OT: Link to World Track/Field Championship in Oregon....July 15-24

[oldude]

The only reason the reaction time matters is the technology being used to spot whether an athlete starts before the gun. The optics of punishing athletes with great reaction times are pretty terrible, and the frequent "ref reviews" explaining the complicated timing aren't fun. IMO the most ideal solution is to tweak the technology so it's never the star of the show. False starts are never missed, and official reviews happen very rarely.

In this case it matters less what's humanly possible than what's technologically possible. If they can reliably detect false starts with a value of 0.05, great. Maybe we'll never see this issue again!

Not exactly. Nobody is starting before the gun. The .1 second standard is reaction time after the gun sounds. The starter’s gun is tied in electronically to the starting blocks. There is a pressure sensor on each block where a runner places their feet. If a sensor detects pressure on a block that comes less than .1 second after the starter’s gun sounds, that has been deemed to be faster than humanly possible to respond to the gun, resulting in a false start.

I agree, particularly in the 3 cases during this championship, that the technology punished runners with exceptional reaction times. But for many years it was entirely up to the starter’s eyeballs to determine a false start. That was terrible. I’m OK with technology to solve the problem. But it’s pretty clear that the .1 second standard should be reduced to .7 or less, which does appear to be the human reaction limit for a world class sprinter.

 

[enigmatic]

Looking forward to another McLaughlin/Muhammad duel in the 400m hurdles. McLaughlin has set herself apart from the world in the last year but yet at the same time I do worry that Femke Bol may actually pull off what Dos Santos did to Benjamin and Warholm on the mens side. She is literally right there behind Sydney.

 

[eebmg]

Looking forward to another McLaughlin/Muhammad duel in the 400m hurdles. McLaughlin has set herself apart from the world in the last year but yet at the same time I do worry that Femke Bol may actually pull off what Dos Santos did to Benjamin and Warholm on the mens side. She is literally right there behind Sydney.

McLaughlin looked significantly better to me in the semifinal. I don't think it will be close.

 

[Zinethar]

Disclaimer: I am a certified track official.
What bothers me the most is that very often false starts are caused by poor officials. You can see meets go an entire weekend with none or sometimes several on the same day. I haven't seen the events talked about in the post so I can't judge what occurred. What ticks me off the most is when an official keeps them in the blocks way too long. The rule is 1 to 2 seconds NOT 5 seconds. An athlete can't stay focused, motionless, and tense for that length of time and is bounds to put pressure somewhere. If someone isn't set within the two seconds stand them up and start over with a warning to that athlete. Fairest method.

 

[PoppaBear]

Anybody else getting worn out by this announcer? He's grating on my nerves.

 

[eebmg]

Anybody else getting worn out by this announcer? He's grating on my nerves.

I like their energy (and accents)

Great 200 meter races (winner times)

 

[triaddukefan]

Noah Lyles is fast

 

[eebmg]

Noah Lyles is fast

American Record fast. And Love those rip away shirts.

 

[Blakeon18]

Great job by the American sprinters...sweep the 100...sweep the 200.
Noah Lyles with a 19.31 in the 200...closing in on the world record by Usain Bolt back in 2009 with 19.19.

Jamaican women swept the 100 and almost the 200...got gold and silver.
Sherika Jackson won the 200 in 21.45...closing in on the world record by Griffith-Joyner back in
1988 [!] with 21.34.

USA and Jamaica in the relays....should be tremendous.
Great weekend of track coming up...the setting is beautiful.

 

[Blakeon18]

Friday night TV coverage:

Channel USA....8:30 our time.

 

[oldude]

Disclaimer: I am a certified track official.
What bothers me the most is that very often false starts are caused by poor officials. You can see meets go an entire weekend with none or sometimes several on the same day. I haven't seen the events talked about in the post so I can't judge what occurred. What ticks me off the most is when an official keeps them in the blocks way too long. The rule is 1 to 2 seconds NOT 5 seconds. An athlete can't stay focused, motionless, and tense for that length of time and is bounds to put pressure somewhere. If someone isn't set within the two seconds stand them up and start over with a warning to that athlete. Fairest method.

