Sheena’s 2025 Athletics Thread

Sardonicus said:
Who has gotten the closest to Koch's time in the past 40 years? Perec's 48.25 in 1996 perhaps? Still miles away (no idea if there's any suspicion around Perec either, although what an amazing race that was between her & Freeman).
Click to expand...

Never any suspicion around Perec other than the time she competed in. She was skinny (unusual for a doper in those days), competed everywhere and just looked like she was born for it. Vocally very outspoken against dopers and specific competitors too.

Salwa Eid Naser is the closest since Koch’s run, in Doha 2019, but obviously question marks there.

I think the 800 will go first. Shoes and wave lights help things immensely, plus you have a dominant talent in Keely.
 
I was thinking the 800 too especially as Keely and Athing (if she can get her act back together) are so young still and could propel each other, along with all the other factors Shee mentioned.
 
IMG_6191.jpeg

Did karaoke with 1992 Olympic 400m hurdle champion and former world record holder Kevin Young last night, who joined us for a night out. That was a complete surreal moment…especially when he requested we do Bananarama together :D! We ended up doing You Spin Me Round, so close enough…
 
Sydney looked insane. Can’t believe we ever doubted her.
 
Sheena said:
View attachment 37847

Did karaoke with 1992 Olympic 400m hurdle champion and former world record holder Kevin Young last night, who joined us for a night out. That was a complete surreal moment…especially when he requested we do Bananarama together :D! We ended up doing You Spin Me Round, so close enough…
Click to expand...

WOW :disco: But I initially thought this was Jon Drummond who I used to really fancy :D
 
Last edited:
BoysForSeles said:
I want to know what Bananarama song he wanted. If it wasn’t Venus I’ve other questions.
Click to expand...

:D

I’m guessing that was the confusion…Venus vs Dead or Alive. I doubt he was going to call up Love In The First Degree.
 
If he had requested 'Look on the Floor' questions would need to be asked!
 
Agonisingly close for Jake but im sure he’d have signed up for a silver if offered it before the champs started.
 
BoysForSeles said:
Agonisingly close for Jake but im sure he’d have signed up for a silver if offered it before the champs started.
Click to expand...

Absolutely this, but yes, it was a great run. It just feels the luck isn’t going to go our way these champs- it’s been really disappointing overall so far, but glad to at least get a medal on the books at last.

All these stupid slow races here are giving up some very random winners.
 
So I've got this live on the iplayer for the first time this champs. Just been keeping up with the results online and here. I'm here for that 400m women's final :disco:
 
what a RACE for the women's 400m :disco: You don't see 47 on the clock every day - commentators saying that Paulino would have challenged even more if she wasn't running blind.
I honestly think Sidney could go up to 800m - she has the strength. I remember Sally Gunnell saying if she wasn't injured she would have tried the 800m because of her hurdles strength,
 
Sardonicus said:
The 100 record was clearly wind assisted before we even get to the obvious doping. Nobody has gotten near the records of Koch & Kratochilova either, including the dopers. Obviously they should be expunged but it ain't happening.

So I guess I'd say the 200 by process of elimination but I can't see anyone getting near that either.
Click to expand...
After today's time in the rain, I'm revising my opinion. I think Sydney can break Koch's record within the next year or 2.
 
I knew Sydney could go sub 48 but didn’t expect Paulino to do it too. Poor Jarmilla shunted down to 4th all time in one fell swoop.

The three medalists if they stay fit and motivated could push Sydney to sub 47.6 in a big race somewhere though that could be the next worlds or Olympics the way Sydney schedules.

They really need to find a way to make doing both the 400 and 400 hurdles a scheduling possibility at the worlds and Olympics going forward. You can’t just exclude a once in a lifetime talent like Sydney from doing one if she wants to do both because of scheduling.

OT: I went on a 400 metres related rabbit hole the other day and was shocked to read that Marita Koch’s daughter is married to Heike Drechsler’s son.
 
BoysForSeles said:
I knew Sydney could go sub 48 but didn’t expect Paulino to do it too. Poor Jarmilla shunted down to 4th all time in one fell swoop.

The three medalists if they stay fit and motivated could push Sydney to sub 47.6 in a big race somewhere though that could be the next worlds or Olympics the way Sydney schedules.

They really need to find a way to make doing both the 400 and 400 hurdles a scheduling possibility at the worlds and Olympics going forward. You can’t just exclude a once in a lifetime talent like Sydney from doing one if she wants to do both because of scheduling.

OT: I went on a 400 metres related rabbit hole the other day and was shocked to read that Marita Koch’s daughter is married to Heike Drechsler’s son.
Click to expand...
Just out of interest, what would you (& @Sheena) consider to be the clean world records in the 100, 200 & 800, considering that Sydney should have the 400 record due to the obvious doping by Marita Koch.

