• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Click here to download the  free ebook of Alberto Juantorena’s  detailed training workouts leading up to the 1976 Montreal Olympics

SpeedEndurance.com

Success in Track & Field ... and Life

  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
  • Track & Field
    • 400 meters
    • 800m & Mile
    • 1/2 & Full Marathons
    • Long & Triple Jump
    • Hurdles
  • Training
    • Weight Training
    • Abs & Core
    • Injury Prevention
    • Shoes & Spikes
    • Masters
  • Coaching
    • Freelap Friday Five
    • Interviews
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Sport Psychology
  • Archives
  • Shop
    • My account
    • Checkout
    • Basket

I Love Track and Field, but This is Ridiculous

You are here: Home / Coaching / I Love Track and Field, but This is Ridiculous
0
SHARES
FacebookTwitter

August 27, 2009 by Jimson Lee Leave a Comment

Thoughts on the post 2009 World Championships in Berlin

I love Track and Field (Athletics to the rest of the world) primarily for one reason.  With the Track running events, the first person to cross the line is the winner. 

Usually.

In the Winter Olympics, all but one event is either a time-trial or a judging event.  Short Track Speed Skating with the heats and qualifying rounds is the only event most similar to Track, with all its thrills and spills and underdog heroes.

What are the options?

  • It would be awfully boring if they ran the 10,000 meter heats 2 people at a time, right?
  • Or if they had 2 sections of a 400m Final, and the winner was based on time (like they do indoors?)
  • Or if Usain Bolt ran all by himself in a time trial.  Well, he sort of did this in his own way, especially the 200m, but that’s besides the point.

I like head to head competitions, and I like to see the first person cross the line be declared the actual winner.  But I don’t like seeing the final outcome CHANGE as a result of a judge, protest or failed test.

But that wasn’t the reality of the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

So here are some thoughts from these games, which tainted my perfect world of Walter Mitty:

  1. The first person to cross the finish line in a women’s event may not be a “woman”?  Shouldn’t they determine this before they are sent as representatives of their home country?  (w800)
  2. The 4x100m relay team that crosses the line WITHOUT any red flags by the relay zone judges still got DQ’ed (m4x100)?
  3. Sprinters got DQ’ed for lane violations (m200 – sorry Jared, but the same raw deal happened to Churandy and Wallace in Beijing 2008.  We would have loved to see you in the Semi-Finals.)
  4. The first person to cross the line got DQ’ed for shoving pushing or making contact to another runner (w1500m)
  5. Several athletes were denied advancing to the finals when a fallen runner had impeded on their performance.  Immediately they did not qualify for the next round, but due to re-instatement, they did appear in the finals start-list.  (m800)

    In my opinion, this can be a catastrophe with 10 or even possibly 12 runners in an 800m final.  Remember the 2008 USATF Olympic Trials women’s 800 meters?  4 runners were added to the Finals making the total 12.

  6. Drug tests immediately following the event, or sometimes retroactive up to 8 years after the event, can DQ the athlete.  (Raschid Ramzi in Beijing 2008 for example – will we see any in 2009?)

See also  Videos of the Top 5 Foam Roller Exercises

Category iconCoaching,  Track & Field,  Witty Tag icon4x100,  Olympics,  relay,  speed,  Usain Bolt

About Jimson Lee

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xbs-aWxyLk

Shop Our Store

  • Bud Winter (9)
  • Championship Productions (6)
  • Clyde Hart (2)
  • Derek Hansen (1)
  • Electrical Muscle Stimulation (2)
  • Jim Hiserman (6)
  • Jimson Lee (4)
  • Uncategorised (0)

Articles by Category

Products

  • Jim Hiserman - Developing 800m Runners: Identifying, Categorizing and Developing 400m-800m Type Athletes $42.99 $39.99
  • Private Coaching - Monthly Plan $600.00 $525.00
  • Jim Hiserman-Developing-Distance-Runnersv2 Jim Hiserman - Developing Distance Runners Volume 2: A Systematic Approach to Developing Individual Success within a Dynamic Team Culture $34.95 $29.95
  • Feed-the-Cats-Clinic-3-Pack-701 'Feed the Cats' Clinic 3-Pack $64.99
  • Tony Holler's Feed the Cats": A Complete Sprint Training Program Tony Holler's "Feed the Cats" Complete Sprint Training Program $49.99
  • Bud Winter and Speed City presents Arthur Lydiard 509x716 Bud Winter & Arthur Lydiard MP3 [Download only] $9.99

RECENT POSTS

  • Oregon22 Coaches Club now Online
  • IFAC 2022: The Return of In-Person Conferences (with Virtual option)
  • Here is our 400m Discussion Recording… over 2 Hours Long
  • The Best Free Coaching Book – post Beijing 2022 Olympics
  • The Ultimate 400m Track Webinar for Coaches & Athletes
  • NACAC Athletics Coaching Science Series 2022
  • Top Six 400m Predictor Workouts (Number 4 is my Favourite)
  • Best 6 Podcasts for 2021 (and Beyond)
  • Why Karsten Warholm’s 45.94 400mH WR is my Highlight of 2021
  • Sprinting: 10 Research Articles for Effective Sprint Training [Part 23]

Copyright © 2023. SpeedEndurance.com is owned and operated by Aryta Ltd. Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}