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Had a meeting and just watched the 400 hurdles.  Damn, Sydney smoked her.  Seems like Bol kinda tensed up and was really fighting it after she realized she was beat.

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3 hours ago, TonyTexas said:

He’s only run faster than Teboga just did once in his career. 

This is kind of an empty observation. Letsile was the faster man today, but he usually can't come close to Noah. Case in point: he's run below 19.71 only twice in his life--one of which was today.

By comparison, Lyles has 10 performances at 19.61 or faster and several more between 19.61 and 19.70. Something was definitely off with him. It was apparent in the heats, his semifinal and today. Still Letsile's gold, but no need for spurious comparisons. 

2 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Bol got her ass kicked.  Sydney came out with a seriously pissed off look on her face - all business.

Bol is an amazing talent, but she is not in Sydney's league. No one is. She's 1 of 1. I believe she could break the flat 400m record--which is nearly 40 years old--if she focused on it.

2 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Way to go Grant.  Bad ass run.

So happy for Grant! He's been the Edwin Moses of the 110mH ... sans Olympic gold. Now no one can use that against him any longer.

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9 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said:

If he knew he had COVID and still ran, exposed others, etc. -- WTF?  

 

He was the only person wearing a mask in the shots before the semifinal yesterday. 
 

I really can’t say I blame him for not wanting Covid to take away his Olympics. 

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1 hour ago, Pato del Muerto said:

He was the only person wearing a mask in the shots before the semifinal yesterday. 
 

I really can’t say I blame him for not wanting Covid to take away his Olympics. 

I certainly understand his desire to compete after training for 4 years or so for that moment.  But if he knew he had COVID, didn't tell anyone, and then had close contact with multiple persons (both before and after the race) thereby potentially exposing them, that's pretty shitty.

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Still another American-centric summary for what's on tap in track & field for Friday, Aug. 9:

MORNING SESSION

Women's Heptathlon, Day 2 (Long Jump and Javelin in the morning, 800m in the evening). Anna Hall currently sits in third, 99 points behind Great Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson. Hall will have her hands full holding on to bronze, but she'll have other chances. She had knee surgery back in January and is only 23. The other two Americans, Taliyah Brooks and Chari Hawkins, would need multiple miracles to reach the podium. Hawkins essentially eliminated herself by failing to height in the high jump. I'll give her credit for continuing to compete, but geeeeeez.

Women's 4x400m Relay qualification. As with all relays, the key for the US here will be to simply pass the baton around the track. The Americans might not boast the world's fastest open 400m runner (at least, not until Sydney decides to give it a go full time), but they do have the deepest group of quarter-milers in the world. Since Sydney just won the 400mH, and with Alexis Holmes running the open 400m final later the same day, look for Quanera Hayes, Kendall Brown, Shamier Little and Aaliyah Butler to carry the baton in the prelims

Men's 4x400m Relay qualification. The big news here is The Other Quincy, as in 16-year-old phenom Quincy Wilson, who set the world junior mark in the open 400m back in June and has since lowered it three more times. Wilson was added to the relay pool as an alternate and, per reports, will take part in the preliminary. Bryce Deadmon and Vernon Norwood from the Mixed 4x400 Relay might also run, but don't be surprised if 400m gold medalist Quincy Hall or finalist Chris Bailey are called upon. Michael Norman is probably out based on his performance in the finals.

Men's 800m semifinal. All three Americans reached the semis, though aggy Brandon Miller needed a second chance via the repechage (he made the most of it, though, leading coast to coast to win his heat). I think Brandon's Olympic journey ends here, but Hobbs Kessler and Bryce Hoppel are dangerous and could/should reach the finals in what might be the deepest 800m field in history.

Women's 100m Hurdle semifinals. Speaking of deep fields, this event is wide open. All three Team USA members (plus at least two other Americans who run for other countries) made it out of the prelims. Masai Russell posted the fastest time of the trio. Even if they all advance, they will have their work cut out for them in the final against the likes of Nigeria's Tobi Amusan, who set the world record at the World Championships in 2022, and "Puerto Rico's" Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who set the Olympic record three years ago in Tokyo. Camacho-Quinn has lived her entire life in the United States and hails from South Carolina.

