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The First Third
By Bryan Green (@bryangreen1)
The World Championships has gotten off to a cracking start, and with three days and 12 finals in the books, it's time to look at the first third of the meet. Here's a mix of my favorite themes, performances, and random thoughts from the first three days.
Shock and Awe
It's one thing to dominate a
race or an event. It's another to do it in a way that makes people rub their heads and say, "No way." When you've got the best in the world competing together, that's the kind of final you hope to see, and there have been a few performances that practically defy description.
Usain Bolt's 100m victory was video game-esque. Darvis Patton, 100m finalist from the US, compared him to something you see when you use a cheat code, an analogy that is staggeringly accurate. Let's see: fastest out of the blocks, fastest drive phase, fastest top-end speed. I have two questions: what is this man's limit? and how long will it be before he loses again?
Kenenisa Bekele almost comes across as boring compared to Bolt, but he's arguably just as impressive. He won his 4th straight 10000m world championship, set a meet record (26:46.31 - almost half a lap better than the American record), and didn't look like he broke a sweat until the last mile or so. I think we roughly know his limit, but I do wonder for him as well, how long it will be before he loses at 10000m?
My Most Dominant Performances
1. Usain Bolt - 100m - 9.58s -- May have been the perfect race - will he ever run faster?
2. Kenenisa Bekele - 10000m - 26:46.31 -- A foregone conclusion, the man is unbeatable at 10k
3. Valerie Vili - shot put - 20.44m -- Vili put the smack down when Kleinert thought she had hope
4. Jessica Ennis - heptathlon - 6731 pts -- 12.93 110h, 23.25 200m, 1.92m HJ, 2:12 800m!
5. Marta Dominguez - steeple - 9:07.32 -- Never a doubt when she turned it on at the end
6. Shelly-Ann Fraser - 100m - 10.73 -- Didn't completely dominate, but put on a clinic at the start
Fluky Upsets
After shocking dominance, the thing we all want to see is the fluky upset. That is, when your athlete isn't the favorite. So far, there have already been a few classic upsets in this meet.
The biggest upset came in the women's pole vault, where Elena Isinbayeva no heighted and didn't medal at all. Her
stunning defeat left the Polish Anna Rogowska atop the podium. Sure Isinbayeva looked vulnerable coming in, but she wasn't supposed to actually be vulnerable! The same applies to Meseret Defar, who ran a seemingly perfect race only to find that her kick disappeared with 30 meters to go, which opened the door to Melkamu who lazily opened up Linet Masai's rather than slamming it shut. Linet Masai's win might have been expected by some, but certainly not in the way it happened.
My top Fluky Upsets
1. Anna Rogowska - pole vault - 4.75m -- Anna Rogowska? Really? Btw, the Poles are having a phenomenal meet.
2. Linet Masai - 10000m - 30:51.24 -- A lesson on the importance of not giving up and running through the line
3. Marta Dominguez - steeple - 9:07.32 -- World leader coming in, but everyone thought it was Galkina's race
Silvers with a Silver Lining
Sometimes you have to take a moment to talk about the silver medalists. You know, the people who don't win. Because we've seen some gold medal-worthy performances come up short in this meet already.
Tyson Gay ran the second fastest 100m of all-time--9.71s--and took second! Kerron Stewart ran a smoking 10.75 and got beat. Zersenay Tadese broke all but the best of the world's distance runners and essentially ran a solo 26:50 with a big negative split. Meselech Melkamu was so close to winning she actually thought she had. Nadine Kleinert in the shot put and Yuliya Zarudneva in the steeple both put up big PBs to finish in close seconds as well. And let's not forget former UCLA Bruin Chelsea Johnson's surprise silver in the pole vault.
In each case, they came up just a little short. In most cases it was to the best in the world. Nothing to feel bad about with these silvers.
