To paraphrase ancient Chinese military philosopher Sun Tzu, knowing one’s enemy means victory in battle.
An underrated modern adaptation of that maxim would also emphasize knowing the rules when others might not.
In Sunday’s preliminary men’s 110-meter hurdles round at the woke and blasphemous Paris Olympics, Team USA’s Freddie Crittenden executed what the NBC Olympics and Paralympics account on the social media platform X described as a “200 IQ move” when he deliberately finished in last place so as to benefit from a new and obscure rule.
A 30-second clip posted to X on Sunday showed both Crittenden’s last-place finish and subsequent explanation.
“So it was an intentional choice,” he said. “It was either get top three or everyone gets through to the repechage.”
The NBC Olympics website described the “repechage” round as “a new wrinkle to track and field’s presence at the Olympics.” Loosely translated, “repechage” means “second chance.”
In short, for the first time ever in Olympic hurdling, runners who do not advance from the preliminary round to the semifinals enjoy a second opportunity, which “guarantees that all competitors in these events will compete in a minimum of two races at the Olympics.”
Crittenden used the new rule to his advantage.
“So I decided to just not make an emotional choice, make a smart choice, give my body time to recover a little bit from being aggravated, lean on my medical doctors, lean on God, and just wait for repechage round, come out here and try to kill it at the repechage round,” he said.
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As Crittenden spoke to the NBC reporter, a video replay of the race showed him jogging to a last-place finish.
200 IQ move. Freddie Crittenden jogs through his hurdle heat knowing he will automatically qualify for the repechage round. 🧠 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/XavgR7DMev
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2024
According to USA Today, Crittenden took advantage of the rule due to a “minor physical issue” that first popped up on Saturday.
“I had a little aggravation in my abductor yesterday for my pre-meet. I went to Team USA medical staff, medical doctors, and they said it’s not an injury, but there’s a lack of activation in my muscle that’s causing pain and discomfort,” the hurdler said. “So the plan was to come here, get through the round, and as long as I didn’t get disqualified or hit any hurdles, the idea was that I could get through and get another opportunity in the repechage round. So I just wanted to get here, make sure I didn’t make anything worse, and give it everything I’ve got on Tuesday.”
With two days to rest before the repechage round, Crittenden promised to go “all out.”
Given the rule’s novelty, the sight of an Olympic hurdler jogging undoubtedly left many fans in confusion.
In that sense, at least, Crittenden’s savvy decision called to mind a similar incident from the sporting world.
NFL fans of a certain age might remember the 1988 NFC Divisional Playoffs between the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.
Near the end of the first half, with the Vikings deep in their own territory and trying to run out the clock, legendary CBS announcer and former Oakland Raiders head coach John Madden mentioned an obscure rule that allowed the receiving team to make a fair catch on a punt and then attempt a free kick like a regular field goal, only unhindered by rushing defenders. And that is exactly what the 49ers tried to do.
In a 3-minute YouTube video available here, readers may view how the entire sequence unfolded. First, Madden mentioned the rule. Then, it became clear that 49ers head coach Bill Walsh knew it, too. Finally, one could see the frustration and confusion from Vikings players who had no idea what was happening.
Of course, the 49ers kicker missed badly. And Crittenden might also fail in his “repecharge” gamble.
Nonetheless, 36 years later this writer remembered the Vikings-49ers sequence very well. Whether Crittenden wins or loses on Tuesday, viewers might also remember his Olympic moment for a long time.
After all, shrewdness of the kind rooted in ancient Chinese philosophy tends to endure.
