Topic: General Athletics Thread

[Red-Soldier]

Mods, I couldn't find an athletics thread, so I started one myself.

Please merge if there is one that I hadn't spotted....

Just wanted to highlight how good Laura Muir is/could be.

She's the best female middle/long distance runner we've ever produced in this country.  She's got the talent to win the very top honors in the sport:


Laura Muir targets 1500m and 5,000m double at World Athletics Championships

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/39178573

Briton Laura Muir's double gold at the European Indoor Championships has convinced her to race in both the 1500m and 5,000m at the World Championships in London this summer.

The 23-year-old Scot won her first senior medals in the 1500m and 3,000m in Belgrade at the weekend.

"We went for the double to see how the legs coped with a lot of rounds in a short period," Muir told the BBC.

"Hopefully, come London, I'll double up and do the 1500m and the 5K."

The Kinross athlete regards the shorter distance as her "main event" in August but said she was pleased that the schedule for the heats and finals "work really well to double up".

"I'd love to get on the podium," she added. "That would be my first global-level medal."

Timings, however, were not on her side in Belgrade when it came to celebrating her British record-breaking 1500m triumph on Saturday.

[Xabi Gerrard]

She's the best middle/long distance runner we've ever produced in this country. 

Wow, that is a massive claim, baring in mind that Mo's got 4 Olympic golds and 5 World Championship golds as well as holding the British record in the 1500m, 3000m, 2 miles, 5000m and 10000m.

[Red-Soldier]

Wow, that is a massive claim, baring in mind that Mo's got 4 Olympic golds and 5 World Championship golds as well as holding the British record in the 1500m, 3000m, 2 miles, 5000m and 10000m.

I meant female 

Plus Farah isn't a middle distance runner

[Xabi Gerrard]

I meant female 

Fair enough 

Plus Farah isn't a middle distance runner

Well he does hold the British record for 1500m which, given our past pedigree at that distance with Coe, Ovett, Cram and many gold medalists before, is no mean feat.

[Red-Soldier]

Fair enough 

Well he does hold the British record for 1500m which, given our past pedigree at that distance with Coe, Ovett, Cram and many gold medalists before, is no mean feat.

Agree with that.

[Red-Soldier]

Just think it's great that we've got a genuine world class female distance runner.

 

[Old No7]

Just wanted to highlight how good Laura Muir is/could be.

She's the best female middle/long distance runner we've ever produced in this country.  She's got the talent to win the very top honors in the sport:

If we are talking long distance then Paula Radcliffe would be the best long distance runner, unless you are sticking exclusively to the track & not road.

You are correct on how good Laura Muir could be, she has great potential. In world terms she's very much unproven though, European indoors just aren't the same standard. It sets her up well for the worlds this summer though & I look forward to seeing what she does there.

[Red-Soldier]

If we are talking long distance then Paula Radcliffe would be the best long distance runner, unless you are sticking exclusively to the track & not road.

You are correct on how good Laura Muir could be, she has great potential. In world terms she's very much unproven though, European indoors just aren't the same standard. It sets her up well for the worlds this summer though & I look forward to seeing what she does there.

I was talking about middle/long distance track runners.

Paula was never a good middle distance runner (800m - 1500m), she was a decent distance runner (5 - 10 km), but just didn't have the speed.  Of course, she came into her own in the marathon, and is by far the greatest ever female marathon runner the world has ever seen.

[Crosby Nick]

She seems a real talent for sure. I'd say Kelly Holmes holds the title of best we've produced for now though. Will be interesting to see what Muir can do in London this summer.

[Red-Soldier]

She seems a real talent for sure. I'd say Kelly Holmes holds the title of best we've produced for now though. Will be interesting to see what Muir can do in London this summer.

Totally disagree.

Muir has broken Holmes's times already.

I might get a lot of stick for saying this, but I think Holmes was very fortunate to win her two olympic golds.  She stayed injury free the whole season for once in her career, and their wasn't anyone decent in the two events at the time.  I  know you still have to run under pressure to win them, and I give her a lot of credit for that, but the events were devoid of anyone in good form at the time.

Muir is already quicker than Holmes and has the talent to be a real contender at the top events, if she can get the championship running right.

[Crosby Nick]

Fine, she's quicker and it would be great if she went on to be our most successful (that might be me moving the goalposts!).  don't think you can says she's our best though when she has a couple of European Indoor Golds compared to Olympic Golds and World Championship medals over a number of years though.

All in good time, hopefully she can win a big one this summer.

[Old No7]

Totally disagree.

Muir has broken Holmes's times already.

