The Male side of the 4-day extravaganza known as the USATF Track & Field Championships was marred by several key athletes NOT competing---and in some cases, that means NOT competing at the WC's in London!!
Expected highlights became lowlights when too many elites DNS'ed out of the Team USA selection process!
But one athlete let his FEET perform FEATS that awed the sparse "crowds"---and his name allowed for my little name pun in the title!
Will Claye---in the absence of Christian Taylor (See comment at end!)--sent his feet soaring down the runway and into the sand some 58 feet away---FOUR times!!
Yes, this was the first TJ comp with one athlete having FOUR legal efforts measuring 58 feet or more!!
His longest was 58-9.25, which gave him the USATF Meet Record!
He moves from 6th A-T US to 4th!
And from 15th A-T World to 9th!!
Claye's feats (Heh.) must have inspired the other placers, for they too made moves on A-T lists!
Chris Benard's 57-4.25 moves him from 21st A-T US to 14th!
And Donald Scott's 56-7.25 makes him 19th A-T US!!
The SP was a spectacular duel between 2 of the World's greatest!!
And it came down to the 6th round to play itself out!!
While Ryan Crouser had his first 4 of 5 Puts land between 71-7 and 72-3, Joe Kovacs's best was 71-11+.
Then Kovacs sent the 16 pound orb out to 73-4, challenging the younger Crouser!
And he replied with a massive 74-3.75!!
This gave Crouser the USATF Meet Record.
And broke his own Age 24 Record!
He moves from 6th A-T US, tied with 1 other, to 4th!
And he moves from 10th A-T World, tied with 1 other, to 7th!
Kovacs's mark wasn't a PR, nor was Ryan Whiting's 3rd place 70-8!
But it gives the American's a "massive" presence in London's SP ring!!
Not everything of note happened on the field!
Two races---or I should say two RACERS!--provided memorable moments!
Paul Chelimo decided a slow MoBot pace wasn't for him, so threw in an early lap of 61 in the 5000, opening an instant--and ever-widening lead!
No one followed!
So there you watched Chelimo bust out lap after lap--no rabbits!--and winning in a Meet Record time of 13:08.62!
In the hot 100-plus temps, fast distance times were NOT expected!
But all you need is one athlete who ignores the fear and the drumbeats of the jog & kick crowd!
Thank you, Mr Chelimo, for your courage!
BTW, he got the USATF Meet Record!
Eric Jenkins made up 5 seconds at the end with his 54.06 final 400!
Ryan Hill's 54.76 was also quick, giving him 3rd in 13:16.99.
Evan Jager didn't push the pace in the 3000SC---until 400 to go!
Then--with hurdles and water pit included--he sped a 56.70 to win easily!
Stan Kebenai missed his recent PR by 0.01, but his 8:18.55 took 2nd over Hillary Bor's 8:18.83 and Andy Bayer's 8:18.90!
Sam Kendricks defied the tricky winds to become the World's (and America's) latest 6 meter PV'er!!
Making his first 7 bars on first try, he then passed 19-2.25, and made 19-4.75 on his first!
He'd already won, so he had the bar raised to 19-8.25.
One miss, then the make!!
He moves from 8th A-T US, tied with 1 other, to 4th, tied with 1 other!
And he's now 13th A-T World, tied with 5 others!!
Both Andrew Irwin and Chris Nilsen made 18-10.25, and both made 3 attempts at 19-0.25!
Devin King reached 18-8.25!
A lot was expected from Fred Kerley, America's new 400 sensation!
While Gil Roberts ran 44.63 in the heats (and Teen King Ty Cooper moved to the Semi's with a 45.45!), it was the Semi's that saw Kerley strut his stuff.
His 44.11 looked VERY easy!
But it was Roberts who most surprised with his 44.33 PR!
He missed the US list by 0.09 seconds!
Michael Norman PR'ed at 44.60, while the ubiquitous Cooper ran just 46.12 in 15th!!
In the final, Kerley ran 44.03--a slight disappointment to those thinking 43.5 or faster!
But it was enough to hold off Roberts, who ran even faster here--a 44.22--making him 18th A-T US!!
And what about that Wil London??!!
