My Heroes of 2011

Wow, it’s December already, and there’s still so much left to talk about regarding the 2011 season. Several events left to review and some outstanding performances to look at. And I’m going to try to get to as much as I can before the clock turns to 2012.

One thing that I don’t want to overlook is what I’m going to call my heroes of 2011 – a group of athletes that in my opinion were tremendous competitors in 2011. They were entertaining and competitive all year long – and I’m looking forward to following during 2012.

With that, here are my heroes of 2011:

 

 

Carmelita Jeter (USA) – sprints

I fully expected Jeter to have a great season in the 100 meters. She’d been building to World Championships gold since 2007 when she won the bronze medal in Osaka. One of the things that I was looking forward to in 2011 was her battles with Veronica Campbell Brown – and they did not disappoint. What I did not expect from Jeter, and was pleasantly surprised with, was her rise in the 200 meters! It’s not common to see a short sprinter move up to challenge in the longer sprint, but that’s what Jeter did this year. She defeated defending World Champion, Allyson Felix, three times over 200, and won the silver medal behind this year’s champion, Veronica Campbell Brown. Now I’m not only looking forward to Jeter’s 100 meter battles, but her head to heads with the best over 200 in 2012.

 

Christian Taylor (USA) – triple jump

The triple jump used to be one of those events where Americans were consistently in contention. Willie Banks, Mike Conley, and Kenny Harrison had made the triple jump one of our better events in the field for some time. Since Harrison’s Olympic win in 1996, however, we’ve had quite the drought in the event. Aside from a brief moment in ’05 when Walter Davis got us back to the top of the podium in Helsinki (followed by bronze in Osaka) we’ve had no one for the better part of two decades that could really challenge the world’s best – until 2011. This year, young Taylor became a combination of Willie Banks and Kenny Harrison – a come from behind wizard a la Banks, and a talent capable of spanning out near 59 feet a la Harrison. The result, a World title while becoming the #5 all-time performers in history – and he’s only twenty one years old! For the past couple of seasons we’ve been talking about Teddy Tamgho. Suddenly Tamgho has company and this could be one of the best events in the sport for some time to come.

 

David Rudisha (KEN) – 800 meters

What can I say about Rudisha that I haven’t already said over the last couple of seasons? He did the seemingly impossible last year by taking down an 800 WR that had stood since 1997. This year he proved that that was no fluke, by running a sizzling 1:41.33 in Rieti – the # 5 performance in history. What may have been even more impressive however is the fact that he went to Daegu and dominated the rest of the world while adding a gold medal to his resume. Some may not consider that a major accomplishment, until you consider that winning medals in Majors has not always come easily to 800 meter world record holders. Sebastian Coe, the first man to run under 1:42, never won a major over 800. Wilson Kipketer won three World titles, but never the Olympics. So Rudisha dominating as he did in a Major was a huge accomplishment, in my opinion. And I’m dying to see if he can do it again in London.

 

Morgan Uceny (USA) – 1500 meters

We’ve been waiting for some time for the next great American Miler – the next Jim Ryun or Mary Decker (Slaney). I think we found her this year in Morgan Uceny. We’ve had tremendous success these past couple of seasons in the women’s middle distances here in the U.S. Along with Uceny we’ve seen great improvement from Christin Wurth Thomas, Anna Pierce, and this year’s World Champion Jenny Simpson, among others. But of them all, Uceny has shown the ability to consistently put her race together. To always be in contention. And most importantly, she’s shown the ability to put a race away – a killer instinct. She was the world’s best in 2011 and I expect to see her moving up on the third lap in the final in London, before beginning her kick with 150 meters to go to the finish. We’ll see what happens from there.

 

Sally Pearson (AUS) – 100 hurdles

The women find themselves competing against each other AND the ghosts of eastern bloc athletes past. As the all-time lists and record books are filled with the names of women from eastern bloc countries that we all know achieved their marks illegally. It makes it tough on the women to garner headlines by breaking records like their counterparts on the men’s side – which is why I found Pearson’s performances to be the best on the year for me. First off, Pearson completely dominated her competition – not easy to do in an event that is both too short to allow for error and highly technical. But Pearson did just that. Her sizzling 12.28 win in Daegu, however, made her the only “Western” athlete to run under the mystical 12.30 barrier! Only women with the names Donkova, Zagorocheva, and Narozhilenko had accomplished that feat before. Now Pearson stands to potentially become the best of them all, in an age where most women only dream about approaching WR status.

 

Mo Farah (GBR) – distances

Somewhere around the mid 1980’s the distance vents became the property of Africa, as athletes from that continent simply started dominating everything from 1500 meters through the marathon. For the past quarter century when you think major championships you start talking about Kenya, Ethiopia, and Morocco before adding the names of athletes from anywhere else. The lone exception over the past half-decade has been Bernard Lagat, but the caveat with Lagat is that he started out in Kenya, and we’ve benefited from his transfer here to the U.S. In 2011, however, Britain’s own Mo Farah went toe to toe with the big boys of the 5000/10,000 and won – bringing home World gold and silver respectively. Some will say that Mo has African roots, as he is Somalian by birth. But Farah has been in Britain since the age of six, and for all intents and purposes his upbringing and training has been as a Britain – just as his victories are cheered. And while I cheer with passion the athletes from Africa, it’s always nice to see from countries outside of Africa do well in the distances, because it enriches the sport.

