Noorderling29

Flemish Belgian TV also broadcasts the morning sessions. Nearly uninterrupted coverage, with a few breaks for interviews, but no lengthy analysis (ahum Gregory Sedoc ahum) or advertising breaks, with good quality commentary

Exactly

Thiam managing to calm the nerves of the Belgian TV commentators.

FWIW, He’s never tested positive.

Fake news: Cees Koch (1962), Erik De Bruin (1990) and Rutger Smith (2012)won medals, and De Bruin and Smith both finished in the top 8 once more.

The time was apparently close to her season’s best. But the race looked labored.

KJT also unimpressive, last in her heat, 13:66

The website seems to be working (for) now

Thiam unimpressive in the hurdles: 13;74, about half a second above her personal record. she had trouble keeping her rhythm.

I had to deal a few times with one of the candidates in my job; she’s an absolute nutter.

The only sport were trials make sense for us is Speedskating. They are usually held between Christmas and New Year, and are assured a significant TV audience.

We have our Nat Champs before major championships, but they are most certainly not trials.

Might add, in both named events we do have a 4th athlete, currently just outside qualifying.

I really wonder if many countries hold trials. Trials only make sense when a country has a significant number of events with more than 3 athletes that are eligible for qualification. Most countries won’t have that. A European championship gives athletes a chance to go up against good competition, and perhaps realize the minimum, and also possibly some non qualified relays to try for one of the 2 time qualifications. In 2021 we had one event with more than 3 qualifying athletes (marathon for men, so no trial anyway), this year we have 2 events with 3 posssible qualifiers (W Shotput, heptathlon) none with realistically more than 3.

In their statement about resolving the issue created by the French Association, EEA states that there will be no further replacements. So only the French non-nominations will be replaced, no others.

I remember her in the past doing a couple of smaller meetings, for instance hurdling and/or long jumping, before going to a championship. The fact that she has not done any, does not bode well for her. Just as the fact that she leaves it to almost the last minute to qualify. If for whatever reason she fails in Rome (bad weather, small injury, no measurement in long jump), what alternatives has she left. She must be either supremely confident or pretty desperate to make this choice.

If there’s not enough drama, I mightily curious of how Olympic champion Thiam will do. This is her only chance to qualify. I can’t remember that I’ve seen any results of things she has done, but I might well have missed that.

You are right, although I find this even worse. To change rules at the last minute to accommodate one person.

He may then be good enough, but takes a place from someone else, because they broke the rules for him. it reminds me of how the Belgian 3x3 team won their place in the qualifying tournament for Tokyo by falsifying records, scoring points for the ranking from matches that had never taken place. Their 4th place in Tokyo shows they were obviously good enough to be there, but they should never have qualified and took the place of another team that should have. Mayer’s case is not that bad, but the result could be the same.

I find it hard to separate the two issues. Break the rules here, but refuse to do so there. Either follow the rules, or don’t bother having any.

Yes, because France were too late withdrawing two qualified athletes, EAA will not nominate the next to two athletes in the ranking, from Sweden and Austria, to take their place. So only 22 participants.

If Mayer manages to qualify, someone else will not. It he wins a medal, someone else will not. He may push someone down a place in the standings, who could have used the extra points that the higher position would be bring to strengthen his world ranking. So not a victimless crime. Also, why limit it to Rome and why not add him to the Olympic lineup as well.

So level playing field

Given their 3-0 victory against France this morning, and the limited number of points Canada can gain against South Korea this evening (our time), the Dutch tem has leapfrogged Canada. Still too close to call.

The big difference between the 2016/2018 successful Dutch team and the current one is the absence of an opposite like Lonneke Sloetjes. Celeste Plak does not deliver the same consistency and number of points and I’m still not convinced that Damberink has what it takes. So we’ve fallen back from being number 4 to 6 of the world (with 4th places at both the Rio Olympics and 2018 Worlds) to around 10 to 12. Good enough to scare a better team on our day and to make to the final 4 at the Europeans but not good enough to be competitive for prices at the World stage.