Olympics Paris 2024 (2 Viewers)

Previous Next
Shot put is gonna be a good competition to watch in Paris with Ryan Crouser, holder of the world record, and Joe Kovacs.


www.lehighvalleylive.com

Joe Kovacs becomes three-time Olympian at U.S. track and field trials

The Bethlehem Catholic grad made Paris with a second-place finish in the shot put. Saucon Valley alum Talitha Diggs fell short in her qualifying effort in the 400-meter dash; Becahi product Rachel Tanczos will try for a spot in the hammer throw on Sunday.
www.lehighvalleylive.com www.lehighvalleylive.com
 
Madmarsha said:
Man, gone are the days of Eddie the Eagle and that swimmer years ago that was still in the pool while everyone else was already done and on their warm down. Those were some great Olympic stories but now they don't let just anyone go anymore. (And I know you were just joking, it's just a thought I had when hearing them talk about in swimming there is a certain time that an athlete has to have to qualify. It's not just, hey, I'm the only swimmer in my country so I get to go to Paris, right?)
Click to expand...

Eric Holt made for a good, though brief, underdog story in these trials.

He’s a 29 year old runner who is unsponsored (so self-funded), who dedicated himself to living out his dream of making the Olympics. He made it out of the first round in the 1500 m but came up short in the semifinals.

apnews.com

Olympic track hopeful Eric Holt quits job, moves in with parents to focus on making Paris Games

Middle-distance runner Eric Holt quit his full-time job and moved back in with his parents. He trains in any pair of running shoes he happens to get for free.
apnews.com apnews.com
 
Oh, I didn't even know the swimmer had a nickname, too. Eric the Eel. (actually I'm not even sure this is the swimmer I was thinking of. I thought it was before 2000 Sydney)

 
Last edited:
DavidM said:
Eric Holt made for a good, though brief, underdog story in these trials.

He’s a 29 year old runner who is unsponsored (so self-funded), who dedicated himself to living out his dream of making the Olympics. He made it out of the first round in the 1500 m but came up short in the semifinals.

apnews.com

Olympic track hopeful Eric Holt quits job, moves in with parents to focus on making Paris Games

Middle-distance runner Eric Holt quit his full-time job and moved back in with his parents. He trains in any pair of running shoes he happens to get for free.
apnews.com apnews.com
Click to expand...
He's still in for the 800, I think.
 
Madmarsha said:
Shot put is gonna be a good competition to watch in Paris with Ryan Crouser, holder of the world record, and Joe Kovacs.


www.lehighvalleylive.com

Joe Kovacs becomes three-time Olympian at U.S. track and field trials

The Bethlehem Catholic grad made Paris with a second-place finish in the shot put. Saucon Valley alum Talitha Diggs fell short in her qualifying effort in the 400-meter dash; Becahi product Rachel Tanczos will try for a spot in the hammer throw on Sunday.
www.lehighvalleylive.com www.lehighvalleylive.com
Click to expand...

I’ve taken a broader interest in track and field in recent years. Crouser is an incredible competitor. Lafayette native, Mondo Duplantis (LSU/Sweden) is rewriting the pole vaulting recordbook, current consecutive holder of the top eight record heights.

 
The track and field events at this summer’s Olympics don’t start until August, but Team USA are already losing medals in June.

Athing Mu, who won gold in the women’s 800m in Tokyo and followed up with a world championship the next year at the age of 20, isn’t going to Paris. Neither are Brooke Andersen, the 2022 world champion in the women’s hammer throw, or Laulauga Tausaga-Collins, the 2023 world champion in the women’s discus.

What happened? Simple. The USATF Olympic trials happened.


Tausaga-Collins fouled out of the discus qualification round in spectacular fashion, with throws that missed the legal target area by such a wide margin that organizers can count themselves lucky that no one was on the track.

Andersen, whose best throws this year rank first, fourth, seventh, 10th and 12th in the world, fouled out in more mundane fashion in the final.

But the lingering image of these trials may be of a tearful Mu, who crossed the finish line last after she fell on the first lap of the final in Eugene, at the showcase venue for the sport in the United States. She had battled back from injury and a self-imposed break to rediscover her love of running, and she looked great winning her semi-final.

USA Track and Field denied Mu’s appeal, in which veteran coach Bobby Kersee claimed she was clipped by another runner.

Mu’s ability is not in doubt. Her 10 fastest times are all well under 1:58, including a national record 1:54.97 last fall at the Prefontaine Classic. In place of Mu, the United States will send Juliette Whittaker, who hadn’t broken the 1:59 mark until Monday’s final, when she took third in 1:58.45. Whittaker is a rising star who won the NCAA championship for Stanford earlier this month, but reaching an Olympic podium in a few weeks will require a tactical race and perhaps some good fortune.

At least Whittaker has met the Olympic qualifying standard, doing so in the trials final. In the hammer throw, three athletes who’ve met the standard are looking up at Erin Reese, who took third place in the trials but does not yet have a place in Paris.

All of which means the track and field community in the US has to ask itself: Is the current format – in which athletes’ place on the Olympic team is decided solely by performance at the trials – really the best way to choose a team?


It’s a question that has come up before, especially in 1992, when Reebok’s ubiquitous “Dan and Dave” ad campaign built around world decathlon champion Dan O’Brien and 1990 Goodwill Games champion Dave Johnson came to a screeching halt when O’Brien missed his three attempts in the pole vault at the US Olympic trials.

One bad day in an event with literal pitfalls flushed away millions of dollars in marketing along with a prime opportunity to put the sport firmly in the consciousness of a country with a limited attention span……..

www.theguardian.com

Athing Mu’s fall exposed the self-defeating cruelty of the US Olympic trials

The defending 800m Olympic champion won’t defend her title after a stumble in a single race. Her absence is a needless wound for Team USA
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
I
Just happened to catch all of those (technically I saw that very last of Mu’s race and the camera following her into tunnel)

The trials are harsh but that’s kinda the point- in theory they’re rewarding the athlete peaking at the right time (vs sustained excellence or something) and the athletes know this
Wu got unlucky (but she also put herself in the position to get unlucky)
And it’s also like Whitaker doesn’t deserve to go - her 3rd place final time beat Mu’s semi-final time
I know racers run harder in finals than prelims but still- Whitaker came in 3rd so she’s going to Paris
It’s brutal but fair
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account on our community. It's easy!

Register

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Previous Next

Users who are viewing this thread

    Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)

    Share this page

     

    Twitter

    Back
    Top Bottom