Lolo At Drake

[guru]

Why in the world would Lolo Jones run with a hamstring issue in cold, wet weather? Especially hurdles :?

Let's hope her minor injury is not now a major one.

[jazzcyclist]

Re: Lolo At Drake

Why in the world would Lolo Jones run with a hamstring issue in cold, wet weather? Especially hurdles :?

Let's hope her minor injury is not now a major one.

Because, unlike Asafa Powell, she cares about her fans and really wanted to put on a show for them. Some may say that she cares too much, but that's who she is.

[gh]

Cuz she's such a good, caring human being who would have been consumed with guilt had she "let down" all the good folks who came to see her? (that said seriously in case somebody thinks I was being a wiseass)

[TrackDaddy]

1. She went to h.s. in Des Moines and probably had a lot of fans there.

2. She may have had some type of contractual obligation?

I hope she's okay too.

[Smoke]

All true but does not make it a good move. Should have announced her injury and glad handed the meet. Face time is not track time but it would have still worked well. We should have seen her on TV with a mic and talking to the fans. However, these are the decisions coaches and athletes face all the time, and it is not always easy to decide.
I am just glad people see past the athlete and understand the person.

[nmzoo]

Unfortunately, in my experience, once you hurt a hamstring it is never completely the same again. It may not be as bad as it looked, but it can't be good.

[jazzcyclist]

Cuz she's such a good, caring human being who would have been consumed with guilt had she "let down" all the good folks who came to see her? (that said seriously in case somebody thinks I was being a wiseass)

Exactly! Like Pre, Lolo is one of those rare athletes who feels a moral obligation to give the fans their money's worth.

[Gleason]

Cuz she's such a good, caring human being who would have been consumed with guilt had she "let down" all the good folks who came to see her? (that said seriously in case somebody thinks I was being a wiseass)

I agree, but why did she NOT wear tights as Amy Acuff did? In 1960 I began running on a hs team in Dallas. One of the top hs 440 guys in the U.S. (Jim Langham 48.4, Jefferson HS, Dallas) ran in tights on cold evenings, so it seems to be a good idea.

[Marlow]

Unfortunately, in my experience, once you hurt a hamstring it is never completely the same again.

I submit you had a minority experience. I, and many of my athletes, have had hamstring tears so bad the back of our legs turned purple and came back as strong and fast as ever.

[guru]

Unfortunately, in my experience, once you hurt a hamstring it is never completely the same again.

I submit you had a minority experience. I, and many of my athletes, have had hamstring tears so bad the back of our legs turned purple and came back as strong and fast as ever.

As with real estate, the key is location, location, location. In the belly of the muscle? Ok. Behind the knee? Not so good. High up near the glutes? May God have mercy on your soul.

Hers looked to be more of the first variety, though she noted the on-site medical staff thought it was a "minor" tear. More in-depth exams will come when she gets home I'm sure.

[bad hammy]

Behind the knee? Not so good.

I can confirm that one . . . :cry:

[DentyCracker]

I would have preferred her not run it is not worth messing up Berlin for anything else. Sorry, but that's my take. I am a fan but I see the big picture.

[jazzcyclist]

I would have preferred her not run it is not worth messing up Berlin for anything else. Sorry, but that's my take. I am a fan but I see the big picture.

But Lolo is the type of person that would have spent a lot of time second-guessing herself if she had chosen not to run in light of the red carpet treatment that Des Moines gave her this week. Similarly, if she had chosen to run conservatively in Beijing, the thought of not getting the Olympic record would have forever haunted her. Hence, the Pre comparison, because there was never any chance of Pre running for a podium position and not the gold medal in the 1972 5000 final.

[gh]

[.... there was never any chance of Pre running for a podium position and not the gold medal in the 1972 5000 final.

Say what?

Pre was the consensus favorite in T&FN's Olympic Preview.

And lest you think that was a parochial pick, here were the medal choices of the three European of the six members of the panel:

Roberto Quercetani of Italy: Pre, Jipcho, Viren
Mel Watman of England: Stewart, Pre, McCafferty
Jan Popper of Czechoslovakia: Bedford, Pre, Yifter

(U.S.: Bert Nelson had it Pre-Viren-Stewart, Cordner Nelson Pre-Viren-Puttemans and Dick Drake Viren-Stewart-Prefontaine)

Note that Pre was also the only guy to get podium mention from all 6 panelists.

[guru]

But Lolo is the type of person that would have spent a lot of time second-guessing herself if she had chosen not to run in light of the red carpet treatment that Des Moines gave her this week. Similarly, if she had chosen to run conservatively in Beijing, the thought of not getting the Olympic record would have forever haunted her.

How, exactly, do you run "conservatively" in the 100m Hurdles? :?

And I doubt very seriously if she had won gold, and missed out on any records in the process, she would have been "haunted" by that.

Look, there is a big difference between a chance event like what happened in Beijing, and running on a bad leg in cold, wet conditions in April. I appreciate that she is a quality person trying to make her hometown fans happy, but at some point you have to weigh the risks and benefits. It is, after all, your livelihood.

To compare the results of her decision here to what happened in her Beijing final is, with all due respect, ridiculous.