My top Silver Medal Performances
1. Tyson Gay - 100m - 9.71s -- He crushed his own American Record
2. Zersenay Tadese - 10000m - 26:50.12 -- Bekele should buy him a drink for doing all the work
3. Kerron Stewart - 100m - 10.75s -- Had it been 110 meters, I think she would have won
4. Yuliya Zarudneva - steeple - 9:08.39 -- Challenged Dominguez and dropped countrywoman Galkina
5. Nadine Kleinert - shot put - 20.20 -- A big PB and a small scare for Vili
5. Chelsea Johnson - pole vault - 4.65m -- She almost went out at 4.25m, but rallied for silver
-5. Meselech Melkamu - 10000m - 30:51.34 -- I can't reward anyone who doesn't run through the line
USA Distance: Very Good but Not Good Enough
Outside of the men's steeple and (arguably) the women's 800m, the US distance squad appears to be bringing its A game. (And really, neither the men's steeple nor women's 800m squads, aside from maybe Maggie Vessey, really had an A game to bring.) No other country not named Kenya or Ethiopia has had such a solid representation in the distances thus far. We've already had one American Record broken, seen three other "best non-African" finishes, and qualified our top three men into the 1500m final.
The AR was set by Jenny Barringer in the steeplechase. She ran 9:12.50 to set a PB of nearly 10 seconds and finish 5th in the final. Unfortunately, she was never really engaged in the race, and even though she ran a scintillating 3:01 last kilometer, it wasn't enough to get her back with the leaders. It's hard to fault a PB and an improvement in a championship final, but I have to say I was disappointed in this race. I wanted to see her race like at the Pre Classic, where she went out "too hard" and hung on. I honestly believe Jenny Barringer may be the best steepler in the world right now, except she doesn't believe it. Hopefully she leaves Berlin hungrier than ever.
In the women's 10k, Begley ran the 4th fastest time ever by an American (31:13) and took 6th, beating all non-Africans (and a few Africans, too). Dathan Ritzenhein matched her in the men's 10k, also clocking the 4th fastest time ever (27:22) and finishing 6th (I actually joked about this happening in my preview). Galen Rupp was right behind in 8th, with both of them beating some top class Kenyans and Ethiopians. The gap to the gold is still huge, but these performances give me hope of future US medals at the 10k distance.
Last but not least, our men's 1500m runners
have all performed exceptionally. Bernard Lagat, Lopez Lomong and Leonel Manzano all qualified easily for the final, and they all showed finishing speed that should put them in contention at the end. Even Ulrey advanced to the semis, which took a huge run. Some of the top runners have already been eliminated--Keitany, Boukensa, Zerguelaine--so the chances are there. Let's hope they all continue to run very well in the final, and that very well equals good enough for a medal.
My top 5 US performances thus far:
1. Jenny Barringer - steeple - 9:12.50AR -- Watch out world, you got off easy this year
2. Dathan Ritzenhein - 10000m - 27:22.28 -- Amazing given he was running marathons earlier
3. Amy Begley - 10000m - 31:13.78 -- I give Ritz the edge, but I think both should be stoked
4. Galen Rupp - 10000m - 27:37.99 -- Gutsy run, hung with the leaders as long as he could
5. Leonel Manzano - 1500m - 3:36.29 -- Finished so strong in his semis, hope he's got that finish in the final
Looking Ahead to the Second Third
Sanya Richards looks to win her first major title. Isa Phillips looks to steal gold away from America in the men's long hurdles, while Demus looks to steal it back from Jamaica's Melaine Walker in the women's. Kenyans look for a sweep in the steeple. Jepkosgei and Semenya battle at 800m. Huge men's 1500m race where the old guard (Lagat) takes on the new (Kiprop) and the US has three in the final. Australia and Canada have their best hope for gold in the women's 100 hurdles, while Robles primes to put on a show. Vlasic and Friedrich renew their rivalry on Friedrich's home turf. And of course, the men's 200m, where Bolt does what he does best.
