T&FN Favourite Olympic Moment Poll Results No1 David Rudisha

[Rog]

1980 women's 4x400 - I've never seen complete footage of this race since, but from memory it was a clash between the two best teams in the world, who raced home over 7 seconds clear of bronze. The Soviets won, largely due to an injury to the GDR 3rd leg, but it was a great race, with a dramatic anchor leg by Marita Koch that only just missed gold. The Soviets had been up to their shenanigans, making last minute substitutes to bring their two best runners fresh into the team, but the memory is of a fantastic race. Also the UK squad got the bronze despite the two strongest runners both running below par - Donna Hartley just pipped the Romanians for the medal on the line.

Richard Whitehead Paralympics 2012 - I loved the Paralympics, and this was one of the most dramatic races of all. Whitehead was competing as a double amputee and came into the straight in his 200 well down, but in the latter stages he cut through the field like a knife through butter to take gold. It was fantastically exciting. The big memory was of him flashing a double biceps pose in celebration - he looked awesome, and I remember thinking his upper body was probably bigger than mine!

David Weir Paralympics 2012 - He had just won his 3rd gold medal and was being interviewed. He was the UK star of the games but he seemed completely dour and unemotional because he still had one more race to go, and until he'd won the marathon he hadn't achieved his aim. He was plainly exhausted, but he'd set his sights high and he wouldn't relax until his objective had been achieved. His level of focus and dedication was a supreme example of the dedication required to be an Olympic superstar. He was my star of the 2012 Olympics.

[Rog]

Wang's 5k just missed my list - she won the 5k looking easy, after having already run qualifying for both the 5k and 10k finals. She passed Konga with two laps to go and seemed to run well within herself to win easily. The 10k was a better race, but by then Wang had suffered diarrhoea and was too weakened to hold Ribeira off in the home straight. I loved watching Wang run, and her performances in 93 were the pinnacle of women's 3000 and 10000 running. Not even an in-form Dibaba has impressed me so much since. She wasn't as good in 96, but I was pleased to see she won a couple of Olympic medals nevertheless, including a gold.

[Gabriella]

1996 Atlanta - Dan O'Brien Decathlon. I love the multis, they are my favourite events,and I could have easily have filled my top 20 with them (Daley v FRG was nearly in, as was Sebrle from 04)
I chose this because O'Brien finally achieved what he should have done in 1992. The harsh US trials system saw him miss out on going to Barcelona, but he came back with the WR and then another couple of world titles. O'Brien was the favourite in Atlanta, but what made this great was the unexpected the challenge from the young Busemann. O'Brien was tested all the way through the competition, with Busemann setting some great marks such as that 8.07 LJ and 13.47 100mh O'Brien had a 200+ lead going into the 1500m but Busemann was faster, but O'Brien just did what he had to do. I love this quote from him:

"I knew that I had it won with two laps left. So even though the pain was there, I couldn't help but smile.I had been thinking about that moment for four years. It has been very stressful. Even here, what kept ringing in my ears was the Olympic Games and the gold medal. I couldn't settle for anything else.So I can't describe what it felt like then. It was just an incredible feeling."

[lionelp1]

I picked Walcott as my 20th choice cos a Junior Champion has no right to win a Goldie but what a surprise which nobody could forsee. Has any current Junior world champion in a field event also become OG Champion?

Kamila Skolimowska was the reigning world Youth champion when she won in Sydney!!!

The Polish woman went to the Junior Worlds a few months later and did not even qualify for the Hammer Final. How sad she died so young!!!

[Gabriella]

1996 Atlanta - Wyludda/Kumberness. Mump was generous and allowed me to have this as a moment, though I had originally included this under a generic German throwers under both Barcelona and Atlanta!

