Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 (+1) - Athletics Programme - July 30th to August 8th - Day 1

[RunUnlimited]

Ok, it's almost time for the main event (for us athletics fans that is, we've been all enjoying following the opening week of Olympic action beyond the track).

Here's the thread to make your comments, moans, rants and praises for all things running, jumping and throwing at the Olympic Stadium that will be occurring over the next ten days, beginning tomorrow morning.

Not going to bore you with a long preview.... Others can do that in the replies if they like.

[philipo]

Hope the BBC show plentiful athletics but I fear that will be mostly with Brit interest or very popular stuff. Field events may take a back seat

[Laps]

What I can promise you is the BBC showing plentiful hours of Gabby talking about athletics, or just talking.

[Grassmarket]

And you will be kept up to date on the latest developments in the Athens 2004 Olympics.

[SprintRelayFan]

Not entirely a day one thing but SMU has confirmed she's doing the 2 and the 4

[LoveSprints1]

Excellent, I can't wait to see what she will achieve.

[SprintRelayFan]

And I'll have a punt at the action tomorrow!

It starts of with women's 100 prelim rounds, but the first Brit is Tom Gale in the HJ
Then we see Phil Norman in the steeplechase, and Lo! a discus thrower, Mr Okoye.
we move on to women's 800 and please let the girls get through the heats, and then into 400h where there are none (no Brits, there are heats).
Women's 100 proper! DINA TIME around 340am....
Then onto the Women's 5Ks whilst Sophie McKinna puts her shot, and the non Brits soar in the triple jump.
The Mixed doubles kick off with the Brits looking to get through past Poland (eek), Jamaica (double eek, although thankfully no Jackson), the Italians, the Ukranians and the Brazillian. First three and two fastest.

And a first medal! Straight final for the 10k with 25 men duking it out, including two Brits.

[Occasional Hope]

The heats of the women's 100 and 800 the obvious highlights overnight. Then the first round of the prediction competition with the 10K final .

I hope Tom Gale can get into the final. He's not been quite back to his best since his operation last year, but I'd like to see him build up to next years WCs. I hope the throwers can do well too. Qualifying so often seems problematic in field events so I feel a bit nervous for them.

Good luck to Phil Norman - there's an interview with him here: Phil Norman on the steeplechase’s brutality and how Mo Farah inspired unique journey to Tokyo Olympics (msn.com)

I doubt we'll get out of the mixed relay heats but it's such a gimmicky event I don't care all that much.

[MysteryBrick]

Last Indoor season Tom Gale looked like he was starting to prove that he is the most talented British High jumper since Steve Smith - surgery looks like it has buggered things up slightly, but hopefully he's just been keeping the powder dry...

[LuckySpikes]

Getting excited for this now!

There seems to be a trend of 400m runners doing the 100 at this Olympics ... Not only Kerley & Shericka Jackson but also Sierra Leone's Maggie Barrie in the 100 Preliminary Round.

[RunUnlimited]

Well, judging from the first of the preliminary 100 m heats for the women, the conditions look good for the sprinters in the Olympic Stadium. Virtually no wind and the track looks quick.

[LuckySpikes]

And we're underway!

Natasha Ngoye of The Congo is the first winner in a decent 11.47 SB.

[LuckySpikes]

And the first NR of the Games athletics for Afghanistan's Kimia Yousifi in heat 1 with 13.29.

[LuckySpikes]

These Steeple heats will have to be quick with only 3 big Q and 6 fastest losers going through to the final

[LuckySpikes]

And heat 1 is ... 8:07 pace through 1km.

[LuckySpikes]

Fernando Carro, Spanish NR holder at 8:05 is out at halfway.

[RunUnlimited]

John Koech (Bahrain via Kenya) is out of the steeplechase... and Carro of Spain is gone too.

[trickstat]

Japanese NR by Ryuji Miura 8:09.92 - he's an U20!

[LuckySpikes]

8:09.82 for Girma! Surely a record for a global Steeple heat? 19yo Ryuji Miura smashes his Japanese NR by 6s !

[RunUnlimited]

And GB's first representative on the track in Tokyo.... came dead last. Phil Norman was never in this heat at any stage, was already near the back of the field from the first lap and was dropped from the main group within another 2 laps. 8:46? Really Phil? What the heck was that

To be fair, Phil hasn't looked good ever since he set his PB and ran the qualifying standard in Ostrava back in May.... All his races since seemed to indicate that he might have picked up some injury or niggle somewhere.... Going from 8:20 to 8:46? Oooof.

[alfie]

Ouch. Not a great start for the track team. Will get better...

[trickstat]

It tends to be the case that athletes that get badly tailed off in heats above 1500m end up running times well outside their best. Although beginning to get detached his first 1000m was still 2:45 but he fell rapidly off everyone else's pace shortly after that.