Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 124, November 2019 | Page 54

OUT OF
THE By BOX
Norrie Williamson
DOHA: DISAPPOINTMENT,
DISASTER OR DEVELOPMENT?
The Doha Debate consumed much of the past month, with many couch-critics demonising the World Championships in
the Middle East as a major disaster. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
The only possible saving grace for these Doha events,
which saw exceptionally high withdrawal rates, was
that it provided an indication to competitors and
organisers of how best to handle such conditions,
and importantly, prompted a review by the Olympic
committee to move the marathon and walks for the
2020 Tokyo Olympics to Lake Sapporo in the north of
Japan. (That was the venue for the IAU World 100km
Champs in the late 1990’s, but had to be cancelled
the day before because of impending storms.) The
Doha experience was no doubt a contributing factor
in the decision, announced on 16 October, which will
bring the temperatures down for these athletes in
2020 by around five to six degrees.
Doha also provided a two-day conference and
workshop for medical directors and organisers on
extreme conditions in road running. As of 2020, World
Athletics (no longer IAAF) medical directors and
co-ordinators will require to be certified through such
courses. The expected standards of medical cover for
road races have been significantly stepped up, and
that is certainly something we need to review in South
Africa.
Team SA’s Performance
Weather aside, many South Africans criticised our
team’s performance, since not one medal was won. At
the 2017 World Champs in London, South Africa won
six medals – three gold, one silver and two bronze –
and critics asked how it’s possible to fall from third
in the world to being right off the table, in a mere two
years. However, the injury to Wayde van Niekerk and
the regulation-driven removal of Caster Semenya
meant the loss of two of the athletes that medalled in
London, and four of those six medals (two gold, one
silver and one bronze) were not defended in Doha.
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ISSUE 124 NOVEMBER 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
To put that in perspective, take those medals out of
our London haul and South Africa would have been
demoted to 17 th place on the table.
Then, it’s worth considering how many World
Champions successfully defend their title in the
following World Championships. Not many do, so
pencilling in long jumpers Luvo Manyonga and
Ruswahl Samaai as repeat gold and bronze medallists
in Doha was more loyal support than realistic
expectation. The fact that they clawed their way to
fourth and fifth, given the length of their reign at the
top, was commendable. This is not to say they won’t
be back on podiums in 2020, but statistics are not in
their favour.
Medals, then, are not a good way to judge a country’s
progress or position, as it’s falsely impacted by a few
good or great performances and performers. The
points table gives a far better idea of true standing, as
it provides points for the eight athletes who make the
final in each event. Gold earns eight points and eighth
place earns one point, and this clearly gives a much
better indication of a country’s strength in depth.
In London, South Africa was 10 th with 52 points,
in Doha they finished 20 th with 22 points. In Doha,
points were earned by Luvo (fourth in the long jump),
I
t was hot in Doha, and humid, and it is absolutely
true that the out-of-stadium events – the marathons
and the 20k and 50k walks – were held in extremely
adverse conditions, which turned these races into a
strategic race of survival. It is also why a number of
the elite field opted to forego the championships for
other prestige events around the same period.