GB Athletics

[Epic Failure 355]

2 minutes ago, RussB said:

They have a chance, a good chance, to win a major title, with all individual events done and no one over worked, and they pass it up. Sorry, as a fan of GB athletics, its pretty pathetic to me to just mail it in with a much weaker team. Why is Charlie C being rested?! Alex has shown utterly no form over two individual races already at this champs, throwing him in the closing leg is going to do more harm than good

What if they want to see what AHW can do? Maybe Charlie C is carrying a knock? Maybe they want him at full strength for the trials to see if he can qualify in the individual?

 

Again, anything happening in Rome has to be looked at in relation to Paris (and the trials first).

[RussB 189]

4 minutes ago, Epic Failure said:

What if they want to see what AHW can do? Maybe Charlie C is carrying a knock? Maybe they want him at full strength for the trials to see if he can qualify in the individual?

 

Again, anything happening in Rome has to be looked at in relation to Paris (and the trials first).

Well he gave away a medal with exactly the form he displayed earlier in the week. We have no info on an injury to Charlie unless I'm missing something?

 

Well done to Michael for running a good leg 2 to bring them back into contention, and Davey's leg wasn't bad either. With the two Charlie's they could have won that. And despite Paris being the goal of this season, this should be viewed as a potential positive building block. Give the team some positive momentum before trials by winning a big title. Lay a marker down.

 

But we argued in the same way over the mixed relay so I should save my breath. I want to see a team trying to win, thats all.

Edited June 12 by RussB

[Epic Failure 355]

21 minutes ago, RussB said:

Well he gave away a medal with exactly the form he displayed earlier in the week. We have no info on an injury to Charlie unless I'm missing something?

 

Well done to Michael for running a good leg 2 to bring them back into contention, and Davey's leg wasn't bad either. With the two Charlie's they could have won that. And despite Paris being the goal of this season, this should be viewed as a potential positive building block. Give the team some positive momentum before trials by winning a big title. Lay a marker down.

 

But we argued in the same way over the mixed relay so I should save my breath. I want to see a team trying to win, thats all.

We have no info on an injury, but then we didn't have any info on Keely being ill until post race.

 

Also, the splits for GBR were as follows:

 

Harries - 45.78

Ohoize - 45.2

Davey - 45.6

AHW - 45.36

 

I want to see a team trying to win. But sometimes the best way to win is to time your effort (both in a race and in a season).

[RussB 189]

2 minutes ago, Epic Failure said:

We have no info on an injury, but then we didn't have any info on Keely being ill until post race.

 

Also, the splits for GBR were as follows:

 

Harries - 45.78

Ohoize - 45.2

Davey - 45.6

AHW - 45.36

 

I want to see a team trying to win. But sometimes the best way to win is to time your effort (both in a race and in a season).

Issue with relay splits is you have to take them with a big pinch of salt. The problem with putting AHW on 4th leg is this tends to be where other teams put their most capable runner. So it's less his split, rather the fact he went from 3rd to 7th all down the home straight. I have no idea why Martyn Rooney wanted to put Alex in this position given his form. What does this do to his confidence going forward for trials? I'd imagine pretty decimated.

 

If someone can come up with a good argument for why we were sacrificing a medal tonight to improve our chances in Paris I'd sign up. But I've not seen one yet, and my brain can't come up with something given we are nowhere near trials, nor are there any further events to run here in Italy. There would have been no detriment by putting a stronger team out tonight for Paris unless one of the additions got injured in the relay itself. And we can't be using that as a reason otherwise none of them would run any races before Paris! Maybe management came up with a rule that said no one runs more than two 400m races if it can be helped for "workload management", but then against AHW ran 3 times so that logic fails too.

[Epic Failure 355]

1 minute ago, RussB said:

Issue with relay splits is you have to take them with a big pinch of salt. The problem with putting AHW on 4th leg is this tends to be where other teams put their most capable runner. So it's less his split, rather the fact he went from 3rd to 7th all down the home straight. I have no idea why Martyn Rooney wanted to put Alex in this position given his form. What does this do to his confidence going forward for trials? I'd imagine pretty decimated.

 

If someone can come up with a good argument for why we were sacrificing a medal tonight to improve our chances in Paris I'd sign up. But I've not seen one yet, and my brain can't come up with something given we are nowhere near trials, nor are there any further events to run here in Italy. There would have been no detriment by putting a stronger team out tonight for Paris unless one of the additions got injured in the relay itself. And we can't be using that as a reason otherwise none of them would run any races before Paris! Maybe management came up with a rule that said no one runs more than two 400m races if it can be helped for "workload management", but then against AHW ran 3 times so that logic fails too.

Yeah, he went 3rd to 7th because everyone else was faster than him! With all due respect to AHW, it's not his fault that he's not as quick as others countries runners.

 

But that doesn't mean that his leg was actually worse! Davey overtook people but was overtaking people who were going even slower. It's always going to look a stronger leg.