I might get a lot of stick for saying this, but I think Holmes was very fortunate to win her two olympic golds.  She stayed injury free the whole season for once in her career, and their wasn't anyone decent in the two events at the time.  I  know you still have to run under pressure to win them, and I give her a lot of credit for that, but the events were devoid of anyone in good form at the time.

Muir is already quicker than Holmes and has the talent to be a real contender at the top events, if she can get the championship running right.

I forgot about Kelly Holmes!

Times get beaten, people continue to get faster for a variety of reasons, it doesn't make them better athletes than those who went before. Fortunate or not, Holmes achievements far outweigh anything Muir has done to date. None of that is meant as a slight against Muir, I hope she goes on to win a lot of medals.

[Ziltoid]

Totally disagree.

Muir has broken Holmes's times already.

I might get a lot of stick for saying this, but I think Holmes was very fortunate to win her two olympic golds.  She stayed injury free the whole season for once in her career, and their wasn't anyone decent in the two events at the time.  I  know you still have to run under pressure to win them, and I give her a lot of credit for that, but the events were devoid of anyone in good form at the time.

Muir is already quicker than Holmes and has the talent to be a real contender at the top events, if she can get the championship running right.

That's why Holmes is still the best, Muir needs to win a World/Olympic gold - as soon as she does then i'll agree.  Not sure about the argument that Holmes was fortunate to win double gold in the Olympics because she had an injury free season - surely that's what all athletes aspire to.  plus you can only beat what's put in front of you - she did have to negotiate several qualifying rounds in a week which is no mean feat in itself.

[Red-Soldier]

That's why Holmes is still the best, Muir needs to win a World/Olympic gold - as soon as she does then i'll agree.  Not sure about the argument that Holmes was fortunate to win double gold in the Olympics because she had an injury free season - surely that's what all athletes aspire to.  plus you can only beat what's put in front of you - she did have to negotiate several qualifying rounds in a week which is no mean feat in itself.

Agree with you, it was a poor argument on my part.  She got the reward for pretty much the only injury free season she had in her career.  I was delighted that she got the medals for all those years of hard work.  You're right, you can only beat who's running at the time, not her fault that there wasn't anyone decent around.  I think it was me being a bit of a Mr Grumpy cause the media went overboard on her, as they seem to do with sports people who have any kind of success.

I think the point I was making, is that Muir could be an elite athlete in her event, her times are very impressive indeed.

Qualifying and tactics at the Olympics / WC is a challenge in itself, so it'll be interesting to see how she gets on with that.

[Crosby Nick]

So Muir is more than just the next Yvonne Murray then? Lovely headband back in the day.

[Red-Soldier]

So Muir is more than just the next Yvonne Murray then? Lovely headband back in the day.

That was a thing of beauty 

[Crosby Nick]

Germaine Mason,  who won a Silver in the High Jump for GB at the Beijing Olympics has died in a motorbike crash in his native Jamaica.

[Ziltoid]

remember that being a result out of the blue; sad news

[kavah]

Looks like a decent shot at the WR in Berlin on Sunday
Kipchoge talking about his recent 2:50 Kms !


https://www.thelocal.de/20170922/top-athlete-trio-threaten-berlin-marathon-world-record

[Ziltoid]

18 degrees C, scattered showers and an 8mph wind.  Not the greatest weather but hopefully he can have a crack.

[Peabee]

The pacers are targeting 60:45 for the first half...

[Peabee]

I doubt we'll see a WR with this rain.  They'll lose traction.

[kavah]

^ aye.

I watched Breaking 2 [hours] last night. The National Geographic movie about the Nike sponsored project to go under 2 hours on you tube.
Kipchoge is phenomenal

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V2ZLG-Fij_4

[kavah]

Kipchoge smashes the marathon record in Berlin



https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/sep/16/eliud-kipchoge-smashes-world-marathon-record-berlin

[Crosby Nick]

Kipchoge smashes the marathon record in Berlin



https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/sep/16/eliud-kipchoge-smashes-world-marathon-record-berlin

I’m doing a half marathon in a couple of weeks and would be delighted to match that time.

[Peabee]

Amazing achievement. 78 seconds chopped off the WR. He did it in a negative split too...

The goat of distance running.

[kavah]

I’m doing a half marathon in a couple of weeks and would be delighted to match that time.

Don't forget your energy drinks

[Ziltoid]

I’m doing a half marathon in a couple of weeks and would be delighted to match that time.

Good luck Nick

Some amazing run that is.  Love the stat of running 211 x 200m in 34.40 seconds with no recovery.

