TOKYO OLYMPICS RUNNING RESULTS
(Part 1 of 2)
LISTEN
The running events have been underway in Tokyo living up to the hype and long-anticipated hopes of viewers and track nerds around the world. (To view the results directly, visit here.)
This episode focuses on the results of the distance events. Tune in!
INTRO
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- FOLLOW and SUBSCRIBE
- Big thank you to fellow runner nerd and running coach Benjamin Murray for digging deep into the history of track and field to find us to our posed question from our last episode. We asked if anyone has run a distance triple at the Olympic Games. I don’t know of any 1500/5000/1000 triple, but Emil Zapotek (Czechoslovak) won gold in 5k, 10k, and ran the marathon in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki… and WON that marathon even though he was a last minute entry. Shawanna then joined the conversation and let us know it was Emil Zapotek’s first marathon!
Our athlete Laura asked us about running on vacation, and we thought it could be helpful to share some of our conversation with you all as well…
- Lots of vacations this time of year
- I’ve got this big running goal this fall but want to enjoy vacation with my family… what do I do?
3 principles in these situations at all times:
- Always try to avoid multiple days off in a row (the net impact is a fair bit more when multiple days off in a row) → not really about losing fitness as much as related to neuromuscular things, rhythms
- Volume is more important than speed, so the goal tends to need to be trying to log as much time as is available.
- When #2 isn’t an option (meaning the runs have to be shorter), then picking up the pace some can indeed help, so steady and fartleks are good options for days when volume has to be low.
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Tokyo Olympic Preview
Running events begin this week in Tokyo for the Olympics. This week we are preparing you to enjoy Olympic running more than ever.
Schedule (by final) of distance races
*Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of US EST (here’s a link to the schedule, times are listed in local venue time)
- Tuesday, August 3: Women’s 800m
- Wednesday, August 4: Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase, Men’s 800m
- Friday, August 6: Men’s 5,000m, Women’s 1500m
- Saturday, August 7: Women’s Marathon, Women’s 10,000m, Men’s 1500m
- Sunday, August 8: Men’s Marathon
Event Results
Men’s 10000m Final
Got to watch a very interesting race strategy attempt … that flopped!
- Stephen Kissa of Uganda took the race out hard…
- Or at least, he tried to take it out hard, but NO ONE followed!
- At one point 9 seconds in front of the field. Kissa dropped just before 18 mins of the race.
- So what was the strategy?
- Tug of war
- Try to bait the contenders
- Let his countrymen reap the reward
- Instead, it largely amounted to a more unsettling experience for everyone
- *big surge in the middle followed immediately by a return to slow running
- *decent grind in the last couple laps that turned into a blistering kick
1 Selemon Barega 27:43.22 ETH
2 Joshua Cheptegei 27:43.63 UGA
3 Jacob Kiplimo 27:43.88 UGA
4 Berihu Aregawi 27:46.16 ETH
5 Grant Fisher 27:46.39 USA
6 Mohammad Ahmed 27:47.76 CAN
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15 Woody Kincaid 28:11.01 USA
16 Joe Klecker 28:14.18 USA
Women’s 5000m Final
One of the most highly anticipated events for distance runners around the world happened Monday Aug 2 (USA). Setting up the stage we need to remind you that Sifan Hassan had run the 1500m prelim that same day and fell. She got up, but was pretty far behind. She ended up blazing past the field and finished first in her heat.
WR- 14:06.62 GIDEY Letesenbet ETH
OR -14:26.17 CHERUIYOT Vivian
The start line looked tense. Sifan looked upset, frowning, as did Hellen Obiri.
Japanese national Ririka Hironaka took the lead. No one wanted to be the pacemaker. Sifan played it towards the back, then moved to the middle and was about midpack until less than a mile to go. Hellen Obiri did quite a bit of leading with Gudaf Tsegay right behind her.
1 Sifan Hassan 14:36.79 NETH
2 Hellen Obiri 14:38.36 KEN
3 Gudaf Tsgay 14:38.87 ETH
4 Agnes Jebet Tirop 14:39.62 KEN
5 Ejgayehu Taye 14:41.24 ETH
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Team USA
11 Karissa Schweizer 14:55.80
13 Elise Cranny 14:55.98 (season best for Cranny)
Ririka Hironaka was rewarded for her effort of “pacing” the group with a personal best and Japanese national record of 14:52.84.
The men’s 3,000m Steeplechase
WR 7:53.63 Saif Saaeed of Qatar
OR 8:03.28 Conseslus Kipruto of Kenya
As you may recall from our conversations last week in the preview, No Conseslus and no Evan Jager of the USA.
The rain had just started to subside at this point on the track. Getnet Wale and Lamecha Girma took it through the first lap. Lamecha Girma led from 1 mile until he was passed at the lap water jump by the champion. Soufiane made his final move on the final water pit.
El Bakkali became the first non-Kenyan to win the Olympic gold event since Poland’s Bronisław Malinowski won the title in Moscow in 1980.
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase
1 Soufiane El Bakkali 8:08.9 MAR
2 Lamecha Girma 8:10.4 ETH
3 Benjamin Kigen 8:11.5 KEN
4 Getnet Wale 8:15.0 ETH
5 Yemane Haileselassie 8:15.3 ERI
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11 Benard Keter 8:22.1
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