Bows & Boos Blast London's 1st 2 Days

Did all of this REALLY happen only in the first 2 days of the World Championships in London?
Yes, it did!
And that made me decide to begin my Results postings a day earlier than planned!
AND to change the format a bit I'd used in previous such reportage!
Instead of going along chronologically, I'm going with "headline style"!
(But ALL of it will still be covered!!)

Usain Bolt---Excuse me, USAIN BOLT----lost!
He lost to two Americans, one of whom received boos, not bows, with every step he took!
This entire sequence of events was so laden with 20 levels of meaning, it left this fan breathless, speechless, and in tears!!
Where do I even begin?

Where it began, obviously!
(Although some would say it began when Usain Bolt was still a teenage phenom, and Justin Gatlin was a talented sprinter at the University of Tennessee!!)

The Men's 100 Heats were relatively slow, the fastest being Julian Forte's 9.99 winner.
Bingtian Su took one of the heats in 10.03.
Abdul Sani Brown took one.
Gatlin took 2nd in another with 10.05.
Christian Coleman--a more current Tennessee Vol--ran 10.01 to win his!
Bolt?
His 10.07 in Heat 6 was the slowest of them all!!

The next day, when Gatlin was introduced, and came jogging through the tunnel onto the track, he was lustily booed!!
These were loud, extended, and viciously cruel!!
The target of this abhorrent display just coolly got his blocks and everything in order, readying for his Semi's start!
And he took 2nd to Akani Simbine, 10.09 to Simbine's 10.05!
(Many said the colder temps were to blame for the slower times!)
Semi 2 went to Bolt's Jamaican teammate, Yohan Blake, time of 10.04.

The 3rd Semi was the fastest, and may have been the hint of what was to follow in the final!
Coleman got his normal lightning start, while Bolt had his usual slow start, only to come on fiercely at the end, but his 9.98 wasn't enough to top Coleman's 9.97!
At the tape, , they each did a playful stare-down, livening the discussion (and maybe the betting odds!).

Out of the Final were CJ Ujah, James Dasaolu, and Chris Belcher!

The last event of the August 5th program--scheduled as such for dramatic effect?--was the Men's Final of the 100 meters!!
Again, even BEFORE they could see him (!!), the loud hateful (I mean HATEful!!) boos were heard--in the stadium, on TV, by many millions of people throughout the World!!

When Bolt was introduced, the exact opposite!
Never-ending raucous cheers, laughter, and love--all poured onto the fun-seeking Sprint Master----while Bolt did his usual schtick--but maybe with a little extra pizzazz and panache!
This was THE showdown--Good (Some would say GOD!!) vs Evil, the Sheriff against the Cattle Rustler, Captain Ahab vs Moby Dick!!

The crowd (The MOB, in this case!!) quieted.
The athletes knelt into their starting blocks.
The gun sounded.

Coleman used his INdoor 60 talents to their max, blazing out of the blocks into an immediate noticeable lead--Bolt's height leaving him with his usual gap to cover!
Further outside, in lane 8, Gatlin also started well, somewhere between his 2 main rivals!
Coleman had a clear lead, but Bolt was hitting "lightning Bolt overdrive", and the race was on!!
The two--the Veteran--and the Rookie Pro--were giving fans what they wanted!

Meanwhile, Gatlin too was going into 5th gear, silently moving up!
Near the line, it appeared a photo finish was inevitable, but Gatlin's end-speed was enough to set him squarely into Gold position!
Coleman and Bolt both dipped, each seeking proof that one of THEM won!!
They didn't see the REAL winner!!

Gatlin's 9.92 broke his own Age 35 record!
Coleman was given 9.94, while Bolt got 9.95, and the Bronze medal!!
Blake took 4th with his 9.99!
Simbine was 5th in 10.01, with Jimmy Vicaut 6th in 10.08.
A mostly unknown Brit--who had run his Heat in a PR of 10.03--Reece Prescod--took 7th in 10.17, with China's Su last in 10.27.

Gatlin knelt on the track before the standing Bolt, then rose and embraced him, this genuinely respectful display a wonder to behold!
Two Warriors, a mighty fight on the track--two HUMANS being themselves!!

