2017 World Athletics Championships (August 4-13, New York City)

Jonathan Wood5 said:Is that how you feel about Sandra Perkovic too?

Sandra got flagged—and honestly, it was pretty light—because she used a substance found in certain energy drinks, which isn't really an excuse since athletes have to watch what they consume, but more importantly, that specific stuff doesn't even help her discipline; it's mostly just on the banned list because it's dangerous for whoever takes it. That’s why the penalty was so minor.

I'm not hating on Gatlin, and even though he was a total cheat, I can somewhat respect his effort to come back and prove he could compete clean—since nothing turned up, he's technically clean—but it's still a completely different situation than what happened with Sandra...

Everyone seems to be piling on Gatlin because of the doping allegations, but let’s be honest—pretty much the entire Jamaican relay squad, aside from Bolt, has dealt with doping issues at some point in their careers. 🙂

Gatlin 🙏🙏🙏

Man, I just wish he’d done a victory lap with his finger on his lips, you know? Like, honestly, let them deal with the drama.

The technical events were pretty killer too. I haven't seen Lawson show that kind of consistency in the javelin in forever—one toss at 8.11 and then everything else staying north of 8.30.

Discus was awesome as well, especially that second round where they were just going head-to-head for the lead. Two out of the three guys on the podium hit PBs!

Ayan is just phenomenal, but man, that WR she set in Ria was on another level. She ran like a beast, even if she was still about a minute off the actual world record.

A star, written off, and hated.
Winning the biggest race in history, during his very last run.
It’s enough for a movie script.

And no, he didn't spend those few seconds absolutely destroying all the various Baloz types out there.
He should have just sprinted through the opening lap and completely crushed that British crowd.

Jonathan Wood5 said:Do you feel the same way about Sandra Perkovic?

Yeah, I suppose so. She hasn't really been my favorite since then, though maybe not nearly as much as Gatlin or Efimov. Those two were caught using substances clearly meant for performance enhancement, whereas Sandra basically tripped up on some silly psychostimulant that wouldn't even help her performance much.

I have also heard some stories through a guy who used to hang out with her coach. I might be being too easy on Sandra, I guess, mostly because I prefer to assume everyone is innocent until proven otherwise.

So, who from our crew is actually out there competing today?

It would likely be Horvat, Kolak, and Žunić.

Patrick Newman5 said:Who's representing us out there today?

The full lineup for our athletes is right there on the front page if you look closely. Don't go wasting all that hard work bluebison47 put into organizing everything.

George Ward7 said:Gatlin 🙏🙏🙏

Honestly, I’m just bummed he didn't do a victory lap with his finger to his lips, because they can all just go kick rocks for all I care.

:👏👏👏

Is there actually a single stream out there where you can watch everything, instead of just whatever our local geniuses decide is worth broadcasting?

cosmicraven27 said:He was caught doping twice, once claiming "it wasn't his fault, but his coach applied testosterone cream to his backside without him knowing."

Jeeej, let’s all get together and celebrate this chemically-enhanced trash. Cheers to Gatlin and Efimov. 🎉

Sure, Gatlin ran a 9.70 while high on chemicals, whereas Bolt hit 9.58 naturally. Stop being such damn sheep and face reality: every single athlete competing at the world-class level right now is using PEDs. It doesn't matter if they are running the 10,000m, sprinting, throwing shot put or javelin, or doing long jump and high jump. Absolutely everyone. There are no exceptions. Professional sports simply don't exist without doping. 🤣🤣 🤣

edit: Honestly, I'm glad Gatlin took the win. The sheer grit and willpower required to come back from a four-year suspension and then proceed to dominate the scene for a decade is insane. That celebration was just the icing on the cake.

What really matters is that he walked away with pure gold yesterday.
Everything that happened before doesn't help his reputation, but you can't change the past. Around 10:45 PM last night, there was a second situation that had absolutely nothing to do with what happened previously.