 

I'll openly admit that I don't have anywhere near enough knowledge about sport science to know what impact the workload of champs like this have on trials. It's only just over 2 weeks away. So I'm not willing to say that there's no detriment. The way that UKA have approached it does imply that *they* think there could be.

 

I dunno *shrugs*

 

[RussB 189]

3 minutes ago, Epic Failure said:

Yeah, he went 3rd to 7th because everyone else was faster than him! With all due respect to AHW, it's not his fault that he's not as quick as others countries runners.

 

But that doesn't mean that his leg was actually worse! Davey overtook people but was overtaking people who were going even slower. It's always going to look a stronger leg.

 

I'll openly admit that I don't have anywhere near enough knowledge about sport science to know what impact the workload of champs like this have on trials. It's only just over 2 weeks away. So I'm not willing to say that there's no detriment. The way that UKA have approached it does imply that *they* think there could be.

 

I dunno *shrugs*

 

I'm just frustrated. We take the time to tune in and watch and be invested, to watch GB compete for medals and I hate this rolling over mentality for a potential reason of resting for trials which is not for a couple of weeks. Just makes us look weak in a championships where other nations have really stepped up and impressed.

[Epic Failure 355]

2 minutes ago, RussB said:

I'm just frustrated. We take the time to tune in and watch and be invested, to watch GB compete for medals and I hate this rolling over mentality for a potential reason of resting for trials which is not for a couple of weeks. Just makes us look weak in a championships where other nations have really stepped up and impressed.

Sure, but that point about other nations impressing has to be viewed in context as well. Not all of them have trials like we do. And performing here is great but if it means you peak too early and then don't medal in Paris, is it worth it?

 

In both 2012 and 2016 we sent weakened teams to the Euros, and finished down the medal tables. Then at each Olympics we were the top European nation in athletics.

 

Now obviously that could just be coincidence. But it could also be better planning. We'll never know for certain.

[RussB 189]

3 minutes ago, Epic Failure said:

Sure, but that point about other nations impressing has to be viewed in context as well. Not all of them have trials like we do. And performing here is great but if it means you peak too early and then don't medal in Paris, is it worth it?

 

In both 2012 and 2016 we sent weakened teams to the Euros, and finished down the medal tables. Then at each Olympics we were the top European nation in athletics.

 

Now obviously that could just be coincidence. But it could also be better planning. We'll never know for certain.

I don't think anyone here is looking to "peak" here, apart from (very) arguably Italy being the host nation and I'm only saying that due to the absolutely ridiculous medal haul. I completely understand not being here because your training is fully wrapped around UK trials and Paris. So for MHS or Zharnel Hughes, I get it. I don't love it, but I can accept that. So we were always not going to be right at the top of the medal table, and that's fine with the focus being on trials and then Paris.

 

HOWEVER, what I can't accept is committing to compete here, and then doing it in a half-assed way which is what the relay selections look like. Seriously what is the point of even running the 4x4 tonight? That team was never winning a medal, and you've damaged the confidence of someone you really need to step up and be in our best 4 come trials. What did they learn tonight which they didn't know from the previous runs this week? If it was all about trials they should have just withdrawn and they could have cited niggles.

[Epic Failure 355]

5 minutes ago, RussB said:

HOWEVER, what I can't accept is committing to compete here, and then doing it in a half-assed way which is what the relay selections look like. Seriously what is the point of even running the 4x4 tonight? That team was never winning a medal, and you've damaged the confidence of someone you really need to step up and be in our best 4 come trials. What did they learn tonight which they didn't know from the previous runs this week? If it was all about trials they should have just withdrawn and they could have cited niggles.

I mean, it's possible that the selection was the best 4 available today and also a test to see form etc. Better to find out now that AHW might not be able to be relied on than in Paris etc.

 

I guess I'm just a glass half full/see the positive type person.

 

In better news, good work by the women's 4x100m. Dealt with the changes very well, and a sub 42 clocking is always good. Keeps us as most likely to prosper if something untoward were to happen to the US or Jamaica (or both).

[RussB 189]

13 minutes ago, Epic Failure said:

I mean, it's possible that the selection was the best 4 available today and also a test to see form etc. Better to find out now that AHW might not be able to be relied on than in Paris etc.

 

I guess I'm just a glass half full/see the positive type person.

 

In better news, good work by the women's 4x100m. Dealt with the changes very well, and a sub 42 clocking is always good. Keeps us as most likely to prosper if something untoward were to happen to the US or Jamaica (or both).

Annoyingly I'm normally the positive one on these forums. Always beating the drum for potential GB successes, but yes these Champs have not been so positive.

 

The 4x1 girls did the job very nicely, as they should have done tbh but no mistakes with the baton is always reassuring. Lansiquot to come into the first team you'd imagine come Paris and they should be in that battle for a minor medal.

 

PS Jamaica at this point in the season do not look like a gold medal threat. Thompson in particular has looked really badly off the pace, its one to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Edited June 12 by RussB