Speaking of the Beast in us, what Almaz Ayana did in the last 5000 of her victorious 10K race left viewers agog!!
In 1993, Wang Junxia had run the first 5K of her 10K in 15:05!!
Not quite as snail-paced as the Women here did--their pathetic first 5000 timed in 15:51--and then only because Ayana finally took the reins after the first 8 or 9 laps!!
Junxia finished that 29:31.78 World Record run with a blazing final half of 14:26!!
The actual 5000 WR at that time was Jiang Bo's 14:28.09!!
Thus, Junxia "broke" the WR for 5K AFTER having already run a 15:05!!
After 4000 in 13:02 (K's of 3:30, 3:18, 3:11 & 3:03!!), Ayana blasted a 2:49 kilometer!
She then added a 2:51!
That 5:40 for 2K was the pace that would lead to--if extended!--a "WR" over 5000 of 14:10!!
Was this to be Junxia Redux, 24 years later??

No.
But her 7th K split was still fast--a 2:53!
She was already lapping runners, and no one was going with her--Tirunesh Dibaba, Agnes Tirop, and Alice Aprot the tagging group, now about 200 meters back!!
The 3 Americans--Molly Huddle, Emily's Infeld & Sisson--were back some, with Huddle "leading" in 11th, and the Em's in the 20's, but slowly moving up!

While Ayana slowed more--to 2:55, then 2:56--thus ending her "WR" run--the other medals were being battled for, with Tiru finally showing some "Destroyer-mode" speed!
At 9000, the 3 Americans were now 9th through 11th!!
While the cameras were on Ayana's amazing run--her final K was 2:50!--Infeld won the American race, ending 6th, while Huddle finished 8th, with Sisson in 9th!

Ayana's splits were 15:51 and 14:25 (total time of 30:16.32).
Yes, I said 14:25!!
(Actually FASTER than Junxia's, but well off the current WR of 14:11.15!)
Dibaba's splits were 16:00 & 15:02, her 31:02.69 taking Silver over Tirop's 31:03.50!
Aprot "faded" to a 2:59 last K, her 31:11.86 taking 4th!
Susan Krumins, who PR'ed recently at 5K in 14:53 (See an earlier post!), PR'ed here too in 31:20.24!

Infeld's 31:20.45 was next, splits of 16:08 and 15:12!!
This moves her from 14th A-T US to 12th!!

Huddle's time was 31:24.78, while Sisson missed her PR by 0.72 seconds with her 31:26.36!
Yasmin Can, one of the favorites, was 11th in 31:35.48!

Mo Farah ran an "honest" race this time--forced to do so by the "team" efforts of the Kenyans!
But their 61 second laps were followed by 65's or 66's, thus spoiling their strategy!
As I've said before, the only way to REALLY force Farah to have to WORK for his medal in a 10K is to sacrifice your own race, run the first 5000 in 13:10 to 13:15, and see if Mo takes the bait!!
And don't let up--until you can't go any farther!!

Alas, the first 5K was reached in 13:33, with Farah doing his usual "caboose" act, his time being 13:36.
But it was fast enough to make Farah go into "locomotive" mode a bit early!
When he reached the front, Paul Tanui and Josh Jeptegai, as well as Bedan Muchiri, were still "passing the baton" of Race Pacer, giving Mo not one, but 3 "Stop Mo!'s" to battle!!
At one point, he briefly tripped over the curb to the infield, but not enough for any DQ protest!

With a lap to go, Mo began his MoBot kick, with Cheptegai also sprinting alongside him!
It wasn't until the last 200 that Mo looked "Golden".
His 26:49.51 lifted the crowd's decibel count to ear-splitting levels (as they seemingly were from the gun!!).
Cheptegai ended in 26:49.94, with Tanui 3rd in 26:50.60!
Cheptegai missed my World DDD by just 0.04 seconds!!

For Mo, it gave him the Age 34 record, making him the oldest person to break 26:50!!
Tanui got the Age 26 record!!

Muchiri was 4th in 26:52.12, with 3 others (Jemel Yimir, Geoff Kamworor, and Abadi Hadis) ending under 27 minutes!
Mo Ahmed got the National Record of Canada with hiis 8th place time of 27:02.35!
Shadrack Kipchirchir's 27:07.55 in 9th moved him from 15th A-T US to 3rd!!
Also, he becomes 5th on my US Combined Events list for the 5K & 10K, his 13:18.52 and 27:07.55 adding to 40:26.07!
Aron Kifle's 27:09.92 became the best 11th Place mark!
Abraham Cheroben's 27:11.08 is the new best 12th Place record!
It's also the new National Record of Bahrain!!