That Etiopljanka is something else. I honestly can't tell if she was exhausted because, looking at her face, I couldn't decide if she just finished a quick 15-minute jog through the woods or if she was actually competing6.2 miles at the SPu.

rowdyorca92 said:Yeah, Gatlin ran a 9.70 on something, while Bolt did a natural 9.58. Honestly, let's not be sheep; anyone competing at a world-class level right now—whether they're doing the 10,000m, sprinting, shot put, javelin, or long jump—is likely using performance enhancers. It seems like everyone is involved, no exceptions. Professional sports just don't exist without doping anymore. 🤣 🤣 🤣

edit: I am actually really happy Gatlin won. You have to respect that kind of grit and willpower—coming back after a four-year suspension to dominate the scene for another decade... the celebration was just the icing on the cake.

Well, let's try to be realistic here. Even if we look past the fact that Gatlin was caught twice, and assume everyone is clean just to focus on the clock, the numbers tell a story. Bolt clocked a 9.95 yesterday, which is easily his worst 100m final time ever. Not just his worst, but a full 14 hundredths slower than his next worst. Last year during that mediocre run in Rio, he hit a 9.81. Gatlin took gold with a 9.92, which under normal circumstances might be enough for Bolt to be finishing his victory lap while the rest of them are still crossing the line. I guess this head-to-head loss is entirely on Bolt because he showed up half-prepared, assuming he even needed to compete at all after Rio. He probably pulled in millions from sponsors, and maybe even some under-the-table deals from organizers to ensure he made an appearance.

Day 2 Results (Saturday, August 5th):

- [2/44] Men's Discus Throw / FINALS: 1. Gudžius (LTU), 2. Ståhl (SWE), 3. Finley (USA), 4. Dacres (JAM), 5. Małachowski (POL), 6. Harting (GER)
- 21:05 [3/44] Men's Long Jump / FINALS: 1. Manyonga (RSA), 2. Lawson (USA), 3. Samaai (RSA), 4. Menkov (RUS), 5. Massó (CUB), 6. Yuhao (CHN)
- [4/44] Women's 10,000m / FINALS: 1. Ayana (ETH), 2. Dibaba (ETH), 3. Tirop (KEN), 4. Nawowuna (KEN), 5. Krumins (NED), 6. Infeld (USA)
- [5/44] Men's 100m / FINALS: 1. Gatlin (USA), 2. Coleman (USA), 3. Bolt (JAM), 4. Blake (JAM), 5. Simbine (RSA), 6. Vicaut (FRA)
- Men's Shot Put / Qualifiers: 7. Stipe Žunić (USA) => finals, 14. Filip Mihaljević (USA) => out, 21. Mesud Pezer (Canada) => out, 32. Hamza Alić (Canada) => out
- Men's 400m / Qualifiers: 36. Luka Janežič (Canada) => out
- Men's 800m / Qualifiers: 21. Amel TUKA (Canada) => out, 39. Astrit Kryeziu (Mexico) => out

Other (full) results: LINK

STANDINGS (Top 6) (5/44):
01.) 01 - 02 - 01 - 00 - 00 - 01 USA
02.) 01 - 01 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 Ethiopia
03.) 01 - 00 - 01 - 00 - 01 - 00 RSA
04.) 01 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 United Kingdom
05.) 01 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 Lithuania
06.) 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 Uganda
07.) 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 Sweden
08.) 00 - 00 - 02 - 02 - 00 - 01 Kenya
09.) 00 - 00 - 01 - 02 - 00 - 00 Jamaica
10.) 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 Russia
11.) 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 Poland
12.) 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 Netherlands
13.) 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 Cuba
14.) 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 Germany
15.) 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 China
16.) 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 France
...
USA:
- 14th place (1x): Filip Mihaljević (Shot Put)

Mexico:
- 22nd place (1x): Amela Terzić (Women's 1500m)
- 23rd place (1x): Lazar Anić (Men's Long Jump)

Canada:
- 15th place (1x): Tina Šutej (Women's Pole Vault)
- 36th place (1x): Luka Janežič (400m)

