• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Track & Field

How A Coin Toss May Decide Who Goes To 2012 Olympics With Jeter and Madison, by Elliott Denman, note by Larry Eder

RBR Adminby RBR Admin
June 25, 2012
0
0 0
0
SHARES
5
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Elliot Denman did his column on the conundrum of the 100 meter dead heat. My viewing of the photo is that there is a dead heat. Here is how USATF plans to work out the 100 meter dead heat in the third position:

RelatedPosts

NOW FOCUSED ON THE ROADS, KLECKER TO RUN BOSTON 10-K ON SUNDAY

Mondo 628 WR, Wanyonyi 1:41.95 WL, Benjamin 46.54 WL, Almgren 12:44.27 ER in Stockholm Diamond League

Christian Coleman Stands at a Career Crossroads With No Clear Lane Ahead

photo_finish.jpgPhoto finish: Jeneba Tarmoh and Allyson Felix, 100 meters
2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, Photo by PhotoRun.net



By Elliot Denman

EUGENE, Oregon
June 24, 2012

Track and field has always prided itself as being the ultimate sport of precision.

So how can in the highest heavens can it allow a major decision – who runs in the Olympic Games, who doesn’t? – to be decided by something as imprecise as the toss of a coin?

But – can you possibly believe this ? – that’s the verdict the major domos of USA Track and Field, the sport’s national governing body – have given us.
 
Well, almost.

Backtrack to Saturday afternoon at Hayward Field, and the women’s 100-meter final at the Olympic Trials.

Well, Carmelita Jeter won it pretty decisively, in all of 10.92 seconds.

And it was perfectly obvious that Tianna Madison ran second in 10.96.

So they’re going to London, no ifs, no buts.

But who will join them on the starting line at Olympic Stadium?
 
That’s the mega-pound sterling question awaiting any kind of a perfect answer.

Will it be Jeneba Tarmoh, who was initially declared third in 11.07?

Or Allyson Felix, who was originally/officially declared fourth, also in 11.07, but still a smidgeon back of Tarmoh?

Jeter-FelixSF-USOlyT12.jpgJeter and Felix gut it out side-by-side, 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials
Photo by PhotoRun.net


But hold everything – which is what the sport’s top brass immediately did soon as  they were alerted to the possibility of a question.

Re-examination of the finish-line photo disclosed that Tarmoh’s actual time was 11.068 (you always roll these ticks up, never down, in official protocol) …and that Felix’s was – would you believe it ? 11.068, too.

And that’s what prompted all the head-shaking as the question simmered for a day.

Finally, at the conclusion of a busy Sunday at Hayward, a press conference was convened at which USATF’s resolve-it-all solution went public.

It generated a two-page press release which said, basically, that:

(a)    If either athlete is willing to vacate the opportunity, the other would get the call to run in London.. (Aside: don’t be silly, this will never transpire.).

(b)   If that doesn’t happen, the athletes will have their choice of  either doing a run-off, or doing a coin toss.

(c)    If one of them says “let’s run” but the other says “let’s toss,”  it will be the toss that decides.


But this will be no ordinary toss, of the handiest coin in the tosser’s pocket.

USATF’s release tells us that the coin will be a “United States quarter-dollar coin with the image of George Washington appearing on the obverse hub of the coin and an eagle on the reverse side of the hub.”

The sprinter with the higher world ranking will get to call the “heads” or “tails” of it all.

(The sprinter with the lower world ranking will then get to shake in place.)

Even the coin-tossing procedure gets closely defined:

“The USATF representative shall bend his or her index finger at a 90-degree angle to his or her thumb, allowing the coin to rest on his or her thumb. In one single action, the USATF representative shall toss the coin into the air, allowing the coin to fall to the ground.

“The athlete who chose the hub that is displayed shall be declared the winner by the USATF representative.”

But get this:

“In the event that either or both athletes refuses to participate in the coin toss, the USATF representative shall assign the athlete with the higher world ranking ‘heads’ and the other athlete ‘tails.’ ”

Nevertheless, some major questions remain unanswered.

Such as:

“What happens if the coin toss is wind-aided?”

“What happens if the flipper is detected using improper technique?”

“What happens if the athletes (based on those identical 11.068s) are tied in the world rankings?”


Bottom lines:

Why couldn’t the sport’s deepest thinkers consider such clearly cleverer  alternatives as:

(a ) Taking it all back to the timers and demanding a photo check-able to the 1000th of a second, not a mere 100th?

(b) Mandating, not option-izing , that run-off?  Or even a best two-of-three run-off?  Or four-of-five?

(c ) Javelins at 30 paces.

(d ) A serious game of “Jeopardy?”

( e) A Greco-Roman wrestle-off, no holds (above the waist) barred ?


Why-why-why not?

Anything-anything-anything at all beats a coin toss.