 

Christophe Lemaitre (FRA) – sprints

Speaking of enriching the sport, that is what my final hero did in 2011. For most of the last decade the sprints have been dominated by athletes from the U.S. and the Caribbean islands – with few others able to break up that monopoly. In 2010 Lemaitre became something of a “novelty” as he became the first white sprinter in history to break the 10.00 barrier. In 2011 Lemaitre moved from novelty to consistent elite sprinter and the podium in Daegu taking bronze in the 200 and just missing with his 4^th in the 100. Four times he ran under 10 seconds in the 100 legally, topped by an NR 9.92; and he became the #2 European in history over 200 with his 19.80 in the deuce. Lemaitre is not longer a novelty, he’s a serious contender for medals in London.

Those are my heroes for 2011. Some of the best the sport has to offer.

Exclusive Q&A with LaShawn Merritt

I had the distinct pleasure of sharing a conference call yesterday afternoon with defending Olympic 400 meter champion LaShawn Merritt. This year’s World silver medalist is in base training for the upcoming Olympic Games, preparing hard to defend his title.

He took time out after practice to speak with me about his career and the upcoming Olympic season. It was an enjoyable exchange and I found LaShawn quite introspective. He seems very focused on London and I suspect that the battle for the Olympic gold medal will have to take a path through Merritt.
With that, here is what LaShawn had to say about the 400, his career, and London.
 
Conway – LaShawn I want to thank you for taking the time to talk to me. First off you’re one of the most talented sprinters in the world. In high school you were among the best in all three sprints – 10.47 (12^th), 20.72 (3^rd), 45.25 (1^st). Why did you choose to focus on the 400?

LaShawn – I really started running the quarter because my coach said that real men run the 400. And the 400 just came more natural to me. I just feel in the quarter that everything, my body, my mind set, everything just seems more natural, just geared for the 400.

Conway – You were in the high school class of ’04. That class had some big names: Walter Dix, Ivory Williams, Xavier Carter, Galen Rupp, and Jason Richardson. You’ve emerged as the most successful of them all so far. How do you feel about that?

LaShawn – I just think the day that I turned professional before everybody I kind of got a jump on them as far as running as an elite athlete. I had to learn faster. They got to go to college and play around with it for a while. Not that they weren’t serious, but I was forced at 18 to treat it as a job. While they were in college I was already on the circuit and had to take it very serious at a younger age. But right now I feel they’re coming on. Jason did really well this year and so did Walter. I think they all are going to do better as time goes on.

Conway – You’ve focused on the quarter, but still run 19.98 in the deuce. Have you ever thought about trying to make a World or Olympic team in the 200?

LaShawn – You know what, I have. Me and my coach have talked about doing it when I’m later in my 20’s. Mike (Michael Johnson) did it and I think anything can be done with hard work.

Conway – We all know about your time out. What was it like not being able to compete for the better part of 2 seasons?

LaShawn – It was hard. I felt like a caged animal, literally. There wasn’t too much I could do except get up and train, go to school during the first part, and come home. Over and over and over again. There was no income coming in. My mind was somewhere else. I didn’t know what my future in the sport was going to be, I just had to work hard and have faith. I just had a date when I knew I was going to come back and show what I could do. I knew I had to come back and be dominant. So I had to put in the work to do that. I just trained hard so I would be able to dominate when I got back.

Conway – What were you thinking as the deadline approached for you to race knowing that no one had run faster than 44.6?

LaShawn – I just knew that I had worked hard and I was ready to run.

Conway – Well, I watched you in Daegu and you were just blowing it out from the first race. Was it hard trying to keep your emotions in check? And do you think that perhaps you lost the gold to your emotions?

LaShawn – Man it was crazy. I didn’t know what my feedback was going to be from the stands. I didn’t know a lot about how my body was going to respond, so I just had to put myself in the moment I was in. I got there and knew I had trained well and was ready to run fast so I just executed my race – and I ran the fastest time in the world. I knew I was in good shape and ready to run real fast. When I got to the finals it was sort of a new experience because it was the first time I had not run several races prior to a Championship. I went out and ran but my body and mind weren’t in one accord because I didn’t have all the races behind me. I just went out and was leading and just got to a zone where my body hadn’t been in a long time for my body and mind to know what to do. I wasn’t in sync, body and mind. You train to be there and do this and I think that’s what took me through to that point. I’m thankful for having the opportunity to do that and run that well. I got second at Worlds and didn’t have a great race on a certain day, but it let me know I was blessed with a gift. So I have to go out and work hard to take advantage of that gift.