Len Korir ended in 13th, time of 27:20.18, making him 6th A-T US!!
He makes two of my US C-E lists!
His 13:15.45 & 27:20.18 adds to 40:35.63, making him 8th.
Add a 7:51.41 3000 to the above, and his total time of 48:27.04 makes him 10th on that list!!
In 15th, Hassan Mead's 27:32.49 gave him a small elevator ride.
He began as 17th A-T US, but with Kipchirchir & Korir ahead of him, fell a bit, but then returned to 17th!!

There were other shocks--both good and bad ones!!

The Women's PV Qualifying saw the beginning and the end of Jenn Suhr's medal quest!
Waiting until 4.60 (15-1) to open (The opening height was 4.20, or 14-3.25!), she missed her 1st pair, then failed to even Vault on her 3rd, stoically walking off the pads as an NH!!
Sandi Morris was perfect at her 3 bars to easily Q!
Not so successful was Emily Grove, who went out at the lowest height!
Also out of the Final were Silke Spiegelburg, Tina Sutej, Lisa Gunnarsson, and Russian Anzhelika Sidorova!
Holly Bradshaw pleased the home crowd, and the ever-smiling (but recently hobbled!) Eliza McCartney also made the Big Show!
As for Rio Gold winner Ekaterina Stefanidi, all it took was one MASSIVE clearance at 4.60 to move her to tomorrow's final!!

The Women's 1500 Heats and Semi's saw no really significant non-Q's--although some would beg to differ about Sheila Reid and Linden Hall not making it through!

Genzebe Dibaba (Of course!!) took the 1st Heat in 4:02.67.
That "unnamed" South African was next, with Winny Chebet taking the "real" 2nd!
Jessica Judd, who had played rabbit through 1200, Q'ed for the Semi's with her PR of 4:03.73!
Kate Grace's 4:04.76 moved her forward!

The 2nd Heat was the slowest, with Sifan Hassan's 4:08.89 edging Jenny Simpson's 4:08.92!
Laura Muir was close in 4th, with 4:08.97.
Faith Kipyegon won the 3rd Heat in 4:03.09, with Meraf Bahta running 4:03.23 in 2nd.
The "rabbit" here was Konstanze Klosterhalfen, but she faded to 6th in 4:03.60.
Also moving on was Real Estate Mom Sara Vaughn, who PR'ed in 4:04.56!!

The Semi's sent home Judd, Grace, KK, and Vaughn!!
Kipyegon & Muir led the SA rep in the first race, times in the 4:03's!
G-D had to rely on a slow 2nd Semi to make it through on time, as her 4:05.33 gave her only 6th!!
Hassan won Semi Two in 4:03.77, with Jenny Simpson running 4:05.40, but getting the big Q!
KK 's rabbiting saw her fade to a non-Q 8th, while Vaughn ran a respectable 4:06.83 in a non-Q 10th!

This post is LONGGG already, but I want to give you the rest of the results--minus the Heptathlon';s 1st day, which I'll save for my next report, so as to give you the FULL event's story!!
Thank you for staying with me!!

DT Qualifying for the Men saw Americans Rodney Brown and Andrew Evans failing to move on!
Also a non-Q was Phil Milanov!!
Daniel Stahl's 221-11 led the 12 finalists.
Also up front were Robert Harting, Piotr Malachowski, and Mason Finley of the United States, showing some consistency this year!!

On the "bad shock" side were the non-Q's of LJ'ers Jeff Henderson and Marquis Dendy, two of the podium favorites!!
Radek Juska's 27-0.50 led the Q gang, with Luvo Manyonga jumping 26-7.75, and Jarrion Lawson becoming the sole American for the final with his 26-5 leap!
Also out was Tyrone Smith (aka Sandi Morris's "bae"!!) of the Bahamas!!
He finished in the saddest of places--13th!!

Men's SP Qualifying went pretty much by the book, with the only significant non-Q being Jamaica's O'Dayne Richards!
Tom Walsh led the way with his near-PR of 72-7.75!!