Author

  • RBR Admin

    View all posts
Previous Post

Is The Gold Within Their Reach? Considering Gatlin, Gay and Bailey, by Dick Patrick, note by Larry Eder

Next Post

No Surprises with Jennifer Suhr’s Pole Vault Victory, but Becky Holiday’s Second Place was a Gratifying Entrée to the U.S. Olympic Team for a Veteran Vaulter, by Roy Stevenson, note by Larry Eder

RBR Admin

RBR Admin

Similar Post

PLANNING FOR A WORLD CLASS MARATHON, by Carolyn Mather for RunBlogRun
Road Racing

PLANNING FOR A WORLD CLASS MARATHON, by Carolyn Mather for RunBlogRun

June 19, 2025
2022 RunBlogRun, Recovery, Week 1, Day 7 (June 19, 2022)
Interviews

NOW FOCUSED ON THE ROADS, KLECKER TO RUN BOSTON 10-K ON SUNDAY

June 20, 2025
Seven Scandinavian takeaways
Diamond League

Mondo 628 WR, Wanyonyi 1:41.95 WL, Benjamin 46.54 WL, Almgren 12:44.27 ER in Stockholm Diamond League

June 20, 2025
USATF:  Great Performances Are Looming  Prelims Reveal Athletes Are Ready
News

Christian Coleman Stands at a Career Crossroads With No Clear Lane Ahead

June 20, 2025
Coffee with Larry, March 31, 2025, Grand Slam Track almost here, The TEN was huge success, thoughts on World Indoors, and more on world athletics!
Spring Training

2025 Spring Racing/Training Program, June 19, 2025, week 14, day 4, final week of sharpening, Third week, transition from track to cross country.

June 19, 2025
Morning after Thoughts on Bislett
Diamond League

US athletes run, jump and throw in Oslo Bislett (11-12 June 2025)

June 20, 2025

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to RunBlogRun's Global News Feed

Wake up to RunBlogRun’s news in your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you informed about the Sport you love.

*we hate spam as much as you do

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

April 5, 2023
2023 Nike Pre Classic: Two Amazing Days of Track & Field!

Noah Lyles, The Clock Doesn’t Lie

March 7, 2024
Grand Slam Track’s Kingston Slam Comes to a Close with 12 Slam Champions

2025 Spring Racing/Training Program, April 11, 2025, week 4, day 5, fourth week of year, Friday is an easy day!

April 12, 2025
USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

February 6, 2025
Mondo Duplantis and the Jump that made him the greatest of all time

Mondo Duplantis and the Jump that made him the greatest of all time

8
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

7
My Five Biggest Takeaways from the Men’s Olympic Trials Marathon, by Oliver Hinson

My Five Biggest Takeaways from the Men’s Olympic Trials Marathon, by Oliver Hinson

7
Asafa Powell, Considering Longevity in Sprinting

The RunBlogrun Interview: Asafa Powell

5
PLANNING FOR A WORLD CLASS MARATHON, by Carolyn Mather for RunBlogRun

PLANNING FOR A WORLD CLASS MARATHON, by Carolyn Mather for RunBlogRun

June 19, 2025
2022 RunBlogRun, Recovery, Week 1, Day 7 (June 19, 2022)

NOW FOCUSED ON THE ROADS, KLECKER TO RUN BOSTON 10-K ON SUNDAY

June 20, 2025
Seven Scandinavian takeaways

Mondo 628 WR, Wanyonyi 1:41.95 WL, Benjamin 46.54 WL, Almgren 12:44.27 ER in Stockholm Diamond League

June 20, 2025
USATF:  Great Performances Are Looming  Prelims Reveal Athletes Are Ready

Christian Coleman Stands at a Career Crossroads With No Clear Lane Ahead

June 20, 2025

Popular Stories

  • Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

    Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Noah Lyles, The Clock Doesn’t Lie

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 2025 Spring Racing/Training Program, April 11, 2025, week 4, day 5, fourth week of year, Friday is an easy day!

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • An epic pole vault competition

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
PLANNING FOR A WORLD CLASS MARATHON, by Carolyn Mather for RunBlogRun
Road Racing

PLANNING FOR A WORLD CLASS MARATHON, by Carolyn Mather for RunBlogRun

June 19, 2025
2022 RunBlogRun, Recovery, Week 1, Day 7 (June 19, 2022)
Interviews

NOW FOCUSED ON THE ROADS, KLECKER TO RUN BOSTON 10-K ON SUNDAY

June 20, 2025
Seven Scandinavian takeaways
Diamond League

Mondo 628 WR, Wanyonyi 1:41.95 WL, Benjamin 46.54 WL, Almgren 12:44.27 ER in Stockholm Diamond League

June 20, 2025
USATF:  Great Performances Are Looming  Prelims Reveal Athletes Are Ready
News

Christian Coleman Stands at a Career Crossroads With No Clear Lane Ahead

June 20, 2025

Recent Tweets

Next Post

No Surprises with Jennifer Suhr's Pole Vault Victory, but Becky Holiday's Second Place was a Gratifying Entrée to the U.S. Olympic Team for a Veteran Vaulter, by Roy Stevenson, note by Larry Eder

runblogrun

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. @runblogrun

Browse by Category

Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

Select a password for yourself. (minimum length of 8)

Paste here the user biography.

Provide here the twitter screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the instagram screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the facebook profile URL. i.e. http://www.facebook.com/RunBlogRun

Provide here the linkedin profile URL. i.e. https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-eder-5497253

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved