Sam said:So I wonder if Greene is going to get that "GOAT" tattoo removed?
Perhaps he'll get a new one on his back (a monkey) and name it "Carl." Pretty
clear now that Mo is never going to replace Carl as the greatest sprinter of
all time, which is what Mo wants.
Quoted message said:
Also, I heard that he attributed his not winning because of a poor lane
draw. If I am not mistaken the 4 inside lanes go to the 4 fastest
qualifiers (a random draw among those 4) and the rest get the other 4. So
Mo, why did you not run faster in the semis?
Easier said than done, Sam. Mo hasn't actually been the same since he set the
WR (since broken by Tim). Apparently, Mo tore or damaged some tendons in one
leg during his WR race. He fell to #8 in the world in 2003. This year, John
Smith changed Mo's start to put less pressure on the leg. Most sprinters will
experiment with different block settings only early in training, but Mo has
still been doing this in the Olympics--something which, I suspect, has never
been seen before. My sense is either: (a) He's still getting used to a new
start position; or, most likely, (b) He doesn't like the results. It rather
looks like he will never get back to where he once was.
Quoted message said:Besides, it is 100m on a straightaway. Now I am not the most knowledgeable
person about the sprints, but does it make that much difference? Didn't Tim
Montgomery win a race earlier this year out of Lane 1? Perhaps someone more
sprint oriented can enlighten me.
Sprint racing is really about relaxation. You have to concentrate on your
race. If you turn to check someone else, you get slower (you lose). You can
really only tell the position of someone right next to you without throwing
your race in the toilet. If you know that you can dominate a field--or you're
just interested in your time--you can run fast out of an outside lane. If Mo
looked over toward Powell, it could have cost him a position or two.
There is another issue, though. More than one, actually. Note that it wasn't
just Mo who had a disappointing final. Powell and Crawford also disappointed.
The officials just handled this poorly, period. Greene was #3 in his semi heat
with the #3 time of the 8 finalists, so he should NOT have been in lane #1; He
should have been in 2 or 7. Also, Greene's semi was more competitive and
neither he nor Powell had the opportunity to shut down early to save energy.
Because of this, the 2 (only) hour delay from semi to final probably affected
medals. Mo actually got a medal, but in my opinion, both Powell and Crawford
got screwed by the officials.
It seems to me that 3 gymnastics judges shouldn't be the only officials that
get fired for their performance.
However, I just think Mo cannot accept
Quoted message said:that 2 guys ran faster than him (although it has been happening all year
long).
Mo did run the second fastest all-conditions of all time this year, but his two
best races happened to have an illegal wind. But the real thing is that he
isn't getting out of the blocks fast enough to run sub 9.90 when it counts.
Quoted message said:Now, on the 4x100 where it should be between the US and Jamaica. Don't drop
the stick boys!
And don't run out of the zone. On paper, it shouldn't be a contest.
Lyndon
"Speed Kills...It kills those that don't have it!" --US Olympic Track Coach
Brooks Johnson
