Hamstring Problem–For Real?
Following her devastating bronze performance in the 400 meters, U.S. track star Sanya Richards was all about the tightness that afflicted her hammie down the homestretch.
“I just feel so betrayed by my body once again and it’s such a tough break for me,” Richards told the press.
Richards, of course, was in full command of the race until the end, when, according to one account, “she felt a pinch in the back of her leg, her mother saw her grimace and her father saw her turnover ‘go herky-jerky.’”
Then she was overtaken by two other Olympians.
As the most amateur of viewers, I saw none of what Richards’ parents saw. And neither did the commentators for NBC, the finest track-and-field analysts in the world.
So what really happened here–did she have a slight tweak in the leg, or was the competition just a touch better on this day?
6 Responses to “Hamstring Problem–For Real?”
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August 20th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
She went out way too fast, and tied up at the end. She made up the stagger on the runner outside her lane in the first 25 meters. Even if you’re trying to start fast, you need to be fast at 150-200 meters, not in the first 25.
The quarter mile is generally considered the hardest race because it’s the limit of sprinting range, but requires near top speed. In the 400 meters, there’s nothing worse than rigor mortis with 60 meters to go.
August 20th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
As a novice Olympian watcher myself it did look like she slowed down considerably towards the end- maybe the last 50m. Perhaps the others sped up too- but it was clear she lost her steam. I was amazed that if she had that bad of a cramp she could even move! I know once it happened to me and my leg locked up and I fell over- there were no more strides left. Who knows, but it would have been nice to see her take the gold.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Dunno about you people, but I stopped caring about this race as soon as NBC started playing up the Jeremy Warriner/LaShawn Merritt rivalry in the men’s 400. That final on Thursday is gonna be madcap.
August 20th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
As an ex-800 runner, I would argue that that is the toughest distance, because you still end up sprinting for about 150-200 yards, but you’ve got to go twice as far. I know I always recovered a lot faster after a 400 than I did after my 800s. But then again, I sucked at the 400.
August 20th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
You are so stupid to take time out of your day to HATE on someone. She is a very accomplished athelete with more endorsements than any of the competition! I can’t stand when people want to stir stuff up. Maybe if you were more motivated you would be able to win gold medals vs trying to pinpoint if someone had a pinch in their hamstring. She works SO hard to be where she is and this was a huge and devastating loss for her so stop being so negative.
August 20th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
The 800 always makes me think of “Kingpin,” y’know, the scene in the bowling alley where Ishmael says he bowls extra frames, in every game, because Amish intentionally do everything with more difficultly. The 800, then, is the Ishmael 400. “We 800 runners simply forget that the race is over, and we do another lap!”