I chose this because these were two women who, like O'Brien above, were finally destined to get the gold they deserved. When you see an athlete that has been dominant or a favourite miss out and then come back four years later it really is destiny. Wyludda was unlucky in 88 not being selected for Seoul despite throwing over 70m. Then in 1992 she had an awful meet in Barcelona, finishing 9th. She was dominant on the GP circuit in the 90's but twice came up against women at the world champs too who 'came out of nowhere' to win gold - in 1991 Khristova produced an amazing 71.02 throw and in 1995 Zvereva shocked with a first round 68+. She maintained her form to 96 and finally in Atlanta won gold in a SB of 69.66, winning by over 3m. For me, this is all the more poignant since she had her leg amputated after infection.

Kumberness didnt quite have the same bad luck and her win in Atlanta wasn't as great, but she managed to win with a, for her, mediocre distance. This wasnt the dominant win like she had in 95 or the great battle like she had in 97, but it was a deserved win after not making it to Barcelona.

I'd like to make an honourable mention - Katrin Neimke. SP silver medalist from Seoul (after wrestling that medal by 1cm in the last round) she continued post Berlin Wall and won SP bronze in Barcelona 92 by 8cm, jumping from 4th to 3rd...in the last round. She did this in the Wch in 93 too, going from 4th to bronze in the last round! A fantastic competitor.

Some may disagree, but these women were finally rewarded after all those hard years training under the GDR regime.

[mump boy]

9 points
Ritola beats Nurmi 10k 28

What's up with this one? It isn't mine, but it's still off some way or other; Nurmi won the 10k. Ritola did win the 5k, though (after both of them had been slightly injured in the steeplechase heats). So either the distance is wrong, the names are reversed or someone picked a non-existent moment

Mmm

I'll check this out

[mump boy]

I also had Carl Lewis winning the 96 long jump, but my vote would've been worth 16 points. I'm guessing that there might be 2 votes for Lewis.
.

Sorry that should have been Carl Lewis LJ 92

I did not get around to submitting an entry but I thought Lewis' 96 LJ win was more momentous. He was on the bubble in both Qualifying and Prelims. I don't think many people thought he had another OG LJ Gold in him.
I was the pit judge for Qualifying when Lewis was struggling to make it into the Finals and flight coordinator for Finals. I was standing three feet from Powell when Lewis made the winning jump. Powell was injured and deflated visibly, knowing it was over.

It was, which is why it may turn up later !!

Patience

[mump boy]

Five (!) of mine have already come up; Kazankina, Oliszaryenko, 1980 women's 4x400, Richard Whitehead and David Weir.

Kazankina/Oliszaryenko - In the UK, the big hype for 1980 was the clash between Ovett and Coe. I was a kid, it was my first Olympics and I remember reading forecasts of the titanic confrontations to come and thinking they would be the pinnacle of athletics. What we got were two mediocre races where first Ovett, then Coe, followed their rivals until the home straight, then kicked for victory. Each claimed one gold and ran like a goon in the other race. It was great that they each won a gold, but objectively their events were overshadowed by plenty of other performances. Even their biggest fans couldn't claim we saw the best of either Ovett or Coe. We live in the age of hype however and now when you see articles about the Olympics of the past, these two are still dug up as the supreme examples of achievement in Moscow 1980. No-one mentions that they were athletically outshone by their female counterparts Nadezhda Oliszaryenko and Tatyana Kazankina. Oliszaryenko had just set a new world record in the 800, but was still only just faster than her colleague Olga Mineyeva, who had already beaten her that year, so to win her gold she ran hard from the start and front ran a new world record by 1 1/2 seconds. Kazankina had also just set a new world record, in the 1500, but she was up against the vastly improved Oliszaryenko. In her case she kicked with 600 to go, then again at the start of the last lap, and defended her 1500 title with a 2 minute last 800 (the UK 800 record was only just faster). The two Soviet women were fantastic, showing the bravery and commitment lacking in Ovett and Coe, and the impression they made - of supreme athletic achievement when it was most needed - overshadowed the two Brits in my eyes.

I LOVE this ^^

[Pego]

Bill Peck, a knowledgeable track guy, was watching the discus closely

I had a good fortune to meet Bill Peck at the 2000 OT's. I never personally met anybody with deeper knowledge of T&F than Bill. He was compiling history of California high school championships at that time. I wonder if he succeeded, never met or heard from him again.

