Where is Patience?

[Patience]

The poor bear mascot person must have been suffering in the heat.
The medals look like they are attached to the top of a rubbish bin. Can runners run faster in pink or green shoes a lot of them seem to wear them. I know nothing of athletics so have to talk this trivia nonsense but at least am talking to patience.

@furbs, I appreciate you taking the time to respond on here and ask questions.
Shoe technology has moved quickly over the last few years and some shoes are better than others for some things. If you as sponsored by a company such as Nike, Adidas or New Balance you need to wear their shoes. However, if you can show you have problems with them, they will sometimes let you wear a competitor’s but with a cover over the top with your sponsors branding on it.

[Patience]

Day 7 Pole Vault

I have moved position to the shade and a better view, sneaking past security ticket check as I did!

The PV can be a disaster of an event as Garland has just found out. He has “no heighted” (knocked the bar down 3 times at his opening height). If he wants to he can continue on the javelin and 1500m but his competition is effectively over.
Neugebauer gets over 4.60m safely at his first try. He knocks down the bar at his first attempt at the next height of 4.70m. He is well clear at his next attempt.
Half the pool of 10 athletes have entered and one has been eliminated. Another 3 come in at this height. It means they all get a bigger rest between jumps (provided they clear on their first attempt). Lepage clears his opening height of 4.80m. Neugebauer also clear.
So many of the stadium have stayed to watch the decathlon Pole vault and many people have moved seats. We are all around the PV area and everyone is invested in each jump. Rhythmically clapping as the athlete runs down towards the bed and cheering or groaning depending on the outcome. A bit like penalty kicks.
Another athlete, Neilson fails to get over his first height.
This is brutal and exciting. We have also lost another athlete who didn’t clear 4.80m
Some athletes such as LePage have “passed” at the next height? Why? They know they can jump higher and want to conserve energy by not taking too many jumps. There is still one athlete, Williams who has waited from 4.50m to 4.90m to enter the competition (approx 40mins) and clears at his first attempt. We lose another athlete at this height.
Pool B will be starting in about 5 mins and will start at 4.40m. The seems odd as pool A started in 4.50m and both pools have 5m jumpers in them!
Up to bar goes to 5m, Williams passes and Lepage clears immediately Neugebauer clears on his second attempts and is delighted. We lose 1 athlete.

Pool A moves to 5.10m and LePage goes well clear. Rooth from Norway equals his pb! In fact, all except Neugebauer clear at their first attempt. Phew! Clear at 2nd attempt!
5.20m Rooth goes out. He has a new PB and is probably happy. Neugebauer is also out. His PB is 5.21m so not too shabby. We also lose Oiglane from Estonia.
5.30m and only 2 athletes left. LePage is out! His PB is 5.25m and his 5.20m clearance is not too far away. He pulls further clear of Neugebauer. He also has a better javelin and 1500m and is in a good position. Williams continues on.
5.40m Williams doesn’t clear and bows out with a best of 5.30m. That’s over 1,000 points

Pool B
Owens-Delemere knocks down his opening height! 2 athletes are clear. Phew
Up to 4.50m and Warner is clear. In fact everyone is clear and Eitel is still to come in.
4.60m Erm passed an everyone else is over.
4.70m We lose 1 athlete. Six continue.
4.80m Eitel out. It was odd he pulled up on his 3rd attempt but the tip of his pole crossed the zero line and that makes it a foul.
4.90m The wind is really picking up. It’s as blowy as I’ve seen it. Good for spectators, not so great for the athletes who will be jumping into it. Only Erm and Warner clear this height.
5.00 Erm’s PB is 5.05m whilst Warner’s is 4.90m. Can he get a new PB? No he can’t and finished with a best of 4.90m. Still good. Erm also finishes at 4.90m


Points after 8 events
Lepage - 7477
Neugebauer - 7282
Warner - 7260
Victor - 7214
Williams - 7050 (was 11th before this)
Tilga - 7039

Now for some rest!