Conway – Well, you got a very close silver in Daegu in spite of everything that happened this year. MJ is the only quarter miler to repeat as Olympic champion. Can you repeat, and if you do where do you think it would put you in a conversation about the all-time greats in the event?

LaShawn – In 2012 my goal is to be Olympic champion. There is nothing else I think about. Every day in training I think about that, that’s what I do everything for. And when I get there that’s what I’ll be thinking about, just getting it done. When I win I will be among the greats and leave my legacy on the sport and it will be from all the hard work I’ve put in on the track.

Conway – I’m going to mention three quarter milers and I want you to tell me what comes to mind – Jeremy Wariner.

LaShawn – He executes. When he executes he’s dominant because he did it for so long. So Jeremy is about execution. Can we make up a word, because if we can he’s an executionist. He’s a guy who you don’t really know what’s going on with him. He stays to himself. He gets in a zone. He has the shades on and goes out and his main focus is he’s going out to execute his race. That’s what he does. And when he does he wins. When he doesn’t he doesn’t win.

Conway – Tony McQuay, this year’s National champion.

LaShawn – I spent some time with him and got to know him, because we were on the team together in Daegu. I watched him run at Nationals, but he only ran that one round at Worlds. When I think of him I think he’s a young talent. Very talented. But he’s still kinda young.

Conway – Kirani James, this year’s World Champion.

LaShawn – When I think of Kirani I think of young and hungry. He just seems to want it really bad.
I go out every day to get ready. I have no choice but to go out and be hungry, execute and use my talent. Because that’s what I’m up against every time I step on the track. So I guess that’s me because that’s what I have to beat.

Conway – Is there anyone else on your radar for the Olympic season? Better yet, given that everyone that matters is healthy; can anyone challenge you for the gold? Is there anyone out there standing in your way?

LaShawn – You can’t leave anybody out. I know running this event year after year I was getting better because I took it serous and learned more and got better. Other  people can surprise you and come up and do the same thing. Guys like the Borlee twins, Jermaine Gonzales. Guys who were maybe injured this year. There are 8 lanes in the final. 8 people will line up for the final in the Olympics and anything can happen. It will come down to who’s ready, mentally and physically; who is prepared; and who executes.

Conway - No one has run a 43 since ’08 (you ran 43.75 and Jeremy ran 43.82) without your time away do you think you would have run 43 in ’10 or ’11 and will you be ready to run 43 next year?

LaShawn – I think I was in shape to run 43 this year. I was in shape for it. But to tap into 43 you not only have to be in shape you have to be race sharp and I wasn’t race sharp. I do believe I will touch 43 seconds next year. I do believe that. I’ll be ready.

Conway – Easily your highlight moment of this year, at least for me, was your anchor in Daegu on the 4x4. Usain Bolt says he wants to go for four gold medals in London by leading the Jamaican 4x4 to victory – along with the 4x1/100/200. How do you feel about that?

LaShawn – We have the most dominant quarter milers in the world and we’ll be ready to take on whoever steps into it. You can’t just get out there and run it. It takes work. It takes a certain mindset. If the US puts the team together that we can there is no country that can match up with our four legs. If we have four fresh legs to put up against any other four fresh legs we will be dominant.

Conway – You’re still young – 25, 26 come London. You’re currently the 5^th fastest quarter miler in history. You have an Olympic title and a World title. With good health you should have 5 or more good seasons ahead of you. What are your goals for the future?

LaShawn – Just to go out and continue to work hard and enjoy what I do. That’s the main thing. If I can continue to go out and compete well, then everything will come if I just go out and do what I do. So I want more medals and just go out and have fun with this talent I’ve been blessed with. And note to myself that track and field is not a sport where you can last that long in it. So there’s a time where I will have to focus on what to do after track and I’m starting to think about that now too.

Conway – Well before we hang up, what would you like for fans to know about LaShawn Merritt?

LaShawn – That he’s an honest guy, a hard worker, and that I go out and train hard so that when I line up I can be dominant. That’s the equation. To put in the hard work so that when the lights are on you can go out and get what needs to be done, done. You train hard for that 43 seconds you race, so I just go out and get it done.

Conway – LaShawn it’s been a pleasure. Thank you very much for your time.

For those of you that would like to follow LaShawn during the Olympic season his Twitter is @LaShawnMerritt and his website is  http://LaShawnMerrittUSA.com

2011 in Review – Men’s Long Jump

In spite of the fact that I tend to talk more about the running events than I do the field events, I’m actually a huge fan of the field events. It just seems that lately some of the excitement is missing in the field.

