Editor’s note: The 800 meters is the event of the year (well, besides the MILE). For both men and women, huge finishes with fast times, and some surprising additions to the global list. Stuart Weir, RBR’s senior writer for UK/Europe, wrote this piece on the absolute insanity of the Men’s 800m semi-finals.
Men’s 800 semi – real drama
I have previously written about the excitement of the two women’s semi-finals at 800 meters and how the qualification process of the top 6 in each race with no time slots made for exciting racing. The men’s semis, following the same procedure, were equally exciting. In Max Burgin and Ben Pattison, England had two athletes “certain” to qualify for the final and both capable of winning gold. Well, that’s how it seemed on paper.
The first semi was won by Wyclife Kinyamal in 1:44.91 from Peter Bol. England’s Number 3 Alex Botterill took the third automatic place, leaving Ben Pattison, fourth in 1:45:42, watching the second race from the hot seat – watching and hoping.
Max Burgin likes to front run and control races. This time he struggled to get to the front and then struggled to stay there. He was overtaken by Kelvin Loti of Kenya and two Australians, Luke Boyes and Peyton Craig (both Australian). That left Navasky Anderson and Burgin fighting – and I use the word advisably – for the final place. Anderson seemed to dive for the line with Burgin tripping over him – see photos. Anderson’s 1:45.38 was enough to get him the first time-based slot along with Ben Pattison (1:45:42). Burgin (1:45.61), who could have won the final, is out.
I love listening to Ben Pattison. He says it like it is – no sugar-coating. His verdict on the semi was: “Nowhere near good enough from me today, but all you need to do in the semis is get through. I did not feel good out there. I was struggling in the last 50 and knew I wouldn’t make the top three, but I needed to get there as quickly as possible to push for one of the two fastest qualifier spots. I was the fastest loser in Budapest when I got a bronze medal, so I know that semis and finals are very different, and I’m looking forward to that final. I don’t think I need to change much; I’ve been racing all year consistently. I know I can do it on the right day; I just need to be smart and make sure the legs are in the right place.”
Alex Botterill said: “Great. It was bang on what we wanted. It’s my first major, so I just wanted to make it as easy as possible through the rounds and put myself in a position to qualify for the final. There’s some really good guys there, and a few of them were always going to miss out, so I’ve got to be pleased with myself. I put the work in and raced smart, which helped. So happy with that.”
