Lee McConnell : As good a chance as anyone of 400 flat gold

[EPelle]

no

that is similar to a 10.15 - 10.20 ex-finalist claiming they have as good a chance of gold as anyone in bejing

No, specifically, since this is about women, It is similar to an 11,13 female (10,11 male).

McConnell believes she has a legitimate shot, and she:s going to take it. She:d have run fourth in any semi-final in Athina att 50,82. I:m sure she realises that.

[Smoke]

Eldrick hush that is the weakest position I remember you ever taking. A former finalist and 50 pointer says she has a chance at gold and you call her stoopid? That is dumb

no

that is similar to a 10.15 - 10.20 ex-finalist claiming they have as good a chance of gold as anyone in bejing

that is nonsense

What else is dumb, Lee ever running the hurdles when it was 4 years ago she ran that 50.82. Now to analyze it all she started last year in the hurdles, could not break 56 and switched going in to Osaka, where she produced 51.07.

still 0.25s outside her best, & not good enough to get out of the semis

so what ?

[quote:q8h3k2s9]Did you think Chrissy O for being stoopid or Nicola going into last year. They damn sure thought they had a shot at the podium, so tell us why Lee is so far off base when her times are very comparable to theirs before Osaka?

no comparison whatsover

ohu ran 50.3 to win in melbourne

with her youth & winning mentality, it was a vey good bet she'd crack 50, just i didn't think it woud be as soon as osaka, more like '08 ( i reckoned 50-flat in osaka for 4th based on her 50.5 tt in osaka warm-up meet )

nicola ran 50-flat i : that is low/mid 49 ability outdoors - injury after ec win slowed her progress, but she recovered to a high-49 : slower than expected if she hadn't been injured - the gold was easily hers if uninterrupted season

they are a level above lee in talent/potential

The evidence of time and competition stand against you eldrick. She is right, more right than she will ever realize

yeah

whatever...[/quote:q8h3k2s9]

Your last 2 words are the only thing you should have written in that post. Everything is as wishful as the dream you are accusing Lee of being stoopid about.

CO was suspended and did not compete until the weekend she traveled to camp which was 2-3 weeks before the first round.

Nicola had just left her hurdle campaign and was a shock 50 flat indoors. Not to mention she had shown anything near gold medal style going into Osaka.

Up until the final of the 400 she was the most decorated female qmiler in the UK with a European medal and Commonwealth medal.

Bottomline, they sold her short in 2004 and lied to her about the hurdles. Today she is only 29 and still running at her pr, she can be a factor, she would not be the first to make the dip and not the last.

[Andrea_T]

Eldrick, come on, you're being harsh towards McConnell. Every athlete has to believe they can win, otherwise there's no point stepping onto the track and putting themselves through all that hard training.

I believe Lee has so much physical talent, although she doesnt always have the right mental approach. She's tall with a good stride and good speed. Other than in Gothenberg 06 she runs good relay legs, with especially good ones in Osaka and Birmingham this year.

Maybe if Lee prepared the same way as others she would be running 49's, but as it stands she relies on what god has given her, and good luck to her.

[nevetsllim]

because

a) it's disrespectful to your peers whose achievements/capabilities are far superior to anything you have demonstrated

It's not disrespectful. She's acknowledged Nicola and Christine's achievements by saying: "I know there's only one spot up for grabs. I'd better make sure it's mine."

I've seen many more unrealistic boasts/ambitions from other athletes, such as Kutre Dulecha's, "I feel I will break Paula's marathon record one day."

[eldrick]

Your last 2 words are the only thing you should have written in that post. Everything is as wishful as the dream you are accusing Lee of being stoopid about

eh ?

50.82pb at 29y having "as good a chance of gold as anyone else" ???

utter nonsense

CO was suspended and did not compete until the weekend she traveled to camp which was 2-3 weeks before the first round.

but she immediately put a 50.5 on the board in her warm-up race

that augured well for maybe 50-flat with racing ( 49.6 was not expected this soon ) - clearly, physically, the break had not decayed her skills

Nicola had just left her hurdle campaign and was a shock 50 flat indoors. Not to mention she had shown anything near gold medal style going into Osaka.

regardless - she'd put 50-flat i on the board this year - worth < 49.5 outdoors - if you show the ability, your entitled to it

injury slowed her outdoors, but she still came close to achieving her outdoor target which her indoor run indicated for her - unfortunately for her 49.6 was a coupla tenths slower than what she might have run with unhampered outdoor season

Up until the final of the 400 she was the most decorated female qmiler in the UK with a European medal and Commonwealth medal.