I remember when the long jump featured great battles like the U.S. Championships in 1987 (San Jose) with Carl Lewis (8.65m/28’ 4.5”), Larry Myricks (8.63m/28’ 3.75”) and Mike Conley (8.55w/28’ 0.75”w) all over 28 feet. Then there was the Olympic Trials of 1988 (Indianapolis) with Lewis (8.76m/28’ 9”) and Myricks (8.74m/28’ 8.25”) dueling in the rain. And of course the epic 1991 World Championships final (Tokyo) where Mike Powell set the existing WR of 8.95m (29’ 4.5”) with Lewis leaping 8.87m (29’ 1.25”) legally and 8.91m (29’ 2.75”) windy!

We’re a ways from there, yet this season looked like we may have been on a path to begin to approach that range once again as Mitchell Watt (AUS) jumped 8.38m (27’ 6”) in mid-March then came back to go 8.44m (27’ 8.25”) in mid-April – all during the Australian summer. With the rest of the world getting in gear with the start of the Diamond League, Watt continued to jump far once again hitting 8.44m in Shanghai. The surprise was the relatively poor showing of defending World champion Dwight Phillips (USA) 4^th in a modest 8.07m (26’ 5.75”).

The jumpers would resume their battles in Hengelo with another former champion, Irving Saladino (PAN) showing good form in an 8.38mw (27’ 6”w) win with Phillips back in 6^th in 7.97m (26’ 1.75”). At the next stop in Eugene, however, Saladino would no height, as Greg Rutherford (GBR), Godfrey Mokoena (RSA) and Sebastian Beyer (GER) would lead the way in a windy affair.

With no long jump in either Oslo or New York, the biggest news during the period was the NCAA championship victory of Ngoni Makusha (ZIM) who spanned 8.40m (27’ 6.75”) in Des Moines. The other big news in June was the 10^th place finish of Phillips at the U.S. Championships, as he was only able to get out to 7.89mw(25’ 10.75”w) as youngsters Marquis Goodwin (8.33w/27’4”w) and Will Claye (8.19mw/26’ 10.5”) lead the way to Daegu.

Heading to Europe there was again a gap in meets in the DL as there was no long jump in Paris, Birmingham, or Monaco – leaving the jumpers with meets in Stockholm and London as their major opportunities prior to the World Championships. Watt made the most of it leaping 8.54m (28’ 0.25”)in Stockholm (Saladino in 3^rd at 8.19m/26’ 10.5”) and then 8.45m (27’ 8.75”) in London (Britains’s Chris Tomlinson runner up in 8.30mw/27’ 2.75”w). Making Watt a heavy favorite to bring home Australia’s fist ever long jump gold.

Ah, but the best laid plans of mice and men are oft strewn asunder, and so it was in Daegu. In the qualifying round of Daegu defending champion Phillips showed life leading everyone at 8.32m (27’ 3.75”). And though the favored Watt was consistent, leaping an 8.33m (27’ 4”) of his own in the final but it would not be enough as Phillips leapt 8.45m (27’ 8.75”) for the win and the gold – leaving Watt with silver. NCAA champion Makusha would span 8.29m (27’ 2.5”) for the bronze medal as Saladino would finish 22^nd and fail to make the final.

At this point the season was done. Makusha would win in Zurich in a modest 8.00m (26’ 3”) with Phillips in 3^rd and Watt in 7^th. And that was really the end of the year for the major players. So, how did they rate on the season?

 

#1

Mitchell Watt

Australia

The silver medalist was easily the year’s best. He was 10 – 4 overall on the year and though he didn’t take World gold, he was the year’s best in every other category. His wins included Shanghai, Stockholm and London and he beat everyone on the year.

 

#2

Yahya Berrabah

Morocco

Who you ask? Yes it was a very tough year in this event and in the end I went with the 4th placer in Daegu. He was 7 – 4 on the year, though several of his wins were in lesser meets. Still, he won in Luzerne and Barcelona, was 2^nd in Stockholm and 4^th at Worlds. When you take a look at the competition that was enough for #2 in my humble opinion.

 

#3

Irving Saladino

Panama

Saladino had a solid if unspectacular season this year. His big problem being his melt down in Daegu. He was only 3 -4 on the year, but had wins in Hengelo and Paris. He was also 3^rd in Stockholm and 4^th in London. Given the year this event had if he had gotten anywhere close to getting on the podium he probably would have garnered the #2 spot.

 

#4

Ngoni Makusha

Zimbabwe

Makusha was 5 – 2 on the year, but spent a lot of time against collegians. He did win in Zurich and took the NCAA championship, which was actually a tough meet this year considering in comparison to most meets. And of course he picked up bronze in Daegu.

 

#5

Dwight Phillips

United States

This is the best I can do for the gold medalist, and some may consider this too good. He was only 1 – 6 on the year, his one being the big one. He did finish 2^nd in Berlin, and had 4^th place finishes in Shanghai, Zurich and New Castle. On that basis, he gets my 5^th slot.

Next up the women’s version.

2011 in Review – Men’s 1500 Meters

Like the women’s version of the metric mile, the men’s 1500 final in Daegu was a far cry from the way the season itself played out. Not to mention the difficulty in sorting things out due to the constant change in leadership on the track.

