Tokyo 2020: Athletics Thread

yerwanthere123

Think this deserves a thread of it's own!

Very excited for this, hopefully we'll see some terrific races. What are ye looking forward to most? For me I love all distances from 800m up to the marathon. Wouldn't have much of an interest personally in the field or sprint events, but I'll be keeping an eye on them all the same.

Here's a list of every athlete entered in every event which I'll be printing off to try and keep track of everything.

The Olympics website also have this start list package for Friday which is incredibly handy, some amount of information in it. I've been critical of the Olympics website previously but to be fair to them their athletics section seems pretty bang on, definitely one to bookmark!

In terms of previews, Let's Run have already started releasing their daily articles, starting yesterday with the Women's 5k and Men's 10k. Worth a read, even if they always fish for an American angle they're still pretty comprehensive. Track and Field News have also released their event top ten predictions also, starting with the women's side today.

Let's hope for a good games!

HeidiHeidi

I'm not into athletics normally, but during the likes of the Olympics I'll get sucked into absolutely anything, so marking this thread for a follow!

Dave1711

Here as an expert critic with my couch to 5k badges.

ultrawoman

Can't wait!

Useful link below to AI website with the schedule for Irish athletes competing each day from Friday, and local times for each event:

https://www.athleticsireland.ie/news/toyko-olympics-athletics-preview/?fbclid=IwAR0w37mZmM_LfY9MtiHc94qdymg18zbBnbpI_fvix-NtQHkpx6nzYCrq2oM

Cosmo Kramer

From an Irish perspective I hope people who only follow athletics at the Olympics will appreciate that, while we have sent a large athletes team this time around, almost all are well down the rankings in their event and in many cases, have done well just to qualify.

A couple of finals is the best we could hope for here, we have no realistic medal chances in athletics barring something weird happening relating to Covid with large numbers of other competitors having to withdraw.

Really looking forward to following them all the same and it should be a really interesting week in general also outside of the Irish interest.

average_runner

Looking forward to the following:

Womens 200, Mens 200

Mens and womens 1500

Womens 800, Mu is something special.

For the first time that i can remember the men's 100 is not the main event!!

deisedude

Very disappointing to see Sam Kendricks out of the pole vault with COVID. He would have been a contender for Gold

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117677821#Comment_117677821

How was the entire Australian team caught up in it as well? All but two of them are now released from needing to isolate.

You shouldn't be mixing with another team right now, and you probably shouldn't be having your entire team in the same place at the same time either. It sucks for the people taking part in this Olympics missing out on the village atmosphere and seeing other events which they would get otherwise, but some simple precautions can prevent your entire team being booted out.

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676663#Comment_117676663

Yes. Agree with this. Our best chance of reaching the Olympic final is Thomas Barr in the men’s 400m hurdles. Having said that, the event is ultra competitive and he may need to set a new national record just to make top 8.

I also have a good feeling about Ciara Mageean in the women’s 1500m. She seems to be rounding into form at the right time and has the experience of negotiating rounds in global championships. It also helps that several ‘sure thing’ finalists including Gudaf Tsegay and Shelby Houlihan will not be competing in the 1500m for various reasons. If Ciara can get into the final, you never know what might happen. Top 6 isn’t out of the question.

My gut tells me that Sarah Healy might also surprise a few people in the 1500m. I feel like she is ready to drop a few seconds from her PB. In my opinion, she should be targeting the semi-finals. I’d love for Mark English to do well in the men’s 800m, but can’t see him progressing beyond the heats. Hope that he proves me wrong.

yerwanthere123

Ciara hasn't been in any kind of form since last Summer and hasn't come remotely close to her own PB this year, so on current form I'd be deeply shocked if she makes the final or indeed challenges for top 6.

Thomas Barr is probably our best shot at making a final but likely won't be anywhere near the medals. I wouldn't rule out Sarah Healy making the semi's in the 1500.

Nadia Power is in a tough heat of a very tough event, will struggle to get out of the heats imo.

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117678279#Comment_117678279

Ciara Mageean ran 4:02:48 finishing fifth in Monaco on July 9th. That’s only two seconds outside her PB. I’m sure she is timing her peak for Tokyo. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her nail a sub-4 there. Most crucially in Monaco, she beat athletes like Esther Guerrero from Spain and Cory McGee / Heather McLean from the US who will be knocking on the door of the final. I feel like you’re underestimating her.