this is a sprint where the times define your quality, not tactical middle distance races where times mean little

if all your bringing to the table is 50.82, whatever medals you win at sub-global level, you ain't a world-beater

Bottomline, they sold her short in 2004 and lied to her about the hurdles. Today she is only 29 and still running at her pr, she can be a factor, she would not be the first to make the dip and not the last.

switching to hurdles was a mistake - she has to live with it

"only" 29y - that's ancient !

bottom line :

she claims to have "as good a chance as anyone for gold"

give me some odds on her winning in bejiing

[eldrick]

Eldrick, come on, you're being harsh towards McConnell. Every athlete has to believe they can win, otherwise there's no point stepping onto the track and putting themselves through all that hard training

ask roger black in '96

he told anyone who asked that silver was his aim ( & he meant it genuinely & not kidology ) & when he got it, it was as good as gold to him

he said that if he'd tried to go out there with aim of chasing gold beforehand , that he woud die in the straight & win nothing ( stating the obvious )

his aim was to beat the rest of the field behind mj & that's how he planned/tried to run the race

it worked & his correct pacing got him his silver

that's known as realistic ambition & planning & it paid off wonderfully

a very smart guy...

[eldrick]

because

a) it's disrespectful to your peers whose achievements/capabilities are far superior to anything you have demonstrated

It's not disrespectful. She's acknowledged Nicola and Christine's achievements by saying: "I know there's only one spot up for grabs. I'd better make sure it's mine."

I've seen many more unrealistic boasts/ambitions from other athletes, such as Kutre Dulecha's, "I feel I will break Paula's marathon record one day."

you see though, that statement is incongruent with her other one of "having as good a chance of gold as anyone" - she doesn't have same chance of gold as those 2

thanks for dulecha's quote : i'll add that to the hall of delusion along with ladejo, lee & doreen campbell ( his classic quote after '04 - "i'll win the 200 in bejiing" )

any other good ones ? :P

[Jon]

thanks for dulecha's quote : i'll add that to the hall of delusion ... any other good ones ? :P

Plenty:
http://mb.trackandfieldnews.com/discuss ... or=eldrick

[EPelle]

What is being misquoted above should really be that Black ran his perfect race -- advice he got from David Jenkins. Black came in second, but felt like a champion because he:d given it his best shot. Black did state that there are two races going on simultaneously in the 400m -- one with Johnson in it, and one with everyone else.

That quote:

“Although I was focused on winning, I was determined that my achievement was not going to be solely defined by me winning the gold medal. In the 400 metres race in 1996 I was up against Michael Johnson, one of the greatest athletes of all time. This could be a demotivating factor if you think that all you’ll be is a loser if you don’t beat him. I redefined for myself what winning is. I came second and got the silver medal, but when I was up on that rostrum I was as happy as I could be. I had achieved my personal best. I knew that I had put in my best and I had achieved. Achieving is not always about winning.”

Hats off to McConnell for making a go of it in the flat. I hope she shuts up the nej-sayers... uh, make that nej-sayer.

[eldrick]

thanks for dulecha's quote : i'll add that to the hall of delusion ... any other good ones ? :P

Plenty:
http://mb.trackandfieldnews.com/discuss ... or=eldrick

yawn

something tells me oliver holt's crown is far from safe...

[Smoke]

weakest eldrick I have ever seen. It is almost not worth replying to you on this thread sans the fact that you will reply as long as I reply. LOL

Lee is fine. 29 is far from ancient. Have you not learned anything in the last 15 years.

[eldrick]

weakest eldrick I have ever seen. It is almost not worth replying to you on this thread sans the fact that you will reply as long as I reply. LOL

Lee is fine. 29 is far from ancient. Have you not learned anything in the last 15 years.

err...

i've been learning for 40y+

i haven't a clue who you are apart from joe public

bustino

the public to help me ?

[tandfman]

Black did state that there are two races going on simultaneously in the 400m -- one with Johnson in it, and one with everyone else.

I wonder if some of today's top 400m guys feel the same way about Wariner.

[Smoke]

weakest eldrick I have ever seen. It is almost not worth replying to you on this thread sans the fact that you will reply as long as I reply. LOL

Lee is fine. 29 is far from ancient. Have you not learned anything in the last 15 years.

err...

i've been learning for 40y+

i haven't a clue who you are apart from joe public

bustino

the public to help me ?

You do not need to know who I am to know I have been following this board for years and I am well versed on your antics and style.

It is cool eldrick, you are obviously right to have an opinion. I just happen to disagree with you. Lee made a good call and it is refreshing to see a Brit talk about winning and not just out there being polite and witty.