2009 World Athletics Championships - Berlin

Blanka🙏😕

and Isinbaeva🤣
I am honestly relieved. It’s about time she realized what it feels like to have everyone watching her every move.

🙂

She’s probably the only one with any real shot at hitting that 195 mark—I mean, let’s look at the numbers, right? Only ten athletes have even cleared 192 so far, so honestly, if she pulls this off, she’s cruising straight into the finals without breaking a sweat!

EDIT: Turns out they ended up hitting 15 + Friedrich anyway!

Blanka cruised straight into the finals—totally dominated her group and was the only one who didn't mess up a single jump. Over in the second group, it’s just Friedrich and Green moving on without any mistakes.

Good luck this Thursday!

Way to go, Blanka!!! 👋

Blanka was absolutely flying🙏

Maybe she needs a reality check every once in a while 😁

rowdytinker3 said:At least there’s an excuse ready if things go south.☕

As if Joško didn't have an excuse already. ☕

Brian Martinez7 said:Look, I'm not saying I'm being anything, but... seriously, where are all the white guys who actually run? What even is this photo?

Yeah, you're a racist. 🙄

1) Blanka had some issues with the track surface; it was way too slick

2) She was also dealing with a minor virus

🤣

"Yeah, you're a racist" 🙄
I am not! I don't have anything against them... honestly. I was just asking for some clarification on how there aren't any white people included? 🤷

Brian Martinez7 said:Yeah, you're a total racist 🙄

I'm not, I don't have anything against them... I was just asking why there aren't any white people? 🤷

When it comes to the 100-meter dash, they're just physically outmatched by Black athletes.

Brian Martinez7 said:Not me, I’m not against them or anything... just wondering why there aren't any white people in the mix? 🤷

Starting a post by trying to prove you aren't a racist is a huge red flag.
Only guilty people do that. ☕ Like you, for example.

Jeremy Johnson30 said:Biggest disappointments (surprises) so far:

1. Yelena Isinbaeva (Stupidest athlete award, decade-long level... refusing to show up at the lower heights, pure arrogance, and it totally backfired)
2. Krisztián Pars (The favorite this year, and he doesn't even have a medal)
3. Jacus van Zyl (Best season result, yet failed in the semifinals)
4. Angela Taylor (A lock for the finals and maybe even a medal before the championships, but crashed out in the first round)
5. Gulnar Galkin (The queen of the steeplechase lately, left empty-handed)
6. Meseret Defar (Guaranteed at least a medal, if not gold, going into this, and ended up with nothing)
7. Nadezhd Alekhin (Best season performance, then jumped a meter and a half shorter in qualifying and obviously missed the final)

I think Meseret Defar and Gulnar Galkin should be in the top two or three spots here, because their failure is a bigger shock than the other three listed above.🙂

Sweet 😍Shelly-Ann Fraser set a national record with that incredible performance (to hell with Amera and those comparisons to Florence Griffith Joyner's results, especially from that windless Indy meet where everyone claims it was a hurricane when there was no breeze at all) breaking the long-standing mark held by the great Merlene Ottey.🙏
The saddest part—and I know someone already touched on this—is how this is starting to look like swimming: if you don't break a world record, people act like your results don't even matter.

All this worshiping of Usain Bolt is over the top (though I get why, since he’s the golden boy right now). In what way are his 100m or 200m records more magnificent than some record held by a guy like Kenenisa Bekele on the 5k or 6.2 miles??? In case you didn't know, Bekele runs his final lap of the 10,000m in about 55 seconds!!!! Most people would struggle just to finish a casual 400m sprint, let alone after running 9,600 meters beforehand.

Jeremy Johnson30 said:Biggest disappointments (surprises) so far:

1. Yelena Isinbaeva (honestly, maybe stupidity of the year—or decade—for skipping those "lower" heights; that arrogance and underestimating the field totally backfired)
2. Krisztián Pars (was easily the best this year, yet walks away without even a medal)
3. Jacus van Zyl (had the best result of the season, then just tanks out in the semifinals)
4. Angela Taylor (looked like a lock for the finals—maybe even gold—before the meet, but ended up crashing out in the first round)
5. Gulnar Galkin (the undisputed queen of the steeplechase lately, and she leaves empty-handed)
6. Meseret Defar (everyone assumed she was a safe bet for at least a medal, if not the gold, but she finished with nothing)
7. Nadezhd Alekhin (held the top seasonal mark, then somehow jumps a whole meter shorter in qualifying and misses the final entirely)

I’d also throw in Dobrinski—didn't even snag a medal in the decathlon... the hammer throw final was an absolute train wreck; I haven't seen a more pathetic showing in twenty years, though the shot put was actually decent. 👍

I was also pretty surprised by the crowd in the race walking—honestly, I wouldn't be shocked if half of Berlin were out on the streets during the marathon. 🙂

Aaron Kim2 said:I honestly think Deport and Galkin should be up there in 2nd or 3rd place—it’s way more of a shock than those three ahead of them🙂

The sweet 😍Shelly-Ann Fraser just absolutely crushed it with this result (man, forget Amera and those Flo-Jo times, especially that crazy run in Indianapolis where everyone thought a hurricane hit even though the weather was actually fine)—she just set a national record that used to belong to the legendary Merlene Ottey🙏
The saddest part (and I know someone already brought this up) is how this is starting to feel like swimming... if you aren't breaking a WR, people act like your results don't even matter.

All this hype about Bolt is a bit much (though, hey, I get it since he's such a massive superstar right now). But seriously, why are his 100m or 200m records supposedly more "majestic" than something like Bekele’s 5k or 6.2 miles>??? In case you didn't know, Bekele runs his final lap of the 10,000m in about 55 seconds!!!! Most people would probably struggle just to finish a casual 400m sprint, let alone after grinding through 9,600 meters first

I don't know, I guess everyone sees things differently. With the long-distance stuff, you never really know what kind of pace is coming or which African runner is going to show up and dominate. If those two hadn't grabbed medals, I’d be right there with you—but seeing them fall in the heats or semis when they were the best in the season? That’s a huge upset. But again, to each their own.
I'm with you on the Bolt thing, but like you said, the guy is a global phenomenon right now. To me, it's not just about him smashing records, it's about his sheer dominance and the way he does it.
As for Bekele (and others like him), I haven't said anything, and honestly, nobody here has—we all know how hard he runs and just how insane his pace is. But you could make that argument for any discipline because they're all uniquely brutal. Speaking of which, I have to mention the heptathlon and decathlon; they always seem unfairly overlooked, but those athletes are truly the most complete competitors out there.

And yeah, Fosna, I'm with you on Dobrinski—totally forgot about her!

Does anyone know when Bolt is running today?

Peter Ramos26 said:so when does Bolt run today?

In about half an hour!

thanks. Seriously though, how is Bolt going to absolutely crush them? It’s gonna be brutal—he might even snatch a WR! Does anyone happen to know his split for the first 100m during that 200m run in Beijing when he broke the world record? That's the key part right there!

Peter Ramos26 said:thanks. I mean, how is Bolt even going to compete? He’s gonna absolutely destroy them, it’ll be ugly—maybe even a WR performance. Does anyone actually know his split for the first 100m during that 200m run in Beijing when he broke the world record? That’s the key part here.

Probably similar to his 100m, maybe even faster, I guess.😉

Bolt's record is going down in the finals.☕

Can anyone tell me the name of that heptathlete from Sweden? 😕

Just watched some footage of a 200m sprint. These other runners are out there giving it everything they've got, basically hitting 130% effort, while Bolt? He’s just cruising through those last 50m like it's nothing. 🙏🤣