Things got crackin in earnest in Doha as young Nixon Chepseba (KEN) torched the track for a WL 3:31.84 to win over Silas Kiplagat (KEN, 3:32.15), Mekonnen Gebremedhin (ETH, 3:32.28), Caleb Ndiku (KEN, 3:33.05) and Haron Keitany (KEN, 3:33.39)- showcasing Kenya’s depth, and signaling that making the Kenyan team for Daegu would be extremely tough. A little over a week later, Chepseba torched the field in Shanghai in a 3:31.42 over Asbel Kiprop (KEN, 3:31.76), Gebremedhin (3:32.36). Kiplagat (3:32.70) and Augustine Choge (KEN, 3:33.38).

The Prefontaine Classic would showcase the mile with Keitany turning a WL 3:49.09 defeating Kiplagat (3:49.39), KIprop (3:49.55), Gebremedhin (3:49.70) and Ndiku (3:49.77). Oslo would also feature the mile and this time Kiprop crossing the line first in 3:50.86 ahead of Keitany (3:51.02) and Gebremedhin (3:51.30) – with Chepseba in 6^th at 3:53.36. Things would change completely in Paris as some non-milers got involved, half-miler Amine Laalou winning in 3:32.15 over Kiprop, and Bernard Lagat (USA, 3:33.11). But the key race during the month of July was the Kenyan Championships where Kiplagat (3:31.39 WL), Kiprop (3:32.26) and the surprising Daniel Komen (3:32.47) would earn berths to Daegu, while young stars Chepseba (6^th, 3:33.96) and Ndiku (7^th, 3:35.50) could find no room on the bus – giving me yet another reason to wish we had a “true” World Championships!

When things resumed in Monaco, KIplagat would lower his world best to a sizzling 3:30.47, with Chepseba recovering from his Nairobi defeat in 3:31.74, and half miler Abubaker Kaki (SUD) running a PR 3:31.76 and Kiwi Mick Willis getting an NR at 3:31.76 – easily the best race of the year. London, featuring the mile, would be the final race before Worlds and would find Americans Leo Manzano (3:51.24) and Bernard Lagat (3:51.38) controlling the race in the absence of the top Africans. And so we headed to Daegu.

In Daegu the form charts held for the first two positions as Kiplagat and Kiprop controlled the race and came home with gold and silver. What followed was a totally surprising bronze medal from Matthew Centrowitz (USA), as unexpected names populated the results sheet from 3^rd through 6^th where Gebremedhin finally crossed the line in 7^th place.

Post Daegu racing would begin in Zurich where Chepseba (absent from Worlds) would once again cross the line in first (3:32.74) ahead of Kiplagat (3:33.56) as gold medalist Kiprop faded badly in the final stretch run (7^th 3:34,89).Kiprop would regain form in Rieti scorching 3:30.46 to win going away from Willis’ 3:35.52. The Berlin 1500 would find Choge winning in 3:31.14 over Abdelaati Iguider (MOR, 3:31.60) and Chepseba (3:31.66) – closing out the season with yet another swift race.

Now to try and sort it all out, as this was one of the tougher calls I’ve had to make.

 

#1

Silas Kiplagat

Kenya

Silver medalist in Daegu, Kiplagat gets the runner top spot here. While he did not have the best win/loss record on the season, he was 3 – 2 over my runner up, and took silver in Daegu. His season record of 5 – 7 included wins in Eugene, Monaco, Stockholm. and the big Kenyan Nationals race.  He was also runner up in Doha and Zurich. A fine record overall, as well as a solid performance at Worlds.

 

#2

Nixon Chepseba

Kenya

Chepseba’s season record of 9 – 4 was easily the best on the year. And it was done with little padding as he won in Doha, Shanghai, Zurich and Zagreb, with a runner up in Monaco and a 3rd in Stockholm. He was 2 – 3 with World silver medalist Kiplagat – including the Kenyan Trials race that knocked Chepseba out of Worlds – but his seasonal record overall was just too good  to be overlooked.

 

#3

Asbel Kiprop

Kenya

A tough call for the World Champion, but his season record of 3 – 7 just didn’t hold up against the top two in spite of the Daegu win. He also won the fast Rieti race, however, And was runner up in Shanghai, Paris and Stockholm. Good enough for the third spot here.

 

#4

Haron Keitany

Kenya

Another tough call here for 4th and 5th but a pair of runner ups in Hengelo & Oslo, combined with a pair of 3rd place finishes in Eugene and Zurich edge Keitany ahead of my #5.

 

#5

Mekonnen Gebremedhin

Ethiopia

A win in Oslo; runner up in Eugene; and third place finishes in Doha, Shanghai and Hengelo land Gebremedhin here.

 

Next I’m going to detour off the track for a bit and begin to examine the field events.

2011 in Review – Women’s 1500 Meters

Typically when in doubt, the result of the year’s Major championship does wonders to help sort out the top athletes on the season. When it comes to ranking this year’s women’s 1500 however, Daegu rendered itself fairly useless in the matter.

