2022 women's AOY

[18.99s]

It seems they're engineering a season with minimal risk of losing, and lots of rest between meets to ensure only fast times.

Running fast and not losing...Sounds a good plan to me!

Not losing because of dodging and hiding. Meh.

[jjimbojames]

I think it would be someone like Pechonkina in 2003 - WR, but not much of a season outside Russia and finished 3rd at the WC, then 3rd in the TFN rankings for 400mH, so I can’t see her being too high up the AOY

[DET59]

How often has someone who has set a world record (not relay) in a standard "in stadia" track and field event not been selected for AOY because it was given to someone else who did not break a world record that year? I believe on the men's side, since 2000, it has pretty much gone to athlete's breaking a world record except in years when no records were broken (Barshim 2017, Bondereko 2013, etc).... is the women's side similar? Was 2022 was pretty unique in the number of world records broken (in this century) ?

Has anyone who has broken a standard event world record ever been ranked lower than Amusan at 6th? Strange (but great) year indeed !

[DET59]

They might not offer as much as the men.

I think having an "early" WC not in Europe, COVID, combined with a "late" 2021 Olympics were bigger factors for lack of DL competitors than one might think, plus DL prize money is just not that great for those at the top of the game.

[Conor Dary]

Nothing new, but it just seems particularly bad this year on the womens side.

They might not offer as much as the men.

[berkeley]

The DL meets are fine for the most part. I found them entertaining.

Coe with the Rankings for qualifying is trying to improve the meets. But you can only do so much if the stars don't want to run.

Anyways nothing new. The Covett series was supposed to get Coe and Ovett to race more. That was a bust but some memorable races nonetheless, such as the 3000 in Crystal Palace in 1982

Nothing new, but it just seems particularly bad this year on the womens side.

[Conor Dary]

Meanwhile....

After winning Olympic gold as a teenager, Mu became the youngest woman to ever claim both world and Olympic titles in an individual athletics event when she again held off Hodgkinson to secure victory on home soil at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. Clocking a world-leading 1:56.30, Mu maintained her unbeaten year and an outdoor win streak that dates back to September 2019.

https://www.worldathletics.org/news/series/2022-review-middle-long-distance

[gm]

Lest we forget, Covid was (and is) still a thing. I don't count abbreviated seasons against anyone right now.

[Atticus]

But you can only do so much if the stars don't want to run.

With the advent of more sophisticated peaking regimens, it's no surprise that medal contenders back off the smaller pay days for the bigger one (enhanced by contract incentives).

[Conor Dary]

The DL meets are fine for the most part. I found them entertaining.

Coe with the Rankings for qualifying is trying to improve the meets. But you can only do so much if the stars don't want to run.

Anyways nothing new. The Covett series was supposed to get Coe and Ovett to race more. That was a bust but some memorable races nonetheless, such as the 3000 in Crystal Palace in 1982

[ATK]

but we are being deprived of too many great head to heads.

Wait, so your telling me the creation of the Diamond League over a decade ago, which was billed as getting the biggest stars to go head to head, hasn't solved this issue yet?

[Conor Dary]

It seems they're engineering a season with minimal risk of losing, and lots of rest between meets to ensure only fast times.

Running fast and not losing...Sounds a good plan to me!

[berkeley]

It may have been said earlier in this long thread, but I find it disappointing that 4 of the top 10 had seasons of only 4 competitions in their specialties. I'm not saying they don't deserve their ranking, but we are being deprived of too many great head to heads. It seems they're engineering a season with minimal risk of losing, and lots of rest between meets to ensure only fast times.

On another note, unbelievable series of 8 fast times by Shelly-Ann. I can't remember a better example of high level consistency, men or women. And at 35! The above 4 should take a leaf out of her book. I think she should be number 3.

[CD203]

fwiw, my top 10:

1. Rojas
2. McLaughlin
3. Fraser-Pryce
4. Jackson
5. Kipyegon
6. Amusan
7. Garcia
8. Gidey
9. Ealey
10. Jeruto

Very much like this list. Personally might substitute Chepngetich or Bol for Jeruto but it's a really good and accurate ranking to me

[Conor Dary]

Personally I thought Mu had a marvelous season and did what she wanted to accomplish. Whether she should have run more is neither here nor there. But is just my opinion. As Gauss once said...'Few, but ripe!'