Olympic 1500m - race tactics question

[big fan]

I am a huge Kevin Sullivan fan and I am as disappointed as everyone else that he didn't make the final. However this is the third straight Worlds/Olympics that he has failed to reach the final. It is interesting to note that El Guerrouj's has been in his semi-final in each these meets. I am not trying to bash here, but I have to question why someone with that much experience was hanging at the back, 10-15m off 2:07 pace when he must have known what was coming:


Semi-Finals, Edmonton:
Heat 2 - Friday, August 10, 2001 - 22:00
Pos Bib Athlete Country Mark
1 760 El Guerrouj Hicham MAR 3:39.54 Q
2 315 Redolat José Antonio ESP 3:39.75 Q
3 766 Hachlaf Abdelkader MAR 3:40.16 Q
4 674 Chirchir William KEN 3:40.23 Q
5 393 Maazouzi Driss FRA 3:40.26 Q
6 1186 McMullen Paul USA 3:40.57 Q
7 685 Rotich Laban KEN 3:41.09
8 343 Zegeye Daniel ETH 3:42.15
9 184 Sullivan Kevin CAN 3:42.30
10 438 Mayock John GBR 3:42.63
11 44 Mottram Craig AUS 3:43.21
12 371 Chébili Saïd FRA 3:43.58

Intermediate Pos Bib Athlete Nat Mark
400 m 1 393 Maazouzi Driss FRA 1:02.61
800 m 1 760 El Guerrouj Hicham MAR 2:06.17
1200 m 1 760 El Guerrouj Hicham MAR 2:59.41



Semi-Finals, Paris:
Heat 1 - Monday, August 25, 2003 - 20:50
Pos Bib Athlete Country Mark
1 908 El Guerrouj Hicham MAR 3:38.25 Q
2 1106 Silva Rui POR 3:38.37 Q
3 1352 Heshko Ivan UKR 3:38.43 Q
4 399 Parra Roberto ESP 3:38.51 Q
5 1189 Shabunin Vyacheslav RUS 3:38.60 Q
6 984 Liefers Gert-Jan NED 3:38.61 q
7 820 Songok Isaac Kiprono KEN 3:39.84 q
8 40 Abdi Youcef AUS 3:40.13
9 712 Obrist Christian ITA 3:41.88
10 670 Turnbull Gareth IRL 3:42.01
11 219 Sullivan Kevin CAN 3:42.33
826 Pisarev Valery KGZ DNS

Intermediate Pos Bib Athlete Nat Mark
400m 1 984 Liefers Gert-Jan NED 1:00.51
800m 1 984 Liefers Gert-Jan NED 2:02.40
1200m 1 908 El Guerrouj Hicham MAR 2:58.71



Semi-Finals, Athens:
Heat 2 - Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 22:01
Pos Athlete Country Mark
1 El Guerrouj Hicham MAR 3:40.87 Q
2 Silva Rui POR 3:40.99 Q
3 Kiptanui Timothy KEN 3:41.04 Q
4 Wendimu Mulugeta ETH 3:41.14 Q
5 Boulahfane Kamal ALG 3:41.27 Q
6 Willis Nicholas NZL 3:41.46
7 Fernández Álvaro ESP 3:42.01
8 Higuero Juan Carlos ESP 3:42.13
9 Sullivan Kevin CAN 3:42.86
10 Baba Youssef MAR 3:42.96
11 Cronje Johan RSA 3:44.41
12 Sneberger Michal CZE 3:47.03

Intermediate Pos Athlete Nat Mark
400m 1 El Guerrouj Hicham MAR 1:04.04
800m 1 El Guerrouj Hicham MAR 2:07.19
1200m 1 El Guerrouj Hicham MAR 3:01.34


To recap
2001: Slow 800m, El Guerrouj 53.24 third lap, 1:36.61 final 700m
2003: Slow 800m, El Guerrouj 56.31 third lap, 1:35.85 final 700m
2004: Slow 800m, El Guerrouj 54.15 third lap, 1:33.68 final 700m


I know about how the person who leads early in the race more often than not doesn't win, but in the semis winning doesn't matter as much as advancing. Take a look at Maazouzi in Edmonton and Liefers in Paris, they led early, didn't win the heat, but still advanced to the final (albeit on time in Liefers case). I believe Silva was sharing the front with El G yesterday, and he also advanced easily. So my question is this: Is it really that hard to change your race tactics to fit a certain situation? Or is it better to have a plan and stick to it, regardless of who is in the race and how it is playing out?

