“I am heartbroken,” said Italian boxer Angela Carini. “I went to the ring to honour my father. I was told a lot of times that I was a warrior but I preferred to stop for my health. I have never felt a punch like this.”
While leaving the ring, Angela whispered to her coach ‘it’s unfair…”, referring to the fact an athlete like Imane Khelif is allowed to compete among women.
“It’s not a defeat for me – Angela added – for me if you go in the ring you have already won, regardless of everything else. I’m not here to judge. It’s not up to me to say if it’s fair or not fair. I just did my job. I managed to leave with my head held high. I’m a mature woman; when I feel I cannot continue, its not giving in, it’s having the dignity to say enough. I was convinced I would win, I was concentrated, serene. But these punches to the nose hurt, I said enough.”
Admittedly, the big news this morning is boxing-related. But I am old enough to remember the Women’s 800 meters Final in Rio in 2016. First three finishers, ALL the medal winners, DID NOT LOOK LIKE FEMALES, if I am any judge. What they looked like (in order of finish) was Jalen Brunson, Floyd Mayweather and Little Wayne.
The IOC’s spokesman Mark Adams was asked about the 2024 Paris controversy. “I repeat that all the competitors comply with the eligibility rules,” he said. “But what I would say is that this involves real people. And, by the way, this is not a transgender issue. I should make this absolutely clear.”
If it ain’t a transgender issue, maybe it’s a safety concern, perhaps involving a fair play concept, but whatever the fukazi, some solutions – soon – would be swell.
In 2016, in the Rio Olympics, the women’s 800m should have looked like this. Canadian Melissa Bishop (“Gold”) had the consolation of trimming 0.41 from her national record to post 1:57.02. Joanna Jozwik (“Silver”) of Poland grabbed fifth place in a lifetime best of 1:57.37 and Lynsey Sharp (“Bronze”) of Great Britain also set a PB for sixth in 1:57.69.
Three actual females, in the biggest race of their lives, ran faster than ever before, and… did … not … medal.
Worst thing to happen in the sport until Devon Allen’s DQ at the World Championships in Eugene some six years later.
Thank God, there’s the next day. Day Two. “The first full day of track and field.” And 1500 meter heats, with Yared Nuguse just screwin’ with me as he barely qualifies. I understand that’s all the job is, but does he have to make it that exciting?
No time qualifiers in the 1500m heats. Nowadays, in some events, you can get a second chance. Can’t decide if I like the change. Okay, I decided. I like it because it means an extra race, with sudden death elements.
What is the repechage round and how does it work?
The repechage round is essentially an extra round that’s been added in many events between the initial heats and the semifinals.
Previous years, the qualifiers to the semifinals would include the top two or three in each heat plus ‘lucky losers’ who didn’t finish in these places but still had fast times, the athletes who do not qualify by finishing in the automatic qualifying positions in round one heats will have a second chance to qualify for the semi-finals by participating in repechage heats.
The top athletes from the repechage will then qualify for the semifinals along with the athletes who finished in the top places in the initial heats.
This means instead of three rounds, the events with repechage rounds will have four, including the finals.
‘Repechage’ sounds suspiciously French to most Americans, so Cole Hocker and Hobbs Kessler took no chances. Anyway, four x 1500m is a lot, I don’t care who you are.
International endurance coach Peter John L. Thompson offered this insight.
REPECHAGE ROUNDS – EFFECTS ON RACING AND TACTICS IN THE MEN’S 1500m HEATS
One of the consequences of the introduction of the Repechage Round to 6 events (200, 400, 800, 1500, 100H/110 and 400H) is that for 800m and 1500m the qualifying from the Heats would be by place only.
Each of the three men’s 1500m Heats had a slow first 400m for the eventual winners of the Heat. From Heats 1 and 2 to Heat 3 – 61.3, 65.5 and 64.0. Then as you can see from the graph this was an unrelenting wind up from 1000m out from the finish for each heat – think back to Hicham El Guerrouj’s run in Athens 2004 Olympic Games (see Graph of Athens 2004). It was this progressive acceleration that found some athletes wanting, eg the ‘Goose’.
Also, it was noticeable that some athletes shut down their ‘engines’ when they realised that they were not going to be in the first 6 places – was this to save themselves for the Repechage Round? The first three places advance from each Heat of the two 1500m Repechage Heats and we’ll look for athletes like Olli Hoare and George Mills to seek redemption in the Repechage (these two ON athletes unfortunately had an OFF day).
We’ll see what the four rounds of 1500m does for these athletes coming through the repechage and how they progress. But we should remember that the 5000m had 3 rounds, Heats, Semifinal and Final, and the 10,000m 2 rounds, Heats and Final up to and including the Sydney Olympics 2000. Now and from Athens Olympics 2004, just one round for the 10,000m and two for the 5000m.
Kevin Hanson of Brooks Hanson Project offered this opinion on Xitter. “When they decided to use the “repechage” at the Olympic Games I disliked like idea. After watching it being implemented I have changed my opinion. Now I hate the idea.”
Now that I think about it, if the USA Trials had instituted the repechage format, would the American Olympic team be stronger? Would Athing Mu be here? I wish she was.
“Sha’carri Richardson is the star of these Olympics” and I wonder, what does Noah Lyles think about that? and it’s still early yet. Eight heats in the Women’s 100m. I confess, watched them all. Sha’Carri and her finger nails advance to the next round.
Saw more of the Decathlon than seems necessary. Those guys always make me feel inadequate somehow.
Switched from the Women’s 5000m, after the first heat, to “The Young and The Restless.” Friday is always the most nerve-wracking episode of the whole week. Victor Newman is about to pull the rug out from under Billy Boy Abbott yet again, Nikki’s hair looks like she drove to The Club with her head out the window and Sharon is talking to a bloody man I don’t recognize.
“Who’s that?”
“Oh, he’s not real,” my wife assures me. “Sharon killed him seven years ago. He made her watch eight heats of the women’s 100m.”
Women’s 800m. Not enough heats. But there’s always repechage.
Decathlon should have more events, on a third day.
In Heat One, Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan were the top two qualifiers in the women’s 5,000m at 14:57.56 and 14:57.65. Beatrice Chebet won Heat Two in 15:00.73; Americans Elise Cranny, Karissa Schweizer and Whittni Morgan all qualified for the final.
Skipped my nap to make sure I wouldn’t miss the men’s 10K Final. Three Americans, three Kenyans, three Ethiopians – what could possibly go wrong? Lucky there’s not more Ethiopians, who worked as a team to ensure an honest pace. Say, 13:23 at 5000m. For purposes of comparison, Steve Prefontaine’s personal best was 13:21. In the best shoes then available, of course.
Brilliant Bronze from Grant Fisher (26:43.46) – first USA medal in this event since Galen Rupp won Silver with a 27:30:90 in 2012. Northern Arizona University alum Nico Young ran 26:58.11 to break the Olympic Record and finished twelfth. 12th! What a race.
