Anybody following what is going on with USATF Indoor Nationals in the 1500m?  They establish standards.  Start with just one heat.  22 women and 18 men qualify.  Can you imagine fields of those size, in a one-heat final, on a 200m indoor track?

Neither can USATF.

So, for the men at least, they split it into two heats.  Note, not two semis and a final.  No, an exhibition slow heat that does not qualify for Worlds, and a genuine national championship heat.

Worse, there is serious contention about how people are assigned to heats.  The process and reasons are not transparent, and there are serious questions as to why some people with slower times are in the fast heat and some faster people with World qualifier times are in the slow heat with no opportunity to compete for Worlds.

Pre would roll over in his grave, thinking he defeated the corruption in his time only to have it as bad as ever today.  I have no respect for USATF, and this is only the most recent example.  How hard would it be to add a semi round and then a final.  AAU=USATF.

Imaging the flap if the "fast" heat is all slow and tactical, and someone from the "slow" race runs the fasted time of the day.

I read an article that says that they are doing the same with the women, and there are also curiousities as to who is assigned to which heat.

Also, there are several of the 1500 runners also in the 3000. I bet somewhere between 2 and 8 men drop out after the 3000.

I fully agree that they should run a round of heats and a final. Heck, run 3 heats of 8ish runners so there is lots of room to run, take top 2 in each heat plus the 4 fastest times. Run a final 2 days later with 10 people.

-Kelly

Bloody hell, what a cluster fark of a meet.  Someone needs to smack Salazar down a couple rungs, I've now totally lost respect for him.  Between his tantrum at Shumacher and the BS interference call favoring Hasay, unbelievable.  Basically she got a light rub and proptly blew up and was a non-factor anyways, then after 3 appeals (first two denied DQ) to go ahead and DQ the winner for King Salazar even though nothing short of strapping a rocket pack to Hasay would have kept her in the running.

I agree with you that the infraction didnt seem significant enough to me to justify a DQ.

However I really thought Gabe ran recklessly and without any degree of self awareness.  she tried to pass Jordan and others on the rail several times in the 3-4 laps before the bell without enough space to do so.  her clipping jordan was morale hazard at best, and likely worse...and then the way she ran right up literally into shannon 50 meters later was completely inexcusable given rowbury's position.  lucky she hasnt hurt anyone.

that said, while I really dont like the way she raced, I dont think the interference was significant enough to call a DQ, Jordan was basically done, but I could understand a DQ if it were the officials' honest call.  It really couldve gone either way imho.

The thing that stinks though is the whole AlSal tantrum, second appeal, reversal bit.  Does seem like the officials caved to him.  Its insane that this stuff can happen at this level of athletics and in this day and age.  It'll be interesting to see what comes of it when all is said and done.  But Letsrun was surely entertaining today.

Just watched the race. Since I'm not a former competitive guy, i have no idea if it was interference. Hasay definitely lost stride but she looked like she was toast and I know when I'm that tired a fart in the second row could cause me to stumble.

I thought I saw a Simpson name tag in the field but perhaps that was a different person. Agreed that none of that crew was going to get a Dibaba time and that was this year from the pre race header. So good luck to the two going to Worlds on chasing her.

I read a couple of LetsRun articles and aside for their dislike of AlSal in their writings, it does seem very odd that the field judges didn't think it was a foul, the initial higher review didn't think it was a foul and the initial 3 judge panel didn't think it was a foul. But then they come back and rule a foul. The articles indicated that the Nike people were all over the tent and that the other side did not have the same access. If that's true, that brings the US racing governing body into disrepute and slimes the sport in our country. Third world crap. I'm sure more will come out but right now this smells like a five day old fish.

And someone at Nike better get AlSal under control or keep him out of altitude. I know he's competitive but he seems to be from what I read as a simple bully with deep pockets. Shame really.

On the other hand, maybe this is just how we try to catch up with the Kenyans -- we bring some Kenyan-style politicking into our national team selection.

 

Yeah but politics ain't gonna make our people faster. Just more devious.

And USATF rescinds the DQ.

The right thing to do IMO but lots of egg on non-runners faces from this one.

Sounds like Jordan Hasay asked to have the protest rescinded.

If that's true, then Alberto looks like a jerk, but Jordan at least looks decent.  And USATF just always finds ways to look bad... :-/

-Kelly