Seriously, we're only just getting started!
The World Championships has gotten off to a cracking start, and with three days and 12 finals in the books, it's time to look at the first third of the meet. Here's a mix of my favorite themes, performances, and random thoughts from the first three days.
Shock and Awe
It's one thing to dominate a
race or an event. It's another to do it in a way that makes people rub their heads and say, "No way." When you've got the best in the world competing together, that's the kind of final you hope to see, and there have been a few performances that practically defy description.Usain Bolt's 100m victory was video game-esque. Darvis Patton, 100m finalist from the US, compared him to something you see when you use a cheat code, an analogy that is staggeringly accurate. Let's see: fastest out of the blocks, fastest drive phase, fastest top-end speed. I have two questions: what is this man's limit? and how long will it be before he loses again?
Kenenisa Bekele almost comes across as boring compared to Bolt, but he's arguably just as impressive. He won his 4th straight 10000m world championship, set a meet record (26:46.31 - almost half a lap better than the American record), and didn't look like he broke a sweat until the last mile or so. I think we roughly know his limit, but I do wonder for him as well, how long it will be before he loses at 10000m?
My Most Dominant Performances
1. Usain Bolt - 100m - 9.58s -- May have been the perfect race - will he ever run faster?
2. Kenenisa Bekele - 10000m - 26:46.31 -- A foregone conclusion, the man is unbeatable at 10k
3. Valerie Vili - shot put - 20.44m -- Vili put the smack down when Kleinert thought she had hope
4. Jessica Ennis - heptathlon - 6731 pts -- 12.93 110h, 23.25 200m, 1.92m HJ, 2:12 800m!
5. Marta Dominguez - steeple - 9:07.32 -- Never a doubt when she turned it on at the end
6. Shelly-Ann Fraser - 100m - 10.73 -- Didn't completely dominate, but put on a clinic at the start
Fluky Upsets
After shocking dominance, the thing we all want to see is the fluky upset. That is, when your athlete isn't the favorite. So far, there have already been a few classic upsets in this meet.
The biggest upset came in the women's pole vault, where Elena Isinbayeva no heighted and didn't medal at all. Her
stunning defeat left the Polish Anna Rogowska atop the podium. Sure Isinbayeva looked vulnerable coming in, but she wasn't supposed to actually be vulnerable! The same applies to Meseret Defar, who ran a seemingly perfect race only to find that her kick disappeared with 30 meters to go, which opened the door to Melkamu who lazily opened up Linet Masai's rather than slamming it shut. Linet Masai's win might have been expected by some, but certainly not in the way it happened.My top Fluky Upsets
1. Anna Rogowska - pole vault - 4.75m -- Anna Rogowska? Really? Btw, the Poles are having a phenomenal meet.
2. Linet Masai - 10000m - 30:51.24 -- A lesson on the importance of not giving up and running through the line
3. Marta Dominguez - steeple - 9:07.32 -- World leader coming in, but everyone thought it was Galkina's race
Silvers with a Silver Lining
Sometimes you have to take a moment to talk about the silver medalists. You know, the people who don't win. Because we've seen some gold medal-worthy performances come up short in this meet already.
Tyson Gay ran the second fastest 100m of all-time--9.71s--and took second! Kerron Stewart ran a smoking 10.75 and got beat. Zersenay Tadese broke all but the best of the world's distance runners and essentially ran a solo 26:50 with a big negative split. Meselech Melkamu was so close to winning she actually thought she had. Nadine Kleinert in the shot put and Yuliya Zarudneva in the steeple both put up big PBs to finish in close seconds as well. And let's not forget former UCLA Bruin Chelsea Johnson's surprise silver in the pole vault.
In each case, they came up just a little short. In most cases it was to the best in the world. Nothing to feel bad about with these silvers.