[sully for president]

Great anaysis.

Rui Silva hung back yesterday but moved when he needed to. Sully looked like he was in a good place but once he got inside many people went ahead of him when things heated up. Just like in Edmonton many of the slower guys were up in the front around 1000m because they know they don't have the kick and the kickers are towards the back. Once the race starts to kick the kickers gap Sully. The its too late to move on 1:45-6 runners when Sully is a 1:48 guy this year.
Sully plays these races like a kicker and it used to work for him. He is used to that tactic working, but it hasn't worked the last three times. He needs to race like the rest of the strength 1500 runners, cause that is what he is now.
I have the utmost respect for Sully and I realize hindsight is 20/20 cause if he of kicked in for a top 5 spot we would all be saying Sully is the smartest runner out there.
Sully needs a good coach out there. He knows what he was supposed to do out there but he needs a coach there to give him the encouragement and confidence to stick to a race plan. He is very talented, that is quite obvious, and any coach throwing lots of work at the guy is bound to have good results. He is very smart too and can figure out what to do and what went wrong but having a good coach there with him would of helped in my opinion.

[Kevin Sullivan]

I am not sure I really understand the critisism of my coach here in this situation. My coach is here in Athens with me right now which is only the second major championship that he has attended with me. I did not have my coach with me in '95 or in '00 and things seemed to work out just fine there.

If you all really need to know, our race plan was very simple. Get out well, get in position in the top half of the field, and remember that El G is going to put the hammer down from 700m out. There is no question in El G's tactics, it is the same every time.

I got out in the first 100m and managed to put myself in great position in the top 4. Unfortunately, with the pace being 64 through the first lap, everyone is in the race and I ended up being trapped inside. What then happens is the guys from the back move up on the outside and the guys stuck up near the front end up getting shuffled to the back. There is absolutely nothing that you can do in that situation except wait for an opening. But, with the pace being as slow as it was, there are no openings until El G throws in his surge. By that time I was at the back, but I responded well to the intial move and was still in contention heading into the final lap. I lost contact in the next 150m, and while I closed as fast over the last 300m as the rest of the field, I was by that point off the pack with too much room to make up.

I ran 1:49.6 for my last 800m. There was nothing more I could do. Unfortuneatly for me, I had a bunch of guys who were able to run 1:48 point for thier last 800m. In hindsight it would have been smarter for me to take the race out and make sure it was fast enough to take the sting out of some of the big kickers, or to ensure a time qualifier if I wasn't in the top 5. Or, it would have been better for me to be in the first heat. That's just the luck of the draw.

But it is unfair for you to criticise the coach I have had for the past 11 years for my failure to get in the final. NIck Willis missed the final by .19 sec in the same semi. We have the same coach, had the same race tactics, and he almost pulled it off. Is that Ron's fault too that he didn't make the final. Maybe, these guys were just better than I was on the day. The coach can only get you to the starting line, he can't run the race for you. I made it to the line, I was preparred, confident, and focused. That all comes from Ron. But the result on the track is mine, and only mine. So if you want to disect my race, and let me know what to do differently, fine. But leave my coach out of it. He did all that he could to get me ready.

Kevin Sullivan

[Sully for president]

I guess my anaylsis of the race was close but I made a mistake about the coaching aspects there. I think Ron is a fine coach just didn't know he was there with you. That was my only concern is that I thought you didn't have a good coach there with you (because I didn't realize Ron was there). And from what you say you did just fine without a coach with you in the past.
Good call on the first heat, that would of been a much better heat.
Like I said before, hindsight is 20/20 and its very easy to be critical when things didn't work out but we would all be applauding Sully if his kick would have worked.

[Big Fan]

Guest-Kevin said:

I ran 1:49.6 for my last 800m. There was nothing more I could do.
Kevin Sullivan

You gave it your all Sully, and I think everyone on here loves ya for it.

[S Scime]

Kevin, i have watched you run many times, i always looked up to you as a runner. As a runner myself i know that shit happenes sometimes, sometiems they happen at the wrong times. It doesnt mean that were any less of a runner. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone, especially anyone on a message board. You went there, and represented our country well. To run a 1:49 your last 800m is pretty impressive and i don't think you will find too mnay peoiple critisizing that race. I wish you the best in the years to come, i enjoy watching you run, keep it up.