Teen prodigies

I have just finished following the 2018 European Championships in athletics and, while  I am preparing a long report (just as I do for every major event), I cannot resist the temptation of writing a small article about the two competitors who did immensely impress me. I am talking about the two teenagers who dominated their discipline, beating seasoned champions.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen is 17 years and 11 months old. He ran a sub-4 1500 m just shy of his 15th birthday. Two years later he became the youngest runner to break the 4 min barrier in the mile. His 1500 m personal best stands now at 3:31.18. So, it was not at all astonishing that he managed to win the european championships over that distance. What is astonishing is that he made it look so easy. And what was really astounding was the fact that the next day he presented himself at the start of the 5 km. And he ran as if he had spent the whole week relaxing. Just look at the photo. Amdouni, who won gold in the 10 km,  is suffering trying to catch the two norwegians (Henrik Ingebrigtsen is partly hidden by his brother) while Jakob Ingebrigtsen is celebrating and saluting the crowd. And he won the race in 13:17.06, a European U20 record. So, inevitably, his double 1500-5000 m victory brought to the mind that of one of the greatest runners of all times, the double of H. El Guerrouj in the 2004, Athens, Olympics. That victory was the apogee of the career of El Guerrouj, who decided to hang up his spikes at the age of 30. But Jakob Ingebrigtsen is not yet 18 and we already compare him to El Guerrouj. Next stop, beating those darned kenyans. 

 

Armand (Mondo) Duplantis is 18 years and 9 months old. But you should not think of him as a "young" vaulter: he has more than 10 years' experience in pole vault. He is jumping indeed since he was four years old. He jumped 2.33 m at the age of 7 and he flirted with 4 m when establishing a world record for 10 years old with 3.86 m. His first "over-5" came at the age of 15 (with no less than 5.30 m). Coming to the 2018 Europeans he had a 5.93 m personal best (already a world U20 record). And in Berlin he surprised everyone by improving thrice his PB wining the competition with 6.05. A glimpse at the all-time outdoor pole vault lists shows that Duplantis with 6.05 m is now N°2 (together with Tarasov, Markov and Lavillenie) just behind S. Bubka. One down, one to go: Bubka has already lost his indoor record to Lavillenie; will he lose his outdoors one to Duplantis? I wouldn't hesitate to bet in favour of the latter.

If you wish to see the evolution of Duplantis I recommend that you watch the video of his 10-year progression in youtube. It is really great. You can see "Mondo" jump with a straight, non-bending pole, jump from a hoverboard, imitate S. Huffman's roll over the bar or do a somersault after passing the bar. No wonder he has such a mastery of his discipline.

I'm shocked, really shocked

I am following the European Athletics Championships and while I plan to present a detailed report (probably next month) I cannot help reacting to the french decathlon disaster.

France did enter three decathletes, R. Gado (25) with a 8126 PB, R. Martin (30) with 8138 PB and, the reigning World Champion K. Mayer (26) who with a 8834 PB is the sixth decathlete of all times. The competition did start perfectly, at least for Gado and Mayer. Gado won his 100 m series with 10.86, very close to his 10.83 PB and Mayer took the lead of the event already form the outset with a 10.64 personal best. (Martin was somewhat less  at ease in the 100 m and had to content himself with 11.16, to compare with his 10.81 PB).

The three french decathletes in Berlin

Then came the long jump and the sky fell on the head of the french decathletes. All of them fouled all their three attempts and were out form the decathlon! Is there a decathlon coach in the french team? If yes, he should present his resignation and stop coaching. And I cannot believe that K. Mayer, the best decathlete in the world today, would participate at a continental championship without being accompanied by his personal coach. How did these experts let their athletes make such an enormous blunder? Mayer was the indisputable favourite for the european title. Instead he fouled three jumps at the 7.70-7.80 m region, well beyond the best jump of the opposition. Did he need such a jump to win? Certainly not! 

Two years ago, after watching Ureña foul in the discus throw I wrote an article on famous fouls in decathlon. (K. Mayer can be reassured: he is not the first and will certainly not be the last top-decathlete to lose a competition he could have won, hands down). I was suggesting there an elementary strategy on how to handle fouls in a combined event competition. I repeat it here:

In the case of long jump I would suggest that the athlete take a maximum risk in the first try. If this works so much the better. If he fouls then the second try should be a very cautious one aiming at securing a minimal number of points so as to avoid the disaster. If this succeeds then the third try can be again a maximal risk one. But suppose the second attempt is also a foul. Now two possibilities exist. If a minimal performance is enough for the athlete to attain his (perhaps revised) objective then he should go for this. However if too small a number of points is tantamount to failure then the athlete should go all out, take risks and hope for the best. 

So, this is what Mayer (and his team-mates) should have done. A measly 7 m (hell, even a 6.50 m) would have been sufficient for Mayer to stay in the competition and win thanks to his supremacy in the remaining events. Why didn't anybody suggest caution on his (their) second jump? 

Mayer in tears after his last jump

Anyhow, Mayer was in tears after his third, fouled, jump. He declared that he was feeling great, ready for an 8 m jump and he could not restrain himself. He apologised to his fans and added, "On a tous droit à une faute et j’espère que ça n’arrivera plus jamais" (we all can err once, and I do hope this will never happen again). Being Mayer's fan, I cross my fingers.

On the road to Tokyo: where are the mixed relays?

Some time back I wrote about the 4x400 m mixed relay being included in the program of the next Olympics. Those who follow my blog know that I am a fan of mixed relays. And I rejoiced when I learnt that the mixed 4x400 m will be part of the olympic track and field program. 

A few days ago the qualification system for athletics for the 2020, Tokyo, Olympics was published. And, as expected the mixed relay does appear there. The eligibility for the Olympics (only 16 teams will be participating, as is by now customary for major championships) is not very complicated. 

The first 8 national relay teams of the 2019, Doha, World Championships will automatically qualify for the relay events at the 2020 Olympic Games.  The remaining 8 teams will be selected based on the World Top Lists. The positions will be calculated from the sum of the two fastest times achieved. (There is a small catch here, since it is made clear that for the results to be valid for qualification purposes, a minimum of two different international teams, representing at least two countries, must compete in the race).

The way I am seeing this national teams should start preparing for this mixed relay event. Still the 2018 season is moving gradually toward its end and there hasn't been a single mixed relay race (that I know of) since the 2017 World Relays in Nassau. 

Why isn't there a mixed relay in the 2018 European Championships? (And the same question could be repeated for the African and Central American-Caribbean Championships which are being held at this moment). How can teams prepare for this new and exciting event? One would have expected the IAAF to be the driving force behind this new event. Unfortunately time passes and nothing happens. I just cross my fingers for this rare innovation in the track and field domain not to fizzle out.

PS When I was looking for an olympic rings logo to illustrate my article I stumbled upon the one above made of macaroons and I could not resist the temptation.