Tokyo Olympic Games of 2021

 I'm sure you noticed the year I gave to these Games in my title!
Because they're taking place in 2021, why the fuck would you say they're the 2020 Games?
My first rant!

Second would be that these Games are even taking place, with the host nation being under Covid emergency status!
With no fans in the stands.
With their being held in late July and early August--instead of a couple of months later, as the 1964 Tokyo Games were!

So it's not shocking that the best US Pole Vaulter is out of the Games after a positive Covid test!
Or that Simone Biles (the star gymnast, in case you didn't know!) messed up her routine, and blamed it on mental stress--aka the "twisties"--then dropped out of the rest of her events!

Or that the Village beds are made of cardboard, because the organizers wanted athletes to be celibate, so told them having sex on those "beds" would break them!

But I'm here to talk about the Track & Field section of the Olympics--due to begin in just a few hours!
I'm going to run through the events, suggesting which OG Records might be broken--which athletes or match-ups to watch for--and any other trivia I know of!

The Women's 100 MR of 10.62 may go!
The Jamaican duo of SAFP and ET-H should go 1-2.
The Men's MR of 9.63 is safe!

The 19.30 and 21.34 MR's in the 200's are safe!
Gabby Thomas hasn't raced since her 21.61, so has yet to prove herself!
I think Dina Asher-Smith is Gabby's strongest opponent, despite Shaunae Miller-Uibo!
Is Noah Lyles ready to dominate, and what about Erriyon Knighton?

Both 400's are wide open, with the 43.03 Men's MR inviolable, but the 48.25 for the Women fearing SMU's attack!

Take it with 1000 grains of salt--or take it to the bank--Athing Mu will take the Gold, and will threaten the World Record!
Thus the MR of 1:53.50 has a fair chance to fall!
Rudisha's 1:40.91 will last until at least 2024!

Tim Cheruiyot might lead from the gun--and if he does, will Cole Hocker follow?
Can Hocker go sub-3:30--if Cheruiyot does?
For the Women, will Elle Purrier St Pierre make people forget the loss of Houlihan's AR speed?
Will she be buried beneath the brilliance of Sifan Hassan and Faith Kipyegon??
The MR's of 3:53.96 and 3:32.07 can both fall!

Can Hassan win her triple?
Will she even attempt it?
Will Tokyo's weather make the distances tactical?
What kind of shape is Karissa Schweizer in--14:26, or 15:00?
The Women's 5000 MR of 14:26.17 is more likely to go down than Ayana's 29:17.45!
For the Men, the MR's of 12:57.82 and 27:01.17 SHOULD fall--but tactics is the ever looming monster!

Emma Coburn was enroute for a sub-9 in the 3000SC recently.
If she runs that time here, watch out, Beatrice & Hyvin!!
And where on this map is Frerichs?
If Coburn gets her way, goodbye to the 8:58.81 MR!
For the Men, Soufiane El Bakkali can topple the MR of 8:03.28, and live to brag about it!

The Marathon MR's of 2:06:32 and 2:23:07 CAN fall, but the weather and the course (unknown to me!) will keep that question dangling till near the end!

Same with the Walks!
I don't have all the MR's here, but the 1:25:02 for the Women's 20K is in danger!

The Hurdles race--both the sprint and one lappers--are all standing on the very edge of a 10000 foot (meter?) drop!!
Grant Holloway--barring disaster (and he NEVER has a disastrous race!), will challenge the 12.80 World Record, and make mincemeat of the 12.91 MR!
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn is the best 100H'er this year--no contest.
If she's on point, watch for a sub-12.30.
The MR is 12.35!
The old World Record (& MR!!) in the Men's 400H is the 46.78 Karsten Warholm just broke!
With the match (MASH??) up between him and Rai Benjamin, I'm envisioning a possible sub-46.50 here!!
No shit!!
As for the 52.64 Women's MR (dating from 2008!), that one might go in the SEMIS!!!!
As for Syd the Kid--look at the clock when she crosses the finish--Does it say 51.50??

Yaroslava Mahuchukh (and maybe a recently revived Mariya Lasitskene) will challenge the Meet Record of 6-9!
Can't say the same for the Men topping their MR of 7-10!
Unless Juvaughn Harrison isn't wiped out from a full Collegiate season (plus doubling in the LJ!).
Sad to say Mutaz Barshim may struggle just to medal, let alone win or break records!
One more question for the Women--How high goes Vashti Cunningham??

As noted above, Juvaughn Harrison is ready for 28 (feet!).
But is 28 ready for him?
The Greek Tentoglou is an unknown factor--but whatever you think of him, throw that "8.60" of his into the garbage pail!!
The MR of 29-2.50 is VERY safe!
So is the 24-3.50 for the Women!
Is Tara Davis--like Harrison--still strong after a full Collegiate season?
How many over 23 feet?

