I read an article yesterday about Tyson Gay's fall/injury in the 200 meter qualifier last week and the author was saying that the Olympic committee should still place Tyson Gay on the Olympic team because he is the fastest man in the world. I say BS on that. The trials are in place to see who can perform in an intense, drama packed event (like the Olympics) and can perform at an elite level over multiple days. Swimming is the same way - you perform at the trials or you go home.
I think gymnastics has it all wrong - they have trials but they also have the right to put someone on the team that gets hurt in the trials if they think that person is better than someone who performed well and made the team.
Let's say we put Tyson Gay on the Olympic team - we will cut Spearmon because he was third in the trials. We justify this by saying - Tyson gives us the best chance to win a medal. In the first qualifying heat of the Olympics Tyson pulls up lame and falls - now the US has two guys in the mix and not three because we gave Gay a shot when he did not earn it on the track.
To his credit Tyson Gay says the same thing - he does not belong on the team because the team is chosen at the trials and he did not make it.
To all the people that say the system is flawed and we should always pick the fastest people (based on time not on competition) - what would you have said if Tyson Gay did not advance in his 100 meter heat when he pulled up and finished 4th because he misjudged the finish line? Let's say he finishes 7th and does not move on - would you have let him? Not because he was injured but because he made a mistake. That goes with your theory of picking the best chance to win a medal not on who earns it?
Oh well - just my thoughts on this but I think the trials are awesome - they give the athletes a chance to compete against each other and run personal bests in a chance of pulling an upset and making an Olympic team because they EARN it not get it handed to them based on a past resume.
No comments:
Post a Comment