With the re-emergence of reigning champ Pamela Jelimo (who has run 53, 4.07 recently and will be running 800 at Lieven), World Champ Savinova, O9 champ Semenya, 07 champ and perrenial medallist Jepkoski with a supporting cast of Rus, US and UK runners 2012 is shaping up to be one monster year.
In on some people were predicting the demise of the 800 as Semenya took the WR to unbeatable territory conveniently forgetting that Jelimo had run significantly quicker just one year to go.
In form Jelimo v Semenya is something I can't wait for but don't count out Jepkoski or Savinova who have proved time and time again that they have the beating of everyone on their day
1.CL...France 2.Walter Dix..USA 3.Asafa Powell...Jama 4.Tyson Gay...USA 5.Usain Bolt...Jama 6.Yohan Blake...Jama 7.Justin Gatlin..USA 8.?...somebody who came out of nowhere to shock.
Bet at least two of them won't be there. In track the unexpected will nearly always happen. Think Mump is correct; the womens 800m will be one of the very best events in London 2012.
I agree with Mump. If anything, I'm more excited about the m200 than the m100 but I can't wait for the w800m. Over the past 35y, I think women's 800m finals have produced the most exciting finals over all track events.
The final should be super-fast too As long as they are all there and running well, you'd have to imagine Jelimo and Jepkosgei will be pushing the pace from the start through 400m in 55/56 like they've done in major finals before while Semenya and Savinova will probably be looking to run more even-paced and I think the contrasts in tactics makes for a great final.
ATK wrote:Besides that fact that its an Olympic year, and her name is Jelimo, What indication is there that there will be a turn around from the last 3 years?
Like Mump said, a 4:07 indoor 1500m debut is a very promising indicator of her getting back into contention. Perhaps not 1:54-flat shape but certainly up there with Jepkosgei, Savinova and Semenya.
the people who care about the 100 are the people not narrow/naive/duplicitious enough to say that a Jelimo v. Semanya race is important because they're really excited (why, I'll never know) about the british girls making it beyond the heats but can't say that because it's even more stupid than saying who cares about the m100.
In terms of gotta see races (not even counting the field events where Isi /Suhr is more compelling) at the Olympics the w800 wouldn't make the top 10 for track fans. Below, find 12 that are more compelling than the w800
m10,000 (Bekele, Rotich, Farah, Rupp) m1,500 (it just is) w5000 (Cheruiyot v Defar!) w1500 (again, it just is) wMarathon (what's that British girl's name...) mMarathon (pick a Kenyan, any Kenyan) m800 (Rudisha) w100 (rematch) m100 (can't think of a single compelling reason; maybe they're right ) m110h (Liu, Oliver, Robles) w100h (Pearson v. North America m200 (sub-19)
Being overly enamoured with the m100 is SO predictable, it shows a total lack of originality, subtlety and knowledge, something that I would expect from general sports fans who only tune in to track for the major champs. I expected more from supposed track officianados whom I presumed were attracted to this forum
72 wrote:mump, you are soooo right and you put it so well.
The fact that the Bolt is on the cover of the TF News is irrelevant to this thread; some fans cannot concentrate for longer than a minute.
Dear Mr 72 you and I seem to be on the same side of debates in 2012 !! this is both troubling and heartwarming. Let's try and continue our Entente Cordiale with appropriate Olympic spirit
The men's 100m is always anticipated but often the race itself isn't that thrilling. It's over far too quickly and can be just a blur; it's the build-up that is the best part of that event. I totally agree that other events provide much more drama during the race and you're spot-on, the women's 800m should be electrifying this season. If we do get Semenya, Jepkosgei, Jelimo and Savinova in their best form, this could be THE race of the Games and one of the best 800m races of all-time. To have two women capable of running 1:54 in the same race hasn't happened since Moscow 1980!
And let's not forget Jelimo has ran faster than Semenya's best 6 times and she has 5 times in the all-time top 20 list!
The m100m should be a great race if everyone turns up in top form, but it's still not in my Top 10 most anticipated events at the Olympics.
I just don't really care about anyone involved.
In fact the 100m in general has bored me ever since the end of the great sprint divas era of the 90's.
The w800m on the other hand has the potential to be fantastic this year. For starters they will actually compete against each other through out the season (Although Savinova's 2011 season was somewhat lacking) unlike the 100m where they'll all avoid each other all year so as not to lose face or ranking positions. How many times do you suspect we'll see Usain/Yohan/Tyson/Asafa in the same race next year? I'm guessing once (If that).
In the 800m it's not only impossible to pick a favourite but there are about 20 women who have a legitimate chance of making the final.
It's easily the event I'm looking forward to the most and hopefully it will turn out to be every bit the race of the champs that it was in Daegu.
mump boy wrote: The idea that the trainwreck of an event that is the w1500 at the moment is more compelling than the w800 is laughable
As they say down your neck of the woods "innit"
I really do hope we get the 800m we could have this summer. I can just imagine Jepkoskei taking it out hard over the first 400m, with Jelimo stepping infront at the bell, Semenya moving through the pack slowly then an African slug-fest in the final straight - can't wait!
mump boy wrote: The idea that the trainwreck of an event that is the w1500 at the moment is more compelling than the w800 is laughable
As they say down your neck of the woods "innit"
I really do hope we get the 800m we could have this summer. I can just imagine Jepkoskei taking it out hard over the first 400m, with Jelimo stepping infront at the bell, Semenya moving through the pack slowly then an African slug-fest in the final straight - can't wait!
...predictable UK graffiti artists splatter with typical hallucinatory thoughtlessness.