[Patience]

Day 7 Evening
More PV. I am right infront of the PV bed!

The PV should last quite a while and the two pools of the Decathlon javelin go one after the other.
We also have the women’s shot put final, heats of the 4x400m, and finals of the men’s 800m, so men’s 5000m and the last event of the decathlon.

Our men’s 4x400m team
Made it through in 3rd place, 1/1000th second ahead of Botswana. USA won but there was some shoving between them and second place India with 200m to go! Phew

The height progression in the PV is brutal. It starts at 5.55 then moves up 20cm to 5.75! We lost 2 out of the 12 people. Up another 10cm to 5.85 where another 5 depart. 5 cleared the height but Piotr Liesk passed after one failure and has 2 attempts at 5.90. This is to conserve energy and if he clears on his first attempt moves him up the leader board. Alas he knocks the bar over on his remaining attempts. He has the PV stands quite far forward. You can have them up to 80 cm from the back of the box. He had his at 40cm and seemed to be knocking if off on the way up.
At 5.95m, 4 people have cleared and another is carrying a failure at that height onto 6m! Duplantis clears and Obiena knocks it down on his first attempt. He decides not to take any more at this height. The bar moves to 6.10. He can hope that he clears and Duplantis fluffs it.


OMG Ben Pattison has won a bronze medal in the men’s 800m. That’s his first major senior championship! . He came through in the last 100m after being swamped with 200m to go!

Ben with flag

The javelin has finished and positions have changed. Oiglane threw a massive (for javelin 70.45), Victor 68.05, Tilga 66.42, Rooth 64.84, Warner 63.09 and Neugebauer was down in 14th place, but it was a PB of 57.95.

With 1 event to go, the standings are
Lepage - 8228
Victor - 8074
Warner - 8044
Neugebauer- 7989
Tilga - 7874
Rooth - 7773
Oiglane - 7736
A few changes there.

In the PV only 2 people cleared 6m. Duplantis and Obiena. Marschall and Nilsson share a bronze.


The ladies shot put final is happening. Even here you wouldn’t know as the announcers haven’t mentioned it.
Chase Ealey has taken an early lead with 20.35. In the 3rd round Mitton moved from 7th to 2nd.
And in the 4th Gong moves into bronze. Dongmo also throws the same distance as Gong, 19.69m! Second best are 19.63 for Dongmo and 19.37 for Gong.

Mondo clears 6.10 and Obiena fails. He has the silver whatever happens. He pulled up at the last minute for his first attempt and has done the same for his second. He has a PB, an area record and a silver whatever happens. He fails. But wow! Good for him!

It’s been an exciting last lap in the 5000m. Everyone was together with 1 lap to go and 3 drew apart with 200m to go. Kipyegon beats Sifan again.

Now a WR attempt of 6.23m in the PV. Knocks it down on 1st attempt.

In SP Mitton has improved to 20.08 and is within 27cm of gold. But Ealey improves to 20.43. Gong now has a 2nd best throw further than Dongmo and moves into 3rd! There are no further improvements in R6 and Ealey wins!

Back to the final attempt at a new WR of 6.23. Bah! Close-ish

Time for the last event of the decathlon. Anything could happen. Medals can change position. They can be won and lost!
15 of the original have made it this far. The Estonians are all in the first group but after 2 laps they are strung out.
Tilga runs a pb. Is it enough for a medal?
No!

Final places
1. Lepage - 8909
2. Warner - 8804
3. Victor - 8756 NR
4. Tilga - 8681 PB
5. Neugebauer- 8645

Now it’s the men’s 4x100m. And Baton changes!
USA win, Italy second, Jamaica 3rd and Britain 4th. Brazil get Disqualified

For the women. USA, Jamaica and the Britain. USA’s time was a new Championship record!

In the 4x400m Britain qualified for both and the women looked very good. USA ladies were disqualified for fluffing a changeover! Of course there will be changes for the final.