edmonton World 10,000m champ - dropped
by. Meanwhile, waiting her turn for dessert is third sister, Ejagayehu, silver
medalist in the Athens Olympic 10k.
(Shhhhhh… dare I speak his name? Justin Gatlin (200m today) is
deeply committed to showing he’s better than Usain Bolt; there’s only one way
to do that.)
Meanwhile, have you noticed that the acronym for Mutazz Essa
Barshim’s name is MEB? I’m just sayin’…
No comments:
Post a Comment