Evening session summary to come later.

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Posted (edited)

And here's the rest of the American-centric summary for Friday, Aug. 9:

EVENING SESSION

Women's Shot Put final. Chase Jackson is out after suddenly forgetting how to put a shot (she faulted twice and then threw short of the qualifying mark). Fortunately, Raven Saunders and Jaida Ross did well enough to earn a spot in the final. Both's qualifying marks were more than a meter behind Canada's Sarah Mitton, so they have work to do.

Women's 400m Relay final. This is how you kickoff a weekend! It's also Team USA's gold to lose. They would've challenged for the world record if not for a poor exchange from TT Terry and Gabby Thomas, who took off too early and nearly had to stop her run. Fortunately, Melissa Jefferson got out of the blocks well and Sha'Carri Richardson brought it home. Look for the exact same order for the final ... and count on Gabby timing her start better.

Men's 400m Relay final. Also Team USA's gold to lose, but apparently no longer with the services of Noah Lyles, who tested positive for The 'Rona. We could very well see Texas Tech product Courtney Lindsey repeat his role of bringing home the baton, with reigning 60m World Indoor Champion Christian Coleman leading off and 100m bronze medalist Fred Kerley running the backstretch. That'd leave the only change being 200m silver medalist and 100m finalist Kenny Bednarek, who is an absolute monster on the curve. Jamaica suffered a case of USA-itis in the prelims and did not advance. Look for Great Britain and Canada to keep the US honest.

Women's 400m final. The Dominican's Marileidy Paulino is my gold medal pick, followed by Poland's Natalia Kaczmarek for silver and Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser, Ireland's 🤘Rhasidat Adeleke🤘 and Team USA's Alexis Holmes battling it out for bronze.

Men's Triple Jump final. Salif Mane was the only American to advance from qualification, tying for third with Burkina Faso's Hugues Fabrice Zango. Cuban-born Spaniard Jordan Diaz and Portugal's Pedro Pichardo looked sharpest in qualifying.

Women's 10,000m final. Dutch distance sensation Sifan Hassan continues her remarkable assault on three events. She already nabbed bronze in the 5000m and plans to run in Saturday's marathon. All three Americans (Weini Kelati, Karissa Schweizer, and Parker Valby) will be competing, although they'll be hard pressed to make the podium.

Men's 400m Hurdles final. At long last, one of the most anticipated finals of the Games is here. Team USA's Rai Benjamin has beaten reigning Olympic champ and world record holder Karsten Warholm of Norway twice this year. Same for 2022 World Champ Alison dos Santos of Brazil, who finished third in his semifinal but just managed to advance on time. All three are capable of sub-47-second times, with Warholm being the only one to ever go below 46. Look for Benjamin to join that club in this event ... conditions permitting. Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands and Qatari Abderrahman Samba will pounce should any of those three falter.

 

Fuck me, that's a full slate of finals. It could be another big day for Team USA!

 

Edited by Braff Zacklin
McMaster ain't nuh Jamaican
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Posted (edited)
12 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Men's 400m Hurdles final. At long last, one of the most anticipated finals of the Games is here. Team USA's Rai Benjamin has beaten reigning Olympic champ and world record holder Karsten Warholm of Norway twice this year. Same for 2022 World Champ Alison dos Santos of Brazil, who finished third in his semifinal but just managed to advance on time. All three are capable of sub-47-second times, with Warholm being the only one to ever go below 46. Look for Benjamin to join that club in this event ... conditions permitting. Jamaica's Kyron McMaster and Qatari Abderrahman Samba will pounce should any of those three falter.

Incidentally, four of the five guys bolded above met three weeks ago in Monaco for a Diamond League event. Here's how it went:

Also, Ato Boldon's comment that the winner in Monaco means jackshit toward the Olympics is spot on. But I still favor Rai to get this monkey off his back.

Edited by Braff Zacklin
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28 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

And here's the rest of the American-centric summary for Friday, Aug. 9:

EVENING SESSION

Women's Shot Put final. Chase Jackson is out after suddenly forgetting how to put a shot (she faulted twice and then threw short of the qualifying mark). Fortunately, Raven Saunders and Jaida Ross did well enough to earn a spot in the final. Both's qualifying marks were more than a meter behind Canada's Sarah Mitton, so they have work to do.

