2009 World Athletics Championships - Berlin

Nicholas Lee said:Guys, you have to see this. Usain Bolt at 9.4?! http://i29.tinypic.com/98bmo4.jpg

Was Bolt actually faster than the clock, or was he just running that hard? 🙏🙏

At 9.3, his foot was practically on the line. But man, I bet that's just a reference time. They probably look at the photo finish for the real deal. 🤷

Don't buy into that—that's the official photo finish, even though I mentioned earlier he clocked in under 9.5... specifically 9.426 if you count from the exact moment HE actually started.



EDIT: Realized the image was a bit huge, so I scaled it down a little.

Thanks for the photo finish shot. 👍

Photo finishes are definitely more accurate, right?

It looks like Tyson Gay is likely out of the 200m due to a groin injury.😢

He should still be able to run the 4x100.

Edward Evans68 said:It’s looking pretty likely that Tyson Gay is going to sit out the 200m because of a groin injury. 😢

He should still be able to run the 4x100 relay, though.

I mean, he either runs or he doesn't... it isn't like he's playing chess where he can just switch hands if one is hurt...

ps. but this is actually true:

Yeah, bummer, he won't be showing up for the 200.

Link

Seriously guys, you're such a basic generation. It's just Usain Bolt, Usain Bolt, Usain Bolt, Gay, Usain Bolt, Usain Bolt, Gay... as if sprinting is the only thing that actually matters in track and field 👎 👎

He’s acting way too Gay for my liking.

Brian Doyle6 said:Look, guys, you really are a superficial generation. It’s just Usain Bolt, Usain Bolt, Usain Bolt, Gay, Usain Bolt, Usain Bolt, Gay... as if sprinting is the only thing that exists in track and field.👎 👎

You aren't wrong. As if they actually achieved anything meaningful. Those top three times ever? Please. I could outrun most of them after polishing off a couple of greasy breakfast burritos.☕

Blanka Vlašić ended up in the ER getting stitches after a nasty head injury 😕

He’ll probably scrape by and make it to the qualifiers, I guess. 😠

Maybe

there’s actually a decent excuse if things go south here☕

There’s just no excuse for her—I mean, seriously, this is stuff she should be able to knock out in her sleep at this point. The real deal is still coming up the day after tomorrow anyway!

Jeremy Johnson30 said:My biggest disappointments or surprises so far:

1. Elena Isinbaeva (honestly, maybe she deserves an award for the most foolish move of the decade... skipping those lower heights at the start was just pure arrogance, and seeing that kind of overconfidence come back to haunt her feels like a boomerang hitting its target.)

Personally, I don't find this surprising at all, because after her first loss earlier this year, she actually hinted that something like this might happen, didn't she?

As for the missed attempts, wouldn't it be a bit unrealistic to expect someone to suddenly jump five or six times when they've been winning with just one or two successful jumps all year, especially now that she isn't quite in peak form?

Does anyone know why the qualifying heats aren't being broadcast? 😠😠

http://newyorkcity.iaaf.org/live/live.html

How on earth did she manage to break her neck like that? 😂😂😂
Seriously, when are the qualifiers even happening?

Jeremy Johnson30 said:Don't buy into that—this is the official photo finish. Even though I mentioned earlier he clocked in under 9.5, if you actually look at the timing from his specific start, it’s more like 9.426.



EDIT: Realized the image was a bit massive, so I scaled it down a touch.

Man, I don't mean to be biased or anything, but... seriously? Is there really not a single white guy in this race? What even is this picture?

Samuel Baker3 said:honestly, I'm not even surprised—after her first loss this year, she basically hinted that this could happen

and regarding those missed attempts? I mean, it’d be pretty delusional to expect someone to suddenly start hitting 5 or 6 jumps when they've been scraping by with just 1 or 2 wins all year because they aren't feeling it right now.

Nah, it’s not really about how many jumps she takes, it’s more about underestimating the moment. You can't just show up to a massive championship and expect to find your rhythm only after everyone else has already dropped out. Like, hey, she started at 10 cm lower than her season best this year. That’s like if Blanka Vlašić showed up and started jumping at 2 meters. Once you miss that first attempt, the nerves and the self-doubt just kick in, you know? And honestly, if she wasn't ready for more than 2 or 3 jumps, who knows what would have happened.
Plus, she was talking big about breaking the WR right there in New York City 😂

It’s the exact same situation as what happened when Friedrich decided to take a break until she hit the qualifying standard 😂😂😂

Jeremy Johnson30 said:It isn't really about how many attempts she takes, but more about underestimating the situation. You can't just show up to a massive championship and wait until everyone else has already dropped out before you start performing. I mean, she started at a height 10 cm lower than her best jump this year. Isn't that basically like Blanka starting her jumps at 2 meters? When you miss that first attempt, it's so easy to let nerves and self-doubt take over. Besides, if she wasn't ready to handle more than two or three jumps, who's to say she was truly prepared?
And she was announcing her hunt for the WR right there in New York City 😂

I don't think it's an issue of underestimation; she has simply mastered the art of winning in just one or two jumps, and then she goes head-to-head against the world record on her own terms.

She just isn't in peak shape because of an injury she dealt with, which she actually admitted herself after her first loss this year. If she were truly in top form, wouldn't she be able to clear those heights easily, whether it's on her first try or her second?