by Alfonz Juck
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“That’s an unbelievable feeling. I just felt like I was getting carried by the stadium and God. My body just kind of did it for me. My mind was all there and I saw that finish line. Winning gold was my goal this entire year. I wrote that down and I repeated it to myself even if I didn’t believe it. My performances showed me that I was capable of running 3:27, whatever it took. I knew I was a medal contender, and I knew that if I get it right, it would be a gold medal. I’ve been saying that, ” Cole Hocker.
RESULT OF THE DAY
Excellent women’s steeple battle crowned with Olympic record 8:52.76 by Yavi, European record by Finot 8:58.67, in a race with very good depth and a lot of statistical records. Coming to top ten all time.
SURPRISE OF THE DAY
Cale Hocker’s victory in the men’s 1500m in Olympic record 3:27.65, Kerr second, Nuguse third, Ingebrigtsen fourth. Coming to all-time top ten.
MEDALS (25 countries)
USA 5-5-6; CAN 2-0-0; KEN 1-1-2; CHN, GBR 1-1-1; LCA, UGA 1-1-0; UKR 1-0-2.
POINTS (48 countries)
USA 139; GBR 41; KEN 38; JAM 36; ETH 35; ITA 30; CHN 26; CAN 25; NED 24.
TITLE DEFENDERS
Yes (4): Crouser, Allman, Duplantis, Tentoglou
No (11): Stano, Palmisano, Barega, POL, Warner, Nowicki, Jacobs, Hassan, Ingebrigtsen, Wlodarczyk, Chemutai
NC (5): Rojas, Thompson-Herah (2x), Lasitskene, Mu
TOP MARKS
WR (2): 3:07.41 mixed 4x400m USA (230th WR at Olympic Games); 625 pole vault Duplantis
OR (5): 3:07.41 mixed 4x400m USA; 26:43.14 10,000m Cheptegei; 625 pole vault Duplantis; 3:27.65 1500m Hocker; 8:52.76 steeple Yavi
WL (3+1): 3:07.41 mixed 4x400m USA; 625 pole vault Duplantis; 8:52.76 steeple Yavi; outdoor Lafond 15.02
AR (8): 4 – Europe; 2 – NACAC; 1 – Oceania, South America
AGENTS (individual gold medals)
2 – Paul Doyle, Mark Wetmore; 1 – Mark Corstjens, Caroline Feith, Ray Flynn, Stale Jan Froynes, Jos Hermens, Alfons Juck (with Andrew Maulseed hammer winner), Aivar Karotamm, Henry Rolle, Federico Rosa, Robert Wagner, Daniel Wessfeldt, Thea Lafond is representing herself and not known for walking winners.
STATS (from Ken Nakamura)
1500m – men: Olympic record and three more top performances in the Olympic history, best marks for places 1-8, Nuguse’s 3:27.80 is the best ever (all competitions) for place 3 and Ingebrigtsen’s 3:28.24 for place 4; second medal for Kerr (after bronze in Tokyo); USA with 5-7-5 first by countries over GBR 5-7-4.
3000m steeple – women: first four broke OR; best Olympic marks for places 1-7, best marks ever for places 4-10; Chemutai became best Olympic steepler ever with gold and silver; BRN first nation with 2 golds, UGA second 1-1-0, fifth medal (no gold) for KEN.
200m – women: second medal for Thomas (after bronze in Tokyo); seventh gold for USA, first medal for LCA
LJ – men: Tentoglou first to defend since Lewis; Furlani (834) tied best Olympic mark for place 3 (Greene, Barcelona 1992).
HT – women: Difference between third and fourth 0.04cm is record low; Rogers and Katzberg tied Skolimowska/Ziolkowski from Sydney 2000; first medal (gold) for CAN and first medal for USA.
400mH – women: McLaughlin-Levrone’s 52.13 is the fastest Olympic semifinal time and fourth fastest ever at Olympics, Bol’s 52.57 is the second SF and fifth ever; 53.90 by Geldenhuys is the fastest non-qualifier.
