Does the lane you are in matters?

[Arch_Angel]

How many of you have seen someone in the 8th or 1st lane win the race?

I have been noticing it and I can't see how someone in these lanes could win the race.
Have you noticed in the olympics if they put some of the top racers in the first or last lane? It's always the middles lanes.

So these people in the end lanes are at a disadvantage.

I don't think it's fair. Who came up with the idea of the track to be like that?

[RobyG]

Arch_Angel ..great observation. But there is more to it than that. Everyone knows that lanes 1,2,8 are the worst lanes therefore athletes have to earn the middle lanes during qualifications. In other words athletes who perform better are randomly placed in middle lanes - poorer perfomers are placed in the 'bad' lanes.

[Chris]

Yes that the way it is, the bettet qualifying athletes are in the middle lanes while the outer lanes are for the poorer performers.

[Arch_Angel]

That's what I am just learning. That those with the top qualifying times are put in the middle lanes. But what happens during the heats? Suppose you are assigned a bad lane for the heats? Aren't you at a disadvantage too?

[RobyG]

Well at some point there has to be a random placing.....'luck' (if there is such a thing) of the draw

For some races such as 100m lanes are less of an issue, so those athletes dont have to worry about lane assignments as much as the 200m guys.

[Chris]

I believe that the lane placement in the heats are also dependent on the athlete's times in Int'l championships leading up to the Olympics.

[Greatis]

It's kinda unfair but although being at a disadvantage in those lanes running a good curve/corner can get you the race in lane 1,2,8: that's why coaches worry so much about running the curve ;)