2024 Olympic Games, Paris - Athletics thread

secman

Brilliant effort by women's 4X400m team, tantalisingly close to a medal .

rovers_runner

Adeleke must be fair pissed off with Healy. Gave her a huge lead and she couldn't hold it.

Three great runners, if we had another year or two it's a certain silver. Two good girls coming through but a couple of years off.

secman

All 4 left nothing on the track, nobody pissed off with anyone. Smashed the irish record. Hopefully we will have more depth in years to come, but what a team to start the process 👏 🙌 👌

28064212

Fantastic performance by all four women. 4th is always a devastating position to finish, but that was a brilliant showing

mun1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122488799#Comment_122488799

there is alway one gowl !

crossman47

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122488799#Comment_122488799

The definition of "a load of rubbish"

DJIMI TRARORE

Gutted for them,Eammon Coughlin,our great male runner, finished 4th twice in 4 years at Olympics, RA just did the same in 3 days,really feel for her

rovers_runner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122488834#Comment_122488834

Watch it back, lost 20m at least lead to three others. Fair enough nobody else may have ran faster but it was the difference.

theoneeyedman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122488880#Comment_122488880

Eamonn came to my mind earlier, hope she doesn't get stuck there.

A question for more expert than I - has Rhaseed plateaued this year a bit? Am I right in saying she has 'only' improved her PB by 0.11 seconds this year? Given that it's a championship year (x2) that everyone looks to peak for and most are getting quicker, is that a worry? She's young, but I'd have imagined the rate of improvement would be rapid early in a career and would taper off as she gets older?

Not to play down the girls achievements this year, both Rhaseed herself and the team - hopefully we can build on it.

Water John

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122488929#Comment_122488929

Wondering are the training sessions being put in now by her on her coach's instruction, more about laying the foundation for a long successful 400m career? As per her individual race, she was fine until near the end, when the wheels came off a little bit. Once she has built the strength to run right through 400m, that will be the finished product.

28064212

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122488929#Comment_122488929

Short answer is no. I mean, of course it's possible that she has peaked. There are loads of runners who ran amazing times by 21 and just never improved beyond that. That may end up being the case for Adeleke, but without a crystal ball, no-one can answer that.

However, there are a myriad of alternative explanations. For example, she and her coach may have made a deliberate decision that the best approach they could do is to "front-load" her improvements - spend 2023 running herself into the ground, piling on the work, eke out every tiny bit of performance, and then make 2024 a "level" year - no massive leap forwards, but a corresponding decrease in injury likelihood. Just hold onto her gains, and come into the Olympics at that same level.

Alternatively, it may just have worked out that way, without a deliberate decision - coming into 2024, they realised that she was red-lining, and if she attempted to continue to improve at the same rate, she would never even make the Olympics, so they had to pull back. That doesn't mean she peaked, just that she couldn't push herself as hard without putting her Olympic participation at risk.

Or there could be any of half a dozen other reasons. I personally don't see her limited improvement this year as a concern, but TBH, anyone without access to her personal training details and medical records saying it means one thing or the other is talking through their hat

secman

The 3 medalists in her 400m Final are all seasoned mid to late 20's, think 26 and up. She is only 21 and has barely 1 season under her belt at 400m. Dervela ORourke said she's ahead of the other 3 when they were 21.

Water John

Yes, can only speculate. The coach has her going out very fast, he says. So at present, her second 200m may be slower than previously.

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122488799#Comment_122488799

Phil Healy ran really well on third. The 50.90 leg is her fastest split ever. She was brilliant. I’m sure Adeleke is proud of her team mates, despite the disappointment of another fourth.

BTW, who are these girls coming through who will augment the team? We do not have anybody else capable of running a sub-51 leg.

Fr D Maugire

The 4 x 400m team ran fantastically well tonight, but so gutting for them, so close. Thought they all ran brilliantly.

Poor Rhasidat looked so gutted straight after, 4th again. Sharlene blaming herself is just silly, it was always going to be a herculean task against Bol and the 5th place finisher in the individual 400m. If anything she kept it closer than I expected. To be so close to 3rd and smash their NR again is incredible. Before the Olympics, I would have had greater hopes for the mixed relay team over the ladies, but proven wrong...again.

hawkwing

Can't remember being as sad at the end watching any sports event when they just missed out. The negatives are that it may have been as close as we will ever see a 4x400 team coming to an Olympic medal. Jamaica may have beaten them too but for the baton drop-we will never know, it was some chance all the way to the line. Becker/Healy/Mawdsley may not be in LA 2028 and so will probably never get Olympic medals despite dedicating their lives to running. Either way they will always have it on their minds how fkin close they were. A bit like Barr's Rio 4th, brilliant performance but will take it to the grave. Adeleke seems to have no change of gear so i thought they lined them up correctly and could not have done more. At the last bend you would expect Anning to have got further away and Bol to even pass sooner but Mawdsley still hung on, jezus so close. The positives are many and by Tokyo September 25 they may all be even slightly faster, Healy even further over health issues and possibly slightly weaker opposition than an Olympics. Also they will have even more belief and hopefully an anger to get a medal. That may carry on to the 2026 euros, who knows. Either way the Olympic dream is possibly over for 3 of them i fear.

rovers_runner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122489127#Comment_122489127

She ran as well as she could have or as any of the reserves today, but we are 3/4 the way there. A prime Healy or one of these young girls in a few years and we are silver.

