¶2012 OG: w800–Mariya Savinova (Russia) 1:56.19 WL

[uakari]

holy crap... savinova... those are some fast times for a semi...

[lapsus]

Heat 2 seems to be the toughest and has Johnson Montano as pacemaker, 4 to advance from that heat?

And yeah, it was Johnson Montano who kept the pace high, first lap was almost three seconds faster than the first heat.

I actually got a good impression of her from an interview after the race. She seemed quite analytical

[t_monk]

All of a sudden.... I am VERY interested in this race....

Olympic Champ 2k8
World Champ 2k9
World Champ 2k11



Throw in 2 more Russians, Jepkosgei and Montaño

[uakari]

jepkosgei is a former WC too...

[Tuariki]

May the best woman win

[Dutra5]

May the best woman win

[mump boy]

All of a sudden.... I am VERY interested in this race....

Olympic Champ 2k8
World Champ 2k9
World Champ 2k11



Throw in 2 more Russians, Jepkosgei and Montaño

World Champ 2007 as well

I've been saying this all year !!

[croflash]

All of a sudden.... I am VERY interested in this race....

Olympic Champ 2k8
World Champ 2k9
World Champ 2k11



Throw in 2 more Russians, Jepkosgei and Montaño

World Champ 2007 as well

I've been saying this all year !!

Only Magiso is missing. The field is spectacular regardless.

[Vault-emort]

I've been saying this all year !!

Only Magiso is missing. The field is spectacular regardless.

And Mump was saying that before any of us had even heard of Magiso!

[Alan Shank]

At the risk of being jumped on again, I have to point out that Montano ran about 26.8 for the first 200, then slowed down from there, about 30.8 last 200 and 4th place. Without Magiso in the field, she made the final as the last qualifier.

SAvinova looks very good, closing in ~29.5, Semenya ran a great semi, just like in Daegu, and Jelimo closed in 28.91 in the slow first heat.

I remember thinking last year after the semis that they might just as well hand the gold medal to Semenya, she looked so easy, but SAvinova ran her down.

It's really a shame that Magiso had to scratch, but the field is still a great one.
The 800's are shaping up as the races of the games. Or the 5000s.
Cheers,
Alan Shank

[Flumpy]

looking at caster, my suspicions seem to be confirmed, that she might be undergoing cross-gender hormone therapy. she def. has more boobs and hips than before.

And still she's slaying your faves!!!

GO CASTER

[Master Po]

All of a sudden.... I am VERY interested in this race....

Olympic Champ 2k8
World Champ 2k9
World Champ 2k11

Throw in 2 more Russians, Jepkosgei and Montaño

World Champ 2007 as well

I've been saying this all year !!

Let's elaborate on what mump has been saying all year, bc it's right, and when you look at the championship medals these finalists have, it's kind of mind-boggling. Starting with the veteran:

Jepkoskei
2006 Commonwealth -- gold
2006 African Ch -- gold
2007 WC -- gold
2008 OG -- silver
2009 WC -- silver
2010 African Ch -- silver
2011 WC -- bronze

Jelimo
2008 OG -- gold
2008 African Ch -- gold
2012 WIC -- gold

Semenya
2009 WC -- gold
2011 WC -- silver

Savinova
2009 Euro Indoor -- gold
2010 Euro -- gold
2010 WIC -- gold
2011 WC -- gold

Arzhakova
2011 Euro Indoor -- gold
2012 Euro -- gold

Montano
2010 WIC -- bronze

Niyonsaba
2012 African Ch -- gold

20 medals among this group. 14 gold.

And alas, poor Poistogova -- as yet, not one championship medal! Of course, I think this is her first (senior) global/area championship, so I suppose she can be forgiven her lack of decoration.

But really -- this group has left little space for anyone else to earn a medal in this event in the past few years. An exceptional field, and this is just one more measure of it.

My prediction -- Poistogova will win. (Or maybe that's "finish last." I can never figure out when this crystal ball is upside down...)

[nevetsllim]

Poistogova has some kudos from winning the Russian title. I actually thought she was the weak-link of the trio but she's ran tactically very well for an athlete with negligible international experience. Savinova's still my favourite for the gold medal though, I think. I can see the race panning out in a similar manner to last year which should play to her strengths but regardless, I can't wait for the final.

Can I just say I've been saying the 800m will be one of the races of the Games all year too.

[Peter Michaelson]

GB selection did not work out as well as they had hoped.

[mump boy]

For what it's worth:

Jelimo's best 400 is a 52.78A from 2008.
Montano has a 52.09 400 PR from 2010.

So it would seem to me Montano could better handle a first lap in 55.00!!

That proves absolutely nothing

[mump boy]

At the risk of being jumped on again, I have to point out that Montano ran about 26.8 for the first 200, then slowed down from there, about 30.8 last 200 and 4th place. Without Magiso in the field, she made the final as the last qualifier.

SAvinova looks very good, closing in ~29.5, Semenya ran a great semi, just like in Daegu, and Jelimo closed in 28.91 in the slow first heat.

I remember thinking last year after the semis that they might just as well hand the gold medal to Semenya, she looked so easy, but SAvinova ran her down.

It's really a shame that Magiso had to scratch, but the field is still a great one.
The 800's are shaping up as the races of the games. Or the 5000s.
Cheers,
Alan Shank

I don't think anything can be read into how easy Semenya looks, she looks exactly the same whether running 1.55 or 2.05 !! looking easy doesn't mean she isn't at her limit at all

[croflash]

For what it's worth:

Jelimo's best 400 is a 52.78A from 2008.
Montano has a 52.09 400 PR from 2010.