[mump boy]

Thanks for all these great memories, this is EXACTLY how this thread is supposed to work

Hopefully i'll be able to post more this evening but i'mlocked out of my flat at the moment

[mump boy]

9 points
Ritola beats Nurmi 10k 28

What's up with this one? It isn't mine, but it's still off some way or other; Nurmi won the 10k. Ritola did win the 5k, though (after both of them had been slightly injured in the steeplechase heats). So either the distance is wrong, the names are reversed or someone picked a non-existent moment

Mmm

I'll check this out

I'm sorry to was the 5k now amended

[mump boy]

11 points

m4x4 04
JJK Hep 92
Tasha Danvers bronze 08
Olga and Hal Connolly romance 56
Bill Miller v Shuhei Nishida PV 32][
\
12 points

Valerie SP win 12
Heli Rantanen JT 96
W HJ Kostandinova v Biagiani 96
Pekka Vasala 1500m 72
Wilbur Moose Thompson Sp 48
Harri Larva v Jules Ladoumegue 1500m 28
Jonathan Edwards TJ Gold 2000
Nils Schumann 800m 2000

13 points

Bridget Foster Hylton fall 100mh 12
Arnold (Strode-)Jackson vs the Americans (Abel Kiviat, Norman Taber, J.P. Jones and Mel Sheppard) in men's 1500 in Stockholm 1912
Klaus Wolfermann beats Janis Lusis by 2cm in Munich 1972

14 points

Tapio Korjus JT victory 88
Victor Sanayev TJ win 68
Josef Odlozil1500m silver 56
Isi win and WR 08

15 points

GDR w4x100 80
Anatoly Bonderchuk HT win 72
Peter Snell 1500m 64
Tommy Hampson v Alex Wilson 800m 36

16 points

Paula Ivan 1500m victory 88
wDT Stefanie Trafton 08
m 4x100 12
Lance Deal Hammer silver 96
Bert Cameron 400m Semi injury 84
Marita Koch 400m 80
Peter Snell 800m 64
Lutz Long gives Jessie Owen advice in LJ 36
Pat O'Callaghan m HT 36

17 points

Tirunesh Dibaba double 08
Denise Lewis Hep win 00
Shelly Anne Fraser 100m victory 08
Emil Zatopek congratulates Alain Mimoun after Marathon victory '56
Jonni Myyra JT 20

18 points

Maria Mutola 800m 2000
Johnny Peacock 100m Para 12
Maurice Greene 100m 00
NZ double gold in 1 evening Peter Snell/Murray Halberg
Paavo Nurmi XC win 24

19 points

Barbra Spotakova win over Abukamova JT 08
Heike Dreschler LJ win 92
Frank Shorter Marathon Victory 72

20 Points

Rinka Babka gives Al Oerter advice DT 60
Otis Davis 1960 400m
Hannes Kolehmainen v Jean Bouin 5k 20
Dieter Baumann wins 5k 92
2012 Watching live the BBC announcement of the disqualification of Ostapchuk and being the first to report it on TnF message board with GH challenging me, literally a few seconds after my posting, to justify my posting 2012

[Atanvarno]

Wow, I would have bet money, that my no. 1 would come up with one lonely vote, but it seems that someone else shares fond memories of that race

[DecFan]

Three of my moments - including my top 2! - were listed by me alone. In each case there were personal factors that made these moments particularly special:

Jenner 76 decathlon: Because an American was the favorite, the entire decathlon was covered well by US TV. I was 20 at the time - a distance runner, but a fan of the entire sport. However, I had never followed a complete decathlon. I was entranced with the ebb and flow of the multis. It was a few more decades before the decathlon became my favorite of all track events, but the '76 decathlon was the beginning. BTW, there's a pretty decent summary of that '76 decathlon on youtube.