The 800m has been anything but competitive recently. 2007: forgone conclusion; 2008: forgone conclusion; 2009: forgone conclusion; 2011: farcical competition masquerading as a race with previous World Champions looking anything but superior...forgone conclusion. Yet, we should count on everybody being ultra-competitive this year and threatening the WR in quadruplicate? Yes, it reads as ridiculous as it would seem. How about it's won again in 1:55...the only take-away is that watching paint dry takes a bit longer. Advantage w800.
Why go through all the unrealistic "hoping and wishing" just to make the race "the best ever" when you can "hope and wish" your way to a 100m race where all 8 participants run under 9.80! (Bolt returns healthy, Tyson Gay miraculously recovers, Asafa Powell shakes his deamons, Blake's potential is realized, Smith improves Dix and Thompson by less than .10 and finds that Ryan Bailey is the next American "one", and Lemaitre finds muscle and an elite level acceleration pattern. See how easy it is!)
preston wrote:...predictable UK graffiti artists splatter with typical hallucinatory thoughtlessness.
The 800m has been anything but competitive recently. 2007: forgone conclusion; 2008: forgone conclusion; 2009: forgone conclusion; 2011: farcical competition masquerading as a race with previous World Champions looking anything but superior...forgone conclusion. Yet, we should count on everybody being ultra-competitive this year and threatening the WR in quadruplicate? Yes, it reads as ridiculous as it would seem. How about it's won again in 1:55...the only take-away is that watching paint dry takes a bit longer. Advantage w800.
Why go through all the unrealistic "hoping and wishing" just to make the race "the best ever" when you can "hope and wish" your way to a 100m race where all 8 participants run under 9.80! (Bolt returns healthy, Tyson Gay miraculously recovers, Asafa Powell shakes his deamons, Blake's potential is realized, Smith improves Dix and Thompson by less than .10 and finds that Ryan Bailey is the next American "one", and Lemaitre finds muscle and an elite level acceleration pattern. See how easy it is!)
mump boy wrote:In this Olympic year it is all about the. W800
I laughed out loud at this. Not in the universe I live in; not even remotely.
As usual kuha is right on.
Ask 100 all-around track fans, that's real fans, not casual ones, at random, which event they are more excited about, the M100 or the W800 and the M 100 will win 80-20... at a minimum.
nevetsllim wrote:Over the past 35y, I think women's 800m finals have produced the most exciting finals over all track events.
I'd say the one that took place 35.5 yrs. ago was possibly the best ever
Yes, can't disagree with you there (my approximation of 35y was meant to start from the 1976 Olympic final, btw). I've been looking for a copy of the Montreal final for years and someone uploaded it onto youtube recently. I certainly wasn't disappointed!
Would some informed all track and field fan please tell me why there are so sprint obsessives in on this great Forum.
The 100m is a 10 seconds blur of a largely predictable event and in London there are two likely winners . Same with the 200m. In fact other than the media hype, and Mr Bolt, the sprints would not be of that much interest; we here are not terribly concerned whether its a creep like Gatlin or a less than 100% fit Gay gets a medal. Much prefer myself the 110m hurdles, or a great two day battle in the Decathlon/Heptathlon.
My theory is that Americans traditionally support sprints cos they are not able to concentrate for too long, plus they are currently not the absolute winners at the world level sprint events on a regular basis, which they used to be and which they took for granted and is currently driving them crazy cos the Jamaicans are the master now. Anybody brave soul who attempts to understand the mindset over the pond knows that they absolutely have to be the Winners, otherwise they they moan like babies. Yes, its a terrible generalisation, but they are usually true for the most part.
Give me any day the tactics and the need for athletes to be intelligent and think about what they are doing during their event,e.g. during the 800m,1500m,5000m,10000m; or battle witheir own demons in a field event for a couple of hours. Thats real athletics.
nevetsllim wrote:Over the past 35y, I think women's 800m finals have produced the most exciting finals over all track events.
I'd say the one that took place 35.5 yrs. ago was possibly the best ever
Yes, can't disagree with you there (my approximation of 35y was meant to start from the 1976 Olympic final, btw). I've been looking for a copy of the Montreal final for years and someone uploaded it onto youtube recently. I certainly wasn't disappointed!
thanks for the tip ... just watched it! funny that they break at 300m - when did they stop doing that? seems to totally change the dynamics of the race, making it much less likely to have a slow, tactical first lap. i wish i could understand chinese - there was an interview with qu yunxia in the related videos section!
nevetsllim wrote:Over the past 35y, I think women's 800m finals have produced the most exciting finals over all track events.
I'd say the one that took place 35.5 yrs. ago was possibly the best ever
Yes, can't disagree with you there (my approximation of 35y was meant to start from the 1976 Olympic final, btw). I've been looking for a copy of the Montreal final for years and someone uploaded it onto youtube recently. I certainly wasn't disappointed!
thanks for the tip ... just watched it! funny that they break at 300m - when did they stop doing that? seems to totally change the dynamics of the race, making it much less likely to have a slow, tactical first lap. i wish i could understand chinese - there was an interview with qu yunxia in the related videos section!
I think Montreal was the last major champs. They just ran lanes for the first 100m at the 1978 Europeans.
The 100m is of course an exciting event, but it is really just about the hype and the build-up. The actual race itself is generally never that exciting because by 50m you often know who is going to win. The race can be exciting when someone unexpected blasts from the blocks to hold on (Devers 92) or totally dictates it and demolishes the others (Johnson 88, Fraser 08). Late surges like Bailey in 96 were great too, but 10 secs of blur is no match for 2 mins of excitement and tactics.
For me, yes, the build up and kudos of the 100m is fantastic and what the Olympics are about, but the 200, 400 and upwards offer best actual race viewing. Being able to get into a race or field event is what I enjoy. The multi events are my absolute top events.
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this is both troubling and heartwarming. Let's try and continue our Entente Cordiale with appropriate Olympic spirit 