I competed on the field side of track and field throughout HS and college. I remember several discussions with teammates who competed in the sprints. They all indicated that when a starter issued the “set” command, it might have been only a few seconds, but it sometimes felt like an eternity waiting for the gun. Hard not to get “jumpy” when a starter holds you for an extended period of time.

 

[ShmiCO]

I was speechless when this went down.


Take away the hurdles, and this would still be the 18th fastest flat 400m in the world this year.

 

[oldude]

I was speechless when this went down.


Take away the hurdles, and this would still be the 18th fastest flat 400m in the world this year.

I noted that the US did not even have anyone running in the women’s 400 m final, and yet the US will be the heavy favorite in the 4 x 400 relay with McLaughlin, Mohammed, Mu and ?.

 

[Blakeon18]

Allyson Felix is running in the 4 by 400...coming out of a [very] short retirement. They asked her....she said 'yes'.

 

[ShmiCO]

Felix postpones retirement for women's 4x400 relay at worlds

Allyson Felix hasn’t run her last race after all

abcnews.go.com

 

[Blakeon18]

Last 2 days:

TV schedule...our time

2:00 Saturday NBC
8:00 Saturday CNBC

8:00 Sunday CNBC
9:00 Sunday NBC

Lots of medal events both days...the relays 4 by1 and 4 by 4 should be fabulous...how about a
world record in the men's 4 by 1?

The Felix return: she will be running in the 4 by 4 prelims today.
The finals are Sunday: you would think there is no way she won't be in that one as well...given we make it there and she is healthy. Retiring after the prelims...meh. Retiring after helping to win the gold by running on Sunday...yes...much better.

 

[eebmg]

Last 2 days:

TV schedule...our time

2:00 Saturday NBC
8:00 Saturday CNBC

8:00 Sunday CNBC
9:00 Sunday NBC

Lots of medal events both days...the relays 4 by1 and 4 by 4 should be fabulous...how about a
world record in the men's 4 by 1?

The Felix return: she will be running in the 4 by 4 prelims today.
The finals are Sunday: you would think there is no way she won't be in that one as well...given we make it there and she is healthy. Retiring after the prelims...meh. Retiring after helping to win the gold by running on Sunday...yes...much better.

Do you have a link to the times of the individual events?

 

[baggerbob]

I noted that the US did not even have anyone running in the women’s 400 m final, and yet the US will be the heavy favorite in the 4 x 400 relay with McLaughlin, Mohammed, Mu and ?.

And anyone with those 3 are faster then any other team. Had any of those 3 ran in the mixed final they would have won that.
But they had the 6th fastest us women 400 meter running the anchor leg, and even with a big lead was caught.

 

[Blakeon18]

EEBMG: yes...for the specific times for each event on Saturday and Sunday hit the link in the first post in this
thread. Note: those times are all local Oregon times...I hear that Boneyarders are great at doing the math for
their own time thanks to the UConn women traveling all over.

Both 4 by 100 relay finals will be very late eastern time....tonight...but worth staying up for.

 

[eebmg]

EEBMG: yes...for the specific times for each event on Saturday and Sunday hit the link in the first post in this
thread. Note: those times are all local Oregon times...I hear that Boneyarders are great at doing the math for
their own time thanks to the UConn women traveling all over.

Both 4 by 100 relay finals will be very late eastern time....tonight...but worth staying up for.

Thanks

As a public service. Times are (PT)

Morning session

9:50 a.m.: Men's 100 meter, decathlon
10:40 a.m.: Men's long jump, decathlon
11:20 a.m.: Women's 100 meter hurdles
12:00 p.m.: Women's long jump, qualification

Afternoon session

4:10 p.m.: Men's high jump, decathlon
5:10 p.m.: Women's 4x400 meter relay
5:40 p.m.: Men's 4x400 meter relay
6:00 p.m.: Men's triple jump, final
6:10 p.m.: Men's 800 meter, final
6:25 p.m.: Women's 5000 meter, final
6:35 p.m.: Men's javelin throw, final
6:55 p.m.: Men's 400 meter, decathlon
7:30 p.m.: Women's 4x100 meter relay, final
7:50 p.m.: Men's 4x100 meter relay, final

 

[eebmg]

OMG. 100 meter hurdle competitor American Nia Ali (and World Champion) crashes in her first heat on last gate (while leading the heat) . and is out Hurdles can be so brutal

 

[Blakeon18]

I heard McLaughlin talking about where she goes from here. She seemed to suggest that given her world record destruction in the 400 hurdles she might be open next year for other pastures. The 400 would seem to be the most obvious race to focus on. Her stride is just so beautiful that if she wanted to endure the longer 800 prep my bet is she would challenge that WR. Just 22 years old...Paris opponents better be ready.

