#57 Michtrack At The Olympics - Kessler Rocks

Inside This Issue

• Kessler Rocks

• Crittenden Cruises

• Cockrell Advances

• Snoop Dogg Displeases

Kessler Places 5th In Olympics!!

Coming in with a PR that ranked him only No. 10 among the finalists, many of the experts counted Hobbs Kessler out. Yet in a stirring run as part of the best Team USA finish ever, the Very Nice 21-year-old from Skyline High placed a stunning 5th in the Olympic final, slicing more than 2 seconds off his PR with a 3:29.45. On the all-time list, he is now the No. 4 American ever.

Kessler moved out well with the gun, aiming to be running near the leaders. But soon favored Jakob Ingebrigtsen showed that he wanted an ultra-fast pace as he shot to the front and the race quickly began to resemble a paced Diamond League race (minus the wavelights). The field strung out, and it became a contest of strength—who could hang on the longest.

For much of the distance, Kessler stayed in 5th place. One bump came when Kenyan Brian Komen hit the wall and faded fast through the field, becoming an obstruction. Just as Kessler made ready to go around him, Cole Hocker passed and blocked Kessler in for a few moments. Once Kessler got around the Kenyan, he buckled down and simply ran as fast as he could.

At the finish, Ingebrigtsen went wide on the homestretch, and as Josh Kerr and Yared Nuguse went past him on the right, Hocker went with another of his trademark moves and squeezed past on the inside to steal the victory.

The 1-3-5 finish by the Americans was the best since the Stockholm Olympics of 1912, where the Yanks ran 2-3-4 (and the winning time was nearly 30 seconds slower).

Kessler’s splits: 55.3, 56.7 (1:52.0), 56.2 (2:48.2), 41.2

Note: I’m already seeing Michigan folks griping that he didn’t get a medal! Get real. This was the fastest Olympic final ever. Hobbs is now the No. 4 American ever and 2 of the fastest 3 ever were in the race. He finished right behind the defending Olympic champion and he beat 7 runners that a year ago he was simply dreaming of racing alongside. And he just turned 21. He was the second-youngest man in the field. The future is bright.

Crittenden Advances To Semi

Freddie Crittenden’s bold move to jog the first round and take a couple more days of rehabbing a strained muscle looks like it paid off. He dominated his repechage race in 13.42 and will race in the semifinal tomorrow night. He will have lane 2 in the second semi—facing a field where he has the fastest PR & season best.

Cockrell Advances To 400H Final

After a weird moment when Anna Cockrell held up her hand to get a delay of start and the starter fired the gun anyway, the athletes were called back to the line. Once underway for real, Cockrell got out fast in lane 7, but soon succumbed to the speed of World Champion Femke Bol. The Flying Dutchwoman won the semi in a very easy-looking 52.57 and Cockrell held off Jamaica’s Shiann Solomon and grabbed the second qualifying spot with her 52.90. Overall, she had the third-fastest time, behind Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

Let’s Talk Snoop Dogg

I heard from plenty of people who thought it was the coolest thing in the world that Snoop Dogg was hanging around the Olympic Trials. Some even thought this is just the marketing push that track & field needs. Those people are delusional, of course. Having the 52-year-old celebrity muttering half-hearted witticisms during the steeplechase only took away from the immense efforts those athletes were pouring into the Olympics Trials. And if you’d rather watch Snoop than our athletes, what the hell are you doing at a track meet anyway?

Now Snoop is at the Olympics, and we find out he’s not a fan of track & field at all, but a fan of money. In the end, aren’t we all? But Snoop is getting a lot more than any of us ever got to go to a track meet. According to reports, NBC is paying him $500,000 a day, plus expenses! By the end of the Olympics, he will have earned $8.5 million just by hanging around and being Snoop.

I know too many struggling “professional” athletes who have trouble making rent payments to find this amusing. Look at our discus throwers, Andrew Evans and Alex Rose—they’re doing pretty darn good for guys who have to hold down full-time jobs. Imagine how good they could be if they could concentrate 100% on their event! However, they end up losing money every year they compete. Airfare, mileage, hotels, etc., usually aren’t covered. This ain’t no gravy train.

The huge amount of money that NBC makes on the backs of athletes like them does not trickle down. The Snoop Dog payday is the latest example of that. That’s why, though I’ve covered 9 Olympic Games, I kind of gag a little when folks talk about the Games in the same way they talk about God & country. The Olympics are a huge money-making machine, largely funded by taxpayers, and the athletes only get the crumbs.