My number 2: Frank Shorter's Munich win. Sixteen at the time and with only two track seasons under my belt, watching Pre and Shorter run in Munich led me to make running a lifelong passion and not just a sport to engage in for a few years. And Shorter was more influential for me - perhaps partially because he won and Pre didn't, but also for the multi-year consistency of his training and his continued excellence over the years. Again, the quality of the US TV broadcast surely had an impact: Because Shorter was one of the favorites, the marathon was covered well. And - what is hard to believe now - at the time I actually enjoyed Erich Segal's commentary.

My number 1: Geb vs Tergat and the Kenyan team in '96. Mump pm'ed me to make sure I meant '96 rather than 2000. The last 200m of the Sydney race are fantastic - but the '96 race was for me a beauty start to finish - in part because I was there, and in part because my time of living in Kenya was still recent. I had good seats, was with my wife and two oldest children, and before the race explained to them and the people around us Geb's strengths, Tergat's strengths, and the likely team tactics of the Kenyans. Then the Kenyans and Geb both played their cards exactly right. Tergat threw in a 61 with 2k to go, and only Geb went with him. When Geb spurted with 1 lap to go, he gained a few yards, but Tergat clawed a few feet back, and from our vantage point it looked like he might be able to close the gap. In the end the results were not as close as Sydney, but for me the race was a marvel.

[LopenUupunut]

Practically all of my top 10 just turned up. OK, so I knew my list was highly esoteric

11 points
Bill Miller v Shuhei Nishida PV 36

'32, actually. Mump seems to have filed all my '32 moments under '36 for some unclear reason, but no big deal

Great competition. Tens of thousands of people cheering. Nishida beating the other Americans in a huge upset, jumping record after record after record... finally, the home crowd exploding when Miller did eventually win. What more can you wish for?

I'm not the only one who found this captivating... the discus throw officials completely missed Jules Noël's best throw as they were too busy watching the pole vault.

12 points
Harri Larva v Jules Ladoumegue 1500m 28

Baby, yes. That was one exciting race. It's listed here as Larva vs. Ladoumègue (which, indeed, is how I submitted it) but a fuller description would be Larva & Purje vs. Ladoumègue. Those three were clearly the class of the field; Larva was supposed to be the top Finn but it wouldn't have been shocking if Purje beat him.

Purje gets kicked about a bit in the initial mayhem but survives and takes the lead after the first lap. Throughout the race, Larva and Ladoumègue keep a close eye on each other, each clearly regarding the other as their main opponent. Eventually Ladoumègue makes his move, catches up with Purje and attacks with 300 to go. Purje does his best to answer, and the two open quite a gap on Larva. As they enter the final curve, Ladoumègue turns the speed up yet another notch, not wanting to do extra distance. He takes the lead and sprints away...

...and here, at long last, comes Larva! Ladoumègue has a huge lead but has spent too much energy passing Purje. His legs are screaming in pain; the mind knows exactly what to do, but the body is unwilling to do it. Even with fifty metres to go, Larva is still well behind, but momentum is clearly on his side... Ladoumègue can't raise his legs anymore... the seconds tick away painfully slowly... Ladoumègue seems to be slowing down every painful step... with a tired but determined grimace, Larva slides past him and says goodbye with twenty metres to go, breaking the tape a triumphant champion as the audience roars.

Next moments in next post thanks to character limit

[Daisy]

My number 1: Geb vs Tergat and the Kenyan team in '96. Mump pm'ed me to make sure I meant '96 rather than 2000.

This almost made my top 20, after reading your description I think I should have had it in there now.

Koch vs Kratochvílová was always a great match up and 80 was one iteration. I think my favourite one was the 82 version though, which is why this one didn't quite make it into my top 20.

Bert Cameron was also close to my final list. That was a remarkable run in his semi-final, one I will never forget.

I'd love to have Snell in my top 20, but I have no actual memories of those races, so they ended up not being in my list of top moments. He easily makes my list of top 20 athletes all time.

[nevetsllim]

I went for Szabo vs. O'Sulivan in Sydney 2000 purely for the reason it's my first vivid memory of the Olympics (I don't think getting an Atlanta '96 watch for Christmas that year counts ) I remember watching it with my dad on TV and being hooked by the closing stages even though I was just nine at the time. As I learned more about the sport in future years, the race stands out as a bit of an anomaly as it's the only race I can recall where head-waiter Gete Wami making a concerted effort to do the front-running! Interesting tidbit is Vivian Cheruiyot making the final at the age of 16 which I always forget about as she didn't really break through as a senior until 2006-07.

