The following are a series of thoughts & opinions I have just before the "meat" of the 2019 OUTdoor season comes into focus!
NOTE--The following was posted earlier! Since then, I've learned that Semenya is on the start list for today's Doha 800--as are Wambui and Niyonsaba!! Why? Did I misunderstand the details of the ruling? Let's Run and others believe Semenya has been banned from running the 400, 800, or the 1500/Mile!! So why are they entered?? Confusion!
Amd none is more important---or thrills me more--than the CAS decision to uphold the IAAF's decision regarding Caster Semenya!!
And yes, I am extremely proud to say I was YEARS ahead of them on this!!
As readers of my blog know, I have ignored anything done by Semenya, Margaret Wambui, and Francine Niyonsaba these past 5 years of my blog's existence!!
Briefly, here's what's what--
The 3 named had, and have, higher than normal levels of testosterone, thus enabling them to perform more like men than the average woman!
I saw something on Twitter recently that said the average testosterone count in a woman is 0.67! The average for a man is 15 & change!!
The IAAF said that 5.00 would be a good cut-off point for Semenya & Co!
But even that is too high!!
(That's almost eight times the average!!)
So what happens now?
Semenya (and hopefully the other two!) are now banned from WOMEN's races in the 400, 800, and 1500/Mile!!
However, that does not prevent them from running longer distances!
In fact, Semenya recently beat the great Dominique Scott-Erfurd in a 5000 race!!
But I go even farther!!
I want them banned from the SPORT, period!!
They've ruined it enough!!
ALL of their marks---from their very first as teens, to their most recent, should be ERASED from the books!!
ALL honors won--whether Awards, Medals, Points, or any monetary winnings, must be confiscated!
These should be immediately redistributed to the deserving REAL winners!!
And done so in public--such as at Diamond Leagie meets, the World Championships in Doha, or at Tokyo's Olympic Games!!
Act NOW, IAAF and Lord Sebastan Coe!!
Thank you for indulging me this self-congratulations!!
Now for some other meanderings!!
What's up with the schedule??
Everything's been thrown akilter because of the lateness of the WC's this year!!
But it's not really THAT late!!
After all, we're talking an extra 3 weeks, not three months!!
As a former athlete (though FAR from elite!!), I believe several peaks can be had in a season, not just one or two!!
Look at what Ron Clarke (and others of that era!) did--raced practically every week throughout the year, and raced FAST!!
Field eventers also performed regularly at top levels!!
But the powers-that-be think otherwise!!
Thus the Pre DL being held a month later, as will be the USATF/WC Trials!!
The NCAA and NBN, I believe, remain at the same place on the schedule!
What about the other DL's, especially the ones normally held after June??
And what about those spaces between meets??
What will fill them, if anything??
Here's hoping the busy European schedule of smaller meets (Heusden-Zolder, Morton Games, etc) remains busy!
And in the US??
The TrackTown Summer Series?
Some JDL meets?
Even some All-Comers meets??
In a previous post, I spoke of their being some "new" names popping up!!
Portius Warren with a 61 foot SP!
Matthew Boling and Tony Martin with fast sprints and lengthy Long Jumps!
Then there's Payton Otterdahl!
He actually first emerged INdoors--getting that season's Collegiate Record in the SP!
Now he's a star OUTdoors as well!
Chloe Cunliffe first cleared 14-0 OUTdoors in 2018!
But she added 9 inches to that this past INdoors, and 8 inches so far this OUTdoors season!!
Janee Kassanavoid added close to 15 feet this year in the HT!!
Then there's the other side of the fence--the ones who were stars of the past--even this past INdoor season---who have yet to do anything OUTdoors so far!!
Is Raven Saunders healthy again?
She had some personal problems that caused her to leave Ole Miss suddenly!
Nothing from her, even on Twitter!
And what about Katelyn Tuohy and Athing Mu?