 

[triaddukefan]

OMG. 100 meter hurdle competitor American Nia Ali (and World Champion) crashes in her first heat on last gate (while leading the heat) . and is out Hurdles can be so brutal

The other heats were brutal as well A little bit of consolation in that the next World's meet is next year.

 

[Plebe]

I noted that the US did not even have anyone running in the women’s 400 m final, and yet the US will be the heavy favorite in the 4 x 400 relay with McLaughlin, Mohammed, Mu and ?.

Athing Mu will probably not run the 4x400 because her 800-meter final is only an hour and change before the 4x400 final on Sunday.

It was reported that Allyson Felix was called up to run in the 4x400 preliminaries (tonight).

If Mu is deemed unavailable, probably the next-best choices for the final are Talitha Diggs (who won the US trials and just missed the 400 flat final) and 200-meter specialist Abby Steiner, who ran a sub-49 split to help Kentucky win the 4x400 in the NCAAs this year.

 

[oldude]

Athing Mu will probably not run the 4x400 because her 800-meter final is only an hour and change before the 4x400 final on Sunday.

It was reported that Allyson Felix was called up to run in the 4x400 preliminaries (tonight).

If Mu is deemed unavailable, probably the next-best choices for the final are Talitha Diggs (who won the US trials and just missed the 400 flat final) and 200-meter specialist Abby Steiner, who ran a sub-49 split to help Kentucky win the 4x400 in the NCAAs this year.

I don’t know. Even just an hour after running her 800 final, I would still want Mu on the 4x400 final.

 

[Plebe]

I don’t know. Even just an hour after running her 800 final, I would still want Mu on the 4x400 final.

Easy to say as a fan, but maxing out an 800 takes a huge toll on the body.

 

[Blakeon18]

Well: in the 4 by 100 relay finals

USA upsets Jamaica in the women's race for the gold.
Canada [!] upsets the USA in the men's race....USA gets silver.
USA loses due to some poor relay exchanges....especially the last one.
More than a little deja vu for the men in terms of how to get beat.

Felix comes out of a [very] short retirement to run a leg in the 4 by 400 to help the USA advance.
As of now...she says she will just watch in the finals...not run. It seems to me the proper way to send off this all-time great is to put her in the last leg of the finals and have HER break the tape for the gold...not eating wings in the stands.

We will see tonight....last day of the World Championships...it's been a great one ...especially for the USA on a home field.

 

[oldude]

Easy to say as a fan, but maxing out an 800 takes a huge toll on the body.

Runners like Mu do intense interval work as part of their training. Typically, that involves multiple quarter mile sprints to build up speed and endurance. An elite athlete like Mu should be able to run a hard 800, recover for an hour or so and then run a hard 400. I guess we will find out tonight whether Mu is part of the USA’s 4 x 400 team.

 

[ShmiCO]

Well: in the 4 by 100 relay finals

USA upsets Jamaica in the women's race for the gold.
Canada [!] upsets the USA in the men's race....USA gets silver.
USA loses due to some poor relay exchanges....especially the last one.
More than a little deja vu for the men in terms of how to get beat.

Felix comes out of a [very] short retirement to run a leg in the 4 by 400 to help the USA advance.
As of now...she says she will just watch in the finals...not run. It seems to me the proper way to send off this all-time great is to put her in the last leg of the finals and have HER break the tape for the gold...not eating wings in the stands.

We will see tonight....last day of the World Championships...it's been a great one ...especially for the USA on a home field.

Both of these races were lost by messy exchanges -- Jamaica women boofed the first exchange badly; for the US men it was #3. Teamwork matters in the relays.

Crazy that Abby Steiner ran the fastest leg for the US as a last minute substitute. Also her 56th race of 2022 if my count is correct. I think the only thing holding her legs onto her body is a massive competitive spirit.

 

[eebmg]

Regarding these botched exchanges, I can't imagine there is alot of chances to practice this if team members are in such flux