Anyone else ever "skip" the 1:44s?

[Brian]

All 16 performers with a PB over 1:45 when they run their first sub 1:44. 1:43.86 Ivo van Damme BEL 21.02.54 2 Montréal 25.07.1976

Going by memory here, but surely Juantorena must have done the same in that race. And wasn't the Montreal final only his fourth or fifth 800...two 1:47's beforehand and PR 1:45's coming in the OG quarter and semi--?

[eldrick]

few others worth investigating as potential 1'44+ to 1'42+ guys :

- sammy koskei
- pat konchellah
- ndururi
- yiampoy
- nduwimana

[gh]

No, Juantorena went from 1:44.9 to 1:43.50.

[Brian]

No, Juantorena went from 1:44.9 to 1:43.50.

At least I get the "atta-boy!" award...

[kevin_saylors]

All 16 performers with a PB over 1:45 when they run their first sub 1:44. 1:43.86 Ivo van Damme BEL 21.02.54 2 Montréal 25.07.1976

Going by memory here, but surely Juantorena must have done the same in that race. And wasn't the Montreal final only his fourth or fifth 800...two 1:47's beforehand and PR 1:45's coming in the OG quarter and semi--?

According to Larsson's site, Juantorena ran 1:44.9 in Havana two weeks before the Montreal OG.

Kevin

[Brian]

All 16 performers with a PB over 1:45 when they run their first sub 1:44. 1:43.86 Ivo van Damme BEL 21.02.54 2 Montréal 25.07.1976

Going by memory here, but surely Juantorena must have done the same in that race. And wasn't the Montreal final only his fourth or fifth 800...two 1:47's beforehand and PR 1:45's coming in the OG quarter and semi--?

According to Larsson's site, Juantorena ran 1:44.9 in Havana two weeks before the Montreal OG.Kevin

Hmmm. I don't remember T&FN reporting on that race (otherwise Juanto's win wouldn't have been such a shocker). Since it was in Havana, maybe it was suppressed until after the Games...?

I remember T&FN reporting at least the first round having Juantorena "looking around" and appearing like he didn't know what he was doing. Cold War era playacting on the Oly stage, perhaps?

[kevin_saylors]

few others worth investigating as potential 1'44+ to 1'42+ guys :

- sammy koskei
- pat konchellah
- ndururi
- yiampoy
- nduwimana

Patrick Ndururi, yes; the others, no.

Kevin

[gh]

Re: Anyone else ever "skip" the 1:44s?

Anyone other than Webb ever knock their 800 PR down from 1:45+ to the 1:43s without running something in the 1:44s first?

Wow, Dr. Jay, when you asked this question did you ever think the easier answer would be more like "name those who didn't skip 1:44"? :-)

[DrJay]

Amazing how some threads that you think will get a handful of responses, get this many, and others you think will be popular languish before fading away onto page two. I didn't think there were this many guys who went from 1:45s to 1:43s.

[gh]

nor did i

[eldrick]

if someone has the time, perhaps they can do the ratios of all guys mentioned to get biggest improver ever

[gh]

Whoever has the biggest ratio there is still a piker compared to Ryun.

[Pierre-Jean]

Not a question of skipping the 44s, but probably everything from the 54s on up to the 57s or higher. Jarmila Kratochvilova had only run three 800 meter races before her WR 1:53.28 in Munich '83. What were those times?

1:56.59 Praha 18.09.1982
1:58.33i Jablonec 12.01.1983
1:53.28 München 26.07.1983
Actually she had some 800m attempts during the '70s something like 2:09 her career record is listed in ATFS 87 if someone would mind to check... In 1982 she ran 11.10 at 100m, can you imagine Brianna Glenn or Muna Lee (11.10 thi season) running 1:56? Nobody has dipped under 1:58 yet by the way, but it might change after RUS nationals...

[Brian]

I didn't think there were this many guys who went from 1:45s to 1:43s.

I wonder if training doesn't have something to do with it, beyond the obvious, of course. Aiming for :26 per 200m. would seem to be a logical pacing goal for a elite middle-distance practice session. Most athletes of this caliber have run :47 for an open 400, so :26/:52 pace would be an acceptable and do-able 5 seconds slower your best 400.

And in the race, you usually run an average of :52 plus change, which adds up to the 1:45. Then comes the big physical improvement in a great competitive race and bang! 1:43.


Just thinkin'...

[trackjudge]

Whoever has the biggest ratio there is still a piker compared to Ryun.

That's an overstatement. Parrilla had very similar improvement: 1:50+ in h.s.; 1:45 as a UT frosh; 1:43.97 as a soph, probably right around his 20th birthday. At that point it looked like he'd break Coe's WR, but he never ran faster.