The season got going in earnest as Anna Mishchenko (UKR) won the first stop on the Diamond League in Doha with a WL 4:03.00 – setting a decent early pace. Mishchenko showed consistency in Rome running 4:03.53, but that was only good for 4^th place as Maryam Jamal (BRN) laid the hammer down coming home in 4:01.60 for a new WL. Jamal would lower that SB three days later in Hengelo, scorching the oval for a 4:00.33 to turn back the PR’s of Kalkidan Gezahegne (ETH, 4:00.97), Siham Hilali (MAR, 4:01.33), and Irene Jelegat (KEN, 4:02.59).

The Prefontaine Classic would see one of the year’s best fields take to the track with Gelete Burka (ETH) emerging victorious in a tactical 4:04.63 ahead of Jamal (4:05.44), Morgan Uceny (USA, 4:06.32), Nuria Fernandez (ESP, 4:06.66) and Nancy Langat (KEN, 4:07.04). New York would see yet a different victor as Kenia Sinclair (JAM) would win the wind hindered race in 4:08.06 over Uceny (4:08.42), Gezahegne (4:08.46) and Burka (4:09.84) – as no one was dominant over the first half of the Euro season.

Morgan Uceny would then win a very tough U.S. championships in 4:03.91, running away in the final half lap from Jenny Simpson (4:05.66), Shannon Rowbury (4:06.20), and Christin Wurth Thomas (4:06.21) – Wurth Thomas missing out on a trip to Daegu by the narrowest of margins. A berth to Daegu secured, Uceny would head to Europe picking up wins in Lausanne (over Mishchenko, Gezahegne, and a back in 10^th Jamal) and Birmingham (again over Gezahegne and Jamal) before heading to Monaco – the last big 1500 before Daegu. Monaco would be one of the year’s fastest races as Jamal once again found her way to the front of the line winning in 4:00.59 ahead of Btissam Lakhouad (MAR, 4:01.09) and Uceny (4:01.51, PR) who left it a bit late this time out, closing well but not catching the top two.

And so they would enter the World Championships with Jamal and Uceny on a role and Gezahegne and Lakouad running well. But the script was turned on its head in Daegu. Things seemed “normal” through two and a half laps. Then midway through the second turn of the third lap Hellen Obiri (KEN) would trip and fall, taking Uceny down with her. Uceny would be unable to recover, and though she didn’t fall, Jamal seemed knocked out of her rhythm as well. The final lap would see Natalia Rodriguez (ESP) take control and look to steal the race, as she would lead coming off the final turn. As they headed up the final stretch Jenny Simpson (USA) and Hannah England (GBR) would turn on the afterburners, catching and passing Rodriguez with Simpson coming away the victor (4:05.40), England (4:05.68) and Rodriguez (4:05.87) filling out the medals.

The top women would gather for one last go ‘round in the Diamond League final in Brussels with Uceny getting redemption, a world leader, and a new PR with a 4:00.06 win over all of the principals from Daegu, and the season, in tow – taking us to the top five rankings.

With the medalists from Daegu not playing a major factor the rest of the season ranking was a tad difficult, but not impossible – and note that none of the top women has a winning record for the season as the women raced fairly often and did a good job of playing “Ro Sham Bo” with each other.

 

#1

Morgan Uceny

United States

At the end of the day Uceny earned my #1. He 4 – 5 record was statistically the best. She led the world on the clock at 4:00.06. She had key wins in Lausanne, Birmingham, and Brussels; was 2^nd in New York and 3^rd in Eugene & Monaco – placing well when she didn’t win. And she was 2 – 1 over my #2 – all enough to garner the top spot.

 

#2

Maryam Jamal

Bahrain

Jamal was #2 on the clock with her 4:00.33. Her 3 – 5 record came courtesy of wins in Rome, Hengelo and Monaco; a 2^nd in Eugene; and 3^rds in Birmingham & Brussels. So like Uceny in most cases she placed well when she didn’t win.

 

#3

Anna Mishchenko

Ukraine

Mishchenko is the one of the few top finishers from Daegu in my top five, having finished 4^th at Worlds. She was the busiest of the top rankers with a 4 – 9 record on the season. She won in Doha and at the Colorful Daegu meet early season. She was 2^nd in Lausanne and finished 3^rd in Rieti & Stockholm (ETC) in addition to a pair of 4^ths in Rome & Brussels – solid enough to earn 3^rd here.

 

#4

Hannah England

Great Britain

Britain’s silver medalist in Daegu garners the 4^th spot here. The British champion was 2^nd in London, 3^rd in Barcelona and 5^th in Brussels. Finishing well often enough to parlay silver into the #4 ranking.

 

#5

Kalkidan Gezahegne

Ethiopia

The fifth placer from Daegu gets the same spot here. Runner up in Hengelo & Birmingham; 3^rd in New York; and 5^th in Doha & Lausanne she was the most consistent of those not in the top four.