I also went for the men's 4x100m from the London Olympics. Surprised it didn't get more votes but it might come under the bracket of Bolt's achievements more generally speaking in London. Being a bright-eyed fan of the sport back in 2005 when my athletics addiction was starting, I was ecstatic when London won the bid for the Games, especially as it was all still a novelty to me. Jamaica's sub-37 WR was such a feel-good way to cap off the track and field programme.

[LopenUupunut]

13 points
Arnold (Strode-)Jackson vs the Americans (Abel Kiviat, Norman Taber, J.P. Jones and Mel Sheppard) in men's 1500 in Stockholm 1912

Me again.

Entering that race, Jackson had an outside chance at best; he wasn't a complete unknown, but the Americans (and Kiviat in particular) were heavily favoured. Kiviat had broken the 1500 WR multiple times earlier that year, his best time being 3:55.8 from the US Eastern Trials. Taber was close behind him there (today, he's probably best known for his mile WR of 4:12.6 from 1915), while Jones had won the IC4A 880/mile double in both 1911 and 1912, breaking the amateur WR for the mile on the former occasion. Sheppard, of course, was the defending champion and his form was at least good as four years earlier... you can see where I'm coming from.

France's Arnaud led the final until the final lap, maintaining an honest pace. At the beginning of the final lap, Kiviat took the lead and increased tempo, Taber and Jones following close behind. Jackson, who had been well back in the pack, started closing in on the Americans, and entered the final curve in their slipstream. Here's the official olympic report of what happened then:

"The finish along the final straight was one of extraordinary severity, each man doing all he knew. Jones, Taber and Kiviat ran abreast of each other in a hard spurt, with Jackson some distance behind them, and Wide about 10 metres in the rear of Kiviat. The last-mentioned runner drew away from Taber and Jones in the last 30 metres and seemed certain of success, when, all of a sudden, Jackson came on, passed the pumped-out U. S. A. men with gigantic strides and broke the worsted 3 metres in front of Kiviat, who suffered a complete surprise."

The winning time was 3:56.8, one of the best at 1500 yet, with the top 5 under 3:58. At the time, it was hailed as the greatest race ever run

[LopenUupunut]

15 points
Tommy Hampson v Alex Wilson 800m 36 [sic]

Another of my moments (rhymans also listed this, but I guess he never sent mump a PM).

Phil Edwards, Wilson's Canadian teammate, went out extremely fast, splitting 52.4 for the first lap. Some way behind were the other finalists, with Genung (USA) and Wilson at the front and Hampson at the back of the pack. With 300 to go, Hampson moved up a bit while Wilson started closing the gap on Edwards. By the time the final straight opened, Wilson and Edwards were at the front with Hampson a few metres behind. WIlson easily sprints away from the tiring Edwards, but Hampson rolls forward with all the momentum and determination of an oncoming train, three metres behind Wilson... two metres behind... one metre behind... Wilson makes one last attempt to answer, but the train turns out to be military issue and blows him away... and then we find that Hampson is a human, not a train, as he totters and staggers on the infield in complete exhaustion. Luckily for him, though, he managed to cross the finish line first

Both Hampson and Wilson broke the WR, the first men under 1:50. There is, of course, a Great Big What-If in here... what happens if Ben Eastman is also in that race? The only thing I'm sure of is that it would have been even more epic then.

[mump boy]

Wow, I would have bet money, that my no. 1 would come up with one lonely vote, but it seems that someone else shares fond memories of that race

Oh

seems i missed someones votes

(goes back to drawing board )

[mump boy]

Three of my moments - including my top 2! - were listed by me alone. In each case there were personal factors that made these moments particularly special:

Jenner 76 decathlon: Because an American was the favorite, the entire decathlon was covered well by US TV. I was 20 at the time - a distance runner, but a fan of the entire sport. However, I had never followed a complete decathlon. I was entranced with the ebb and flow of the multis. It was a few more decades before the decathlon became my favorite of all track events, but the '76 decathlon was the beginning. BTW, there's a pretty decent summary of that '76 decathlon on youtube.