Not only does he have the perfect name for such a quest, but his massive PR of 44.47 does indeed send London--to London!!
He's just 19 years old--and suddenly he's a 44 second guy!!
Brysom Nellum's 44.50 nipped Tony McQuay's 44.51 for Bronze!
Michael's Cherry & Norman were next--in 44.67 and 44.80!
Let's take the rest by event group!
The field events first!
Alex Young opened the festivities with a HT of 241-11, missing the US list by 2 feet!
Rudy Winkler finished only 4th with 234-4, while Vet Kibwe Johnson was back in 6th with 229-11.
I'd say Pawel Fajdek can rest easy!!
The Decathlon was one of those events that maybe belonged in an amusement park's haunted house--where you waited for trap door's to open & for scary monsters to jump out!
That was what it was like watching Trey Hardee!!
While he DID finish the event--he said himself that he did so blowing through smoke & mirrors--and using duct tape!
His 8225 winning score was NOT impressive!!
Neither were the efforts of Zack Ziemek (8155) or Devon Williams (8131).
Blame it on the weather, or whatever, but PLEASE, ASHTON, come on back!!
Mason Finley topped a weak DT field with his winning 206-9.
Riley Dolezel threw the Javelin out 268-3 to defeat Cy Hostetler's 261.6.
Erik Kynard couldn't top 7-5.25 in the HJ, taking 3rd behind the pair of 7-6.50's of Bryan McBride and Ricky Robertson!
Jeron Robinson also cleared 7-5.25!
The LJ was marred by big winds, making a bunch of 27-plus jumps not legal!
Jarrion Lawson's 27-10.75 went the farthest, but his best legal effort was 27-1.75.
Marquis Dendy's 26-10 was good, but he had a windy 27-6.50.
The real shock was 3rd placer Demarcus Simpson--from the Oregon Ducks team!!
He blasted a windy 27-5.25!!
He had NO legal marks!
(I'm not sure if windy marks count for WC Qualifying! I don't think they do, so that might mean Jeff Henderson will go to London---unless Simpson gets a legal Q by July 21st!!)
Henderson was 5th with a 27-2 leap!
But his mark stands as the best ever for 5th Place!!
The other distance events were of the average type!
After a first 2000 run (??) slower than the Women (!!), and a first 5000 reached in 15:00, Hassan Mead & Co finally started lengthening their strides!
A 14:01 brought Mead home in front with a 10K time of 29:01.44!
Shadrack Kipchirchir was close, running 29:01.68.
Len Korir was 3rd.
Galen Rupp didn't have IT---or enough of it!!--and finished a disheartened 5th!
Sam Chelanga, who led the slow parade for awhile, was 7th!
Chris Derrick tried to breakaway with 800 to go, but suffered for it, fading to 8th!
Erik Sowinski and Clay Murphy led the Semi's of the 800 with 1:45's.
But then Murphy DNS'ed the final, claiming a slight injury!
In his absence, Donavan Brazier won in 1:44.14!
Isaiah Harris used his 600 creds to take 2nd in 1:44.53, while crowd darling Drew Windle somewhat shocked in 3rd with his 1:44.95 PR!
The 1500 was your classic sit & kick farce, allowing Robby Andrews to sprint a 52.53 final lap to out-kick the kicker--Matthew Centrowitz--who sped a 53.11.
John Gregorek took just 52.36 to get 3rd.
The 1500 times?
Don't matter!!
BTW, Drew Hunter was 11th, Ben Blankenship was 12th, while Murphy finished 13th---before his 800 DNS!
Emmanuel Korvera and Nick Christie made the 20000 Walk interesting by going back and forth into the lead.
Korvera finally prevailed, Walking 1:26:43, a PR, to defeat Christie's 1:26:49.
Super Vet John Nunn came on fast at the end, but it was too little too late!!
The Sprints!
Bleh!
Christian Coleman opened with a heat time of 9.93, the wind a mild 0.2 in his favor!
Isaiah Young ran 9.97, but in a separate heat, had a breeze of 1.5.
It was the Semi's where the wind turned against them!
Despite a -1.4, Coleman sped 10.02!
Justin Gatlin battled a 1.6, yet sprinted 10.04!
Ronnie Baker shocked some by failing to make the cut!