Agree on Nadia Power. She hasn’t a hope. Sarah Healy is far more likely to do some damage in the 1500m.

paddythere

What time is the mens 10,000m final on at anybody? (Irish time)

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117678362#Comment_117678362

12.30pm Friday our time.

Dubh Geannain

Events I'm looking forward to -

Women's 100m, 400m H and marathon. Then the Women's 800m and 1,500m due to Irish interests.

Men's 200m, 400 mH, 800m, 1,500m, 5k and marathon.

Green jersey on but then substitute it for a European jersey when it suits. Will be cheering particularly for Jakob, Katir, Kerr and Muir. And Warholm(if Barr doesn't get through).

Outside of Europe I like McSweyn too and would really enjoy seeing one of the American rookies do something amazing like Cole Hocker in 1500 or Isaiah Jewett in the 800. Seeing Mu on the Olympic stage I think could be one of the standouts of the T&F. Then there's the unpredictable entity of Joseph Fanbulleh in the men's 200. He's an American athlete (I think) but representing Liberia. He has an almost unmatched top end speed but his start kills him every time so still very raw at 19 years old.

jamule

Can't wait for it to get started, won't sleep for a weejlk.

Barr should have just enough to get to the final, Mcgeehan too,she should be spot on with v little hard racing. Healy could step up and show us all that she is going to be the athlete we hoped she'd be 3/4yrs ago.

There's an Irish woman that I won't mention that I think might suprise us all, she seems to be the forgotton one and she likes it that way, had a big Q a good while now , been quietly pottering away getting the hay in the barn , ready for the big day ,

I hope the rest put in decent pb ish performances, but can't see any get too far.

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117678327#Comment_117678327

Are you the poster who last year was trying to convince me that Ciara could medal at World/Olympic level? Don't feel I'm underestimating her at all, just going by her results. She had a great Summer last year but her form then fell off a cliff, and then exacerbated by the death of Jerry Kiernan.

Yes Monaco was a step forward, but I'll need a bit more evidence to determine if she's back to her best and in any kind of PB form. I personally don't think she's in PB shape and the SF's is her ceiling here, but hopefully I'm totally wrong and you're right.

Nadia Power is in a very tough heat, which she's unlikely to get out of, but I actually think Cléirigh-Buttner has a shot.

What.Now

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676663#Comment_117676663

Can we sticky this post please.

yerwanthere123

Already a faller in the first heat!

Easy peasy stuff for Girma there, Miura looked fantastic in second place though. And a national record to boot, can't say I've ever taken any notice of him before.

Bedrani way back in 8:20, that's surely him out now. Something of a shock.

yerwanthere123

Wow, Bett and Bor both out of steeplechase! Entirely their own fault, left it all far too late and got out kicked by unheralded opposition. Fair play for Raitanen and Phelut for seizing their chances.

yerwanthere123

Nadia way off in 7th place unfortunately, but was always going to be a tough ask. She might be disappointed to be so far off her PB though.

Defending world champion Nakaayi could be out in 4th place, has to wait and see.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117681090#Comment_117681090

Our three 800m runners were pretty poor it has to be said (but having said that, expectations would have been very low so it's cool).

I think Shanahan was the best of the three given her youth and inexperience.

yerwanthere123

Nice easy qualification for Barr.

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117681100#Comment_117681100

Yeah. Disappointing performances in the 800m. No point in sugar coating it.

Thomas Barr looked solid. Unfortunately, he has drawn an absolute stinker of a semi final. He’s in the same race as Karsten Warholm, Rai Benjamin, and Yasmani Copello. Hopefully, he can latch on to them and get dragged into the final via a small q.

Incredibly fast times in the women’s 100m first round. The Jamaicans looked imperious; the Americans much less so. From a European perspective, Alja Del Ponte from Switzerland looked good running a new national record of 10:91. Alexandra Burghardt from Germany also looks to be in good form.

YFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117678362#Comment_117678362

12:30

Christy42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676663#Comment_117676663

4 golds or the team isn't let back into the country.

