wAOY - Felix, SRR, Adams, Perković

[lionelp1]

IAAF finalists are announced .........

Valerie Adams
Jessica Ennis
Allyson Felix

http://www.iaaf.org/news/press-release/ ... -womens-fi

Certainly not Felix; Adams, then Jess and Felix.

[Tuariki]

I'd go for Ennis as the pressure for her was immense.

Is that a new judging criterion?

Does that mean in Olympic year the AOY should be the local host country favourite who comes through and wins gold? Should Farah then be men's AOY?

[Daisy]

Should Farah then be men's AOY?

Great idea!

[nianchengyu]

Ennis is fabulous this year despite losing WIC title to dobynska,two times over 6900p which even kluft did not reach plus world top-class 7.87s 60mH and 12.54s 100mH,if she can win the AOY,it would be good for this season,as for Adams ,she is great and I support her to win AOY last year,but her oly performance did not good at all adding no PB this year,her chances is minor.If she want to be more competive in the titles,please toss the shot over 21.70m first because experts did not much in favor of throwers,thinking about 10 times over 22m in 1980 of slupianek, even in current times adams has more works to do in a single season.Not forget Felix,that she did not even ranked top3 in 2007 was quite surprise to me,in this season she performed fantastically but too few competions in her main events,so you know what I tend someone to win the trophy specifically,

[eldanielfire]

I'd go for Ennis as the pressure for her was immense.

Is that a new judging criterion?

Does that mean in Olympic year the AOY should be the local host country favourite who comes through and wins gold? Should Farah then be men's AOY?

Maybe. All achievements do require context and the Face of the games pressure is unique and forever will be brought up with Ennis' Gold Medal achievement and as prehaps the great performance moment in T&F during the Olympic games. Farah didn't quite have that pressure but his double distance gold certainly deserves seriosu consideration.

[shivfan]

I'd go for Ennis as the pressure for her was immense.

Is that a new judging criterion?

Does that mean in Olympic year the AOY should be the local host country favourite who comes through and wins gold? Should Farah then be men's AOY?

Maybe. All achievements do require context and the Face of the games pressure is unique and forever will be brought up with Ennis' Gold Medal achievement and as prehaps the great performance moment in T&F during the Olympic games. Farah didn't quite have that pressure but his double distance gold certainly deserves seriosu consideration.

On the other side of the coin, running in front of a loud crowd cheering for you can give you a huge boost. I was in the stadium when Farah got his second gold, and the volume of the cheering was something I had never experienced before....

Maybe they should be disqualified for the uplifting support they received!

[eldanielfire]

That may be true...for Farah. But Ennis was talked up as the Track gold London must get to be a vintage Olympics. Since the World gold in 2009 Freeman comparisions were made, it basically was brought up in every interview Jess Ennis has had for 3 years and as it drew closer, giant billboards, advertising of all kinds, the giant picture draw in the fields to be seen by planes coming into Heathrow. That pressure is immense and worst of all singular, it's not spread among a team or other competitors, Ennis was to be the British moment of the games. You could see it in her face, Johnson-Thompson might have enjoyed it and been spured on, Ennis had to win no matter what. All after a year in 2011 where she showed she could be beaten and the competition was dangerous.

[26mi235]

What seems to be missing here is that the last two years in particular, Farah has been at the forefront of a paradigm shift -- the European and American athletes can compete at the highest level successfully in the long distances. None of the other athletes has nearly that sea-change implicit in their accomplishments.

There was a sea-change in 2008 with Bolt but there was no comparable change in 2012. In fact, the most widely predicted WR at this Olympics was the 4x100 Men's Relay (even more than the 800). Nothing Ennis did results in any different assessment of the state of our sport. In fact, I do not think that there was much change due to any of them, with the exception of Rudisha when you combine 2011 with 2012, and similarly for Eaton. After the Olympics, the hurdle WR was so stunningly good that even though breaking it in the best hurdle season was not a big surprise, doing that much was (and now it is close to where something else has to be worked out).

[Flumpy]

None of the other athletes has nearly that sea-change implicit in their accomplishments.

