The 2021 Athletics Thread

ilovepaydays said:
I don’t think that, as a fan, the competition in swimming and athletics is more exciting to watch than the actual Worlds or Olympics. But many of the American athletes have said that, because the selection at the Trials is so cutthroat (you have to make the team on that day - reputation doesn’t matter) and the talent pool is usually so insanely good, the Trials are usually a much harder competition psychologically that the actual Worlds/Olympics.
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That's what makes the trials so dramatic, and exciting to watch. The favourite stumbles out of the blocks, or the kid comes through on the day, or the veteran making a return to competition - so many great story lines in every event - it's the best kind of reality television.
 
Donavan Brazier post race interview - This was hard to watch. 😟

On a much happier note……

Isaiah Jewett is so cool. 😎 I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard a middle distance runner talk about anime in an interview. 😆

I wonder how much training at altitude Jewett has done. Probably not much, if at all. But I believe before 2016, Clayton Murphy had never done altitude a day in his life - and he won a bronze.

And USC is known as a sprint school, NOT in middle or long distances - AT ALL. I’m assuming the “C” on his USC kit means that he is the captain. 🤘

But sure, good luck with that 10 page paper. 😝
 
ilovepaydays said:
I don’t think that, as a fan, the competition in swimming and athletics is more exciting to watch than the actual Worlds or Olympics. But many of the American athletes have said that, because the selection at the Trials is so cutthroat (you have to make the team on that day - reputation doesn’t matter) and the talent pool is usually so insanely good, the Trials are usually a much harder competition psychologically that the actual Worlds/Olympics.
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Not much BOW being taken into consideration, which is a plus.
 
Hobbs has insanely good potential - and I really like his training situation (group in Michigan alongside 2X Olympic medalist Nick Willis). I’m glad he decided to go pro (adidas) and not run in college.

Craig Engels has the best mullet ever in track & field. That’s all I have to say about him.
 
Yeah, that number of false starts is wild.

Meanwhile, super impressed by Athing Mu. Absolutely a star.
 
If Craig Engels makes this 1500m team (which I think he probably will), NBC should do a fluff piece on him, that mullet, and that travel camper. RIGHT?! 😆
 
Well, I guess track & field is going to turn into the Allyson Felix Show. Never mind what Prandini and Thomas just put down in the 200m semifinals.
 
ilovepaydays said:
U.S. Olympic Trials - Men’s 110h/Women’s 400h Prelims: The officials here are putting the figure skating ones to shame. The number of “false starts” called have been RIDICULOUS. 😱

No one has been moving early in the blocks! STOP IT!!!! FIX THE BLOCKS!!!!! 😡 😤
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ilovepaydays said:
If Craig Engels makes this 1500m team (which I think he probably will), NBC should do a fluff piece on him, that mullet, and that travel camper. RIGHT?! 😆
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One of my co-workers and I have been watching most of the various Trials coverage the past few weeks (perk of WFH) and today we were PMing each other during all those false starts going "OMG OMG OMG!" It was unbelievable and bad!

Then, we were on a conference chat with another co-worker who doesn't have a TV or an extra tablet in her home office when Engels appeared on our screens. That mullet, the 'stache... We were laughing about how he is living his best 1980s life and the co-worker who is watching kept trying to take a picture of him to send to our co-worker who wasn't watching but the ones she was taking were coming out blurry so I paused my TV and made sure to get a great pic to send to both of them. It was about the only amusing/joyful part of my day, lol.
 
The “false starts” in this women’s 400H - 😡

Are the blocks THAT sensitive? These are the same blocks that they will use in Tokyo, right?!

Or is it the officials?
 
ilovepaydays said:
Well, I guess track & field is going to turn into the Allyson Felix Show. Never mind what Prandini and Thomas just put down in the 200m semifinals.
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It wasn't that bad. They have managed to bring a little attention to her situation, but not the right part of it, IMO. They should have talked about how Nike treated her after her recovery from giving birth. Just disrespectful.

This is her last Trials, and when you make 5 Olympic teams, you earn some of that. They respect her but are in no way giving her overexposure or just assuming she'll make the team.
 
Lara said:

Trials postponed due to the extreme heat (not surprised after a heptathlete collapsed). :( Starts 8:30 PST now, will be a long night for the East Coast but not complaining.
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Well, it's 111 degrees right now in my neck of the woods (Portland suburbs). Eugene is a little cooler but a friend down in Lebanon (about 45 min north of Eugene) said that apparently it was 119 at their local Walmart yesterday, which I don't doubt it could have very easily been on the asphalt. I can't imagine how hot it is on the track at Hayward Field. Or, well, I can since NBC started their Trials broadcast right on time at 4pm PT and it's 107 in Eugene right now with the temps much higher on the track surface itself. This weather really is unprecedented and insane for Oregon in June.

I hope this means that our local NBC affiliate will show the WAG trials live at 5pm instead of putting it on tape delay since that would interfere with showing the track & field trials live at 8:30pm now (they've been showing all of the track & field trials live because, Oregon, lol).
 
Glad that USATF made the call to suspend the rest of today’s competition.

I’ll admit it: The Tracksmith commercials with the Malcolm Gladwell voiceovers are starting to grow on me. 😝
 
And it's starting! And it's only 99 degrees in Eugene right now! The fact that there are people in the stands is amazing to me because 99 degrees is a straight up "nope" on being outside for me, lol.
 
ilovepaydays said:
UPDATE: Brooks has withdrawn from the heptathlon.

It’s not like USATF didn’t have the temperature forecast days ago - or even yesterday. 😒
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We've had this forecast for over a week now. We were talking about it last weekend when it was in the high 90s. I asked a co-worker who doesn't have a/c on Wednesday what he and his wife's plan for the weekend was, lol.

But, what could they have done? Move the heptathlon to earlier in the week when it wasn't so hot?
 
Karen-W said:
But, what could they have done? Move the heptathlon to earlier in the week when it wasn't so hot?
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They could have all of this afternoon and evening’s events to tomorrow. Just looked at The Weather Channel - the high in Eugene is expected to be about 93°.
 
ilovepaydays said:
They could have all of this afternoon and evening’s events to tomorrow. Just looked at The Weather Channel - the high in Eugene is expected to be about 93°.
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Was that feasible? That would require a lot of athletes and officials remaining an extra day in Eugene. Plus, since they started the competition yesterday, did they need to hold it over two consecutive days? I don't know what the rules for heptathlon are, so that's a legitimate question from me.

I'm not saying that shouldn't have been a consideration but I'm not sure it is as easy a solution as you think.
 
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