Beijing Buzz
Saturday Morning, 8/22, Day 1
Marathon Mess
This morning’s marathon results show just how spectacular
Sammy Wanjiru’s 2:06:32 was on the same Olympic course in 2008. The closest
anyone got to his remarkable time today was 5:56 slower in conditions that were
only marginally better.
An outstanding field fell apart. 24/65 starters did not
finish in the hot and humid conditions, including the current and past world
record holders, Dennis Kimetto and Wilson Kipsang.
Not surprisingly, no one recorded a personal best, though a
surprising 12 recorded seasonal bests, including Scott Smith (US), whose
2:24:53 earned him 28th place, only 12:25 behind the winning time of
Eritrea’s 19-year-old sensation, Ghirmay Ghebreslassie.
There was much confusion about whether or not to run an
extra lap after running the first 100m in the stadium and crossing the
start/finish line.
Even finishers around 2:25-2:30 - by which time officials
should have had ample time to respond - were mightily confused about whether or
not to continue. Most finishers stopped when waved down by an official farther down the track, and
many ran into and through the groups of heptathletes who were warming up for
the high jump.
A poor show, indeed – and surprising, especially the lack of
timely response once it was so evident there was a problem.
Cheer for China
Qualifying for tonight’s shot put final went according to
form, with Michelle Carter (US) a strong second behind favorite Christina
Schwanitz. China’s Lijiao Gong and Yang Gao qualified 3rd and 9th,
respectively. Tia Brooks (US) finished a heartbreaking 2cm out of the finals.
Expect the Nest to be rockin’ later this evening when the Chinese take the
stage. A nationwide audience of hundreds of millions. No pressure.
When a
Chinese athlete is introduced in the Bird’s Nest, it gets a little deafening in
here.
W1500m
I had an interesting exchange with Jenny Simpson at the USATF
press conference on Friday. Simpson is the 2011 world champion in this event,
and 2013 silver medalist.
Often overlooked is her 2009 5th place steeplechase finish in Berlin, where she ran a magnificently paced race to finish fifth in
an American record of 9:12.50. With her 1500m PR now 3:57.22, many observers
think she would have a legitimate shot at the steeple world record of 8:58.81.
When I asked if she had any plans to incorporate the steeple into her future plans, she said it was unlikely, as she wants to limit the
possibility of injury, and she demurs to her friend and training partner Emma
Coburn, who broke Simpson’s record with her 9:11.42 in 2014.
With her Berlin 5th, Simpson - who was then known
as Jenny Barringer - has a record of 5-1-2 in the last three World
Championships, one of the finest records in US middle/long distance history.
She concluded, “Thanks for remembering the Barringer days.”
Men’s 10k Tonight
With Mo Farah’s major meet streak on the line, the field
will be crazy to let it be a kicker’s race once again. The fields keep playing
into his hands by letting him unleash his withering kick at the end. The only
hope his competitors have of ending his streak is to take it out on this warm
and humid night and try to burn the sting out of his kick.
One name: Geoffrey
Kamworor. A young talent from Kenya, Kamworor and teammate Paul Tanui are the
two who have the best chance of pulling the upset against the World and Olympic
champion. I would like nothing more than to see what Mo can do in a race that
finishes in the 26:30s.
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