Multi Events - State of Play

[RunUnlimited]

It also must be remembered that today was a pretty cool and breezy one out there for the multi eventers in Bedford, and yet so many of them produced PBs and season's bests despite the condition. Imagine if they were competing in more seasonal weather for May? Abigail Pawlett in her post-event, track side interview made that point, saying that the cool conditions likely hampered her in the jumping events, especially the long jump where she could only manage a best of 5.80m. In warmer weather, that would likely have been at least beyond the 6m mark, and perhaps overall, she might have been close to challenging the CWG standard of 5850.

And better weather might have meant that Jade O'Dowda could have gotten the European standard too.

[RunUnlimited]

Finn O'Neil looked really, really good in that U18's decathlon 1500m race. He finished almost half a lap ahead of the rest, in a PB of 4:30.63 and surely he's got the Euro U18 standard wrapped up, along with a 7000 point+ PB total.

Ohh so close for O'Neil... He *just* misses out on the EU18 Championship standard (6900) as his final points total is a big PB of 6838, adding nearly 300 points on his previous best. It was likely his pole vault, just 3.50m, that might have put paid to his chance at the standard. But still, a big talent in the decathlon.

[Occasional Hope]

You can never tell with NI athletes, but if his club is over the border that sounds as though it might be his first choice. We might see him in future Commonwealths for NI at least.

[trickstat]

Strabane itself is in Northern Ireland. All Northern Irish athletes have the option of competing for Ireland under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

[RunUnlimited]

trickstat That is true. Interestingly, on the European Athletics ranking list for U18s (though haven't yet updated it with his decathlon performance yesterday), O'Neil's name has an Irish flag next to it.

[RunUnlimited]

While that race was happening, Harry Kendall unleashed a massive javelin heave in the opening round of the senior decathlon, and 59.81m was the result, an improvement of a meter and a half on his previous PB!

[treadwater1]

Good effort from Sammy Ball, he may have snuck over 7300

[Occasional Hope]

And he's just had Covid!

[RunUnlimited]

All the more remarkable was Ball's performance as he just now revealed in the track side interview that he'd had covid just a few days before the contest!

[CAML]

That explains his 400 and 1500 then, 200 points to come there. To still score 6 pb's is impressive, with much more to come in the LJ and hurdles.

[RunUnlimited]

Harry Kendall sets new PB points total of 7843, gaining the CWG standard as a result! It was a shame his training partner and now UK no 2 Lewis Church, was unable to compete in Bedford.

[treadwater1]

Good to have two over the qualifying mark, if you’d ask me at the start of the season I’d have said chances were slim. Duckworth potentially could make it three

[RunUnlimited]

That's if Duckworth hasn't ditched the decathlon completely that is.... He's only done long jump comps so far this year. No throws or vertical jumps at all.

[Occasional Hope]

Totally agree there. I don't know what Duckworth is doing, but if he is interested he's got to get a decathlon score in soon, the team is due to be picked in two weeks' time.

[RunUnlimited]

Sam Talbot improves to 7692 points, but is just shy of the CWG standard of 7750.

[Occasional Hope]

What a shame! But great to see him in good shape after all his injury woes. Hopefully he can build on this.

[Ladyloz]

Would be interested in others opinions on doing back to back Multi Events at the major champs this summer. This applies equally to Brits and non Brits

It strikes me that a 2 week gap between Worlds/Commonwealths and Commonwealths/Euros is far from ideal to say the least. Usually a gap of at
least 3-4 weeks between Decathlons/Heptathlons is more common. So the gap between Worlds and Europeans is much less of an issue.

I think there are 2 concerns with anyone looking to do back to back multis:-

1. A big drop off in performance between 1st & 2nd competition due to lack of recovery
2. Potential for injuries is greater due to fatigue (got to be a concern about KJT with this, another injury is the last thing she needs 2 years out from Paris.)

Personally I am not sure it's a great idea for anyone to do back to back multis, even for someone like Ash Moloney who is young, fit and been in great form. But for someone like KJT or Niamh Emerson it feels like a big risk/worry

Am I being a worry wart or is this common sense?

[Occasional Hope]

It doesn't seem ideal, no. I suspect it's a fallback option - if Kat manages to win a medal at Worlds, unlikely though that feels now, I think she'd pull out of the commonwealths.

[trickstat]

In 1986 Daley Thompson won a comfortable gold at the Commonwealths in Edinburgh before beating his West German rivals in their own 'backyard' at the Stuttgart Europeans. However, I have checked and they were almost exactly a month apart. 8 years before he won the Commonwealths and went to the Europeans in Prague as perhaps joint favourite with Guido Kratschmer who pulled up injured in the 100m. However, he was beaten into silver in what was his last defeat in a completed decathlon until 1987. The gap that time was 3 weeks.