Yulimar Rojas!
That's all you need to know about the Women's TJ.
The MR is 50-6--the WR is 50-10.25!
Fifty One feet is NOT far removed from Rojas's wheelhouse!!
She's fast becoming the Blanka Vlasic of the Women's TJ--demonstrative, personable, entertaining, and a GREAT athletic specimen!!
The 59-4.25 MR for the Men is doable, especially with the probable heated duel between Hughes Zango and PPPP--aka Pedro Pablo Pichardo!
Wish Christian Taylor had made the team, and was in prime shape!!

Sam Kendricks's loss (See above!) is the event's loss--and the Tokyo Olympics loss!
What a TRI-match it would've been with Sam, Renaud, and Mondo!
Well, we still have Mondo--who WILL destroy the MR of 19-9.25!!
Will the empty stands kill the inspiration needed for him to break the WR also?
The PV "community" is strong, so I can see all the "losers" cheering him every step of the way!
BTW, Matt Ludwig is Sam's alternate.
He's on his way to Tokyo, and hopefully will make the final!
The Women's PV is fucking LOADED!!
And NO ONE is heavily favored--for the win, or even to medal!
Too many names to mention here, but look for this to be the DEEPEST field event in Tokyo!!
How many over 16 feet??
Even the MR of 16-6.75 could fall if all the stars are in alignment!

Ryan Crouser and the MR of 73-10.75 are like a hungry Godzilla and a plate full of Tokyo--ready to be DEVOURED!!
Remember, he hit 75-2.50 in the Q round at the Trials!
Is 77 feet--or even 78--on the horizen?
Even if Tom Walsh and Joe Kovacs were to match their Doha 2019 marks, Crouser should win Gold easily!
The Women's MR of 73-6.25 (!!) will still be around in 2120!!
But can't wait to see how Saunders and Ramsey contend with a renewed Mama Val!!

I so WISH for Jorinde van Klinken to prove her 230-4 from the spring wasn't all wind and mirrors!
But alas, give this one to Valarie Allman or Queen Perky--aka Sandra Perkovic!
The 237-2 MR is a goodie, but will probably remain on the books!
Daniel Stahl has a MUCH better shot at the Men's MR of 229-3!!
(He recently hit 234 and change--see a previous post!)

The Men's Javelin Throw MR of 297-1 can fall in Qualifying, if Johannes Vetter's entire 2021 season is any indication!!
Give the WR of 323-1 odds of 30-70 to also go down!
The Women's MR is 234-8, dating from 2004!
It's safe!
Will Maggie Malone medal--and will she again break her own American Record?

Oh, those Hammer Throws!!
The Women's MR is held by the WR holder--Anita Wlodarczyk!
Her best this year is about 17 feet removed from the WR, and about 14 feet from the MR of 269-11.
Now we come to the topper--Can the Americans SWEEP??
DeAnna Price and Brooke Andersen are strong contenders for Gold.
And what about Gwen Berry?
The Men's is another of those TRI-matches!
Pawel Fajdek vs Wojciech Nowicki vs Mykayla Kokhan!!
Lay your bets on who you pick to win--but save your pennies when it comes to the 278-3 MR going down!
Won't happen!

The Multis may be one of the least predictable events here!
Is Kevin Mayer ready to hit 9000 again?
Will Maicel Uibo or Damian Warner match or surpass their PR's?
(Warner scored 8995 at Gotzis!)
The MR is "just" 8893--and should go, barring disaster!
Forget the Women's MR--which is JJK's World Record!!
How will the VERY strong US trio do?
Can they repeat--or improve on--their Trials scores??

The Relays (NOT including the mixed relays, which I see as below the stature of the 5 rings of the Olympic Games, and should be ignored!!) are, of course, dependent on a few things--
Who's on the teams?
Will a team be DQ'ed, for whatever reason?
Will the baton still be in hand at the finish line?
That said, the US Women's 4 X 400 might be extremely fascinating--especially if 400H's Syd McLaughlin and Delilah Muhammad are on the team!
And how about Athing Mu??
The MR is the WR, and should stand!
The Men's 4 X 100 teams don't have that "Bolt" factor, so I see a good race, but an "average" time!
The Women are also missing someone--a certain vivacious loquacious and quite colorful marijuana smoker!!
Without "her" (or is it "she/her"?), the MR (& WR) of 40.82 remains on the books!

So all in all, my friends, this Olympics (for T&F fans) CAN/SHOULD/MIGHT be one of the greatest ever!
And whatever year you attach to its name, stay tuned to this blog for all the results, commentary, and critical analysis--stuff you DON'T get from the TV coverage!!

Enjoy, and see you soon!