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**Ladyloz** · 10-05-21, 15:11

Gemili also has the 100m standard - 10.04 from 2019. (I've had my own little list running for a while keeping tabs on GB auto qualifiers).

**LuckySpikes** · 10-05-21, 15:56

The marks British Athletics require to accept a World Rankings invitation are on Page 12 of https://www.uka.org.uk/wp-content/up...-FINAL-003.pdf. The actual Olympic standards are on the previous page.

A few are no different from the Olympic standard, some allow quite a bit of leeway (e.g., the 10,000s) and some only very barely differ. My "favourite" has to be the Men's 400 Hurdles - 48.91 vs the 48.90 Olympic standard! How generous!!

**larkim** · 12-05-21, 09:06

Are we only going to see Mo run once before the Olympics to get the time at the Birmingham trial event do we think? Can't quite believe he's not raced on the track yet with his goals; or should I be interpreting his silence as a reality check that he might actually be considering stepping aside?

**treadwater1** · 12-05-21, 22:46

Originally posted by LuckySpikes

The marks British Athletics require to accept a World Rankings invitation are on Page 12 of https://www.uka.org.uk/wp-content/up...-FINAL-003.pdf. The actual Olympic standards are on the previous page.

A few are no different from the Olympic standard, some allow quite a bit of leeway (e.g., the 10,000s) and some only very barely differ. My "favourite" has to be the Men's 400 Hurdles - 48.91 vs the 48.90 Olympic standard! How generous!!

How seriously will BA apply these B standards, if they stick closely to them it will restrict the size of the team significantly to perhaps the mid 50s, we took 72 to Doha. Tougher standards have worked quite well for swimming in the recent past, I’m not completely against them. When the B standard is barely any different to the one set by WA it makes you wonder why they chose to introduce them. If you use Chris Bennett as an example, doesn’t have the WA standard, doesn’t yet have the B standard, but has thrown over 75m twice this year and beat some good athletes at the weekend, he’s exactly the sort of athlete that should have an invite accepted by BA.

Mystery will you be doing a women’s list?

**Sovietvest** · 13-05-21, 13:54

Originally posted by larkim

Are we only going to see Mo run once before the Olympics to get the time at the Birmingham trial event do we think? Can't quite believe he's not raced on the track yet with his goals; or should I be interpreting his silence as a reality check that he might actually be considering stepping aside?

In previous years Mo prepared for major champs with a 10,000, a 5000, one or two 3000s and a 1500. I'm sure he'll prepare differently this year for a variety of reasons: he has less time; few races are available; there are logistical problems and health risks associated with travelling to races; he's physically different and he's preparing for a very different challenge to the one he faced at previous global champs. In the past he knew he had to prepare for one of his two finals to come down to 52 or 53 second last lap - usually the 5000. This time he only has the 10,000 to worry about and I'd be astonished if it was not won in under 26:45. The new generation of 10,000m runners contains more front runners and the super spikes seem to give athletes at all distances from 800m up the confidence to go out at faster paces.

My guess is he'll look for a 3000 and a 5,000 after the 10000 Trial, most likely at the Oslo or Stockholm meetings in the first week of July and the Anniversary Games. I wonder if he'd be tempted to go after the GB 5000 record on a nice Scandinavian evening? At his best he could have run 12:45 and with the super spikes, even allowing for the fact he won't be the same athlete he was in 2017, he must have a good chance.

Ideally, I imagine he'd have fancied an additional race 2-3 weeks after Birmingham but travelling around Europe to the Continental Tour is probably unappealing currently for obvious reasons. Maybe he'd have a run out in the British Champs?

If the weather is terrible in Birmingham and he misses the OQ, I wonder what he'll do?. Scour the world for another 10,000 at short notice (maybe the BMC could lay one on in Watford ;-) or refocus on the 5,000? I'm sure this isn't a popular view but I would still fancy his chances in the Tokyo 5 more than the 10. Aside from the fact I always felt he was vulnerable at 10,000 (with better health and a team mate willing to sacrifice himself, I thought Kamworor was potentially better than Mo) there's a good chance some medal threats over 5,000 will be suffering from a brutal 10,000 a week earlier and/or make tactical mistakes that Mo can capitalise on.

Of course, if he decides to go for the 5,000, he would have to run at Manchester AND get under the OQ in that race. He couldn't wait until the July DLs because the team is selected before then.

**Ladyloz** · 15-05-21, 12:33

With the National Championships window, I am not sure if there will be any top quality distance races in Europe in the 2nd half of June. I think it's Birmingham or bust. Will be interesting to see what the leading pacemakers will be asked to do there.

