I understand your point about not sending our best but the team was good enough to win. One thing you didn't mention on the 4x400 was the US set the WR in the qualifiers and then they ran the third fastest time ever in the final with the same team. It took the second time fastest ever to beat them.
The 4x400 US roster drives me absolutely nuts. What makes it worse is that the teams can sub different runners in for the finals. This is what Netherlands did with Bol, to save her legs for her individual event. That being said, is running 400 meters so taxing that these runners, who train like crazy pretty much every day of their lives, can't compete two days in a row?
If they can't, I have to blame IOC also for scheduling the first heats of the men's 400 meters the day after the final of the mixed 4x400, but the women's first heats are two days later. The US could have used its two best women in the 400 and they still would have had a day off before their next competition.
I wonder whether some arrogance was part of this decision as well. Whoever made this choice might have thought, well, we can put in our fourth and fifth best runners and win anyway.
Re:Bol and mixed relay, don’t forget Bol fell 5 meters short in last year’s championship costing her team the gold. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r8AyMplnFVU
Sure seems like the US athletes aren’t interested in doing that mixed relay early in events.
Thanks for writing about the best Olympic event of Paris 2024 so far, mixed team Judo!
I understand your point about not sending our best but the team was good enough to win. One thing you didn't mention on the 4x400 was the US set the WR in the qualifiers and then they ran the third fastest time ever in the final with the same team. It took the second time fastest ever to beat them.
The 4x400 US roster drives me absolutely nuts. What makes it worse is that the teams can sub different runners in for the finals. This is what Netherlands did with Bol, to save her legs for her individual event. That being said, is running 400 meters so taxing that these runners, who train like crazy pretty much every day of their lives, can't compete two days in a row?
If they can't, I have to blame IOC also for scheduling the first heats of the men's 400 meters the day after the final of the mixed 4x400, but the women's first heats are two days later. The US could have used its two best women in the 400 and they still would have had a day off before their next competition.
I wonder whether some arrogance was part of this decision as well. Whoever made this choice might have thought, well, we can put in our fourth and fifth best runners and win anyway.