Because none of the other athletes compete in events where Europe and the USA have been so shit for so long (Only on the mens side by the way).

You shouldn't get extra credit just because historically your peers have been piss poor.

[26mi235]

None of the other athletes has nearly that sea-change implicit in their accomplishments.

Because none of the other athletes compete in events where Europe and the USA have been so shit for so long (Only on the mens side by the way).

You shouldn't get extra credit just because historically your peers have been piss poor.

Call it what you want, it will likely have more impact on the sport than any of those other athletes. THAT is a big deal, whether you like it or not, and it seems that you do not really like it that much for some reason.

I cannot remember what your opinion of Ennis is, but since she is vastly behind the frontier, why were you ever excited about her.

[mump boy]

So now were supposed to give extra credit to athletes if they make countries, mainly populated by white people, feel better about themselves

[26mi235]

So now were supposed to give extra credit to athletes if they make countries mainly populated by white people, feel better about themselves

No, for keeping the sport viable.

[mump boy]

So now were supposed to give extra credit to athletes if they make countries mainly populated by white people, feel better about themselves

No, for keeping the sport viable.

You're joking, right ?

[26mi235]

No

[bushop]

Something about Eaton that I'm not sure anybody mentioned before: he's the USATF Indoor champ in the LJ, has two wins over Oly bronze medalist Will Claye and while T&FN doesn't rank beyond No. 10, I suspect he'd end up about No. 15 in the world in that event. Has 45.87, 13.34w and 8.23 marks outside of decathlons, so he has more than the two competitions that we see frequently cited.

Using your theory, wouldn't then the same apply to Jessica Ennis, since her 12.54 surely would rank her pretty high on the World list for 100H? Not to mention her 7.87 60H this year is the 3rd best indoors, and she has the 2nd best pent. score as well.

[Gabriella]

26mi235
Dieter Baumann won Olympic gold over 5000m in 1992 (shock horror a white man winning a long distance race! ) Craig Mottram won World bronze over 5000m in 2005 (another white man!) and there have been numerous Arab & Berber men (neither 'white' nor 'black'!) that have medalled over 5000m and 10000m, most notably a certain Hicham El Guerrouj over 5000m. So, it really isn't that significant IMHO, that a (black) Englishman or a (white) American medalled in London.

On the other hand, one could argue that, as the first woman to score over 6900 pts twice in the same season since 1988, Ennis's achievements were more significant historically. But, I guess that would be a foolish argument, as who cares what happens in the heptathlon?

Sarcasm aside, the argument about 'keeping the sport viable' could therefore be extended to the sprints, which are dominated by (black) American and Carribean athletes. What about the poor white sprinters?

Anyway, AOY....if it goes to Felix it will be a terribly unfair and biased result.

[TrackFan4Ever]

Anyway, AOY....if it goes to Felix it will be a terribly unfair and biased result.

Just like your comment is terribly unfair and biased!

[mump boy]

Anyway, AOY....if it goes to Felix it will be a terribly unfair and biased result.

Just like your comment is terribly unfair and biased!

Towards who ??

[Flumpy]

I have a feeling Allyson is the only one of the nominees here in Barcelona.

I'm predicting a win.

[Flumpy]

The results have leaked and they are as idiotic as expected

[t_monk]

Felix winning over those other girls..... travesty.... And I don't even dislike Felix >_>

[bushop]

No wonder our sport struggles.
Idiotic decision after idiotic decision... this is just one more in a long list.

[t_monk]

So now were supposed to give extra credit to athletes if they make countries mainly populated by white people, feel better about themselves

No, for keeping the sport viable.

Sorry.... but this is a ludicrous... Even if she won.... 10x's over this still won't revitalize the sport.

BTW.... She won and I am still yet to see one television news report focusing on her winning. In fact I haven't seen one American based television news report mentioning that she won the damn thing. If I weren't watching BBC America I wouldn't even have know that she was the one that won the damn thing.