You weren't the only one, i have no idea how he sneaked in here

[mump boy]

Practically all of my top 10 just turned up. OK, so I knew my list was highly esoteric

11 points
Bill Miller v Shuhei Nishida PV 36

'32, actually. Mump seems to have filed all my '32 moments under '36 for some unclear reason, but no big deal

Changed

[mump boy]

15 points
Tommy Hampson v Alex Wilson 800m 36 [sic]

Another of my moments (rhymans also listed this, but I guess he never sent mump a PM).

Oh God !!

Phew he didn't

[LopenUupunut]

16 points
Pat O'Callaghan mHT 36

I wish. It would have been awesome to have O'Callaghan in '36, but alas, that was not to be.

He was there in '32, though, which is the moment in question here. I'm not entirely sure why I like that moment so much, let alone really able to sufficiently explain it... but there it is, and if everything in life were easily explained then life would be rather boring

O'Callaghan was easily the most talented thrower of that generation, but he was also busy being a doctor and competing in any number of other events and sports. In short, he was a true amateur athlete. His main rival was our guy, Ville Pörhölä, the SP champion from 1920. Pörhölä opened the final convincingly with 51.27 in the first round, with USA's Zaremba in second at just north of 50. O'Callaghan, it transpired, had barely practiced hammer throw at all and his first throw was essentially warming up and trying to recall how the thing was supposed to go, to the point where he only used two turns. (Even back in 1932, using only two turns was seen as an obsolete technique.) Pörhölä improved to 52.27 in round 2 - better than O'Callaghan's winning mark from the previous Games - but the Irishman, too, started feeling more at home and turned the power level up a couple notches, throwing 52.21 to move within 6 cm of the lead. With such a rapid learning curve you could be sure he had more in him, but the death blow didn't come yet; round three passed without O'Callaghan improving.

By the final three rounds O'Callaghan was throwing with full power, but that wasn't quite enough to do the trick, either; both his fourth and fifth throws were just below 52. You can imagine how the audience - or the few Finns in it, at any rate - felt at that point: it certainly doesn't look as if our guy can improve, and O'Callaghan keeps hammering at a frighteningly high level... but Ville Pörhölä is still in the lead, and O'Callaghan just has the one throw left. If the previous five weren't enough, why should this one be? - it's been a hot day, such big men get tired fast, nobody else is improving either. All the best marks are from the early rounds. Our boy could win this. Our boy could win gold, by six centimetres.

Patrick O'Callaghan... slowly he enters the circle for the last, final time, spinning the hammer about. Does he enjoy keeping us jumpy so much he's never going to throw? Now he finally seems to be going... one, two, three turns, perfectly executed at an ever-increasing speed, and here flies the hammer in a beautiful high arc, well past the leading mark. Oh well.

But I like the competition this way, much more than if O'Callaghan hadn't won, even if it meant a lost gold for Finland. It's a better competition this way, and O'Callaghan deserved to win; this is the script the movie guys would have written if the competition hadn't been real. Which it, happily, was

[LopenUupunut]

17 points
Jonni Myyra JT 20

It belongs up there. The whole competition does (we went 1-2-3-4, after all, securing that triumph by half a centimetre!), but especially Myyrä.

In the warm-up, Myyrä was lying on the grass as a stray throw from USA's James Lincoln hit him in the arm. The other arm, luckily enough, but getting speared never does your throwing much good, even if your throwing arm wasn't hit. He somehow managed to struggle through the first three rounds and qualify for the final three, with Urho Peltonen (who'd been his main rival through the 1910s) leading with a very nice 63.605.

Thankfully, the system back then divided the competition into two halves, with a few hours' break between them, and Myyrä got medical attention during the break. He came back rejuvenated and won with a near-WR 65.78. Enough said.

