World Championship Athletics 1500m
Just saw it in the news and looked it up, it is nearly forty years after the then household name Steve Cram won the 1500 metres final that today a bloke called Jake Wightman from Nottingham has done the same.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...ad-commentates
Fantastic achievement for the lad but isn't it
crazy how much athletics has dropped in popularity since the say the 1980's.
There seemed to be a resurgence leading up to the London 2012 Olympics but there has been little coverage on terrestrial TV since.
Those night time meetings with Coe, Ovett, Cram going for world records were a must watch.
I wonder is it that the general public just aren't interested in athletics these days or could it be that GB don't have many big stars that can compete any more.
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
The Diamind League is on TV most weeks, but yes I don't think the UK has as many stars at the moment. Plenty tried to peak in 2012 and there hasn't been as much quality coming through since, although both mens and womens 1500m seem OK at the moment.
The best part about Jake Wightman winning was that his dad was the stadium commentator.
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
Watching televised athletics was my thing growing up, even more so than football. I also used to go to the Welsh Games at Maindy Stadium on my own as a young kid to watch world class athletes participate.
BUT, this all changed with the state sponsored doping of the East German athletes and the subsequent doping violations of seemingly every top sprinter on the planet. I used to marvel at world records set in every event, both track and field and then all of a sudden the thrill was gone. The cheats had won and destroyed my love of the sport in the process.
Yes, Super Saturday was thrilling and watching Jonathan Edwards set unbelievable world records in Gothenburg was fantastic but I know I will never be able recapture those feelings I had as a kid.
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Moodybluebird
Watching televised athletics was my thing growing up, even more so than football. I also used to go to the Welsh Games at Maindy Stadium on my own as a young kid to watch world class athletes participate.
BUT, this all changed with the state sponsored doping of the East German athletes and the subsequent doping violations of seemingly every top sprinter on the planet. I used to marvel at world records set in every event, both track and field and then all of a sudden the thrill was gone. The cheats had won and destroyed my love of the sport in the process.
Yes, Super Saturday was thrilling and watching Jonathan Edwards set unbelievable world records in Gothenburg was fantastic but I know I will never be able recapture those feelings I had as a kid.
That's definitely why athletics tends to pass my by these days - it's not fair on the clean athletes out there, but, when I do watch a race or field event these days, i invariably think "what are they on I wonder". The UK are not squeeky clean either - you have to feel for the other three athletes in this case;-
https://www.cbssports.com/olympics/n...s-over-doping/
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
from my point of view, its so " programmed "now, the training schedules are so good that the athletes will peak at the Olympic Games, sure they used to work towards that in the past, but these days the training schedules are so fine that even 2 meets before the olympics is still classed as a training event
and yes I know they meet 3 times every month ( or so ) in the diamond league, but as all the athletes are doing the same, its all fairly equal
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
There is not anymore drugs cheating in athletics than in other main stream sports like football, cricket, rugby etc.
Cheats in sport are everywhere in my opinion.
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stanmore Bluebird
There is not anymore drugs cheating in athletics than in other main stream sports like football, cricket, rugby etc.
Cheats in sport are everywhere in my opinion.
That's a pretty bold statement to make. Not that I entirely disagree with you. By the law of averages, there are bound to be drug cheats in many sports but performance enhancing drugs have been rife in Athletics for far too long.
My personal opinion is that once it's been proven that an athlete has cheated, he or she should receive a life ban. How Justin Gatlin is allowed back on the track after being caught cheating on more than one occasion fills me with disgust and is the number one reason I fell out of love with the sport.
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Moodybluebird
That's a pretty bold statement to make. Not that I entirely disagree with you. By the law of averages, there are bound to be drug cheats in many sports but performance enhancing drugs have been rife in Athletics for far too long.
My personal opinion is that once it's been proven that an athlete has cheated, he or she should receive a life ban. How Justin Gatlin is allowed back on the track after being caught cheating on more than one occasion fills me with disgust and is the number one reason I fell out of love with the sport.
'help' is certainly being used at the top level of football. Games are much faster than they were, and there's little drop off in the last 15 minutes. The style to press high is also exhausting.
There's no way that diet and conditioning alone has done this. It's all about minimising mistakes that lead to goals, which are often through tiredness, and transitioning from defence to attack as quickly as possible. Super human fitness is needed.
It's been a while since the juventus EPO scandal, and they were probably just ahead of the game. It's inconceivable that the tiny number of drug bans in football are the whole iceberg.
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
If you haven't read it..no looking it up.
Which Briton has run the fastest 1500 m?
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
Mo Farah, I am an Athletics follower!
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stanmore Bluebird
Mo Farah, I am an Athletics follower!
I was surprised when I read it yest
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stanmore Bluebird
Mo Farah, I am an Athletics follower!
You mean you came last in sports day?
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rjk
You mean you came last in sports day?
No!! To be honest, I was a fair club athlete and even competed in the Welsh Games a couple of times basically being invited as a local middle distance athlete to maintain local interest and to show how far behind we locals were versus international class athletes.
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
I used the word ‘local’ repeatedly above - sorry ��
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stanmore Bluebird
No!! To be honest, I was a fair club athlete and even competed in the Welsh Games a couple of times basically being invited as a local middle distance athlete to maintain local interest and to show how far behind we locals were versus international class athletes.
It's ok, it was only a silly joke, you don't need to defend your athletic prowess
Re: World Championship Athletics 1500m
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stanmore Bluebird
No!! To be honest, I was a fair club athlete and even competed in the Welsh Games a couple of times basically being invited as a local middle distance athlete to maintain local interest and to show how far behind we locals were versus international class athletes.
As I said in an earlier post I used to go to the Welsh Games when I was about 11 or 12. It didn't worry me that I was on my own, so engrossed was I in the athletics.
I remember getting loads of autographs of famous athletes of the time such as Lillian Board, Mary Rand, Derek Ibbotson, our own Lynn Davies, Bruce Tulloh, Ron Hill and many more. Very happy memories.
