More relay fodder (Munich 72 mens relay teams).

[Guest]

After the 72 Olympic 400 meter dash champ Vince Matthews and runner-up Wayne Collett were hastily dismissed from competing in any other olympic events due to their indifference on the victory stand, it was fairly academic that the U.S. would not line up a team for the prelims of the 4x400 relay . John Smith injured himself in the finals of the 400 meter dash (or was it during the semi's?) and he wasn't available. That left Lee Evans,Maurice Peoples and Tommie Turner. (Too bad Larry Black wasn't an alternate, he had run a 43.4 split in a mile relay.
Anyway, can anyone figure out why, Rey Robinson was left of the 4X100 meter relay. I heard from somewhere that he was a poor curve runner, but why not have him run 2nd or anchor? then put Robert Taylor third. Taylor after all was the AAU 200 meter dash champ and poor curve runners don't just happen to win AAU 200's (unless your'e Carl Lewis). Lead-off with Black or Tinker (Most likely Black). Im' just curious. With all the Eastern Bloc turmoil going on then, I'll bet if the Soviets or East German's to name a few would have lost 3 runners on any given relay, they would have been allowed to find another replacement. The 4x100 still turned out nicely, Tinker ran a great curve handed off to Hart and that's all she wrote.

[kritter]

Of course the rules were different then, but, if the US could have used 400 hurdlers as subs in the 4x4 there would have been plenty of talent to still take the gold.

[6 5.5hjsteve]

someone speaks of "if the rules were different..."

Back then you named six guys, then the 4 that ran in the first round had to be it for any future round... no substitutions.

And of our 6 named guys, one was hurt and 2 were bounced. Ergo, no team.

Now with the new rules you can switch around all you want from the diesgnated team.

So my question is ( finally !) is it still a pool of 6 or was that expanded ?