[kavah]

It's the Chicago Marathon today but I just saw this great article about Yuki Kawauchi, the only elite marathon runner that isn't a pro. He runs to his job in his work clothes and shoes. And he ran the 2nd half of the Boston Marathon Twice! just to make sure he got his race strategy right. And then had to call his boss to ask for another day off, so he could collect the winners trophy

His training schedule is mental, sometimes 3 marathons a week, ultramarathons, 100 km runs, he was the only finisher (out of 3!) in the brutal - subzero - Marshfield Marathon



https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/sports/yuki-kawauchi-marathon.html

[kavah]

Gold for Katarina and Laura





https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/mar/01/katarina-johnson-thompson-laura-muir-strike-gold

[Red-Soldier]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/48153742

Diamond League: Caster Semenya wins 800m in Doha two days after losing case against IAAF

Caster Semenya said "no human can stop me from running" after winning the 800m at the Doha Diamond League meet amid speculation over her future.

It comes just two days after the South African, 28, lost a landmark case against athletics' governing body.

Semenya challenged IAAF rules designed to limit testosterone levels in female runners but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) rejected her appeal.

"Actions speak louder than words," Semenya told BBC Sport.

"When you are a great champion, you always deliver.

"It's up to God. God has decided my life, God will end my life; God has decided my career, God will end my career. No man, or any other human, can stop me from running."



I wonder if she'll run again when she has to compete against other athletes on a level playing field.  She was absolutely terrible when she was taking medication before, so I'll guess she will just call it a day now.

[b_joseph]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/48153742

Diamond League: Caster Semenya wins 800m in Doha two days after losing case against IAAF

Caster Semenya said "no human can stop me from running" after winning the 800m at the Doha Diamond League meet amid speculation over her future.

It comes just two days after the South African, 28, lost a landmark case against athletics' governing body.

Semenya challenged IAAF rules designed to limit testosterone levels in female runners but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) rejected her appeal.

"Actions speak louder than words," Semenya told BBC Sport.

"When you are a great champion, you always deliver.

"It's up to God. God has decided my life, God will end my life; God has decided my career, God will end my career. No man, or any other human, can stop me from running."



I wonder if she'll run again when she has to compete against other athletes on a level playing field.  She was absolutely terrible when she was taking medication before, so I'll guess she will just call it a day now.

She is on a level playing field...making her take drugs to limit her natural ability is taking her away from being on a level playing field.

It was nice to see her dominate one last time. Every single one of her colleagues in that race deserved to watch her heels

[Clayton Bigsby]

Theye've checked her and she is a chick and hasn't been busted for PEDs, they should just leave it.

[Red-Soldier]

She is on a level playing field...making her take drugs to limit her natural ability is taking her away from being on a level playing field.

It was nice to see her dominate one last time. Every single one of her colleagues in that race deserved to watch her heels

She's not on a level playing field though.  She was a few years ago when her testosterone levels were the same as everyone elses, due to the medication, and she was absolute garbage! 

[Red-Soldier]

Theye've checked her and she has a dick and hasn't been busted for PEDs, they should just leave it.

I don't think she's on a level playing field though.

[Jack The Lad]

She is on a level playing field...making her take drugs to limit her natural ability is taking her away from being on a level playing field.

It was nice to see her dominate one last time. Every single one of her colleagues in that race deserved to watch her heels

Apart from she’s not on a level playing field at all. With her testosterone levels she’s basically a fella with tits and a vagina. I watched the 800m from Doha today and she won by about 50 metres.

Now if she genuinely think she doesn’t have an unfair advantage she’ll accept her testosterone getting lowered and carry on to prove she is the best when she’s on the same playing field as her other competitors. Her threatening to walk away tells me she knows she has an advantage and is scared she might not be able to win when she’s the same as the rest of the women.

[kavah]

Kipchoge hoping to break two hours for the Marathon in London.
On a park course, not an official IAAF race, it would be a great event to see.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/06/ineos-eliud-kipchoge-attempt-break-marathon-two-hour-barrier-london

[Jack The Lad]

Kipchoge hoping to break two hours for the Marathon in London.
On a park course, not an official IAAF race, it would be a great event to see.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/06/ineos-eliud-kipchoge-attempt-break-marathon-two-hour-barrier-london

Seen that before. Would be brilliant to go and see that happen.

[Old No7]

Kipchoge hoping to break two hours for the Marathon in London.
On a park course, not an official IAAF race, it would be a great event to see.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/06/ineos-eliud-kipchoge-attempt-break-marathon-two-hour-barrier-london

Not sure how i feel about it, would be amazing to see someone go sub 2 however not overly keen on it happening in an unofficial attempt when he's paced all the way, would much prefer to see it done in race conditions, most likely at Berlin

[Gerry Attrick]

I reckon he can do it. It looked like there was plenty left in London and that's relatively undulating for marathon standards.