Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

[conto]

Who wants to make a friendly wager that Mo wins the century in Athens? And that he breaks the WR as well?

Along those lines, might as well go with the shortest and longest event...

Who else wants to make a fiendly wager that Gebreselassie beats Bekele for gold in the 10k and that Geb goes on to break the world record at some point?

I don't understand why people don't like Mo. He is one of the friendliest guys on the track and he appreciates both sprints and distance... unlike Michael Johnson who was a real ass when I met him and who thinks distance running has little place in a track meet.

Mo always cheers on the distance runners, is familiar with all the International distance studs, is always smiling and signing autographs, etc. I met him at the Armory while he was practicing before Millrose and he joked around with us and hung out with us for a while... as did several of the Kenyan athletes (Rotich and a few others... this was a few years ago). Maurice actually knew who Rotich was and we all joked around quite a bit. Mo is a great guy and a phenomenal athletes. Until he says he is retired I will never doubt his abilities.

M

[Rob]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

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[Jon]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

>I don't understand why people don't like Mo.




It's not that people don't like him; it's just that many people (myself included) feel that he is past his best. When I met him, he was very nice and took time out to sign an autograph (followed by Ato and Inger).

If we're making wagers re: Mo's chances in Athens, what are the odds on him actually making the olympic team in the first place...?

[az2]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

I agree with those saying Mo and Geb are have had great careers, and BOTH a bit past their primes.

This friendly wage idea, I'm in for 2 million kopeks, or 30 pizzas to the charity of out choice.

[Jon]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

Although I agree that Geb is still a bit past his best, he can still hang in there with the best of them (unlike Mo). Geb ran his 2nd-fastest ever race last year (also 3rd fastest run of all-time) and it was a full 20 seconds faster than Bekele's time. Geb has got every real chance of taking a gold in Athens, but a lot of this will depend on what event(s) Bekele will choose to do.

[az2]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

Geb is another year older, and the big key is whether he has his withering kick...

Bekele has a ton of room to improve.

10K in Athens will be a war....

does Geb have too many miles in him for one more great race...

[gh]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

At this point, I too would bet--if I were a betting man--that Mo doesn't make it out of the OT. (Because of injury, not lack of speed.)

If he does make it to Greece, then I'd be tempted to put down some money on him as the winner. As we saw on the Circuit last year, there's no one dominant force at this point, with just about every race becoming a coin-flip. Recall from our World Rankings commentary that no 100 guy won even half of his races in '03. That's astonishing parity.

[az2]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

I fully agree the OT in Sacramento 100 meter final could be a better race than the Olympic final 100...

Capel, Gaitlin and Montgomery would be my selections currently...not sure of the order though

Between now and August, I think some 100 meter guy will emerge as a favorite..

Mix in the drug furor, and you never quite know for sure what the 100 meter list of contestents will be...

[gh]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

Oh yeah, and the part about Mo breaking the WR? I'll take a huge chunk of action against that, even if he's the Olympic champion.

[marknhj]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

If Mo makes it out of the trials and is uninjured I'd put some $$$ on him, remember, he did run 9.94 last year. The 100m season should prove to be fascinating. Is Tim running indoors?

[kuha]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

I agree with most of the above. Mo will have a tough time making the US team; but, if he does, he's got a reasonable chance to win the Olympic final, due mainly to the (apparent) lackluster competition. I think that Geb has a very good chance to win the 10,000. I wouldn't be surprised if the Ethiopian federation "assigns" Bekele to the 5000 only, for starters. If Geb is in 26:29-ish shape, I think it's unlikely that anyone else could beat him.

[conto]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

I personally believe Monty is over-rated. I know, its kind of silly to say that about the world record holder, but the guy had the most perfect conditions ever. Good competition. Flawless start. Perfect wind. I would be interested in seeing what Mo's 9.79 would have been with a 2.0 tail wind. I think many forget that Mo has had the top 3 times in the world every year for years now. He is not done, and if he has lost 15 or so pounds as TnF News wrote in their latest issue, I believe he will be back. In my opinion, his added weight the last 2 seasons held him way back and were the cause to his injuries. 10-15 pounds lighter will equate to less injuries this year and less weight to fly down the straight. Mo will be there.

[misterp]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

I agree with these sentiments completely. A couple years ago, at the Mt. Sac Friday evening "distance carnival," which is not well-attended, I was amazed to see M. Greene sitting with two friends in the bleachers, watching with evident interest the college kids run a medley relay. I walked over and said hi, and he gave me a big grin, shook my hand, and at my request turned around and gave a wave and smile to my wife as well. The strutting persona you see on the track is not at all the way he is in person.

I also agree that his best years may be behind him. But it's way too early to predict the top three OT 100m men. If he trains as hard and stays healthy, he should be able to run the mid- to low 9.9s. Why won't that be good enough?

Quiz: who's more likely to make the team. Greene or T. Montgomery?



I don't understand why people don't like Mo.
>He is one of the friendliest guys on the track and he appreciates both sprints
>and distance... unlike Michael Johnson who was a real ass when I met him and
>who thinks distance running has little place in a track meet.

Mo always
>cheers on the distance runners, is familiar with all the International
>distance studs, is always smiling and signing autographs, etc. I met him at
>the Armory while he was practicing before Millrose and he joked around with us
>and hung out with us for a while... as did several of the Kenyan athletes
>(Rotich and a few others... this was a few years ago). Maurice actually knew
>who Rotich was and we all joked around quite a bit. Mo is a great guy and a
>phenomenal athletes. Until he says he is retired I will never doubt his
>abilities.

M

[trackhead]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

I disagree that Geb's best years are behind him. He ran 8:04 for the indoor 2 mile, was WIC 3000m, and ran sub27 three times including the 3rd fastest 10000m ever. He's in top shape. It's just that Bekele is so good.

[kuha]

Re: Mo in the 100/Geb in the 10k in Athens

A brief addendum here: Maurice Greene is, from everything I've seen, one of the sport's very best ambassadors. I've seen him at many international meets and he's just great with the crowds, signs autographs for kids, etc. And for the poster above re: Montgomery, it's clear that TM is the "luckiest" WR holder in ages. He hit absolutely perfect conditions that night in Paris and edged the standing WR by the smallest of legal margins. Sadly, this success seems to have completely unhinged him. By comparison, Greene at his prime was a paragon of consistency and confidence.