Been surprised at commentators' criticism of British athletes.

[Cyclops]

Muir ran the race of her life tonight, but commentators picked her run to pieces.

Yesterday, the commentators were telling the pole-vaulter exactly where she was going wrong after every attempt. And I've noticed the trend with earlier British competitors.

After some brilliant success in recent years, are we getting a bit elitist?

[surge]

Felt it was a bit strange for the camera to focus on, and then keep on, the pole-vaulter crying. It's not informative and not entertaining to keep the camera rolling and then change angle to try and get a better shot of the tears.

[the other bob wilson]

Maybe the criticism is down to the fact that the ex athletes involved can see major problems ahead for a sport where there is a widespread public cynicism due to the drugs issue - especially under a funding system whereby "winners" are rewarded by enormous grants and the rest are, basically, left to fend for themselves.

http://www.uksport.gov.uk/our-work/i...-funding-works

This meritocracy (I have other ways of describing it!) is great if you're involved with, say, cycling or sailing/rowing, but is a bugger for any sport that loses it's special funding status and, based on what we've seen during the first half of the World Championship being held on home soil, British athletics needs to get it's act together over the next few days to justify the millions being spent on it.

So far, we've won one medal and that came from someone who, if some on here are to be believed, is not British and/or on drugs - Mo Farah is British as far as I'm concerned and I'd like to think that he is also clean, but what cannot be denied is that he has a foreign coach and spends much of his time training abroad, so he's hardly British through and through as far as his athletics training and education are concerned.

Frankly, I think the pundits are just being realistic - up to now, when you consider the advantages British athletics has over many other sports, the performance levels (as exemplified by serial under achiever Katarina Johnson-Thompson) have been nowhere near good enough to merit the public money that's been thrown at it in recent years under the system where you need continued success to maintain your funding level.

[Llanedeyrnblue]

And not before time, instead of making excuses for them they should be laying on the line to them all,after all they are being paid to do their particular sports ,via funding and should be earning that money by putting in decent performances.

[Cyclops]

And not before time, instead of making excuses for them they should be laying on the line to them all,after all they are being paid to do their particular sports ,via funding and should be earning that money by putting in decent performances.

If they ain't got the required fast-twitch muscles, no amount of money will make 'em world class athletes. The great athletes of a nation come along only spasmodically - and we've been blessed with the likes of Coe and Ovett battling each other and breaking world records for fun. We seem to be going into a 'seven-year lean' spell at the moment.

But does it help to have commentators being excessively critical of their performances?

[Llanedeyrnblue]

If they ain't got the required fast-twitch muscles, no amount of money will make 'em world class athletes. The great athletes of a nation come along only spasmodically - and we've been blessed with the likes of Coe and Ovett battling each other and breaking world records for fun. We seem to be going into a 'seven-year lean' spell at the moment.

But does it help to have commentators being excessively critical of their performances?

All of our athletes with an Afro-Caribbean make up will all be blessed with fast-twitch muscles which are required for the sprint events so there are no excuses for them and anyway Alan Wells managed a gold admittedly without the Americans being there. This doesn't excuse the failure of our athletes in the longer disciplines and the more technical events such as the pole vault etc.

[ccfc_is_my_life]

Mo Farah is British as far as I'm concerned and I'd like to think that he is also clean, but what cannot be denied is that he has a foreign coach and spends much of his time training abroad, so he's hardly British through and through as far as his athletics training and education are concerned.

Alberto Salazar, who was coach of Mary Decker when she was banned for testosterone I seem to recall. Same coach involved with Nike Oregon, and Nikes ethics are well known. Same coach who has had doping controversies hanging over his head.