The manchester straight 150m

[nicest person ever]

Well, looks like they are doing another one of those 150m straightaway races in Manchester this year, in a couple days.

They've also done a 200m-straight before (which Tyson Gay ran).

Does anyone else wish sooooooooooooooo so bad right now that they would extend this year's track to be a 200m straightaway, and get Blake to run it?

Just imagine, the curve is by far the worst part of Blake's 200m. Imagine what he could potentially do in a 200m straightaway race, it's like THE perfect setup for him. Honestly can't even imagine how far below 19 flat he would go, but definitely would be WAY under 19 flat (unless he had a headwind or something, and even then I think he'd still go slightly under 19 flat regardless).

Can they somehow re-organize the meet in time to make this happen (extend it to being a full 200m, instead of a 150 (which we know they can, since they've done it before), and invite Blake to come run it!?!?!?

This would be soooooooooooo awesome! Please, rich organizer people if you're reading this, please make this happen! I assure you it would be WELL worth the trouble, TRUST ME!!!!!

[nicest person ever]

Oh and also btw, imagine how much faster the Jamaican 4x100 team will be when they finally comprehend that they need to be putting Blake on one of the straights NOT the curve, since he is terrible at curves compared to straights, just like I've always been saying for the past year.

If they would do it like this:

Leg 1: Carter

Leg 2: Blake

Leg 3: Bolt

Leg 4: Powell

They'd could go 36-low, I'm not even joking.

[shivfan]

Does anybody seriously care about this event?

I understand that Ryan Brathwaite beat Andy Turner to win the 110m hurdles....

Does anyone have a live results feed for these games?

[gennady]

http://www.greatcitygames.org/Results/2012_gcgm.aspx

[gennady]

Powerade ION4 Great CityGames Manchester - 2012 Results
Mens 110mh
Event Position Firstname Surname Country/Club Finish WindSpeed +0.4 M/S
1 RYAN BRATHWAITE 13.60
2 DAVID PAYNE 13.67
3 MATTHIAS BUHLER 13.85
4 ANDY TURNER 14.16

Womens 100m
WindSpeed +0.4 M/S
1 LASHAUNTE MOORE 11.41
2 VERENA SAILER 11.54
3 CANDYCE MCGRONE 11.57
4 JOICE MADUAKA 11.68

Mens 100m
WindSpeed -0.8 M/S
1 CHRISTIAN MALCOLM 10.46
2 JIMMY VICAUT 10.47
3 MARK LEWIS-FRANCIS 10.49
4 PAUL HESSION 10.75

Womens 100m Hurdles
WindSpeed -0.7 M/S
1 JESSICA ENNIS 12.75
2 DAWN HARPER 12.86
3 DANIELLE CARRUTHERS 13.02
4 GEMMA BENNETT 13.54

Mens 200m
WindSpeed
1 JAYSUMA NDURE 21.27
2 JAMES ELLINGTON 21.30
3 DAVID NEVILLE 21.34
4 LUKE LENNON-FORD 13.54

Womens 200m
Finish WindSpeed
1 SANYA RICHARDS-ROSS 22.71
2 DENISA ROSOLOVA 23.53
3 MARGARET ADEOYE 23.56
4 NICOLA SANDERS 23.79

Mens 200m hurdles
Finish WindSpeed
1 ANDY TURNER 22.54
2 FELIX SANCHEZ 22.75 PB
3 JEHUE GORDON 23.00
4 RICK YATES 22.23

Womens 150m
WindSpeed
1 LASHAUNTE MOORE 17.05
2 MONTELL DOUGLAS 17.73
3 SONIA TAVARES 17.82
4 DERVAL O'ROURKE 18.25

Mens 150m
Finish WindSpeed
1 WALLACE SPEARMON 14.87
2 DWAIN CHAMBERS 15.27
3 MARLON DEVONISH 15.37
4 FRANCIS OBIKWELU 15.70

[Conor Dary]

This a good sign.

London 2012: Jessica Ennis denied new hurdles best in mix-up

Jessica Ennis was denied a personal best in the 100m hurdles at the Great CityGames in Manchester because only nine of the necessary 10 barriers were laid out by the organisers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18138378

Oops, I see there is a whole thread on this....

[fromage]

The Manchester Games is nothing more than a meaningless BBC event, but it does indicate that British high quality sprinters, male or female, are non existent; in the sprint department, it takes some of the head in sand track and field followers in the UK, like uber clown Costas Goulas and the AW fans to enthuse over any performance, no matter how second rate.