It's been almost two months since the NBIN, where we last heard from them!!
Sydney McLaughlin has run some VERY speedy 400 Relay legs, but no open races!
We're all waiting for her to open up with a 49 one lapper, or a 52 one lapper with hurdles!!
She's NOT in tomorrow's 400H at the Doha DL!!
And when will Taylor Ewert do her announced first 20K Walk?
BTW, I told her on Twitter I thought she could Walk 1:35 there, and she "liked" my tweet!!
Does that mean she agrees?
When will Anna Hall do her first OUTdoor Heptathlon this year??
And will she score 6000 points!
Where is INdoor star Morgan Smalls?
Then there's the old standby puzzle--WILL Mary Cain return to elite racing--EVER??
What about Mo Farah??
Now SIR Mo, he seems to have devoted himself to the Marathon, and the Half!
Has he been successful?
With Sir Mo, you need to define "successful"!
He won numerous Gold medals at the WC and OG!
But his best track time came NOT in the 5000 or 10000, but in the 1500!!
He's barely broken one hour in the Half, when his potential indicates something maybe a minute faster!
He kept on a 2:03 & change pace at last week's London Marathon, but faded to 2:05:39!!
He's now 36!
And he's hinted of a possible return to the track for 2020!!
Speaking of distance runners, what's wrong with American Men in the distances!!
We've always had great sprinters, hurdlers, and some field event stars!
But it's been awhile since we've had a multitude of fast 5K & 10K men!!
Galen Rupp and Chris Solinsky are the only two to run sub-27 in the track 10K!
Not many more have gone sub-13 in the track 5K!
Except for the Kenyan transplants on the US Army team, are there any native born Americans with that kind of distance potential??
Rupp is just now recovering from injury!
Ben True and Ryan Hill haven't progressed recently!
Evan Jager is stilll in the Steeple, but has yet to break 8 minutes!
The fastest 1500 and Mile guys are in the 3:35 and 3:55 range!
Where is Matthew Centrowitz??
Will anyone new emerge in today's Payton Jordan meet??
The Arcadia meet prides itself on the number of Boys who break 9:00 in the 3200 every year!!
But what happens to THEM??
Also on the distance front, I saw a photo of Shalane Flanagan's bandaged legs and knees post-surgery!
Looks like a late in the year return--if then!!
Will she be healthy in time for the Olympic Trials Marathon??
Finally, as my loyal readers know, I'm not the biggest fan of the DL system--mainly because of the limited number of events they have every meet!!
So what events would I include, if I had to be selective, to have in EVERY meet??
I'd have the 100 and 400, as they are "classic" distances!!
Same with the Mile!
I'd have a "long" race every meet--either a Two Mile, a 5000, or a 10K!!
Another distance race ALWAYS on my schedule would be the 3000SC!!
Both Hurdles races--the 110/100H and the 400H!
The LJ and PV!!
The SP, DT, but also either the JT or HT!!
Still not perfect, but better than what the average DL includes!!
OK, folks, enough of these meanderings for now!!
See you soon!!
Regarding Semenya running this week, a post on the T&FN forum explained this by saying that the ban doesn't kick in until next week. Unfortunate.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the three women in question should be banned from the sport, but should certainly be banned from women's events. They should be allowed to compete in the men's division if they wish -- though their times would not qualify them for any major meets.
I agree that all of their results should be expunged, with the consequences you stated.
Semenya, it has now been revealed, is XY, has testes, and very high testosterone -- in the male range. He is a biological male, not a female, and not intersex. He, Semenya, is the basically the same configuration as, say, Ryan Crouser. Having Semenya run in women's events is like having Crouser compete in the women's shot put!
I know you've been crowing about being so far ahead on the issue of the high-testosterone so-called "women", but actually many people, including myself, took the same stance years before you even appeared on the message boards, and before your blog began. So you may have been fairly early, at best, in calling this, but many came before you calling for the same thing.