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    #1

    Whitfield's medal a team event?

    This article in the Edmonton Journal says that Whitfield had help in the race in the form of a 'domestique'?!

    How prevalent is this? I thought this was an individual sport?

    http://www.canada.com/edmontonjourna...1-24293fae2bdb
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    #2
    Re: Whitfield's medal a team event?

    Colin Jenkins gave everything he had at the beginning and was first after the swim and pushed ahead on the bike. Others followed his pace and soon faded out.

    This helped Whitfield who knew better than to chase the rabbit.

    Whitfield's finish at the end was amazing.

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      #3
      Re: Whitfield's medal a team event?

      Long distance runners (not sure about marathoners) do it all the time - they have a rabbit set the pace for the first 3rd to half of the race. Then they drop back.

      And the 10,000 m is anything but a team event.
      There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

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        #4
        Re: Whitfield's medal a team event?

        I think that this will be the start of teams and countries doing this more often. It is no different than in the Tour De France. They do it all the time, same in long distance running. It just happened to be 2 guys from the same country. and the reaction of Jenkins when he crossed the finish line was amazing. He was so happy, you would have thought he had won the race.
        Through the thick and the Thin I will bleed GREEN and GOLD.

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          #5
          Re: Whitfield's medal a team event?

          It's pretty common, especially in cycling and distance running (as Steve mentioned). Whether it's trumpeted of despised seems to depend largely on whether it works to ones advantage in that case.

          I know they talked about those tactics at great length during the cycling road races... they'd have one person do all the leg work for the other ones (getting drinks, food, etc), and have another person try to control the pace all so the third can make a run at a medal.

          Seems to be the way these distance events are moving.
          Look. We can go round and round about this all the live long day. Let's keep it simple. I embody amazement. Can you dig on that? Good. Then meet me on the corner of rock and roll, and bring a flask of something that burns.

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            #6
            Re: Whitfield's medal a team event?

            Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they have "teams" in car racing?

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              #7
              Re: Whitfield's medal a team event?

              This is why I think Whitfield's a great athlete. No, he doesn't dominate like Michael Phelps, but he used some clever thinking to change the sport of triathlon. He challenged the paradigm that triathlon is only an "individual" sport and was successful at the highest level of his sport (and at 32 years old to boot). And to show his appreciation to Jenkins' in his role as a rabbit, Whitfield's giving him half of the $15k COC incentive money for the silver medal he won.

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                #8
                Re: Whitfield's medal a team event?

                Originally posted by Spectacle View Post
                Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they have "teams" in car racing?
                Yes but in almost all circumstances it's every man for himself. In Formula 1 there are team orders but in NASCAR they usually let them fight it out amongst themselves with one caveat, don't wreck each other.
                Last edited by quake; 08-21-2008, 03:32 PM.
                When you don't know that you don't know, it's a lot different than when you do know that you don't know.

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                  #9
                  Re: Whitfield's medal a team event?

                  It's certainly interesting. Thanks for the discussion.

                  I've read a few more articles on it and they all mention it. Interesting that Whitfield is giving Jenkins half his medal bonus. Some people quoted in the papers are suggesting it will continue to increase to the point of becoming commonplace like in other long distance events.

                  As one who doesn't follow the sport, I've had a tough time getting my head around the idea of entering a race to lose, to say the least.

                  One more thing, they need a new term than 'domestique'!

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                    #10
                    Re: Whitfield's medal a team event?

                    Originally posted by upthegut View Post

                    As one who doesn't follow the sport, I've had a tough time getting my head around the idea of entering a race to lose, to say the least.
                    True. But the way I look at it, the guy probably didn't have a chance anyways... so might as well be a part of winning a medal. And it's probably "earning his dues". So when Whitfield retires, this other guy will be the one given the help.

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                      #11
                      Re: Whitfield's medal a team event?

                      Originally posted by upthegut View Post

                      One more thing, they need a new term than 'domestique'!
                      Sounds like some sort of S&M thing doesn't it?
                      Before you insult a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when you insult him, you'll be a mile away, and have his shoes.

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                        #12
                        Re: Whitfield's medal a team event?

                        If everyone knows that they are going to do it...then why get suckered in to "keeping up with the rabbit"?

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                          #13
                          Re: Whitfield's medal a team event?

                          Originally posted by Muley69 View Post
                          If everyone knows that they are going to do it...then why get suckered in to "keeping up with the rabbit"?
                          yeah you really have to wonder if all those hours/days/months/years of training was really worth it if you are just going to throw it all away by trying to keep up to a "rabbit" ....

                          Comment

                            #14
                            Re: Whitfield's medal a team event?

                            F1 has a rule that there are NO team orders, but there are a lot of ways to get around that.
                            If it's not Boeing I'm not going.

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