400m – men: 44.43 by Botswana’s duo Kebinatshipi and Ndori is the fastest non-qualifying Olympic mark (replacing 44.65 by Roberts in Rio).
JT – men: Dean’s 82.48 is the longest Olympic non-qualifying mark.
1500m – women: Tsegay’s 3:58.84 is the fastest Olympic 1st round time.
PARIS 2024 NEWS
PARIS (FRA): Neither Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce nor Shericka Jackson will compete for Jamaica in the 4x100m relay in Paris 2024, informs Jamaica Observer. “It would be safer for Jamaica not to have her running; the worst thing to happen is to have Shericka running the anchor leg of the 4x100m and not being able to finish,” said Bruce James, President of MVP Track Club.
PARIS (FRA): Both Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo have pulled out of the 5000m heats. “This follows their failure to fully recover from the gruelling 10,000m race in which both athletes competed on Friday 2nd August 2024. The event left them fatigued with legs and arms muscle pains. Efforts by the Physio Teams to resuscitate the athletes to their full normal form has not been successful,” read a statement in part from the Ugandan team management. Oscar Chelimo will be the sole Ugandan representative in the 5000m.
PARIS (FRA): Reigning Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo needed all three attempts to qualify for the long jump final. But her third attempt suggests she has recovered sufficiently from a recent bout of coronavirus to put up a staunch defence of her Olympic title. After two fouls, Mihambo sailed out to 6.86m on her third and final attempt despite giving away a generous 30.8 centimetres on the take-off board. Via European Athletics.
PARIS (FRA): “I have no comment because you know this is a sports and we accept the outcome and I have faith and I always participate in a good way. I believe in myself. So I can say it was good race yesterday but a lot, a lot of pushing up and down, but all I know is it’s finished. Now I focus on the 1500m,” Faith Kipyegon on Monday’s night 5000m. Via CITIUS MAG.
PARIS (FRA): Both Valarie Allman and Sandra Elkasevic both expressed their disappointment that field events have been excluded from Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track League, informs insidethegames.biz. “These new circuits are really demotivating…I think it will be interesting to see how they develop, as they are limited to the track part of the sport. I think in all events, particularly in throwing events, there is a lot of excitement. It’s just about creating a story and leveraging it,” said Allman. Elkasevic said: “The greatest excitement is in the field because there is a one-and-a-half to two-hour battle between the best discus throwers, the best triple jumpers, the best pole vaulters…,” said Elkasevic.
PARIS (FRA): Greek pole vaulter Eleni-Klaoudia Polak has has been provisionally suspended after failing a doping test, informs AFP. Polak, who failed to reach the pole vault final during qualifying rounds on Monday, returned an “adverse analytical finding” and her results scratched from competition, 2024 Olympic organisers said in a statement.
PARIS (FRA): Faith Kipyegon was reinstated on appeal after the 5000m final although she will carry a yellow card next to her name for the remainder of the Olympics due to jostling. “The Jury of Appeal has reviewed all available evidence and agreed there was significant contact between the two athletes [Kipyegon and Tsegay]. The Jury concluded that the incident did not warrant a disqualification. The Jury wishes to make clear that jostling of this nature is never acceptable and therefore recommends that Faith Kipyegon receives a disciplinary yellow card which would carry throughout the remainder of the Games,” said the Jury of Appeal.
PARIS (FRA): At the AIPS Centennial Celebration at Unesco HQ in Paris, more than 100 veteran Olympic journalists have been awarded. The ceremony organised by the AIPS (International Sports Press Association) was attended by 15 former sports stars: Sean Fitzpatrick, Wu Jingyu, Chris Hoy, Cecilia Tait, Nadia Comăneci, Edwin Moses, Tegla Loroupe, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Ana Fidelia Quirot, Sebastian Coe, Nawal El Moutawakel, Donna de Varona, Kipchoge Keino, Daley Thompson and Nicol David. A great honour for sports journalists who have covered ten or more Olympic Games.