400m nationals here, McCann and Cadden both a good age now will be 26 & 28 in LA. Hopefully they are supported and their upward curve continues.

http://results.athleticsireland.ie/results_29062024/menu.html

Hamachi

Anybody know what Laura Muir was up to in the 1500m? It was bizarre that she let a 10-12m gap develop only to come charging back for fifth. Surely she would have medalled had she stuck her nose in the race earlier.

Kipyegon was amazing as always. Third consecutive 1500m gold. Surely the GOAT. Thrilled for Jessica Hull to nail silver. Georgia Bell to land bronze is astonishing. Her progress this year is incredible. Almost too good to be true…

rovers_runner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122489278#Comment_122489278

Muir said she had her splits set for a potential PB time and stuck to her guns. She got the PB so who is to doubt her given she ran so evenly over the whole race.

Hard to believe a PB for her was only going to get her forth given what she has achieved.

EagererBeaver

You could say the same about Hull tbh.

yerwanthere123

Don't know Georgia Bell's full story but apparently she gave up the sport for a few years but then came back. Think she was a duathlete previously, the focus on just running is relatively new I think.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122488929#Comment_122488929

It's difficult to know.

She hasn't really improved her time from her NCAA gold over a year ago.

One thing I noticed is that she has a bit more muscle mass than other girls who run 400m. For example if you compare her to Femke Bol or Klaver who are a similar height.

Maybe in time this will be a good thing but she's definitely carrying more weight than others. I'm obviously not saying she's overweight.

I guess only time will tell but I expect her to run a sub 49 next year or the year after.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122488799#Comment_122488799

They wouldn't have made the final without Healy.

They look like a close knit bunch anyway.

Athletics is a solitary sport so to be part of a team must be pretty cool.

28064212

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122489278#Comment_122489278

I would have loved to see Muir medal, but that's easily said in hindsight. It's entirely possible she goes with the lead group and falls apart 200/100/50m from home and finishes 6th. It's very hard to argue against a PB performance in an Olympic final

hawkwing

Idle speculation but one wonders how a fully fit Ciara would have done in the 1500. She seemed to sit behind Muir a lot in recent times and then go for it late. Hard to know would she have done that today the way Muir ran it, her 355 PB would have placed her just behind Muir in 6th. Very hard to think she would have medalled if in there but obviously she wished she was.

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122489236#Comment_122489236

Out of curiosity, why do you think Mawdsley and Becker won’t be around for next Olympic cycle? Mawdsley turned 26 today and I think Becker is only 26 too. On the Dutch team Klaver is 26, Peeters is 29 and De Witte is 31. The age profile of the British team is similar. Nielsen is 28 and Ohorughu is over 30.

Barring serious injury, there’s no reason why they both won’t make LA, particularly as Mawdsley only started training full time this year and Becker has a full time job.

Phil Healy is a different proposition. She’s 30 now. I agree that she is unlikely to be around for 2028, but hopefully she holds on for Tokyo and the Euros in 2026. By that stage, we may have a couple more girls who can step in to the relay pool.

hawkwing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122489465#Comment_122489465

I don't think Mawdsley and Becker will be running better in 2028 than now but who knows, i hope they are back then even better. Perhaps next year or 2026 the 2 of them will peak even more hopefully. Everyone would probably want today's 4 to come back in LA and medal but the odds on that happening are very slim.

Jakey Rolling

Just had a look at Bell's progression out of interest, more than impressive.

2022 4:16, 2023 4:06, 2024 3:52

Prior to that she was at best a 2:03 800m runner back in 2014 before taking a break from athletics in 2017. She is coached by Trevor Painter, same as Keely Hodgkinson.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122489429#Comment_122489429

It's hard to believe Ciara would have a 3.52 in her. You would think she would have been 5th / 6th or something - even her European Championship winning form would not have been enough here.

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122489553#Comment_122489553

We’ll see. Life gets in the way too. People lose their love for the sport, want to have a family etc..I still feel optimistic that both girls will be around for LA and in great shape.

For Mawdsley, I’d really like her to focus on truly replicating her relay performances in her individual event. That 49.1 relay split shows unequivocally that she can run low 50.x individually. That brings her into medal territory at European level and gets you into a world final.

Becker works full time in addition to her training load. She’s run 51.13, 51.28, and two 50.90s from the blocks in the relay. Clearly, she’s capable of 50.x individually. Hopefully, her performances here give her the opportunity to train full time for a couple of years if that’s what she would like to do.