National Records You Really Could Have Broken

[Kettle]

I'm currently watching the World Athletics Championships, and they're currently showing the Women's 100m Prelims. That there's a need for Prelims shows that either the qualification time is too slow, or that the the allocation of at least one athlete per country is very nice, but might be a logistical nightmare for the Athletic Federations taking part.

Anyway, someone has just qualified from San Marino with a time of 12.47 seconds. And was announced as a national record.

Had it been for geography, and gender, I would have been able to hold that record. When I was 15.

EDIT: Turns out that the IAAF have said that countries who had no athletes who made the qualification time were able to enter this preliminary round, just so they can have the experience of a major championships, in the hope it develops the sport in the relevant small copuntry. Which is about as good an idea for sporting development in a small country as I've heard, as long as it costs these countries as little as is humanly possible.

[Kettle]

National Records You Really Could Have Broken

Oh, and the first 1-2-3 of any World Championships has taken place about an hour ago. Kenya clean sweep in the women's marathon, despite one athlete tripping another up at a water station.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

National Records You Really Could Have Broken

They did this at the last World Championships - letting every nation have at least one competitor, even if no-one from that nation had made the qualifying standard for their event. I think the reason they specify the 100m is that a) it's over and done with the quickest and b) it runs the least risk of some true amateur doing themselves harm (imagine them entering the pole vault, or the marathon).

I vaguely remember the spectacle of some guy from Vanuatu or somewhere who had travelled to Berlin hoping to qualify for the shot-put (and was built for it), but didn't, and instead ended up running this 100m prelim, and completed it in about 16 seconds.

[Kettle]

National Records You Really Could Have Broken

Rogin, veranda chair fan wrote:

I vaguely remember the spectacle of some guy from Vanuatu or somewhere who had travelled to Berlin hoping to qualify for the shot-put (and was built for it), but didn't, and instead ended up running this 100m prelim, and completed it in about 16 seconds.

Vanuatu had a 17 year old in there, who you could have had a sponsored walk around. He managed it in 14 seconds, got interviewed on Channel 4 and was patronised like buggery.

But it's an experience of a major championships for people of nationalities who wouldn't have a cat in hell's chance of being there otherwise. If it means long-term development for athletics in that country, then it can only be good. And, for reasons you point out, it's in the most suitable event, and being done in a way that doesn't undermine the competition as a whole.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

National Records You Really Could Have Broken

My 400m PB was 51.6, which is usually borderline for getting through the first round of the women's competition.

[Janik]

National Records You Really Could Have Broken

Kettle wrote:

for reasons you point out, it's in the most suitable event, and being done in a way that doesn't undermine the competition as a whole.

The most suitable seeming Swimming event, the 100m freestyle, turned out not to be that great an idea. But I believe he was also a national record holder.

[The Exploding Vole]

National Records You Really Could Have Broken

Kettle wrote:

Vanuatu had a 17 year old in there, who you could have had a sponsored walk around.

This is a brilliant idea.