 

So there you have it. That’s how I saw the women in the 1500. Next the men’s 1500 – and a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Is There a Benefit to the U.S. being in the Diamond League?

I ask this question because last week the Diamond League schedule was released and once again it looks like the New York and Eugene meets received less than preferential treatment.

First let’s look at the scheduling aspect. The Prefontaine Classic (Eugene) is scheduled for June 2^nd – two days after the Rome meet on May 31^st. Similarly the Adidas/New York is scheduled for Jun 9^th – two days after Oslo’s Bislett Games! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out a couple of things real quickly.

The first is that the athletes will have a very clear choice to make – to compete in Europe, or to cross the ocean and compete in the U.S. for two meets, or actually in one meet depending on your event. There is no opportunity to compete twice in Europe then come to the states, or vice versa to compete in two meets in the states then go back to Europe. One will either be in one place or the other, as the prospect of traveling back and forth across the ocean is impractical from both a financial and logistical point of view – logistics meaning the physical toll it would exact on the athletes with time changes, jet lag, etc.

So that aspect alone will restrict attendance at both meets, because with 2012 being an Olympic year and June the month of most Olympic Trials meets, the odds are that most people will want to stay as close to home as possible in order to be as fresh as possible for Trials meets. Of course, there is another decision that is completely taken off the table for the athletes – what events they can compete in in each meet. Because as I’ve lamented ad nausea, the Diamond League meets are only half meets – and the U.S. meets get the short end of the stick here as well!

First off here are the events that will be contested in each U.S. meet:

Pre
Men	200	400	800	1500	110H	TJ	DT	JT
Women	200	400	ST	HJ	PV	LJ	DT

 

NY
Men	200	400	800	ST	110H	HJ	LJ	DT
Women	100	800	5000	400H	PV	TJ	SP	JT

The first thing you notice is that the star potential is taken off the table as there is no men’s 100 in either meet. Given that a) the 200 is the lesser contested of the two sprints (100/200) in any season, let alone an Olympic one, and b) with Trials meets coming up it will be less likely to see a sprinter here than in the 100, it’s a fairly safe bet that seeing Bolt, Gay, Dix, Blake, et al is nearly slim to none in the U.S. No offense to any of the other star level athletes out there, but there goes a large chunk of the star quality and drawing power in this sport – no offense just fact at this point – because right now the 100 is The marquee event in the sport.

The next thing I noticed is no men’s 5000 or 10,000 in either meet – a huge negative for the Pre Classic in my opinion which has always been the country’s premier distance meet. This is a meet that is named after a distance running icon, yet will not have EITHER event on the schedule – almost un-American. The historical significance aside, it also means that seeing any of the major African distance runners is virtually out of the question in the U.S. meets – a tragedy that is really on par with missing out on the world’s top sprinters!

Some might say that Pre will have the men’s 1500, and I would say that you’re right there – so perhaps we may get a few milers to town in Eugene. But the next noticeable slight is that neither meet will have the women’s 800 or 1500 meters – two middle distance events where the U.S. has really begun to shine in the past few seasons! So not only will distance mecca Eugene be without the African distance runners – and our own Ritzenhein, Rupp, Solinsky et al, - but they will also be without ” home” favorites Uceny, Rowbury, Wurth Thomas, Simpson, Wright, Gall, Montano and Vessey to name a few.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of top level athletes out there to put in these meets. We do get the 110 hurdles which has star potential with the likes of David Oliver, Jason Richardson, Liu Xiang and Dayron Robles. We do get both the men’s and women’s 400 which could have LaShawn Merritt, Jeremy Wariner, Allyson Felix, and/or Sanya Richards. But the reality is that we lose out on some serous BIG name potential off the top just from the schedule. So I have to ask: Is there any benefit to being part of the Diamond League, or were we better off when we had a strong Pre, New York and Home Depot on our schedule? For my money the answer is – yes.

New York went from the exciting Tyson Gay v Usain Bolt meet of 2008 to the sleep fests we’ve seen the past couple of years – as logistics and event scheduling as virtually killed this meet in my humble opinion. Just two years ago (year before DL) the Pre meet boasted Gelete Burka (3:59.89) barely over Jenny Simpson (3:59.90); Asbel Kiprop (3:48.50) over Haron Keitany (3:48.78) in the mile; Vivian Cheruiyot (5:31.53) over Maryam Jamal (5:31.88) in a 2000: and Bernard Lagat (7:35.92) over Saif Shaheen (7:36.87) in a 3000; in an awesome display of distance running fitting the man the meet is named after – there will be none of that this year!

The Diamond League is proving to be an abject failure on several levels, including what it is doing to what few meets we have left here in the United States. It seems like there is little real thought going into the scheduling process – especially when it comes to creating meets in the U.S. that a) have any real appeal, and b) that make any kind of logistical sense.