18 points
Paavo Nurmi XC win 24

That one, also, definitely belongs. He smashed everybody and everything, including the conditions. To me, this was the one that showed just how far ahead of his time and competition he was - more so than running WRs in both 1500 and 5000 within little more than an hour before the Olympics or successfully repeating the same double (sans WRs) in Paris.

The conditions and the heat were inhuman. Around 40°C in shadow... much of the course was not in shadow. Nurmi ran at almost his normal pace and beat Ville Ritola by about a minute and a half. Yes, this would be the same Ritola who had broken the 10K world record in those same games in Nurmi's absence.

The race had, actually, shown up in mump's list already. Somebody (not me) nominated Heikki Liimatainen, presumably for being one of those fifteen despite his body's desire to quit - just because there was also a team race involved, we needed a third guy to finish besides Nurmi and Ritola and everyone else in the FInnish team failed to make it anywhere near the finish... he struggled home in 12th place, completely groggy but at least on his legs and still somewhat conscious, even if he wasn't entirely sure where or in what direction the finish line was. Yes, that was also a good moment, a great moment of spirit - but in those conditions, pretty much everybody needed to summon up some serious mental reserves to make it to the finish. Except, that is, for the winner.

This quote really sums his form up:

"Only fifteen of the 38 runners made it to the finish line. A good many of the competitors were still in hospital the day after, but Nurmi spent his time rather better, winning another gold medal." -- Martti Jukola

[LopenUupunut]

19 points

Barbra Spotakova win over Abukamova JT 08

This, too, was me. Amazing competition with brilliant quality.

Špotáková opened with 69.22, which would have been good enough for gold in almost any competition... but here it wasn't even good enough for lead after round 1, as Abakumova turned up in superb form out of nowhere and shot the javelin to 69+ twice in a row. Then she actually improved to a nutty 70.78, putting her 2nd on the all-time list. All this despite the conditions... I can't help remembering the rain. Špotáková had a solid series but her throws were getting shorter and shorter as the last round approached. This didn't make me happy, as she was easily the one I wanted to win; I tend to like Czech javelin throwers, and anyway, she was My Pick. Doing well in the prediction contests knocks all other considerations into a cocked hat, right?

Špotáková's last throw... looks good as it's flying high, high, high... the Finnish commentator screaming as he apparently feels the same way as me... me opening my mouth to do the same... the javelin landing almost at the WR line... me jumping up and pumping my fist... still feel moved by it.

Finally, as the cherry on top, one of the very few interviews I can ever recall enjoying.

[Dave]

As there are so many of them i've left the description brief, i'll leave it to you to elaborate

I'm loving this, and looking forward to the next posting! I chose the 76 Steeple ... Garderud & Malinowski both breaking the WR, with Baumgartl right there until the last hurdle. Similar to Rudisha in the London 800, it was the best in the world laying it all on the line at a WR pace on the biggest stage of all. I only wonder how it might have unfolded had the Kenyans been there.

From another thread, I looked up the London m800. As I read the results, it looks like every athlete in the final got a PR. That has to count for a lot. The most visible race of their lives with the best competition in the world. Result? new WR with everyone having their best race ever. That has to be unique and wonderful.

[mump boy]

So i actually missed 3 people votes !!

Now corrected, so i'm adding them in if they are 1 pointers and also posted below so they won't be missed.

I'll also take out any 1 pointers than now have 2 or more

I'm glad i realised this now and not when we got top 10 !! Even so i'm NEVER doing this again, i'm not cut out for it

1 VOTE

1 point

Greg Rutherford LJ 2012

3 points

Robert Harting Discus 2012

4 points

BAH m4x400 2012

5 points

Dean Macey decathlon 4th 2000

6 points

Ed Moses 400h bronze 88

7 Points

Vebjorn Rodahl 800m 2000

12 Points

Jonathan Edwards TJ Gold 2000
Nils Schumann 800m 2000

13 points

Klaus Wolfermann beats Janis Lusis by 2cm in Munich 1972

18 points

Maria Mutola 800m 2000

20 points

Dieter Baumann wins 5k 92

[LopenUupunut]

20 points
Hannes Kolehmainen v Jean Bouin 5k 20 [sic]

The attentive reader will surely have guessed by now that this was one of mine. I will not give a detailed description of that race for the rather simple reason I can't do it any justice; it needs Homer, or Shakespeare, or Martti Jukola.

