Birmingham CWG - Day 1 (Tuesday August 2nd)

[CAML]

With all the drop outs, I'm pleasantly surprised. The track doesn't seem slow to me, some great races and the crowd are doing Birmingham proud.

[MysteryBrick]

Mad sprint heats for both men and women!

10.99 has to be one of the fastest 100m runs ever at the Commonwealths, in a heat...

[MysteryBrick]

Yup, only Okag-banned-re and Debbie Ferguson have gone quicker.

[LuckySpikes]

Different feeds on BBC1 and on Iplayer for the athletics.

Yeah, iPlayer is the world feed - uninterrupted thankfully and no chance of the camera lingering on KJT for 2 minutes watching her looking pensive, then eating a banana, then standing up, no, no, she's sitting down again ...

[Christy93]

Fab run from Lansiquot - Big SB. ETH looks to still be in 10.8 form.

[MysteryBrick]

If you could combine Asha Philip and Lansiquot you'd have an incredible sprinter. Philip starts like a 10.8 runner but can't hold it, Lansiquot lost 2m on ETH on the drive phase and then closed on her.

[RunUnlimited]

Thompson-Herah looks in decent nick, 10.99 (+0.6m/s) to win heat 2 of the 100m heats, while Imani Lansiqot was 2nd in a season's best of 11.15, equalling her 3rd fastest time ever.

[Christy93]

Kate O'Connor has thrown the javelin 50+ metres this year - Gonna be hard to beat.

[MysteryBrick]

Her Long Jump is very poor though. Based on the first two events I think Mills and O'Dowda are in great nick, while KJT is on autopilot.

[MysteryBrick]

KJT's woken up now! Much better. 1.87+ would make the competition interesting.

[MysteryBrick]

That run from Neita was the type of run you expect from a favourite - totally dominated the race from 30 onwards. Great stuff!

[Chafford1]

Neita looked as if she was running flat out 11.02

[MysteryBrick]

Totally disagree - that looked like a smooth solo runout without fully extending, given she was unchallenged.

[Chafford1]

Watching the head on feed after the race, she looks as if she was trying pretty hard.

[MysteryBrick]

I guess we'll see in the semis.

[painisthepurifier]

800m Reekie. Now, the problem I have is that Bissett has a track(?) record of clipping other athletes from behind, and she clipped Jemma twice. Now, her interview, Jemma was being pragmatic about the "incidents" but I'm not. Indeed, I'm very annoyed!

[DerbyCountyinNZ]

Can't say Bissett is one of my favourite Aussie middle distance runners, not compared to Hull and Hall.

[Christy93]

Womens 100 & 800 heats are extremely high quality by any measure. A lot of naysayers about the Commonwealths but this morning has been top level athletics. Really enjoyable imo.

[Grassmarket]

Commonwealths has always* been way stronger than the Europeans in the sprints.


*Except during the mad East European doping era.

[CAML]

Nigeria seem to have an abundance of young sprinters second only to the USA

[DerbyCountyinNZ]

KJT the only one to get 1.81, and then 1.84 first time. She will move into 1st place.

[marra]

Womens 100 & 800 heats are extremely high quality by any measure. A lot of naysayers about the Commonwealths but this morning has been top level athletics. Really enjoyable imo.

It's been the same in the swimming. The depth isn't great necessarily but the top level is top class in 99% of the events.

Nice to see KJT smiling again. If she can keep that attitude and get fit again, she could still do something in Paris.

[CAML]

The programme of events have been expertly arranged. There's no dead time, a real flow, encouraging the crowd interaction, who are getting louder and louder. Fantastic

[drobbie]

yep, much better than the worlds, which had so much dead space

[painisthepurifier]

"Where have all the 800m runners gone, long time passing"? My God, how many athletes turned up? 22/23? There must have been 80 runners in the first round of the men's 100m. Is that to do with the times needed just to be picked?

[Grassmarket]

More events overall in all sports+many para events = reduced numbers in classic disciplines.

[LuckySpikes]

No, nothing to do with entry standards. The 100m always has big fields. For those nations only sending 2 or 3 athletes, very often they are sprinters.