If you haven’t seen the hateful 8 yet, well, prepare yourself for some carnage. This R-rated film literally has nothing to do with this blog post, but it does have the number 8 in it, which is the number of 100 meters reps the men we are about to profile have to run consecutively to achieve Olympic glory. The men’s 800 at this year’s Olympics should basically be labeled “Kenya vs the World”. This event was one of the most riveting at the last Olympics, where we saw David Rudisha set the current world record of 1:40.91 and drag 5 other competitors under the 1:43 barrier. That race still stands as been the deepest 800 meter race in history, and Tom and Rob expect it to stay that way through these Olympics. There’s a different plot for this event in Rio. We have an older, more injury-riddled Rudisha, who hasn’t neared the form he showed us in London four years ago. We thought part time DJ Nigel Amos of Botswana (true story, check out some of his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiLKZsErxXs) would have a good opportunity to upgrade his Olympic silver medal, but a disastrous last 100 meters in the first round left him eliminated from competition. Who then, may you ask us rhetorically in your head, will challenge the reigning 800 meter king? Well, we’ve got a few options to choose from.
Let’s start with the Kenyans. Rudisha and his fellow countrymen own 4 of the fastest 5 times set this year so far in the event, so that’s a decent place to start for challengers. Alfred Kipkiter looks to be the heir to his highness’s throne, winning the world youth champion in 2013 and world junior champion in 2014. He finished 8th in last year’s senior world championships and will be hungry to take full advantage of his first Olympic experience. Ferguson Roitch is the other competitor for Kenya. He finished just off the medal stand at last year’s world championships, but only ranks 9th in the world this year with his 1:44.05 clocking.
Now what about “the world” category. Well, we have a few options. Hailing from Algeria is Taoufik Makhloufi, the man who unleashed the kick heard around the world in the London Olympic 1500 meter final. After a 4th place finish at worlds last year in the 1500, Makhloufi is using the 800 as a warm up for his main event later in the games, but don’t count him out of the running for a podium finish in this event as well. Next up, Pierre-Ambrose Bosse of France. The Frenchman has finished in the top 8 in the past two world championships and looked in top form this past July when he took down a stellar field at the London Diamond League. Right behind him at that event was Brandon McBride of the great white north. The front-running NCAA champion has looked stronger than ever this year, soloing a world leading time in April at a university dual meet and notching a 1:43.95 personal best behind Bosse in London.
Now, Tom would never let Rob talk about a Canadian competitor and neglect to talk about the Americans. The star spangled banner qualified 2 athletes out of the first round on Friday: Burger-flipping world indoor champion Boris Berian and collegiate monster Clayton Murphy. Boris has had an, um let’s say, an interesting lead up to the Olympics. Along with his daily training and racing schedule, he was engaged in a David vs.Goliath lawsuit dispute with his old sponsor, (a dispute he ended up winning by the way… More on that story here: http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-balance-to-sign-runner-boris-berian-following-nike-contract-dispute-1467304845). He muscled his way to the world indoor championship in March by leading wire to wire, and has no signs of slowing down in Rio. Clayton made NCAA and professional athletes look silly this year by winning NCAA indoors for the 800, NCAA outdoors for the 1500, and the Olympic trials in the 800 to secure his birth to Rio. This wonderboy snuck into the semi-final round with a small q, but has shown he’s a gamer. Both him and Berian will be duking it out for a spot in the Olympic final tonight.
Rob’s Picks: Gold – Alfred Kipkiter, Silver – David Rudisha, Bronze – Pierre Ambrose Bosse
Tom’s Picks: Gold – David Rudisha, Silver – Alfred Kipkiter, Bronze – Taoufik Makhloufi
Dark Horse: Ayanleh Souleiman
Enough with the running events, it’s time to get vertical! The men’s high jump could be one of the most riveting contests of all-time as we may see the world record fall on August 16th. The current record stands at 2.45 meters and will be chased by three men who have jumped 2.40 meters or better. If you are like every other person reading this blog and are about to google “how high is 2.45 meters”, this photo of Mutaz Essa Barshim’s 2.43 meter personal best jump from 2014 should give you some perspective:
That’s right, Barshim can clear a nearly 8 foot high bar. The only person to jump higher than he has is World Record holder Javier Sotomayor of Cuba, who is the only man to clear 8 feet and has long since retired after his record jump in 1993. Unfortunately, Barshim hasn’t been able to come close to his personal best at a World Championship event. At the 2015 World Championships, Barshim was left off the podium with a 4th place finish. At the 2012 Olympics, Barshim tied for the bronze medal with Derek Drouin of Canada and Robert Grabarz of Great Britain (this is possible in high jump since if two or more competitors jump the same height and have the same amount of errors, they have identical performances and therefore results in a tie). Drouin is the reigning world champion from last year and will be looking for a repeat performance in Rio. The Indiana University grad owns a 2.40 personal best and will be looking to inch closer to the world record mark. Bohban Bondarenko of Ukraine will also be in the mix for the Olympic title, as he owns the world championship crown from 2013 and has jumped 2.42 meters.
Who is the best hope for the U.S. in the event? Look no further than Erik Kynard. This man had some epic battles with Derek Drouin when he competed for Kansas State, and has proven himself at the global level with a silver medal from the London Olympics. Although he has only jumped 2.35 meters this year and underperformed with an 8th place finish at the world championships last year, look for Kynard to be in the mix for another Olympic medal in Rio.
Rob’s picks: Gold- Bohaban Bondarekno, Silver- Derek Drouin, Bronze- Mutaz Essa Barshimn
Tom’s picks: Gold – Mutaz Essa Barshimn, Silver – Zhhang Guowei, Bronze – Derek Drouin
Dark Horse: Erik Kynard
Check out the 800m and High Jump Preview for #olympics #rio2016 Track and Field in today’s Significant Digits https://t.co/TRTHGUFAEK