Seriously though I think a lot of people don't see just how many people they beat to get there. Since most don't see qualifying competitions (and to be fair there is a lot of them across all sports so I doubt any but an enthusiastic journalist has seen them all) they just see how they perform vs the very, very best instead of the normal international field where they did well and qualified.

robinph

Grrr.

Womens 5k heats going on at the moment, but only choices on the BBC site are football or rugby 7s because the only deal available to any broadcasters is to have a max of 2 live streams or we have to pay for a Discovery subscription. Hopefully they put the athletics on after the football has finished.

The TV/ online coverage during London 2012 spoiled us.

jamule

McColgan wat d fook, out the back and dying on her arse.she got a bad bump possilbly spiked.

ultrawoman

So sad for Eilish😓

yerwanthere123

That's a shock for McColgan, she was a lock for the final.

Krusty_Clown

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117682142#Comment_117682142

Gosh - we're really spoilt for choice, with RTE 2 showing the Athletics, BBC and Eurosport 1 and 2. You should move back. 😁

Hassan looking very strong, and is definitely going to make it a great final. I'm sorry for McColgan, but it looked like after a bit of pushing and jostling in the pack, she lost her concentration. Hopefully not injured. She still has the 10,000, right?

yerwanthere123

This mixed relay is such a strange event. I like it though!

Ireland finished 4th there, hopefully enough to get into the final with a fastest loser spot.

Krusty_Clown

Whoop! Ireland upgraded to 3rd and Q, after USA disqualification.

ultrawoman

US disqualified! Ireland in the final😃

jamule

wow. i wouldn't be suprised to see the mericans to be reinstated.

Eilish looked like she gave up and saved herself for 10k.

jamule

domincan rep out now too.

Neeson

Eilish had her period a few years ago before a race. Could be the same issue today.

YFlyer

Are those four our strongest athletes? How about the other two?

Strazdas

They've qualified for an Olympic final....fantastic stuff. Went through as the sixth fastest after the two DQs.

yerwanthere123

Medals here should be between Kiplimo, Cheptegei, Kejelcha, Barega, Kipruto and Ahmed.

My prediction to be laughed at later?

1. Kiplimo
2. Kejelcha
3. Barega

Cheptegei hasn't quite been at the races this year so that's why I'm choosing him to miss out. Hope it's a good race!

28064212

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117682397#Comment_117682397

Would have qualified even without the DQs. Germany and Spain are the two who got in after the DQs

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117682512#Comment_117682512

Ireland have bagged a decent lane though. GB got the inside lane for the final despite a faster time because they were a fastest looser (or whatever they call it these days).

yerwanthere123

Wow, nothing for Kejelcha.

Dubh Geannain

Wow. Great race. Some strength from Barega to hold off both Kiplimo and Cheptegei who were bearing down on him.

robinph

Doing the extra lap carrying your flag afterwards seems a bit pointless for these Olympics. Fine warm down lap for the 10k guys, can't see the hammer and shot winners bothering with the effort though.

Dubh Geannain

Might get taken down for copyright but it's here for the moment. 4x400 heat. Not a great highlights compilation IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvAIgWNw45g

Dubh Geannain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117683267#Comment_117683267

Actually terrible. I'll leave it there though as a lesson to me not to post sh1te.

opus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117682289#Comment_117682289

I'd never seen a mixed relay before, thought it was excellent & what a result for Ireland!

Ross Tucker's take on the 10,000m, read now that Kissa was supposed to act as a pace make for the other two Ugandans.

https://twitter.com/Scienceofsport/status/1421075750183133185

Christy42

Checking the times on the mixed relay it seems we had the fastest men in the heats. I am sure with substitutions and going at full pace a few teams can beat our men but it is still good going.

It also seems like both the DR and USA are back in the final since the issues were due to official errors but we still take a lucky loser spot.

Lamar Davis

yeah Dr and USA back in but we still in the final.

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117683371#Comment_117683371

Yep, apparently he was supposed to go out in 26:40 pace, which was never going to happen in the conditions.

Hope the heat/humidity won't be this bad all week, I want to see some fast times!

yerwanthere123

A faller and a couple of disqualifications, but the big hitters all untroubled in the Women's 400m hurdles heats. McLaughlin and Bol in particular looked fantastic, just strolling over the line.