And also AGOG at the news of the Koch/Dreschler NUPTIALS.
 
Oh I’ll have to have a think as I’ll overlook someone no doubt. Sheena will be quicker off the mark than me I’d say. Shericka’s 21.41 for the 200 for me, she looked on course to hold it outright but has been plagued the last couple of season with injuries.

Elaine Thompson-Herah has that 10.54 but I’m not so sure about that one either!
 
Sardonicus said:
Just out of interest, what would you (& @Sheena) consider to be the clean world records in the 100, 200 & 800, considering that Sydney should have the 400 record due to the obvious doping by Marita Koch.

And also AGOG at the news of the Koch/Dreschler NUPTIALS.
Click to expand...

Oh that was AGES ago! Talk about athletics royalty!

Right, clean records.

There’s something we have to deal with here. Whether we think “clean” means whatever we personally believe or whatever there is no suspicion about. I’m going to say entirely clean and with few worries at all. You may be surprised.

100: 10.72 Julien Alfred
200: 21.60 Gaby Thomas
400: Interesting you presume I’d say Sydney…but ok
800: Jelimo/ Semenya: but both are invalid for other reasons
 
Anyway, as my name dropping continues, had the best night as hanging out with athletics bestie Amy Hunt’s Mum and WHAT A FUCKING RUN! Loved that (name dropping two), Dina’s Mum came over to say “well done” too. Nice touch.

So excited for the 200 final…
 
Last edited:
I was thinking could Amy or Dina trouble for the BRONZE
 
Sheena said:
Oh that was AGES ago! Talk about athletics royalty!

Right, clean records.

There’s something we have to deal with here. Whether we think “clean” means whatever we personally believe or whatever there is no suspicion about. I’m going to say entirely clean and with few worries at all. You may be surprised.

100: 10.72 Julien Alfred
200: 21.60 Gaby Thomas
400: Interesting you presume I’d say Sydney…but ok
800: Jelimo/ Semenya: but both are invalid for other reasons
Click to expand...
Outside of Sydney then, & given the more recent suspicious athletes, would it be Perec perhaps?

I understand that Caster would have an asterisk, but is Jelimo also a DSD athlete - I know little about her, wasn't paying much attention to athletics when she was around.
 
Halli said:
I was thinking could Amy or Dina trouble for the BRONZE
Click to expand...
With no Alfred or Thomas in the mix that bronze is up for grabs for sure. Amy was looking stronger than Dina today.

Based on how Sydney responded to that question about 800 metres she’s clearly given it some thought and wouldn’t be surprised to see her have a stab at it at some point.
 
Sardonicus said:
Outside of Sydney then, & given the more recent suspicious athletes, would it be Perec perhaps?

I understand that Caster would have an asterisk, but is Jelimo also a DSD athlete - I know little about her, wasn't paying much attention to athletics when she was around.
Click to expand...

I don’t suspect Paulino of anything, so it would be her. But then Perec.

Rumours are Jelimo was DSD too, but little actual evidence and I realise it’s a dangerous guessing game to play.
 
I keep coming back to the Sydney point above in my head. Sydney is an incredible athlete and I don’t really suspect her but we all seem to overlook how dodgy her coach Bobby Kersee was in the 80s. Remember her coached Flo-Jo and the rumours that have swirled around his wife Jackie Joyner- Kersee. Plus at the Ben Johnson Dubin enquiry on drugs in Canada, Angela Bailey testified that she left his coaching because she refused to take drugs and he didn’t know what to do with her without them.

The caveat to all of this is “different times”, but it’s interesting that when Salwa ran her crazy time in 2019, everyone pointed to how she’d lopped almost a second off her PB and didn’t seem in distress at the end as evidence of her being doped. (See Shaunae Miller-Uibo who basically almost collapsed after her run for silver). No one says anything remotely similar about Sydney. Last night with athletics friends, one said “ah, but Sydney was a great junior, she’s always been good”. As was Salwa. Admittedly since then, Salwa has had whereabouts issues, but it’s a massive double standard.
 
Sheena said:
I keep coming back to the Sydney point above in my head. Sydney is an incredible athlete and I don’t really suspect her but we all seem to overlook how dodgy her coach Bobby Kersee was in the 80s. Remember her coached Flo-Jo and the rumours that have swirled around his wife Jackie Joyner- Kersee. Plus at the Ben Johnson Dubin enquiry on drugs in Canada, Angela Bailey testified that she left his coaching because she refused to take drugs and he didn’t know what to do with her without them.