But the final had "just" a wind of -0.7, allowing the 35 year old Gatlin to claim the Age 35 Record, and a victory-- in 9.95, with Coleman finishing in 9.98.
Chris Belcher was 3rd in 10.06.
Mike Rodgers ended 6th with a 10.17!
Aries Merritt isn't letting a little "niggle"--like a kidney transplant!--stop him from re-claiming his status as the King of the Timber Toppers--aka the 110H!
In the heats--against a wind of 1.9--Merritt sped a 13.41.
Grant Holloway impressed in 3rd with his 13.59.
The Semi's saw Merritt defy an anti-wind of 1.7, speeding to a 13.33, with Holloway 4th in 13.55.
Super Vet David Oliver made the final, but was just 5th in 13.58!
Jason Richardson, however, didn't Q--ending 11th in 13.74!
The final had Merritt lose--although "losing" here doesn't really matter that much!
Aleec Harris had to battle a 1.7 to win in 13.24 over Merritt's 13.31, and Devon Allen's 13.34.
The young Holloway was 4th in 13.39!
Oliver was 5th in 13.51.
The 400H was a bleak shadow of America's 20th Century dominance in the event!
Michael Tinsley failed to make the final, ending 8th!
Bershawn Jackson, however, did make it, but only after an apparent DQ was reversed!
Kerron Clement led the Semi's with his 48.61.
In that final, Eric Futch's 48.18 was enough to defeat Michael Stigler's 48.26.
TJ Holmes's 48.44 left Byron Robinson's 48.50 off Team USA's London roster!
Clement was 7th, while Batman was 8th and last in a piddly 49.51.
It was in the 200 where my post's title comes into play!
Not starting the heats were such names as Justin Gatlin, Fred Kerley, Michael Norman, and Tyrese Cooper!
The latter trio weren't really expected to make it to London---at least not in the Half Lap!
But why did Gatlin DNS??
Did he intend to do just the Century in London all along?
If so, why take up a lane space?
The semi's saw Coleman fight a HUGE 2.9 wind, but still speed a 20.18!!
Don't ask me what that's worth with no wind, but I'm guessing WELL under 20 flat!!
Isaiah Young had "just" a 2.1 wind in his face, but won his Semi in 20.28.
The BIG news was Noah Lyles not taking his assigned lane--a DNS!!
He claimed a small injury--but his incredible running--and his Social Media braggadocio led many to believe America's Future in sprinting had arrived!
As for Tyson Gay, despite a 14th place 21.37, he said he's NOT retiring!!
Not yet!
(He did have a good excuse--the premature death of his 15 year old daughter last year!!)
The final was anticlimactic, with Ameer Webb taking Gold with his 20.09, despite a negative 2.1 wind!
Coleman was 2nd in 20.10.
In 3rd came another little shocker---in the name of 22 year old Houston Junior Elijah Hall-Thompson, who ran 20.21.
OK.
I can understand the injury claims of some of the star athletes, such as Lyles!
But what about Christian Taylor??
Here's the gig.
Being one of America's "wild cards"--meaning he goes to London by just "competing" in Sacramento--Taylor stepped up for his first much-anticipated attack on Jonathan Edwards's 60-0.25 WR!
The crowd watched--and waited.
He started his sprint--then ran past the plasticine & into the sand--like a little boy with his pail & shovel romping on the beach!!
Maybe his steps were off.
But when he then PASSED his next 2 tries--the fans watching understood what had happened.
One of America's--and the World's!!--greatest athletes acted like some two-bit street artist pretending to have talent!!
What's going on here?
Professional athletes--especially those at the very TOP of their game!!--should ACT like Professionals!!
Under no obligation, they should WANT to be "Puttin' on the Ritz"---as they say on Broadway!!
And many---most!---do!!
They "work" the crowd--eliciting the loudest cheers (and rhythmic hand claps!)--inspiring them to ever-greater efforts!!
They sign autographs, pose for selfies, talk to the media---even in defeat, if that's the case!!
But Taylor basically led his fans on--like bitchy lovers sometimes do!!
Who cares about the people watching?
Who cares about BEING the Professional they ARE!!
Enough.
I'll have my Women's USATF report up in a few hours!!
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