The Women's Hammer Throw Q round went to Malwina Kopron's 245-9.
Anita Wlodarczyk lobbed her's out 244-9 to easily Q.
But DeAnna Price was the ONLY American to move on, thanks to her 238-9!
Gwen Berry and Maggie Ewen both were non-Q's!!

The fastest Men's 400 Heat was Isaac Makwala's 44.55 in Heat 5.
Fred Kerley took Heat 1 in 44.92, while WR holder Wayde Van Niekerk took # 2 in 45.27, which turned out to be the slowest Heat winner!!
Baboloki Thebe won Number Three in 44.82, with Steven Gardiner taking Heat 4 in 44.75.
LaShawn Merritt's 45.00 finished 2nd to Makwala, with HS sensation (Until August 31st, for HSR purposes!!) Jamal Walton running within 0.06 of his 44.99 PR behind Merritt!!
Nathon Allen took Heat 6 in 44.91, edging Gil Roberts's 44.92!
Liguelin Santos was the only "name" to not Qualify for the Semi's!!

The Women's TJ Q'ing also was predictable.
Caterine Ibarguen eased forward with 46-7.50, but behind Olga Rypakova's 47-9.75 leader, and Yulimar Rojas's 47-7.75, and Susana Costas's PR of 47-1.
In that pitiful place--13th!!--came a shocker!!
American Tori Franklin--picked by NO ONE to be a "serious" contender---even for a Finalist position!!--hit a PR of 46-0.50!!
It makes her 17th A-T US--a small consolation prize!!
(Would even Keturah Orji have made it through---as her 2017 wasn't her best??)

The Women's 100 Heats saw only young Khalifa St Fort fail to move to the Semi's!
German Gina Luckenkemper--having a consistent 2017--ran 10.95, a PR, to take Heat one over Murielle Ahoure's 11.04.
Elaine Thompson won Heat 2 in 11.05, the same time being Tori Bowie's Heat 3 winner!!
Marie Josee Ta Lou ran 11.00 to defeat Dafne Schippers's 11.08 in the next Heat, while Rosangela Santos of Brazil took the last Heat in 11.04!

The Men's 800 Heats went to---
Kipyegon Bett in 1:45.76
Thijmin Kupers in 1:45.53
Ferguson Rotich's 1:45.77
Emmanuel Korir's 1:47.08
(BTW, it's been announced on Twitter that he's going---or HAS gone--Pro, but will remain at UTEP to train!!)
Nijel Amos's 1:47.10--the slowest Heat!
and Donavan Brazier's 1:45.65!
The mystery of Mo Aman's health status seems to be cleared up, as his 1:45.81 finished right behind Brazier!!
Amel Tuka and Andres Arroyo were the main non-Q's!!

Two Finals to report, so hang in there!!

In Round Two of the Men's DT Final, Mason Finley (who had opened with a PR of 220-0!!), blasted one out to 223-2 to briefly LEAD the field!!
(He was 1st in the throwing order!!)
But then Lithuania's Andrius Gudzius's throw hit the ground at 69.21, or 227-0!
Daniel Stahl ALSO nailed it at 227-0, although his metric measure was 69.19, thus losing Silver by 2 centimeters, but with the same English measure!!

A shocker (Though maybe not so much, after the Q round!!) found Mason Finley's mark giving him Bronze!!
His 1st Round toss of 220-0 had moved him from 24th A-T US, tied with 1 other, to 22nd!!
The 2nd PR saw him move from 22nd A-T US up to 18th!!

Favorites Fedric Dacres finished 4th with his 215-11, while Piotr Malachowski's 214-0 gave him 5th!
Thirty-two year old Robert Harting was 6th, while 38 year old Gerd Kanter ended 12th--or last!!

Finally (!!), the Men's LJ--after the shocks of losing Mr's Henderson & Dendy in the Q round!--saw expected winner Luvo Manyonga winning, his 27-10 coming in the 2nd round!
Jarrion Lawson took Silver with his 27-8.75 in Round 6!
But Lawson had FOUR jumps longer than Manyonga's 2nd best!!
Rushwal Samaal's 6th round leap of 27-3.75 took Bronze, while Russia's Alexandr Menkov took 4th with his 27-1.75!!
Menkov also fouled his other FIVE efforts!!
Fabrice LaPierre was 11th!!

See you POSSIBLY as early as tomorrow night with the Heptathlon results, as well as ALL the other stuff from Day Three!!