By 1912, Kolehmainen and Bouin had been the world's top distance runners for a couple years already, with the former having beaten the latter over 7500 metres in Berlin. Perhaps this was why Bouin (who was the amateur WR holder at 10K) decided to only do the 5K in Stockholm, while Kolehmainen went for the 10K/5K double. (The 10K had heats that year, and there weren't that many rest days. As in, there were no rest days at all: 10K heats, 10K final, 5K heats, 5K final, on four consecutive days. So Bouin got a real advantage from not doubling.)

Bouin won his heat in a very easy 15:05.0 - for reference, the best time yet at a corresponding distance (Shrubb's 3-mile WR) was worth about 14:50 - while Kolehmainen ran 15:38.9 in his race, understandably looking a bit tired. At least he wasn't pressed.

In the final, Kolehmainen was among the early leaders and by 1500 metres, he and Bouin were moving apart from the rest. By the half-way point Bouin was in the lead and the gap to the main pack was rapidly becoming insurmountable. (The splits in that race were almost even. It is often stated that the early pace was slow, but that was largely an illusion caused by two facts: 1) the ease with which Kolehmainen and Bouin left the rest of the group behind once they made their move, and 2) the fact that in those times it was quite common to go out fast and hope to hang on somehow; negative or even splits weren't very typical, so it was slowish compared to other races of the time. While the pace did pick up when Bouin took the lead, it wasn't really that big a change, nor did it last long.)

Kolehmainen shadowed Bouin the rest of the way, making several attempts to pass him over the last couple laps, but Bouin always answered them, never letting him past. Bouin made his final move in the last curve, opening a small gap... but not quite enough. Kolehmainen still has energy left and starts closing the gap... closing the gap... closing the gap... the audience shivers like a devil-possessed man reading Dostoyevsky... with 50 metres to go, the two heroes are abreast... Bouin makes an attempt to keep Kolehmainen behind him by moving outwards, but this fails; nevertheless, he too is still fighting and has enough reserves left for one final spurt... then he sees his rival a few but important inches ahead... he seems to be choking... Kolehmainen breaks the tape smiling, always smiling.

The times were 14:36.6 and 14:36.7, the first at any longer distance to really outshine the records of the old professionals.

[berkeley]

From another thread, I looked up the London m800. As I read the results, it looks like every athlete in the final got a PR. That has to count for a lot. The most visible race of their lives with the best competition in the world. Result? new WR with everyone having their best race ever. That has to be unique and wonderful.

Not every one ... Kaki did not. Still has to be unprecedented PR level though.

[Daisy]

I'm glad i realised this now and not when we got top 10 !! Even so i'm NEVER doing this again, i'm not cut out for it

Of course you're cut out for it. I love hearing the stories behind the count. Getting locked out of your flat, dropped computer in the lake, lost pieces of paper. It's comic genius

[bushop]

Even so i'm NEVER doing this again, i'm not cut out for it

Can't stop... it's your methods that makes the thread(s) so entertaining and enduring. You've made the shoes too big to fill for anyone else to try to replicate your efforts.

[Flumpy]

My number 1: Geb vs Tergat and the Kenyan team in '96.

If this is your #1 then shouldn't it have 20 points?

[mump boy]

My number 1: Geb vs Tergat and the Kenyan team in '96.

If this is your #1 then shouldn't it have 20 points?

Keep up

it did have 20 points but now it's got more

[Dave]

From another thread, I looked up the London m800. As I read the results, it looks like every athlete in the final got a PR. That has to count for a lot. The most visible race of their lives with the best competition in the world. Result? new WR with everyone having their best race ever. That has to be unique and wonderful.

Not every one ... Kaki did not. Still has to be unprecedented PR level though.

And even he got a season best.