New York is but a shell of what it was becoming a few scant years ago, and if it weren’t for its Nike affiliation Pre would be in the same boat. USATF needs to take a hard look at the competition schedule here in the United States, and look for ways to provide more and better opportunities for OUR athletes to be able to compete HERE at home. Because at the current rate youngsters growing up today will have no idea what a real world class meet looks like live, up close, and personal.

The Home Depot and California Relays meets need to be resurrected and put back on the schedule. New York and Eugene need to become FULL meets again that are worthy of attracting the world’s best without having to be bent and twisted to fit the Diamond League format. Because if we have any hope of regaining a place of prominence within the track and field community with respect to competitions here in the U.S. this is certainly not the way to do so. We’re not just losing ground to traditional track countries like Great Britain – which now has London, Gateshead AND Birmingham on the schedule – but to upstarts like Doha, Kingston, and Daegu. Granted Jamaica is a trackc happy place and has been working towards getting a major meet on the map for a while, but Doha and Daegu? When Wallace Spearmon ran 19.65 there in ’06 I had to Google it to see just where it was!

I won’t even begin to reel off the names of world class meets I used to frequent in this country; just suffice it to say that we are a LONG way from there. Many were excited that we got Diamond League status for New York and Eugene, but it’s starting to look like another form of slow death for U.S. meets if we don’t step up and do something about it. At least that’s how it’s starting to look to me.

2011 in Review – Women’s 400 Meter Hurdles

The women had a much better season relative to their male counterparts. Whereas the men seemed to have difficulty coming up with quality times, the women had no such troubles. Right off the bat, the women started asserting themselves as Lashinda Demus (USA) turned 54.85 to set a solid world lead on May 7^th. A week later she lowered her SB to 54.58, but found herself behind the rapidly improving Kaliese Spencer (JAM) at 54.20. Two weeks later they would take to the track in Eugene with Demus turning the tables with a 53.31 to 53.45 win over Spencer – with defending World and Olympic champion Melaine Walker 3^rd in 53.56 and up and coming Zuzana Hejnova (CZE) debuting at 54.25 – and the season was guaranteed to be both fast and exciting.

With the start of the European season following the National championships period, Demus would take a break til late July, but that didn’t take away from the action as Paris would see Hejnova crank out a huge 53.29 NR to win over the likes of Spencer (53.45), Natalya Antyukh (RUS, 54.41) and Walker (55.06). Demus would get in another race in Luzerne winning in 54.21. Then Stockholm would see Spencer take a 53.74 to 54.71 win over Walker, before hammering a huge PR 52.79 in London over Walker (53.90) and Hejnova (54.74) to head to Daegu with the best time in the world.

The World Championships final lined up with Spencer in lane 2 with Demus just outside her in lane 3, Hejnova in lane 4 and Walker in the outside lane 8. At the gun Demus and Walker were out like bullets as both women flew down the backstretch and around the final bend. They came off the turn nearly even as Demus would pull away slightly as they headed up the straight. Both women ran hard but Walker was unable to make a dent in Demus’ lead as both women stopped the clock with superb times – Demus taking the 52.47 to 52.73 win in the #3 time ever. Spencer ran strongly in the third position until halfway down the straight when she was overtaken by Russian Natalya Antyuhk for the bronze medal.

Spencer would come back to win in Zurich over Walker (53.43), Demus (54.04), Antyukh (54.50) and Hejnova 54.89), before closing out the season with another win over Antyukh in Rieti. And that will take us to the rankings.

 

#1

Lashinda Demus

United States

The World Champion was 5 – 2 on the season with wins in Eugene and Luzerne, to go with a runner up in Shanghai, and her third in Zurich. She was the best on the clock and had a 2 – 2 season split with my #2. Earning her the top ranking here.

 

#2

Kaliese Spencer

Jamaica

Spencer was only 4^th in Daegu, but her 6 – 3 season record had wins in Shanghai, Stockholm, London and Zurich. The only woman she did not dominate was Demus whom she split with.

 

#3

Melaine Walker

Jamaica

Walker’s season record was “only” 2 – 7 but that’s because most of her losing was done against the top two women. Walker was runner up in Stockholm, London and Zurich and had 3^rd place finishes in Shanghai and Eugene. And she ran her best when she needed to taking silver at the World Championships.

 

#4

Zuzana Hejnova

Czech Republic

After much thought Hejnova gets this spot. She was only 7^th in Daegu, but had a 4 – 4 record overall – one of the best. She won Oslo, Praha, Stockholm ETC, and Paris and was 4^th in Eugene and London.

 

#5

Natalya Antyukh

Russia

The bronze medalist comes in 5^th here. The Russian champion was 2^nd in Praha and Rieti and 3^rd in Oslo and Paris, and had the best record in competitions outside of worlds compared to other women further down on the chart.

Now that I’m back in ranking mode I’ll take on the 1500 meters. But I do have some comments related to the Diamond League schedule that was just released that I will sneak in as well.