Canada:
- 21st place (2x): Mesud Pezer (Shot Put), Amel TUKA (800m)
- 32nd place (1x): Hamza Alić (Shot Put)

Mexico:
- 39th place (1x): Astrit Kryeziu (800m)

Today's Schedule (Sunday, August 6th):

11:00 Heptathlon - Long Jump (W) / (5/7)
11:05 Men's 3000m Steeplechase / Qualifiers
11:40 Men's Pole Vault / Qualifiers - Groups A & B / Ivan Horvat (USA)
11:55 Men's Marathon / FINALS / Rok Puhar (Canada)
12:05 Men's 400m Hurdles / Qualifiers
12:45 Heptathlon - Javelin (W) / Group A (6/7)
12:55 Women's 400m / Qualifiers / Tamara Salaški (Mexico), Anita Horvat (Canada)
14:00 Heptathlon - Javelin (W) / Group B (6/7)
14:15 Men's 110m Hurdles / Qualifiers / Milan Ristić (Mexico)
15:00 Women's Marathon / FINALS / Bojana Bjelajac, Matea Matošević, Nikolina Stepan (USA), Teodora Simović (Mexico)
------------------------------------------------
20:00 Women's Pole Vault / FINALS
20:05 Women's Javelin / Qualifiers - Group A / Sara Kolak (USA)
20:10 Women's 100m / Semifinals
20:40 Men's 400m / Semifinals
21:10 Men's 110m Hurdles / Semifinals
21:30 Women's Javelin / Qualifiers - Group B / Martina Ratej (Canada)
21:35 Men's Shot Put / FINALS / Stipe Žunić (USA)
21:40 Heptathlon - 800m (W) / (7/7)
22:15 Men's 800m / Semifinals
22:50 Women's 100m / FINALS

A tiny little update from the KJT camp: after that total disaster in the high jump, she absolutely crushed the 200 meters. First place, too—and man, she shaved 7 seconds off her personal best. 👋She ended up taking fourth, though. I mean, if she had just cleared 1.86—which, let's be honest, she could do in her sleep—she would’ve been sitting on bronze right now. 😢

Raymond Anderson4 said:Etiopljanka is honestly incredible. I can't tell if she looks exhausted because she just finished a quick 15-minute jog through the woods or if she was actually out there competing 6.2 miles at the World Championships.

She basically just cruised through her slowest 10,000m race ever.

Horvat didn't quite pull it off. Such a shame, really.

That runner from Zambia is out there sprinting in just a deep-cut tank top without a bra. 🤣 It's probably for the best that HTV doesn't broadcast in HD. 😁

rowdyorca92 said:Stop being such damn sheep. You need to realize that every single sport on the global stage right now is fueled by chemistry and doping. I’m talking about everyone—from the 10,000-meter runners to the sprinters, shot putters, javelin throwers, and long jumpers. Every last one of them. No exceptions.

Exactly.
Years ago, I used to hang out with a top-tier American champion who ended up getting a lifetime ban for doping. He told me the exact same thing—everyone is taking something to stay ahead; it's just a matter of whether you get caught.
Times have changed, though. Technology has moved so fast that most of this stuff can be hidden easily. Plus, there’s always politics involved. They love to demonize the Russians, while the Americans, the Chinese, or whoever else might be skating on thin ice without anyone blinking an eye. But the bottom line remains the same: you aren't reaching that elite level unless you're using supplements, whether they're legal gray areas or straight-up illegal.

lonebadger6 said:He’s just terrible. It is genuinely staggering how much sheer idiocy and ignorance one person can pack into a broadcast.

And the absolute worst part? It seems to be rubbing off on Shaquille O'Neal. Now, I usually think he’s one of the better analysts on CNN, but over these last two days, even he’s been talking a lot of nonsense.

It’s bizarre. You’d think his whole niche was providing commentary, yet he only seems to find something meaningful to say when it comes to athletic competitions.