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The retirement thread
To clarify, Obi has retired from "big-time" competition, but will continue to run at the club level.
Just turned 30 a couple months ago.
Yes, he said his legs have been really beaten up over the years and don't feel like they have much left in them. Whatever his legs may or may not have left, maybe it's his mind that just isn't in it any more. He figures he's never going to break the world record, and he's not going to do better than the silver he already got if Bolt or Gay are in the race, so maybe he doesn't see the point of continuing to try at the World/OG level anymore.
Add another Olympic medallist (and former TFN #1 ranker?) to the list:
http://www.athletics.com.au/fanzone/380 ... retirement
I talked to Jillian at Millrose. She has retired. Doing some coaching at Columbia and is getting into the agenting business.
To update my list, Stacy Dragila, Erin Asay, and Nick Hysong changed their minds about retiring. Andreé Pickens decided to retire, Tim Mack decided to keep vaulting.
Her disqualification in Sydney is a moment I will never forget.
Lee Bong Ju retired after last week's Seoul Marathon. I thought he might solider on until the 2011 WCh in Daegu but his form isn't good enough to be competitive.
Takaoka will retire after the Tokyo Marathon (unless he gains qualification for Berlin, which is unlikely) and Tosa and Hiroyama are both retiring from competition too after this marathon.
Article on home page says she IS retiring this year - along with Amy Acuff. Quote from Stacy:
Oh goody, goody - someone to sit with at meets!   
At Arizona State yesterday: -- Hysong, Nick Unattached NH 4.40 4.55 4.70 4.85 4.95 P P P P XXX
He'll be too busy competing to even notice!
Nevermind.
Torri's HSI bio says she's looking forward to the 2009 season and making the WC team.
de Lima's actually due to be running at this weekend's Paris Marathon
Ulrike Leyckes nee Urbansky has announced her retirement, due to pregnancy. She missed last season due to an achilles injury but had intended to compete at the worlds, however she is now expecting a child in November.
She made the semifinals of the 2000 and 2004 Olympics over 400mh. She was the 1996 U20 world champ at 400mh & 1999 U23 Euro champ (behind Danvers) She was 6th at the Euros in 98, winning gold in the 4x4 at the World Cup later that year. PBs: 400mh - 54.57, 400m - 52.35, 800m - 2:02.96 http://www.ulrikeurbansky.de/
Romour is that they had a crazy tailwind in the curve (+6.0ish) and then only around the allowable on the homestraight... But you still have to have the shape to turn the legs that fast, impressive in my book!
problem with that rumour is that obi ran 19.84 in that race & that looks perfectly reasonable for him, especially in light of recent years where plainly inferior guys like 3j & ndure both also going 19.8
from wiki
150 m: 15.16 'NR' -1.9 Wind 29MAY99 that's got to be worth close to 15-flat with no wind & nearer 14.90 with good wind anyone who can run 15-flat basic for 150 is well capable of <20 in a 200 race, that split is going to be slower, due to pacing oneself for longer distance & 50m more curve to go, but last 100m of a good 200 is at least 9.6/9.7 & you can 1/2 that for "missing" last 50m to add onto your now slower 150m - 4.80 - 4.85s there used to be a an alltime 150m list floating around the web, but seems to have disappeared - can anyone find it ?
But he only ran 20.11 in the final, with +1.2 wind. Incidentally, all guys who qualified from that semi slowed down similarly in the final (Obikwelu 0.27, Urbas 0.32, Little 0.27, with FF DNSing). I'm not sure what the 'perfectly reasonable' opinion is based on, given that Obikwelu's PB before Sevilla was 20.15, his best of the season after the WCh was an altitude-aided 20.06, and, as long and successful as his career was, he never again managed to break 20 seconds.
we have examples of guys not matching their semi times in the final - marsh's 19.73 & 20.01 is the classic example
frankie's 1/4f & semi offers validation for that semi he ran 20.10 in that semi for 4th, but had won 1/4-f in 20.11 - he presumably ran what he thought was required to get into top-2 in semi & musta been shocked to find the 20.10 which usually shouda sufficed coud only get him 4th ! obi did have a mixed career after '99 - some injuries i believe & rows with nigerian fed, which led him to become portuguese he also shifted his emphasise more to 100m & running 9.86er in '04 is more than enough proof that he had the talent to back up that 19.84 from earlier
eldrick mentioned the world 150m list, the UK list gives some interesting info...
UK all time list for men 150 METRES 14.97 0.9 Linford Christie ¶ (ENG) 2.04.60 1 Sheffield 4 Sep 1994 14.99 1.7 Ian Mackie (SCO) 27.02.75 1 Cardiff (L) 31 May 1997 15.15 0.9 John Regis (ENG) 13.10.66 2 Sheffield 4 Sep 1994 15.24 0.3 Darren Braithwaite (ENG) 20.01.69 3 London (CP) 11 Aug 1996 15.31 1.7 Doug Turner (WAL) 2.12.66 3 Cardiff (L) 31 May 1997 15.44 0.3 Darren Campbell (ENG) 12.09.73 6 London (CP) 11 Aug 1996 15.50 -1.0 Marcus Adam (ENG) 28.02.68 2 Edinburgh 7 Jul 1989 15.50 1.0 Owusu Dako (ENG) 23.05.73 2 Cardiff (L) 25 May 1996 15.53 -0.5 Lenny Paul (ENG) 25.05.58 1 London (Ha) 14 Jul 1991 15.66 0.9 Terry Williams (ENG) 15.11.68 7 Sheffield 4 Sep 1994 Interesting to note that Christie and Mackie possibly under-acheived at 200m compared to their 150m times while most others had better 200m times compared to their 150m performances.
Getting back on topic, Aussie hepthalete Kyle Wheeler has retired:
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news ... -bdwt.html Won six national titles, 10th in Bejing, #3 Aussie all-time at 6369, two Commonwealth silvers in her main event, plus a gold in 4x4 in 2002 (but only ran the heat)... Startted out as a 400m hurdler, (went to 1998 WJ in event).
Ottey been retired for years with respect to peforming at a high level, what's the point?
She did, but really it's over for Merlene and has been for awhile.
Grace Upshaw has seemingly moved on as of last week.
http://mysocalledfabulouslife.blogspot. ... racie.html Classy competitor. Kudos to her.
Former Commonwealth 400m champion Michael Blackwood retired a few days before the start of the WCh.
http://www.european-athletics.org/index ... 2&Itemid=2
Kjersti Platzer has retired. She was actually on the same team as Kristiansen at the 1986 European Championships!
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