Big call from Buster

[AS]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Im- ... 48584.html

"Australian athletics' golden boy Craig Mottram has declared himself the best man-on-man middle distance runner in the world."

""One-on-one I'm better than all of them," the 26-year-old said.

"Individually the Kenyans can be taken down. You need to isolate them and do what we can do to beat them.""

Let the debate begin...

[JohnG]

It's nonsense of course but donchya just love him?!!

I picked him as a medallist lin Helsinki ast year and this year said he was the guy most likely to beat Bekele but even I can't go as far as to agree with this.

Bekele was ill in Athens and I Kipchoge hasn't fired on all cylinders this year, so I think it is wrong to place too much emphasis on either win. The big race this year for Buster was in Melbourne and he lost convincingly to Choge after a 'man-on-man' battle.

What I will say is that he has the competitive ability to get the very best out of himself when it really matters - in other words he rises to the occasion (which is why I had a feeling he'd take Bekele once this year). But to suggest that 'man-on-man' he could consistently beat Bekele, Choge or Songok is nonsense.

[SQUACKEE]

Damn! I was really starting to like this big guy.

He beats a sick Bek and has gone quietly insane.

He also has a built in excuse to never win any major competetion because we all know there will be a few Kenyans and Ethiopians in those championships.

Craig is now competetive with the best runners in the world. Dont ruin that great distinction by saying your the best- mano-e-mano.

[mojo]

Yeah what he is saying is a tad over the top but I like his attitude.

He is putting it out there without slagging anyone on a personal level. Go Craig! Go Keneisa!

[bad hammy]

Yeah what he is saying is a tad over the top but I like his attitude.

I agree - he's got game . . .

[SQUACKEE]

I can appreciate the confidence and the tude. Im only saying he is completely wrong- thats all.

[nevetsllim]

He is being a tad arrogant for someone who has come 15th and 17th in recent races but you do need a touch of arrogance to get by in the sport.

[tandfman]

I don't know whether he's right or wrong, but I do know two things. First, that in Helsinki, he finished less than a half second behind the winner. Second, and more important, no man is ever going to beat the Kenyans if he doesn't truly believe he can.

So I join the applause for his bold statement. And I dissent a bit from the totally dim view of his chances of actually pulling it off. But actually, I'm not sure just what it is he's saying he can do. Where is he going to have a chance to race any of the top Kenyans "one-on-one"? He was careful to speak about isolating them and racing them individually. That's not likely to happen in Osaka or Beijing or any other major championship.

[eldrick]

he's a 3'32 guy

in a slow 5k he always figure...

[SQUACKEE]

He created a premise which will never happen and therefore he CANT ever be proven wrong , quite clever. It makes him look insecure not confident to my eyes.

[SQUACKEE]

he's a 3'32 guy

in a slow 5k he always figure...

Thats what i was saying. He is competetive against the best in the world and thats incredibly great. You can always bet the house next time he is in a world champ final.

[mojo]

Big middle distance fan that I am I don't what the hell I am talking about (but when does that stop me?). Mottram strikes me as the kind of guy who puts it all on the line and I think he can live with defeat as well as victory.

These guys bust a gut in training-(I know that much!) and they have to believe they can beat anyone and everyone or what is the point?

I admire Mottram-I have no idea if he is right or wrong but the spirit and attitude are great!

Okay I need to get the hell out of this thread...kinda like being in the men's washroom! :-)

[eldrick]

that's the best post on the whole topic

you need to visit the men's washrooms more often !

[bad hammy]

He created a premise which will never happen and therefore he CANT ever be proven wrong , quite clever. It makes him look insecure not confident to my eyes.

Actually he sounds a little Pre-ish (another guy who had a bit of a hard time getting it over on the worlds best), and as I recall, you were a bit of a Pre fan.

[kuha]

that's the best post on the whole topic

you need to visit the men's washrooms more often !

Agreed! I like Mottram's confidence and daring...and he certainly CAN back it up on the track. If he's taken an extreme 100m guy's "trash talk" and spread it out over 5k, it may be only 1/50th as strong, but it still spices the event up nicely. I like Buster's Bluster.