Women's 400m Relay final. This is how you kickoff a weekend! It's also Team USA's gold to lose. They would've challenged for the world record if not for a poor exchange from TT Terry and Gabby Thomas, who took off too early and nearly had to stop her run. Fortunately, Melissa Jefferson got out of the blocks well and Sha'Carri Richardson brought it home. Look for the exact same order for the final ... and count on Gabby timing her start better.

Men's 400m Relay final. Also Team USA's gold to lose, but apparently no longer with the services of Noah Lyles, who tested positive for The 'Rona. We could very well see Texas Tech product Courtney Lindsey repeat his role of bringing home the baton, with reigning 60m World Indoor Champion Christian Coleman leading off and 100m bronze medalist Fred Kerley running the backstretch. That'd leave the only change being 200m silver medalist and 100m finalist Kenny Bednarek, who is an absolute monster on the curve. Jamaica suffered a case of USA-itis in the prelims and did not advance. Look for Great Britain and Canada to keep the US honest.

Women's 400m final. The Dominican's Marileidy Paulino is my gold medal pick, followed by Poland's Natalia Kaczmarek for silver and Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser, Ireland's 🤘Rhasidat Adeleke🤘 and Team USA's Alexis Holmes battling it out for bronze.

Men's Triple Jump final. Salif Mane was the only American to advance from qualification, tying for third with Burkina Faso's Hugues Fabrice Zango. Cuban-born Spaniard Jordan Diaz and Portugal's Pedro Pichardo looked sharpest in qualifying.

Women's 10,000m final. Dutch distance sensation Sifan Hassan continues her remarkable assault on three events. She already nabbed bronze in the 5000m and plans to run in Saturday's marathon. All three Americans (Weini Kelati, Karissa Schweizer, and Parker Valby) will be competing, although they'll be hard pressed to make the podium.

Men's 400m Hurdles final. At long last, one of the most anticipated finals of the Games is here. Team USA's Rai Benjamin has beaten reigning Olympic champ and world record holder Karsten Warholm of Norway twice this year. Same for 2022 World Champ Alison dos Santos of Brazil, who finished third in his semifinal but just managed to advance on time. All three are capable of sub-47-second times, with Warholm being the only one to ever go below 46. Look for Benjamin to join that club in this event ... conditions permitting. Jamaica's Kyron McMaster and Qatari Abderrahman Samba will pounce should any of those three falter.

 

Fuck me, that's a full slate of finals. It could be another big day for Team USA!

 

Thanks a lot for putting these together. Far better than any media outlet. 

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7 minutes ago, nnm said:

Thanks a lot for putting these together. Far better than any media outlet. 

Haha thank you but that is definitely overstated!

One pitch I will make to those who generally don't watch track and field outside of the Olympics: consider following them throughout the season and in non-Olympic years in Diamond League competitions and at World Championships (usually every odd year). Their careers are short and the earning potential for most is limited.

Worse, US athletes often compete in anonymity and have to go overseas to perform before a crowd despite the US dominating athletics at the pro and collegiate levels.

Diamond League competitions are basically a mini track meet--there's typically 15-20 events held in various cities throughout the world every week or two from late spring through early fall. Entry is invitation only with athletes being paid an appearance fee. Not every event has the budget to bring in a full slate of the world's best, so the more eyes watching, the more that budget will grow.

Speaking of American domination, here's an updated medals count for track and field events only.

 

AthleticsMedalsTable.png

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Posted (edited)
19 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Haha thank you but that is definitely overstated!

One pitch I will make to those who generally don't watch track and field outside of the Olympics: consider following them throughout the season and in non-Olympic years in Diamond League competitions and at World Championships (usually every odd year). Their careers are short and the earning potential for most is limited.

Worse, US athletes often compete in anonymity and have to go overseas to perform before a crowd despite the US dominating athletics at the pro and collegiate levels.

Diamond League competitions are basically a mini track meet--there's typically 15-20 events held in various cities throughout the world every week or two from late spring through early fall. Entry is invitation only with athletes being paid an appearance fee. Not every event has the budget to bring in a full slate of the world's best, so the more eyes watching, the more that budget will grow.

