Run-Down Forums

Dan · Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2002 5:44 pm Post subject: final 3 meets

Let's see, here's what we've got remaining on the schedule...

Memorial Van Damme - 8/30
http://www.memorialvandamme.be/
We'll be blessed with a women's high jump and men's 200, but we'll lose several other events in the trade off...

Istaf Berlin - 9/6
http://www.istaf.de/
Looks to be the sparsest schedule yet... None of the rarely contested events will be there. Sad

Rieti Grand Prix - 9/8
http://www.rietimeeting.com/
Officially the worst meet site of the year. Still has nothing up for 2002 that I can see, and I don't see any links to view the site in English.

Dan

Conway · Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2002 9:55 pm Post subject:

Brussels should be interesting ... One of the few 200s on the circuit and last lyear was JJ Johnson's 19.88 breakthrough ... If I was a 200 runner I'd be trying real hard to get into this meet !!!!!!!

Conway

Dan · Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2002 9:59 pm Post subject:

I'd be begging for lane 9. Wink

Dan

Conway · Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2002 1:01 pm Post subject:

That is THE lane for this meet ... Most definitely ... am waiting to see who ends up entered in the meet ... Didn't see anything on the site yet ... Curious as to who in general is going ot attend ... Especially after the high marks in Zurich ... Gonna be hard for some folks to come back and live up to their previous exploits ...But I do expect to see big things from:

Ana Guevara - she has become my top female on the season ... I haven't seen anyone do what she has done in the 400 for a very long time ... She is nearing all time top ten status in the event - and that is no mean feat .....

Gail Devers - Undefeated season is gone as is a share of the gold ... She is onw running for pride, which for some is more important ...

Mo Greene - speaking of pride, hasn't had this many defeats in a season in some time ... Looked lethargic in Zurich ... and this loss was not any loss as the winner of the race was Tim MOntgomery ... I look for Mo to rebound strongly ... This will be the deepest race of the year as I think Mo goes mid tolow 9.8x and carries a whole group sub 10 ...

Wilson Kipketer - another very proud athlete ... I htink we see 1:42 as our winner with a slew under 1:44 ... I think Krummenaker PRs while running near the front ..

Zhanna P-Block - This is supposed to be the second meeting of she and Marion Jones ... I think this is Zhanna's year, and I see her knocking off Marion even if the margin is slim ...

Conway

Paul · Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2002 1:18 pm Post subject:

I don't see anyone knocking off Guevara for her chunk of the gold. If P-Block defeats Jones, then its down to three people sharing the pot.

Paul

Conway · Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 9:35 am Post subject:

Right now Guevara is my choice for top female athlete ... And I think Marion goes down next (see Sprint forum for details) Wink

Conway

Dan · Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2002 5:59 am Post subject:

Entry lists are up for tomorrow's Van Damme meet:

http://www.memorialvandamme.be/Particip.htm

Looks like a dismal prospect for me, with only Marion in the 100 and Michelle Collins in the 400...

Interesting that Marion and Zhanna are scheduled for a duel in both the 100 and the 200.

Dan

Conway · Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2002 8:24 am Post subject:

Another interesting meet shaping up ... I don't think that we'll see Zhanna AND Marion in the 200 ... Matter of fact I would think the odds are we don't see either one ... I don't see Zhanna running at all .. If she loses the 100 again she will consider herself sub par ... And if she wins it she won't want to risk loss .. And I don't see Marion running the 200 if she loses the 100 ...

Men's 100 looking anticlimatic to me ... No Chambers so that dampens the competition ... Should be a bounce back race for Mo, just ot save face at this point ... HE will have the eye of the tiger I am sure ... MLF makes it interesting ...

Now the men's 200 will beinteresting if for no other reason it hasn't been run much and we don't have a clear cut leader in the event ... Note that Kenteris continues to be a no show (and I have words for that later) ..

Where has Nicole Teter gone ???? Just a question ..

Look for another fast 1500 for the men ... The race is loaded ... Actually all of the men's distances look to be fairly loaded ...

Conway

Dan · Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2002 8:50 am Post subject:

Could we possibly see some old school ducking? Marion in the 100 and Zhanna in the 200...

Teter seemd to have had a plantar fasciitis flare-up toward the end of the first half of the season and hasn't been heard from much since. Don't know if that's the reason, or the only reason, though.

Dan

Conway · Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2002 9:03 am Post subject:

Zhanna and Marion are both under contract to run the 100 ... So no ducking there ... No such luck in the 200 ...

I know Teter had some minor Plantar problems reported before the break ... But that was well over a month ago now Sad

Conway

Paul · Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2002 9:46 am Post subject:

Plantar fasciitis is a tough one. I've had my problems in that area, first one foot, then the other. It basically forced Kenah into retirement. I still haven't heard if Kennedy has fully recovered, or not. It's possible Teter wouldn't be able to break 2 right now.

Conway, I wouldn't abandon Zhanna too quickly. Even though I was on Marion's side last week, I'm not patting myself on the back, yet. I consider weather conditions to be such a factor in England that I look at Marion's victory in that light, first.

Paul

Conway · Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2002 10:46 am Post subject:

Oh I haven't given up on Zhanna ... Just know the mind of sprinters ... A double loss to Marion would make her re-evaluate where she is ... That may mean leaving the track for the rest of the day given the 200 is not her primary event ...

Personally I think Zhanna is the one woman, right now, capable of dethroning Marion ... She has the tools ... And seemingly the mind set ... And in sprinting mind set might be the most important element in high level competition ...

Drugs aside, Ben began to believe he could beat Carl ... THAT is where the victories began ... He then began to doubt himself when he had to come back - and therein began the loses ... I know this is in retrospect (but is how I generally think) but I would have kept giving him shots or pills or whatever - just for the mental stability ... HE still had the explosive start without the "juice" but you could see in his eyes that he was looking for others to come up on him as he "felt" he no longer had the strength/edge ... Take away that mental doubt and you still would have had one dangerous sprinter ... Not 9.97 perhaps, but 9.90 would have still placed him as the top dog !!!

Somemthing happened to Zhanna mentally last week that caused that poor performance ... I have heard from good sources that there was a lot of games playing 48 hours before the race ... Marion apparently asked for Zhanna's lane ... Negotiations went on ... Marion threatened to pull out ... Zhanna gave in and Marion got the lane ... Then ... Marion asked to change lanes again - this time ot reverse the side of Zhanna that she was on ... Again negotiations ... Again Zhanna gave in as Marion threatened to withdraw ...

Two things here ... One, I think Zhanna succumed to the pressure of the goings on OFF the track ... Two, tells me Marion takes her as a serious rival (although that is NOT waht she says on camera) if she feels she needs to work mind games to try ot get an edge !!!

Conway

Dan · Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2002 11:13 am Post subject:

I hope that's not the way things played out... I don't mind athletes trying to get a mental edge -- that's all part of the game -- but lobbying with off the track issues seems to much like Carl Lewis and the infamous 4x100 squabble at the Atlanta Olympics.

Dan

Paul · Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2002 1:07 pm Post subject:

Don't forget that the meet is being televised tomorrow night on ESPN2.

Conway · Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2002 1:19 pm Post subject:

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