BTW, Chambers is going nowhere, I believe.

[26mi235]

Given the quality of the other marks (mediocre at best for these athletes, by and large, the following stand out, not more than Ennis, although missing a flight of hurdles (apparently) takes a little bit off...

Powerade ION4 Great CityGames Manchester - 2012 Results

Womens 100m Hurdles
Wind Speed -0.7 M/S
1 JESSICA ENNIS 12.75
2 DAWN HARPER 12.86
3 DANIELLE CARRUTHERS 13.02

Womens 200m [wind?]
Finish Wind Speed
1 SANYA RICHARDS-ROSS 22.71

Mens 150m
Finish WindSpeed
1 WALLACE SPEARMON 14.87
2 DWAIN CHAMBERS 15.27
3 MARLON DEVONISH 15.37

not sure about the 150s

[Gabriella]

LaShauntea Moore has run 11.11 (0.2) this year (13th on world lists) with many of the women above her having more favourable wind, so I think her result here indicates just how poor the conditions were in Manchester today; wet and cold. But this also highlights how good SRR's run was. I thought her running action looked superb, she had high knees and good extension. Compare her to Nicola Sanders who looked like an 800m runner not a sprinter.
Spearmon had his usual poor start, but he did finish well. As it stands at the moment, I don't see him medalling at all in London, but he can challenge for a place in the US team behind Dix and Gatlin.
Ennis looked so strong, but she did have a perfect race, whereas Harper hit either the 5th or 6th hurdle when leading. Carruthers didn't look race sharp. Our 100m record holder Douglas look awful in the 150m. She doesn't look conditioned and I can't see any evidence yet of her new training regime under Greene.

[26mi235]

Spearmon would have finished more than 3 second up on Moore in a 200 and Moore generally is a 22.x runner, so Spearmon would be easily 19.9 to 19.7 in terms of quality, not to mention that his last 50 is his best. To think that he will have trouble making a team without Gay in the comp is rather far off the mark. It is a question if he can be Dix, but Dix has not run anything superior to Spearmon yet at 200, and really neither has anyone else.

[JumboElliott]

I have no idea who is going to be the third 200 runner. I hope that Gatlin attempts to double, because he could be a legitimate medal contender and I really hope that number three isn't someone like Jeremy Dodson again.

[Fortius19]

It is a question if he can be Dix, but Dix has not run anything superior to Spearmon yet at 200, and really neither has anyone else.

Do you mean this year? Dix 20.02, Spearmon 19.95. That's not an insurmountable gap.

And don't forget all time. Dix 19.53 (2011), Spearmon 19.65 (2006)

[ATK]

It is a question if he can be Dix, but Dix has not run anything superior to Spearmon yet at 200, and really neither has anyone else.

Do you mean this year? Dix 20.02, Spearmon 19.95. That's not an insurmountable gap.

And don't forget all time. Dix 19.53 (2011), Spearmon 19.65 (2006)

Don't forget at the last 4 major champs Spearmon competed in, he (initially) came away with a medal. I would say him and Dix are probably equally as competitive, But if I had to bet, I would give Spearmon the vote for the higher medal.

[Gabriella]

To 26mi235:

I didn't say he'll have trouble making the team; I just think that Dix will beat him, in London if not at the Trials too. If he choses to run the 200m, I wouldn't be surprised if Gatlin beat him as well. (I actually think Dix should focus solely on the 200m as that is where his best chance of a medal lies in London, despite medalling in Beijing and Daegu over 100, but I expect he'll attempt to make the team in both sprints)

Spearmon may have more medals than Dix and has a great number of sub 20's, I absolutely agree, and he has a great pedigree. But Dix is at his best now; his PB is faster and is from 2011, whereas Spearmon's is from 2006. In 2011 Dix had 5 races faster than Spearmon's best; in 2010 though time-wise they were similar, Dix was faster - SB and top 5 average - and he beat Spearmon in Rome and Gateshead. Spearmon had a superior 2009, but in 2008 Dix was faster on paper, as well as getting that Beijing bronze (we can dispute whether Spearmon's lane infringement gained him 0.13 but at the end of the day he was DQ'ed) So, in the last 4 years, Dix has shown more recent form.

My problem with Spearmon is the same as everyone elses; he is not fast enough over the first 100m and the way the other men are able to carry form for the whole race now, he just has too much to do in the latter part of the race.

[IanS_Liv]

The Manchester Games is nothing more than a meaningless BBC event

I don't think anyone really bothers about this event. It's just a season opening bit of fun.

