Tokyo women's 4x4 [split]

[1.609]

Jonathas didn't acquit herself well in the Doha relay final but I'll bet she'll flip out if she wins silver and gets left off the relay.

Didn't Gwen Torrence leave Seoul early when left off the 4x1? Didn't medal but nearly tied for 4th. US was very lucky to win without her.

[jazzcyclist]

There are no bonuses for running a second faster and winning by 30m instead of 20m.

So why did Steve Lewis run so hard in 1992, or Michael Johnson in 1993, or Darold Williamson in 2004, or Jeremy Wariner in 2007?

[gm]

So why did Steve Lewis run so hard in 1992, or Michael Johnson in 1993, or Darold Williamson in 2004, or Jeremy Wariner in 2007?

You would have to ask them.

[jazzcyclist]

You would have to ask them.

I doubt that I will get the chance to ask them, but athletes that I've been around took, especially athletes who knew they would be running together for the last time, took it as a challenge to run a fast time to put their mark on history so to speak, and that's been true at the high school level and the collegiate level. I can't imagine the anchor on those teams coasting no matter how big there lead was.

[NotDutra5]

My recollection while watching the event in Doha was that Jonathas was cruising it. Rightly or wrongly.

[ATK]

My recollection while watching the event in Doha was that Jonathas was cruising it. Rightly or wrongly.

watch again, she was not cruising

[lonewolf]

No one except the person holding the baton knows their motivation or what they are thinking.

[gm]

I doubt that I will get the chance to ask them, but athletes that I've been around took, especially athletes who knew they would be running together for the last time, took it as a challenge to run a fast time to put their mark on history so to speak, and that's been true at the high school level and the collegiate level. I can't imagine the anchor on those teams coasting no matter how big there lead was.

I get it, I get it, someone else would have run a solo 46.3 on that anchor and the U.S. women would have broken the world record.

You were obviously very bothered by the slothful effort, I wasn't. Let's leave it at that.

[Wiederganger]

Jonathas may well have been running hard, or not. But a 50.1 isn't exactly slow, and to paraphrase the great Kratochvilova "it hurts whether you run a 51 or a 49" so I'm not sure we can tell from just looking at her.

If Hayes and Jonathas finish above Felix in the 400m, it's going to be fun seeing who's selected for the 4x4 final. But if sentimentality & NBC trump actual results, as we expect, then it's not exactly fair. But popcorn at the ready!

I'm kind of more interested in the battle for the other medals though. JAM look a clear second as well, I really cannot see them challenging the US - unless they mess up an exchange or get tactics completely wrong - so it's the bronze medal that looks like the most tasty fight. It should be a really close fight between POL and GBR, with the latter quicker on paper, but POL of course having great tactics and super Swiety on last leg. It should then be CAN, NED, NGR, CUB, UKR and BEL or GER, but BEL will rely heavily on Bolingo, so with the programme the way it is, they may be a question mark.

[Steele]

What happens if Jonathas and Hayes make the 400 final, but Felix doesn't get past the semis for some reason? Think Felix will still be given a spot in the final 4X4?

[AFelixFan]

What happens if Jonathas and Hayes make the 400 final, but Felix doesn't get past the semis for some reason? Think Felix will still be given a spot in the final 4X4?

I don't think so. I suspect bias will only creep in if she's the third-fastest American in the final with a negligible (less than .2s) difference between #2. If she's a clear third best, she will probably be left off. Since the SRR fiasco in 2015, I think the relay coaches have been rather meritocratic in their selections.

[jazzcyclist]

I get it, I get it, someone else would have run a solo 46.3 on that anchor and the U.S. women would have broken the world record.

You were obviously very bothered by the slothful effort, I wasn't. Let's leave it at that.

It's funny that you mentioned 46.3. You would have been okay with Michael Johnson splitting 46.3 in 1993. I wouldn't have and Johnsin was capable of splitting 46.3, but Jonathas wasn't.

[gm]

It's funny that you mentioned 46.3. You would have been okay with Michael Johnson splitting 46.3 in 1993. I wouldn't have and Johnsin was capable of splitting 46.3, but Jonathas wasn't.

46.3 is what Jonathas would have had to run to break the WR.

Johnson, I would have been happy with anything 44.38 or faster.

You have a real Jones for Jonathas for some reason, let's hope she doesn't let you down again this time.

[1.609]

I doubt that I will get the chance to ask them, but athletes that I've been around took, especially athletes who knew they would be running together for the last time, took it as a challenge to run a fast time to put their mark on history so to speak, and that's been true at the high school level and the collegiate level. I can't imagine the anchor on those teams coasting no matter how big there lead was.

Particularly if they'd had their eye on the clock and were half decent at arithmetic. And maybe had given it some thought beforehand.

[jazzcyclist]

46.3 is what Jonathas would have had to run to break the WR.

Johnson, I would have been happy with anything 44.38 or faster.

You have a real Jones for Jonathas for some reason, let's hope she doesn't let you down again this time.

Who said anything about a WR? Certainly not me. I'm pretty certain that the high school and college athletes who I mentioned knew that the state high school record and the collegiate record were out of reach respectively, they just wanted to run fast times. Do you doubt for one second that North Carolina A&T men's team is proud of the times they ran this year despite the fact that they didn't get the CR? Also, I have absolutely nothing against Jonathas, I just pointed out that IMO her relay performance was below par for someone with her SB, and for some reason you took offense as though she's related to you or something. For the record, I wish her nothing but fast times and much success.

By the way, why did Johnson need to run 44.38 to make you happy when 48.0 would have secured the gold medal?