My top Silver Medal Performances
1. Tyson Gay - 100m - 9.71s -- He crushed his own American Record
2. Zersenay Tadese - 10000m - 26:50.12 -- Bekele should buy him a drink for doing all the work
3. Kerron Stewart - 100m - 10.75s -- Had it been 110 meters, I think she would have won
4. Yuliya Zarudneva - steeple - 9:08.39 -- Challenged Dominguez and dropped countrywoman Galkina
5. Nadine Kleinert - shot put - 20.20 -- A big PB and a small scare for Vili
5. Chelsea Johnson - pole vault - 4.65m -- She almost went out at 4.25m, but rallied for silver
-5. Meselech Melkamu - 10000m - 30:51.34 -- I can't reward anyone who doesn't run through the line
USA Distance: Very Good but Not Good Enough
Outside of the men's steeple and (arguably) the women's 800m, the US distance squad appears to be bringing its A game. (And really, neither the men's steeple nor women's 800m squads, aside from maybe Maggie Vessey, really had an A game to bring.) No other country not named Kenya or Ethiopia has had such a solid representation in the distances thus far. We've already had one American Record broken, seen three other "best non-African" finishes, and qualified our top three men into the 1500m final.
The AR was set by Jenny Barringer in the steeplechase. She ran 9:12.50 to set a PB of nearly 10 seconds and finish 5th in the final. Unfortunately, she was never really engaged in the race, and even though she ran a scintillating 3:01 last kilometer, it wasn't enough to get her back with the leaders. It's hard to fault a PB and an improvement in a championship final, but I have to say I was disappointed in this race. I wanted to see her race like at the Pre Classic, where she went out "too hard" and hung on. I honestly believe Jenny Barringer may be the best steepler in the world right now, except she doesn't believe it. Hopefully she leaves Berlin hungrier than ever.
In the women's 10k, Begley ran the 4th fastest time ever by an American (31:13) and took 6th, beating all non-Africans (and a few Africans, too). Dathan Ritzenhein matched her in the men's 10k, also clocking the 4th fastest time ever (27:22) and finishing 6th (I actually joked about this happening in my preview). Galen Rupp was right behind in 8th, with both of them beating some top class Kenyans and Ethiopians. The gap to the gold is still huge, but these performances give me hope of future US medals at the 10k distance.
Last but not least, our men's 1500m runners
have all performed exceptionally. Bernard Lagat, Lopez Lomong and Leonel Manzano all qualified easily for the final, and they all showed finishing speed that should put them in contention at the end. Even Ulrey advanced to the semis, which took a huge run. Some of the top runners have already been eliminated--Keitany, Boukensa, Zerguelaine--so the chances are there. Let's hope they all continue to run very well in the final, and that very well equals good enough for a medal.My top 5 US performances thus far:
1. Jenny Barringer - steeple - 9:12.50AR -- Watch out world, you got off easy this year
2. Dathan Ritzenhein - 10000m - 27:22.28 -- Amazing given he was running marathons earlier
3. Amy Begley - 10000m - 31:13.78 -- I give Ritz the edge, but I think both should be stoked
4. Galen Rupp - 10000m - 27:37.99 -- Gutsy run, hung with the leaders as long as he could
5. Leonel Manzano - 1500m - 3:36.29 -- Finished so strong in his semis, hope he's got that finish in the final
Looking Ahead to the Second Third
Sanya Richards looks to win her first major title. Isa Phillips looks to steal gold away from America in the men's long hurdles, while Demus looks to steal it back from Jamaica's Melaine Walker in the women's. Kenyans look for a sweep in the steeple. Jepkosgei and Semenya battle at 800m. Huge men's 1500m race where the old guard (Lagat) takes on the new (Kiprop) and the US has three in the final. Australia and Canada have their best hope for gold in the women's 100 hurdles, while Robles primes to put on a show. Vlasic and Friedrich renew their rivalry on Friedrich's home turf. And of course, the men's 200m, where Bolt does what he does best.
Seriously, we're only just getting started!
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