Olympic runners. Technical question.

[blooma]

I have noticed that, even in some of the finals of The Olympics, many of the runners, actually slow up a few yards from the finish line.
When in such a cut throat event, when world best times are there to be broken, why don't the athletes slow up after the line and not before? Surely they are losing valuable hundredths of a second.

[CedA4]

Qualifying rounds, hence conserving energy !

[V8S]

I would assume it's psychology to show your competitors that you can beat them easily, and also to conserve energy for other events.

[ewenm]

In the Olympics it's nearly always about position, not time. You'll see the ones that are comfortably qualified will slow up to avoid any extra stress on the body. Those further back will push through the line as there are often fastest loser spots up for grabs.

There is no prize money for the Olympics, so a new record is not worth anything extra (well, not immediately, you'll probably get better appearance money at invitation meets). It is ALL about winning.

[JR]

CedA4 said:

Qualifying rounds, hence conserving energy !

Not in the 100m final.

[Digger.]

When your running in an Olympics final are you really thinking about the time? Surely you just want to win, and to be the best in the world. Thinking about running a good time might need a slightly different mind set? in other words its the winning that counts. Having said that I cant help thinking Bolt might change his tune and go for a new 200m record?

[ewenm]

Digger. said:

When your running in an Olympics final are you really thinking about the time? Surely you just want to win, and to be the best in the world. Thinking about running a good time might need a slightly different mind set? in other words its the winning that counts. Having said that I cant help thinking Bolt might change his tune and go for a new 200m record?

If he's miles clear, I doubt it. He can earn bucketloads of money doing that at a big invitational meet. No World Record bonuses at the Olympics.

[elster]

ewenm said:

Digger. said:

When your running in an Olympics final are you really thinking about the time? Surely you just want to win, and to be the best in the world. Thinking about running a good time might need a slightly different mind set? in other words its the winning that counts. Having said that I cant help thinking Bolt might change his tune and go for a new 200m record?

If he's miles clear, I doubt it. He can earn bucketloads of money doing that at a big invitational meet. No World Record bonuses at the Olympics.

Yeah but if he keeps breaking it little bit by little bit will earn him more money.

[Digger.]

Actually I agree, but let's test that out right now. Looks like Isinbayev might be just about to go for another world record?

EDIT OK she's not a runner but same principle?

Edited by Digger. on Monday 18th August 14:58

[ewenm]

elster said:

ewenm said:

Digger. said:

When your running in an Olympics final are you really thinking about the time? Surely you just want to win, and to be the best in the world. Thinking about running a good time might need a slightly different mind set? in other words its the winning that counts. Having said that I cant help thinking Bolt might change his tune and go for a new 200m record?

If he's miles clear, I doubt it. He can earn bucketloads of money doing that at a big invitational meet. No World Record bonuses at the Olympics.

Yeah but if he keeps breaking it little bit by little bit will earn him more money.

That I can understand in the pole vault. I doubt Bolt can be at 150m and think "no, just put in 87% effort now, not 88% as I only want a new record by 0.01s".

[ewenm]

Digger. said:

Actually I agree, but let's test that out right now. Looks like Isinbayev might be just about to go for another world record?

As above, different for her as she can definitively do it 1cm at a time. Try deliberately doing a sprint to the precision of 0.01s.

[chim666]

elster said:

Yeah but if he keeps breaking it little bit by little bit will earn him more money.

Exactly.

Also, if he's got that much potential in his pocket, he'll be ensuring a role for himself as a top athlete for future events/years. Why shoot your bolt early so that nobody (even yourself) cannot beat your record?

[funinthesun]

chim666 said:

elster said:

Yeah but if he keeps breaking it little bit by little bit will earn him more money.

Exactly.

Also, if he's got that much potential in his pocket, he'll be ensuring a role for himself as a top athlete for future events/years. Why shoot your bolt early so that nobody (even yourself) cannot beat your record?

agreed , but you also earn more appearance money just for turning up if you have a WR... big meet s can go to $100k for a WR , but Bolt will be getting $50k odd just for turning up....

[ALawson]

I remember the old eastern block pole volter who used to break his wr by 1 cm at a time just because of the incentives to break world records.

I suppose the only thing is you could be injured the next week or whatever reason and you would know that you never performed to your maximum, now that would be a shame.

I'm waiting for the mens 200m to see a new WR.

[tamore]

ALawson said:

I remember the old eastern block pole volter who used to break his wr by 1 cm at a time just because of the incentives to break world records.

I suppose the only thing is you could be injured the next week or whatever reason and you would know that you never performed to your maximum, now that would be a shame.

I'm waiting for the mens 200m to see a new WR.

sergei bubka (sp)

[RobM77]

I must confess I felt slightly dissapointed watching the Men's 100m final. The winner, Usain Bolt, streaked ahead and won by a huge margin. The thing was, as soon as he realised he was going to win it he seemed to back off considerably in the last 10 metres, maybe by as much as a tenth! He could have smashed the world record to pieces (9.60?) and seen his name in the record books for much longer. Surely that's more important than any victory - going down in the record books? In my own humble experience in club level motor racing, having lap records that stood for years always meant more to me than winning on the day.

So, was that last 10m of his 100m final really about conserving himself for the 200m event that he's also running in? I'll be interested to see if he does the same in that.

[ewenm]

Digger. said:

Actually I agree, but let's test that out right now. Looks like Isinbayev might be just about to go for another world record?

EDIT OK she's not a runner but same principle?

Edited by Digger. on Monday 18th August 14:58

She did do it (5.05) but the equivalent with running would be Bolt doing exactly 19:31 in the 200m final, not 19:30 or 19:29 but precisely 19:31. You just can't be that precise in running.

Edited by ewenm on Monday 18th August 15:29

[RobM77]

ewenm said:

RobM77 said:

I must confess I felt slightly dissapointed watching the Men's 100m final. The winner, Usain Bolt, streaked ahead and won by a huge margin. The thing was, as soon as he realised he was going to win it he seemed to back off considerably in the last 10 metres, maybe by as much as a tenth! He could have smashed the world record to pieces (9.60?) and seen his name in the record books for much longer. Surely that's more important than any victory - going down in the record books? In my own humble experience in club level motor racing, having lap records that stood for years always meant more to me than winning on the day.

So, was that last 10m of his 100m final really about conserving himself for the 200m event that he's also running in? I'll be interested to see if he does the same in that.

Records move on. He'll always be the Olympic champion. Or at least that's what Jackson and Johnson were saying. The Olympics really is about winning above everything else.

Thanks. I realise you have much more of an insight into this than me. Personally though, I'm more competitive with myself than with other people. If I'm 50 yards in front at the end of a 10k, I'll still go like mad to finish in the best possible time. When I sit down and watch the 100m final every year (which I have done for as long as I can remember), my mind's focussing on what time will win, not who wins.

[mechsympathy]

RobM77 said:

He could have smashed the world record to pieces (9.60?) and seen his name in the record books for much longer.

This way he'll still see his name in the record books, but each time he breaks his own record he'll get $100k.

[Digger.]

ewenm said:

Digger. said:

Actually I agree, but let's test that out right now. Looks like Isinbayev might be just about to go for another world record?

EDIT OK she's not a runner but same principle?

Edited by Digger. on Monday 18th August 14:58

She did do it (5.05) but the equivalent with running would be Bolt doing exactly 19:31 in the 200m final, not 19:30 or 19:29 but precisely 19:31. You just can't be that precise in running.

Edited by ewenm on Monday 18th August 15:29

19.31 it will be then