So it would seem to me Montano could better handle a first lap in 55.00!!

That proves absolutely nothing

Not only does it not prove anything, it's totally misleading.

[mump boy]

GB selection did not work out as well as they had hoped.

But just as well as we expected

[uakari]

flumpy, you don't know who my favorites are... but you are right, caster is not one of them.

i don't love her but i don't hate her either... i'm torn between montano and jepkosgei for the gold, although i'm afraid montano's tactics are not favorable for her...

[Alan Shank]

flumpy, you don't know who my favorites are... but you are right, caster is not one of them.

i don't love her but i don't hate her either... i'm torn between montano and jepkosgei for the gold, although i'm afraid montano's tactics are not favorable for her...

Are those your wishes or your predictions?
I'm rooting for SAvinova, myself. Молодец!
Cheers,
Alan Shank

[Half Miler]

I hope NBC doesn't continue with the Semenya sob-story when they call the final. They persist with "poor Caster...they questioned her gender, how dare they!" without ever mentioning that she had both male and female sex organs. While this is old news for us, the general public may still be unaware of the situation, and sweeping the truth under the rug just annoys me.

[Pego]

she had both male and female sex organs

The reports leaked a few years back listed only male sex organs (no ovaries, no uterus). Female-appearing external genitalia do not represent sex organs.

[Half Miler]

Yes, thanks for the correction, my memory was off. But this underscores my point.

[Master Po]

Would love to see Montano medal, but I think she will be this final's Johnny Gray, which will help it be fast and exciting, and may put her on the wrong side of the medals. (No disrespect to Gray -- one of my all-time favorites -- just an observation about how he tended to race and what the outcomes often were in such fields; and yes he does have an OG bronze.)

After that, I will confess that I am not rooting for Semenya to be on the medal stand. I have admired Jepkoskei's career throughout, so would like to see her earn another medal. Don't know anything about Savinova except how she races, and I enjoy watching her for that reason alone.

I do hope that Niyonsaba doesn't get tangled up in the middle of things and cause a collision. I admire her "fresh enthusiasm" but I have to say that something about the way she runs makes me nervous for the other competitors.

In any case, after todays w1500 & w5k, I just hope it's a straightforward fast effort and that they all stay on their feet. After watching a bunch of WR, OR, NR, PB, etc., I'm back down to earth!

[mump boy]

I hope NBC doesn't continue with the Semenya sob-story when they call the final. They persist with "poor Caster...they questioned her gender, how dare they!" without ever mentioning that she had both male and female sex organs. While this is old news for us, the general public may still be unaware of the situation, and sweeping the truth under the rug just annoys me.

Maybe because 'news' organisations are supposed to reports confirmed stories not internet gossip about teenage girls sexual organs !!

[Half Miler]

I suppose you'd be happy if Semenya destroyed Kratoch's world record. That would be a great day for women's sports.

[fourjz]

I think Semenya wins it easy in about 1:55ish.

[Alan Shank]

I think Semenya wins it easy in about 1:55ish.

That's exactly what I was thinking last year the day before the final. If it's 1:55-ish, she won't win it easily, I don't think. SAvinova can run 1:55, but Jelimo may pull out her 1:54 form.

This race is almost guaranteed to be fast, though, because you have both Montano and Jepkosgei who love to take it out fast. Last year, Jepkosgei led Kenia Sinclair and Montano at 2 and 400 and also edged Montano for the bronze. The top four are all back for another shot, plus Jelimo.

Even if this race were to turn out slow (unlikely), it would still be a clash among five major players, which is what makes it fascinating to me. Really a sham Magiso couldn't be there, too.
Cheers,
Alan Shank

[bearraccoon]

So Castor leads field in 1:57.67. Time again for a penis check.

[pakillo]

I suppose you'd be happy if Semenya destroyed Kratoch's world record. That would be a great day for women's sports.

well said

[ldnbloke]

So Castor leads field in 1:57.67. Time again for a penis check.

That is mean beyond belief.
At times it seems one can say personal insults on this board as long as they attack African or European athletes...
Again, mean!
Also people's medical issues are not for public consumption.
She is allowed to run fairly as assessed by the IAAF and probably tested more than many athletes you support.

[scottmitchell74]

I hope she smashes everyone as well, and doesn't pull whatever it was she pulled last year in Dageu.

[CookyMonzta]

I hope NBC doesn't continue with the Semenya sob-story when they call the final. They persist with "poor Caster...they questioned her gender, how dare they!" without ever mentioning that she had both male and female sex organs. While this is old news for us, the general public may still be unaware of the situation, and sweeping the truth under the rug just annoys me.

They just did. Mary Carillo profiled her story on NBC at around 2:10 P.M. NYC time.

Me thinkin' 1:52 might win it. Something tells me that the race will be very fast from the start, whether Alysia forces that pace or not. If she does, Pam will use her 2008 strategy (kick between the 400 and 600 mark) to pass her, and Caster will give chase in the final 200.

[jeremyp]

I go with Savinova overhauling Semenya again. Montano has to not go out too fast otherwise she's toast. Jelimo may possibly get in there if she recovers old form.

[EPelle]

No woman has ever defended her 800m Olympic title.