The caveat to all of this is “different times”, but it’s interesting that when Salwa ran her crazy time in 2019, everyone pointed to how she’d lopped almost a second off her PB and didn’t seem in distress at the end as evidence of her being doped. (See Shaunae Miller-Uibo who basically almost collapsed after her run for silver). No one says anything remotely similar about Sydney. Last night with athletics friends, one said “ah, but Sydney was a great junior, she’s always been good”. As was Salwa. Admittedly since then, Salwa has had whereabouts issues, but it’s a massive double standard.
Click to expand...
Further to this, Paulino has been getting trashed online for her interview afterwards when she kept talking about she believed that athletes should be constantly competing, not just showing up for the big events plus every now & then - a clear allusion to Sydney. My immediate thought went back to the Thanou days when she said that - how she'd show up & run fantastic times once in a blue moon.

I don't want to point the finger immediately, as Sydney is clearly a generational talent, but sometimes you can tell a lot by how competitors react like this - see also the rest of the Jamaican girls when Elaine was running incredible times.

I hope this isn't the case though. It's sad that we view so many performances through this lens rather than being confident that we are watching a clean & level playing field.
 
Good scrapping from Amy there. Such a fluctuation between events in terms of what it’s needing to medal, like a 22.14 to silver in a 200 is way down on what you’d expect considering a 48.1 only bronzed in the 400. Not a diss on Amy in any way btw. I enjoyed the men’s 200.
 
Just caught up with Amy's silver. I was shouting at the telly. Shericka was a bit down on what was expected but Amy did a great job.

And saw our Shee celebrating with Amy and her mum.
 
Fuck me, that was incredible…one of the best athletics experiences I’ve ever had. So pleased for Amy and her parents. Albeit that a lot of people seemingly have mistaken me for her Dad… :D

IMG_6484.png
 
Shut out of the medals in all the relays, after the sweep at the Olympics last year. Perhaps we've been a bit spoilt previously but OH DEAR
 
Halli said:
Femke Bol is moving up to the 800m :disco:
Click to expand...

Missed this, but yes, EXCITING TIMES. I wonder if Sydney's been part of that decision? Femke obviously wants an individual Olympic gold, she doesn't stand a chance at 400m hurdles if Sydney goes back to it and surely with LA '28 round the corner, she's going to push for a 400/400H double, given just what we've seen. I think it's a shame Femke isn't going for the 400, because there is still a load of untapped potential there- considering her indoor WR, she has to be capable of mid 48 seconds at the very least, but maybe that will come later- she's still young. Another part of the reasoning must be that the 800 has chopped and changed hands in recent years, with no absolute dominant force, though I still think Keely has a bit more in her and this year's injuries meant she was unable to stamp her command like she would have expected. Still, I think 400H to 800 is a doable transition and I expect her to be competitive at the least...
 
Paulino is also talking about trying the 800 metres next season. I guess with it being a non Worlds or Olympic year it makes sense for them to experiment. They can always revert back in a global event year.

I think Bol’s definitely is a reaction to Sydney. However, in that interview at the Worlds it seems that the 800 is also on Sydney’s radar at some point though I suspect it would be after the LA Games if she’s still healthy and motivated.
 
Sydney moving to 800 (which was mentioned in Tokyo) just as Femke gets to grips with it would be absolute LOLs.

It all feels a bit Irina Privalova 2000, where someone is just so talented and diverse but never got an Olympic gold and just says “right, where’s my best chance?”. She won 400m hurdles gold in her only season at the event on about her 6th race! WHAT A WOMAN!
 
I was pleased Irina got her moment after being such a gracious 2/3/4 placer in those sprinting golden years of the big 4. I thought she’d stick at it and have a go at the world record but any form of the 400 is a horrible event so I don’t blame her. Even Marita Koch said she hated it.
 
BoysForSeles said:
I was pleased Irina got her moment after being such a gracious 2/3/4 placer in those sprinting golden years of the big 4. I thought she’d stick at it and have a go at the world record but any form of the 400 is a horrible event so I don’t blame her. Even Marita Koch said she hated it.
Click to expand...

She basically "retired" after 2000. She was injured in 2001-2003 and didn't really compete. She tired to make the team for Athens back at the sprints but wasn't remotely competitive. She made a semi- reasonable comeback aged 39/40 and ran 11.32, which wasn't that far off the Russian Olympic team standard of the time, but she bombed out at the Russian champs.

There was talk of her moving to the 100m hurdles at one point and she ran a reasonable 800m around 2003/2004 if I remember.

I wish she'd done a heptathlon- she was a reasonable junior long jumper as a junior and actually recorded a (really good) mark for the triple jump around the time she broke through (which suggests she could have done a better long jump). She's got good marks in the 200/800/LJ/100H covered, with those jumps you have to think her HJ wouldn't be bad- just had to master the javelin and shot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top Bottom