I would say that the athletes themselves do seem to really enjoy running so close to the crowd and quite a few American athletes have said they'd like something similar to be put on in the US. I think it would go down well at somewhere like the New York marathon where you've got the road miles the day before.

It wouldn't be too difficult to reproduce the events, maybe do it in yards and have a street vault and shot put, in addition to the road miles. No reason why it wouldn't go down well in the summer after the collegiate season.

[shivfan]

http://www.greatcitygames.org/Results/2012_gcgm.aspx

Thanks....

[shivfan]

The Manchester Games is nothing more than a meaningless BBC event

I don't think anyone really bothers about this event. It's just a season opening bit of fun.

I would say that the athletes themselves do seem to really enjoy running so close to the crowd and quite a few American athletes have said they'd like something similar to be put on in the US. I think it would go down well at somewhere like the New York marathon where you've got the road miles the day before.

It wouldn't be too difficult to reproduce the events, maybe do it in yards and have a street vault and shot put, in addition to the road miles. No reason why it wouldn't go down well in the summer after the collegiate season.

What annoys me is that this "bit of fun" is aired on terrestrial television (BBC1), while the serious stuff (the Diamond League) can only be watched on the red button interactive service....

[Speedster]

The whole event is a novelty but does help to bring track athletes to the general public, both UK and international stars.

Spearman's starts in his 200m this year have looked good, hard to compare I know given the distance between the athletes, but his 50-150m have looked better from him in the races I have seen. Sometimes athletes are better 200m starters than they are 100m, VCB sometimes appears like this. Next to Chambers Spearman is always going to look average, the Dwain is a 6.42 60m runner and completely different type of athlete. Will he double in Eugene, a few 100m rounds might make good speed work in preparing for the 200m?

Sanya looked amazing. Her form this year looks so solid, even in her recent loss, she was the picture of relaxation. I'd hoped for more from Montell as well under Greene's coaching, to see her open up a little more, she and Joice both liked quite tight, that said, Moore looked the same so maybe it was just the conditions. It will be really interesting to see if Joice or Montell make the 4x100m team.

[John G]

BTW, Chambers is going nowhere, I believe.

Funny - I thought that holding a 200 guy like Spearmon to 4/10ths was a positive sign that Dwain is building a better endurance base this year. The guy knows how to peak and I expect him to sneak under 10 seconds again this year and reach the London semis. I think that's pretty much all we can expect of him at this stage of his career

[Speedster]

The Manchester Games is nothing more than a meaningless BBC event

I don't think anyone really bothers about this event. It's just a season opening bit of fun.

I would say that the athletes themselves do seem to really enjoy running so close to the crowd and quite a few American athletes have said they'd like something similar to be put on in the US. I think it would go down well at somewhere like the New York marathon where you've got the road miles the day before.

It wouldn't be too difficult to reproduce the events, maybe do it in yards and have a street vault and shot put, in addition to the road miles. No reason why it wouldn't go down well in the summer after the collegiate season.

What annoys me is that this "bit of fun" is aired on terrestrial television (BBC1), while the serious stuff (the Diamond League) can only be watched on the red button interactive service....

Agreed! Pleased the Rome DL is on BBC Three so I can Sky+ it!

[John G]

The whole event is a novelty but does help to bring track athletes to the general public, both UK and international stars.

Agreed. I've got daughters aged 5 and 7 and they were only interested in the DL when Phillips jumped (they like his hair). Watching the events in Manchester however really grabbed their attention, especially the PV. Actually, they don't care what world ranking the competitors have or how good the performances are - they get caught up in the spectacle and that's what is going to make them want to do the sport when they're older.

Similarly, one of my earliest athletics memories was a middle distance race invoving Bedford around the Wembley track before the FA Cup final in the 70s.

[fromage]

To further exemplify the BBC nonsense in showing the Games fulsomely on Sunday, they did not show the Red Button DL live stuff as they stated they would on line, between 1 and 3 p.m. Those great sports producers were showing the massively popular heats of Motorcross at the DL time and we had to go online to see the meet live at 1 p.m.;

The BBC do not care too much what misinformation they give about the DL live sessions, but we can all look forward to the Rome DL meet on 31 st May with the Jackson/Edward show I presume.

[leoesharkey]

The British leave out the throws from so many events as do we Irish so I just don't watch, i don't support showcase meets with no throwing events. Them even chat about Chambers gunning for Bolt, I wish Chambers well, but....no chance, not on his best day.