**LuckySpikes** · 15-05-21, 15:16

Originally posted by Ladyloz

With the National Championships window, I am not sure if there will be any top quality distance races in Europe in the 2nd half of June. I think it's Birmingham or bust. Will be interesting to see what the leading pacemakers will be asked to do there.

Only a week after the European Cup but The Gouden Spike meeting - June 12th in Leiden, Netherlands - always has a good quality 10,000, won last year by Nicholas Kimeli in 26:59.

Other than that, I can't see any other meetings later in June that traditionally have a 10,000.

I'm not sure they have pacemakers in the European Cup 10,000 'A' races what with them being championship races - I don't recall seeing any in the last 2 editions.

**Ladyloz** · 15-05-21, 19:48

Originally posted by LuckySpikes

Only a week after the European Cup but The Gouden Spike meeting - June 12th in Leiden, Netherlands - always has a good quality 10,000, won last year by Nicholas Kimeli in 26:59.

Other than that, I can't see any other meetings later in June that traditionally have a 10,000.

I'm not sure they have pacemakers in the European Cup 10,000 'A' races what with them being championship races - I don't recall seeing any in the last 2 (editions.

Am sure they have since the event moved to Highgate as it's then doubled as the GB trials. And possibly acts as a trial for other countries too.

**LuckySpikes** · 16-05-21, 18:07

Originally posted by Ladyloz

Am sure they have since the event moved to Highgate as it's then doubled as the GB trials. And possibly acts as a trial for other countries too.

OK, I'm happy to admit I was wrong. I was thinking of the 2019 Women's race when Lonah Salpeter took it out hard and was eventually chased down by Steph Twell. Checking the video at https://www.vincosport.com/videos/34237/?v=79cba1185463 the reason I didn't remember the pacers was because Salpeter blew by them on the first lap. But then they paced the chase group containing, amongst others, the GB trials athletes & GB Euro Cup athletes. Maybe that was the intention all along, rather than pacing Salpeter.

Not sure I agree with having them though. Isn't it an unwritten rule of championship races the world over that you don't use pacers because it changes the dynamic of a championship race? In the above example it could be argued that Twell benefited from the pacers and that allowed her to beat Salpeter who didn't benefit from them at all.

**Ladyloz** · 16-05-21, 20:25

I get where you're coming from LuckySpikes. But I think it's a pragmatic decision to have them. I think the event could die a death otherwise which would be a great shame.

I don't imagine British Athletics would have agreed to host, especially this year without it as they want to attract the biggest British names who probably wouldn't be interested sans pacemakers. They would likely just have held a separate British trials race.

On balance I'd rather have the event with pacemakers, rather than see it disappear as per the European Cup Combined Events.

**carterhatch** · 17-05-21, 07:27

I am cheekily interpreting the thread title in its widest context, as i know some forum users, like philipo, avidly follow other Olympic sports (I miss SteveK26)... not expecting big results from Team GB swimming at their Europeans, starting today, but this chap is worth following, but alas I have mever found an equivalent forum, such as ours here, for day-to-day insight... the point is 'relays' are at the heart of all the most lively conversations, no matter the sport.

Relays the big question for Britain in Budapest

https://www.pullbuoy.co.uk/european-championships/relays-the-big-question-for-britain-in-budapest/

Britain’s swimmers begin their European Championships campaign in Budapest this week in a sort of grey area. For the 28 swimmers already nominated for the Olympic games, this is a staging post to the main event, a meet to swim through and hone racing skills, while not being overly concerned at the outcomes. The Europeans in Olympic year are ever thus but there are nonetheless some big questions to be settled this week in Hungary.

**MysteryBrick** · 29-05-21, 16:17

Updated with the recent hurdles results. Women's team getting healthier by the week.

**MysteryBrick** · 05-06-21, 12:45

Updated with recent results (Hammer and 1500m).

**Loop-guru** · 07-06-21, 10:40

Looking at the size of the team it could be bigger than for the worlds where we sent 72 athletes. At the moment we could send 25 (male) plus 33 (female) making 58 then 7 already selected for the Marathon and walks takes us up to 65. If the relays are bolstered in a similar way to the worlds that would add a further 14 taking us up to 79. In addition at the rate it's going (5 got the olympic standard in recent days) this figure could potentially be much higher by the time of the trials. In addition a lot of events don't seem to have the requisite depth this year which could lead to a slew of invites for our athletes who are close to the standard. Personally I would accept all invites that came this way but unfortunately British athletics takes a different more elitist viewpoint. If British athletics was to do a sensible u-turn on the matter we could easily send 85-90 athletes to the games.

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