These were the qualifying times posted before the Olympics...Seaward (2:14:52), Clohisey (2:15:10), Pollock (2:15:38).
There was some controversy prior in the selection process in that Sergiu Ciobanu had posted a faster time of 2:15:14 which would have been 3rd fastest. Paul Pollock was picked instead based his recent half-marathon times and the Rio result seems to justify his selection for the team.
At the front of the field, the title was won by Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya.
Gamen Rupp of the USA took the Bronze to add to the 10,000m Silver medal which he won at the 2012 London Games. It perhaps dispels the notion that an athlete has to be from East Africa to win a medal in distance running.
Back in 1984, John Treacy won a Silver medal in the Olympic Marathon with a time of 2:09:56 in what was a very hot day in Los Angeles. As you can see above, that was faster than Rupp's time yesterday.
14 comments:
Good run by Pollock,selectors got it right
Sickening to see Rupp there
No mention made of the Ethiopian runner who came second in this article who won the Dublin marathon in 2009 (at 19 years of age I think) and who is now a refugee following his finish line gesture to highlight the plight of his tribe who are being murdered in large numbers by the Ethiopian government.
Can't believe you're not questioning Rupp's 3rd place.
The blinkers have to come off.
Unless Rupp fails a drugs test, he's innocent. Anything else is just conjecture.
the Rupp finish is suss alright but unless nything can be proved....the irish runners were average at best...pollock shouldn't have been there
I do understand why they put Pollock there, but he could have ran faster. He has the ability. I'd say he took no chances, the most important thing for him was to finish as he knew what would happen at home if he went out for a 2.12 marathon and failed to finish.
Why shouldn't have Pollock been there? He was less than a minute off his qualifying time (kevin was over 5 mins off and Mick 11 mins off) and put in the best marathon of the 3 we did send!
"Unless Rupp fails a drugs test, he's innocent. Anything else is just conjecture."
You're having a laugh!
Couldn't agree more with last comment. Pollocks 2.16 on that course and humidity is outstanding. Are people seriously expecting him to run a pb in a championship marathon. This isn't Berlin in September. Completely justified his place.
Those guys who can't stop talking about Rupp and having a go at him, I bet they were bullies at school - they just can't stop it.
Why is Rupp finishing 3rd a surprise.Given it was a championship race and relatively slow early on and his 10k time, you would expect him to be up there.Pollock is capable of better theoretically going on his half marathon PB but maybe he isn't capable of converting that to a marathon.Only time will tell.Id say he went out easy and took no risks last Sunday
I think pollock justified his selection with his performance.However it wasn't an outstanding run.If you read his Twitter comments after the London marathon this year he compared his time in the world half to Callum Hawkins and was saying what might have been after Hawkins ran 210.They have similar half marathon PBs.Hawkins ran 21152 on Sunday.Callums Hawkins run was outstanding.Pollock was 4+ mins behind.He has yet to deliver what he promises in the marathon.
As regards Galen Rupp and John Tracey.Why is Rupps performance treated with such doubt and Tracey's isn't.209 in your debut marathon in a summer Olympics in LA in the heat is more questionable than 210 in Rio in the rain.I understand the rumours and his association with Salazar but why is no one questioning 209 in an era when blood doping was legal until te early 80s
I hear ya. But very easy to look at a Hawkins 2.10 and say I could run that, off a half. Hawkins has also nailed his two marathons this year(2.12 in frankfurt and london 2.10)guy has huge confidence over the 26 miles. Pollock has had a fair few injuries building to Rio. That coupled with selection pressure, I think it was a cracking run.
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