I think there was one year where Ashley Bryant did 3 decathlons at approximately 1 month intervals and got the qualifying score for a major champs at the last one of these but his score dropped off at the champs itself.

[treadwater1]

Talence is quite often staged two weeks after the major championships so it is possible, but generally performances are down across the board. It’s especially tough on the men - only 10 free days between competition, 14 for the women.

[Occasional Hope]

New interview with Kat: confident she can get competitive by the time Eugene comes along - Katarina Johnson-Thompson vows to bounce back after lowly heptathlon score on return (telegraph.co.uk)

[jjimbojames]

Given she didn’t bother in the 800m and people’s comments about her HJ technique being there, some speed work should see a chunk off the hurdles and 200m.

With KJT you’re never really sure, but I wouldn’t rule out a medal at this stage.

[Walsh7]

KJT is physically capable of turning things around, but it will be extremely difficult because she is a confidence athlete. She relies on good results in practice and in competitions to give her the confidence to propel her to get even better. KJT's best year ever was 2019. She won the European Indoor WC in March. She set a personal best at Gotzis (6813) in May. And she won the World Championships in Doha with another personal best of 6981. She led that season from start to finish. I'm rooting for KJT to win a medal in Eugene. But I'm afraid that mentally she just isn't a come from behind athlete that can finish the season with a great kick. I hope that I'm wrong and KJT gets it together by the Championship meets this season.

[Catinahat]

Thiam equalled her 200m PB this weekend, (2nd comp of the season) so it looks like she’s worked hard on her speed. Vetter’s win at Gotzis came off a 1m74 high jump where she hurt her knee (normally a 1m 80 performer) and Vidts opens her heptathlon campaign this weekend in Arona I believe. If she’s still in her indoor form then I think those three will have too much for KJT and will be slugging it out for the medals in Eugene. Agree with you Walsh7 it’s as much a mental s physical battle in the multis and this weekend will not have given many reassurances for KJT - watching her in the HJ I was reminded of pre-France days where mistakes in competition were rarely correctable (which seemed to have been ironed out but we’re worryingly apparent in the HJ particularly)

[Occasional Hope]

Well, that was certainly the case in her disaster years, Walsh7, but I think things have changed a bit. In this interview she says she likes being an underdog: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/athletic...ly-heptathlon/

Also quoted: "Johnson-Thompson’s coach Petros Kyprianou said: “When you support a champion, you have to support her in the good, the bad and the ugly. Right now, we’re between bad and ugly."

[treadwater1]

Mills and O’Dowda currently 8th and 9th in the world rankings

[treadwater1]

Niamh Emerson, Ellen Barber and Katie Stainton confirmed for Arona, Andrew Murphy on the mens side

[RunUnlimited]

I'm currently watching Niamh Emerson in action in Arona, and after a solid 14.23 season's best in the hurdles, she has now cleared every height so far in the high jump, including at 1.82m just a couple of moments ago.

I think it's safe to say that Emerson is *back* in the picture.

[RunUnlimited]

Considering this was her first competition high jump in 3 years, that Emerson has got within 4cm of her lifetime best right off the bat, suggests that her return to action is going to be a pretty special one.

She has already thrown the shot put around the 13.40 - 13.60m mark this season, while she's thrown near to her PB in the javelin, and run not far off her best in the 200m. The only truly unknown is the long jump with her, to see if she's properly in shape, but the signs point to Emerson being able to perform there too.

Is anyone willing to guess what her score could potentially be here in Arona?

[MysteryBrick]

If I were Jade O'Dowda I'd be miffed at that selection!

[carterhatch]

Ms. O'Dowda has made a strong claim for selection, I agree. Perhaps I should have waited until Niamh Emerson had complete her Hep this weekend before being so brazen. It may come down to this score and what KJT's plans are ... There might be a way to placate all with selection for euro's for anyone who misses out.

[Occasional Hope]

It might be more sensibly to tell Kat she has to choose between WCs and Commonwealths, she can’t take places in both given how close they are.

[Catinahat]

I don’t understand why KJT wants to do the Commonwealth’s? It’s a development international event (which she has already won) ideally suited as a platform for the likes of O’Dowd, Mills etc. to pick up some honours.

[Occasional Hope]

Either because it’s at home, or she thinks it’s a surer bet to gold (or any medal) in her current condition.

[Occasional Hope]

Amen it’s not actually intended as a development event, it’s just unlucky that the WCs were shifted to this year and that the US insisted in holding them at an inconvenient time for us.

[Ladyloz]

The home games is a big factor I'm sure. Perhaps complicated somewhat by the fact that unlike previous years she isn't performing at a high enough level in the jumps for selection to be an option there.

[Catinahat]

Delighted to see such a fab day one from Emerson yesterday. Fingers crossed for day 2!