Speaking of American domination, here's an updated medals count for track and field events only.

 

AthleticsMedalsTable.png

Rep.

I'm one of those that’s doesn’t follow T&F much outside of the Olympics. This is good stuff

 

That said, I’m proud to say I can name both of Germany’s medals.

Edited by UTexasFight
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More on the men's 110mH:

Karsten Warholm didn't lose a 400mH race for nearly five years. Then he got hurt while others got better. And then Rai also suffered injury and dos Santos was there to take advantage by winning the 2022 World Championships.

Warholm's running style is fearless. He gets out fast, like some sort of angry Viking intent on pillaging a monastery. Yet he somehow doesn't ease up.

McMaster also likes to charge out, so it's not uncommon to see either well out front early. Benjamin and the 6-foot, 7-inch dos Santos run more measured races.

Rai seemed destined to be the perpetual bridesmaid until last year, after a poor showing at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. This is the event where it changed for him:

 

Even after finally beating his greatest rival and tormentor, Rai remained grounded. "It's just {the} Diamond League final .... At the end of the day, I need to perform when it matters."

 

Anyway, sorry for all the posts--just geeking out in anticipation of this tomorrow.

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1 hour ago, Braff Zacklin said:

And here's the rest of the American-centric summary for Friday, Aug. 9:

EVENING SESSION

Women's Shot Put final. Chase Jackson is out after suddenly forgetting how to put a shot (she faulted twice and then threw short of the qualifying mark). Fortunately, Raven Saunders and Jaida Ross did well enough to earn a spot in the final. Both's qualifying marks were more than a meter behind Canada's Sarah Mitton, so they have work to do.

Women's 400m Relay final. This is how you kickoff a weekend! It's also Team USA's gold to lose. They would've challenged for the world record if not for a poor exchange from TT Terry and Gabby Thomas, who took off too early and nearly had to stop her run. Fortunately, Melissa Jefferson got out of the blocks well and Sha'Carri Richardson brought it home. Look for the exact same order for the final ... and count on Gabby timing her start better.

Men's 400m Relay final. Also Team USA's gold to lose, but apparently no longer with the services of Noah Lyles, who tested positive for The 'Rona. We could very well see Texas Tech product Courtney Lindsey repeat his role of bringing home the baton, with reigning 60m World Indoor Champion Christian Coleman leading off and 100m bronze medalist Fred Kerley running the backstretch. That'd leave the only change being 200m silver medalist and 100m finalist Kenny Bednarek, who is an absolute monster on the curve. Jamaica suffered a case of USA-itis in the prelims and did not advance. Look for Great Britain and Canada to keep the US honest.

Women's 400m final. The Dominican's Marileidy Paulino is my gold medal pick, followed by Poland's Natalia Kaczmarek for silver and Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser, Ireland's 🤘Rhasidat Adeleke🤘 and Team USA's Alexis Holmes battling it out for bronze.

Men's Triple Jump final. Salif Mane was the only American to advance from qualification, tying for third with Burkina Faso's Hugues Fabrice Zango. Cuban-born Spaniard Jordan Diaz and Portugal's Pedro Pichardo looked sharpest in qualifying.

Women's 10,000m final. Dutch distance sensation Sifan Hassan continues her remarkable assault on three events. She already nabbed bronze in the 5000m and plans to run in Saturday's marathon. All three Americans (Weini Kelati, Karissa Schweizer, and Parker Valby) will be competing, although they'll be hard pressed to make the podium.

Men's 400m Hurdles final. At long last, one of the most anticipated finals of the Games is here. Team USA's Rai Benjamin has beaten reigning Olympic champ and world record holder Karsten Warholm of Norway twice this year. Same for 2022 World Champ Alison dos Santos of Brazil, who finished third in his semifinal but just managed to advance on time. All three are capable of sub-47-second times, with Warholm being the only one to ever go below 46. Look for Benjamin to join that club in this event ... conditions permitting. Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands and Qatari Abderrahman Samba will pounce should any of those three falter.

 

Fuck me, that's a full slate of finals. It could be another big day for Team USA!

 

Just want to echo thanks for doing these. Very informative. 

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