These guys clearly have no standard whatsoever in choosing who wins these AOY awards. The mere fact that Bolt won last year over Rudisha and Felix won over the likes of Adams, Ennis, SAFP, Pearson and Perkovic this year is a farce. This has nothing to do with skill and completely everything to do with likeability.

[TrackFan4Ever]

Congrats to AF!

[26mi235]

Congrats to AF,I really like her, but she should not even be second. I am guessing that the most unbiased panel will put her in about 5th (i.e., T&FN). They know more than I do and I almost always trust their opinions over those of individuals.

[ATK]

Felix winning is slightly ridiculous if you think about it. In theory, that means if someone has a pretty decent season, then only runs the relays at the Olympics/WC, they can achieve athlete of the year.
Not saying Felix only had a decent season, but I don't see it as AOY worthy.

[TrackFan4Ever]

What's ridiculous is the theory that is being suggested.

The most unbiased panel is always the one that agrees with "my" decision. This is the same panel that selected SRR as AOD over Veronica Campbell. Yeah, that was real unbiased!

[jamal00005]

What's ridiculous is the theory that is being suggested.

The most unbiased panel is always the one that agrees with "my" decision. This is the same panel that selected SRR as AOD over Veronica Campbell. Yeah, that was real unbiased!

This is the one that always gets me going SRR over VCB as AOD LMAO .........YOU COULDNT MAKE IT UP. What exactly has she done to be worthy of this ? For me VCB deserves this but then again with the kind of biased selection panel making these decisions it is expected

[j-a-m]

I don't really get the uproar in this thread. In the other one, okay, you had all the guys with their WRs, and Bolt gets picked ahead of them. Here, I would've picked SAFP and Ennis ahead of Felix, but still, it doesn't seem that unreasonable.

[mump boy]

I don't really get the uproar in this thread. In the other one, okay, you had all the guys with their WRs, and Bolt gets picked ahead of them. Here, I would've picked SAFP and Ennis ahead of Felix, but still, it doesn't seem that unreasonable.

Not Valerie who was unbeaten all season ? or Sandra Perkovic who was prolific and totally dominant ?

[bushop]

Not Valerie who was unbeaten all season ? or Sandra Perkovic who was prolific and totally dominant ?

Amen.

[aaronk]

My TOTALLY bad!!
All this time, from my first comment onward (Mine was the first to comment on this thread!!), I've thought this to be about the TRACK AND FIELD NEWS AOY.......NOT any other, whether it's IAAF, ESPN, or whatever!!

Sorry, I guess I should have read the initial post a bit more carefully!

But as to the IAAF awards, I not only disagree with their choice, but I have NO or LITTLE respect for the award itself!!

To me, it's not much different than the Oscar's, the Emmy's, the Grammy's, the National Book Award's, even the Nobel's!!

They're all either totally political, or they play to sentimental favorites, or they lean to who's more currently popular!!

All of which have NOTHING to do with who's BEST!!

Which is what AOY should be all about!!

In the T&FN sense of the term, I still choose Jessica Ennis!!

[GMH454]

I don't really get the uproar in this thread. In the other one, okay, you had all the guys with their WRs, and Bolt gets picked ahead of them. Here, I would've picked SAFP and Ennis ahead of Felix, but still, it doesn't seem that unreasonable.

Not Valerie who was unbeaten all season ? or Sandra Perkovic who was prolific and totally dominant ?

agreed, these girls got out voted on the "female athlete with more sex appeal "
funny how female athlete awards come down to who has greater sex appeal sometimes rather than true merit

Val .... you rule, girl..

makes the T F N award even more meaningful

[j-a-m]

The events in which SAFP, Felix, Ennis compete have tougher competition and/or are a better measure of athletic ability than the events in which Adams, Perkovic compete. That's why SAFP, Felix, Ennis should be ahead of those others.

[mump boy]

The events in which SAFP, Felix, Ennis compete have tougher competition and/or are a better measure of athletic ability than the events in which Adams, Perkovic compete. That's why SAFP, Felix, Ennis should be ahead of those others.

Unquantifiable, biased and TOTALLY irrelevant