World Men's POY thinking

[Fielding Melish]

2:02:57 - not just a world record, but a significant barrier breaker as well

[gh]

Doesn't hold a candle to Lavillenie's mark for me.

[Flumpy]

6.16 all the way.

Not even close.

Even is one of the HJ'ers had done 2.46 Lavilinie would still have the POY easily.

[mump boy]

Agreed

It was so out of the blue, it's like some own breaking 43.18 or 46.78

[gm]

I disagree. A HJ WR would have been a no-brainer POY for me. The pole vault has that damn pole involved as a not-so-innocent third party, and I have no idea how much pole technology has improved since Bubka's previous WR.

Plus, Barshimenko are just awesome to watch fly

[gh]

If it were the technology, you'd think people would be rewriting records up and down the line, but they're not. And there's also the matter of smaller pegs now making it harder.

Here's the best-ever mark-for-place chart:

1. 6.15i 20-2¼ Sergey Bubka (Ukraine) Donets’k 93
2. 6.00i 19-8¼ Radion Gataullin (Russia) Liévin 93
(A) Okkert Brits (South Africa) Sestriere 95
Maksim Tarasov (Russia) GPF 97
Jeff Hartwig (US) Athens 99
3. 5.95 19-6¼ Dmitri Markov (Australia) Athens 99
Hartwig Monaco 99
4. 5.95 19-6¼ Tim Lobinger (Germany) Athens 99
5. 5.86 19-2¾ Pyotr Bochkaryov (Russia) OG 96
6. 5.86 19-2¾ Markov (Belarus) OG 96
7. 5.81 19-¾ Aleksandr Averbukh (Israel) WC 07
8. 5.81 19-¾ Lobinger WC 07
9. 5.76 18-10¾ Steve Hooker (Australia) WC 07
10. 5.76 18-10¾ Fábio da Silva (Brazil) WC 07
11. 5.76 18-10¾ Maksym Mazuryk (Ukraine) WC 07
12-13. 5.70 18-8¼ Giuseppe Gibilisco (Italy) OGq 04
Lobinger OGq 04

Does that look like an event where there has been a recent technical revolution?

[ATK]

There is no men's POY thinking.

Lavillenie wins by default.

[Dave]

It didn't happen, but how would the vote have gone with someone jumping 2.46 along with Lavillenie's 6.16? Two venerable world records that hadn't been seriously approached since they were set.

[Bill S]

How much lower does everyone think the men's marathon record should be? Clearly, two back-to-back 1:01:30 half marathons just doesn't cut it with some. Heck, there must be 20 guys back home in Iten that can knock that out.

[gm]

I gotta confess a deep-set disdain for the pole vault, so that may have some effect on my thoughts about a HJ WR vs. Lavillenie's mark.

[gh]

It didn't happen, but how would the vote have gone with someone jumping 2.46 along with Lavillenie's 6.16? Two venerable world records that hadn't been seriously approached since they were set.

I'd go w/ Lavillenie because of the change in the PV standards.

[bobguild76]

I loved watching the 2:02:57, but 6.16 wins it. Taking down a 21 yr old record, that no one had come within 3 1/2" of, is phenomenal. Now, if Bekele or Kipchoge drops a 2:02:30 at Chicago . . . it will be a bit more difficult, but I would still lean toward the 6.16.

[Powell]

2:02:57 - not just a world record, but a significant barrier breaker as well

2:03 is a significant barrier??? The marathon record has been improving by a minute every 3-4 years in recent times, so it really isn't that big a deal to see another full-minute barrier getting broken.

Either way, the record still isn't an outstanding one. 5 other men have run withing 1% of Kimetto's mark, 33 within 2%. That's more than in any other running event. Contrast that with Paula Radcliffe, who is still more than 2% faster than the second fastest woman ever.

[aaronk]

Well, here I go again, going against the grain of thinking like T&FN does.

I look at INdoor T&F as completely different and apart from OUTdoor T&F.

Thus, Lavillenie's 6.16 gets the INdoor POY (and the AOY!!).

But OUTdoor POY?
That goes (so far) to the 2:02:57.

[LopenUupunut]

I know many here don't care much about the walks, but I'd take 3:32:33 over 2:02:57 any day. 2:02:57 was awesome; 3:32:33 was a "did that really just happen?" moment.