Webb is the most talented runner in the world (mile and 5K)

Um Lagat is double world champion, has a 1500m pr 4 seconds faster and a 5000m pr about 12 seconds faster.

The mile is not even run much compared to the 1500m anyway.

ya, he's totally way better than that one guy who doubled 1500+5k last olympics and won them both, that guy was lame, especially those wr's he still holds, webb will obliterate them this year, he was so close last year

Yeah, I TOTALLY agree with you now!! 16th in the US 8k makes him the most talented runner in the world!! Who can contradict that!

After he had food poisoning.

While Webb may yet run faster than anyone in the world over 1500 meters, I don't believe he will medal, let alone get a gold at that distance. He just doesn't have the "blow the doors off the field" finishing speed needed for championship events. Believe me, I hope I am proven wrong, but I believe Webb's best shot will be to move to the 5000, where he has the potential to be a 12:50-type competitor who can really string the field out over the last mile. In that type of event, he should be able to go with anyone from 600 meters out.

Actually, let me back up a bit. Webb certainly COULD sneak in for a medal, but I just can't see him winning a championship-type race. He is a much better time-trialer. If it's gold he wants, he needs to move up.

I would say that Webb right now is the best runner in the world in terms of range as it relates to 800 and 10k. I dont know anyone in the world with his ability to run both events.

here wrote:

I would say that Webb right now is the best runner in the world in terms of range as it relates to 800 and 10k. I dont know anyone in the world with his ability to run both events.

I think that's about right. I think Bekele could be about as good as Webb in mile if he trained for it and of course own him above the mile, but it's unlikely that he could pull off a 1:43.

here wrote:

I would say that Webb right now is the best runner in the world in terms of range as it relates to 800 and 10k. I dont know anyone in the world with his ability to run both events.

True. I think Webb definitely has the capability of being a world class 5000m runner(mid 12:50's at best probably), but still, that's not bad, and with his 1:43.84 800m speed, I imagine he could close pretty fast in a more tactical race. His range:

1:43.84

3:30.54

3:46.91

8:11

13:10

27:34

Webb has yet to time his peak so it corresponds with Lagat when he's at peak, and when they do it, I think Webb has a chance to beat him. Lagat's 1500m PR is faster than Webb's, but that was how many years ago? I still don't understand why people continue to use PR's as the basis for who could beat who in a race.

Wby do runners, especially when the race is in New York, always seem to get food poisoning? Is their rat problem more out of hand than we thought?

thisguy wrote:Can you honestly disagree with that statement? 5K - yes you probably can, but not mile, and not both combined.

Bernard Lagat is world champion at both events and has faster times, so he\'s clearly more talented.

Others:

Isaac Songok, 3:30/12:48

Augustine Choge, 3:31/12:53

Kenenisa Bekele, 3:32/12:37

Saif Saaeed Shaheen, 3:33/12:48

Craig Mottram, 3:33/12:55

Eliud Kipchoge, 3:33/12:46/26:49

guy not from there wrote:

Kenenisa Bekele, 3:32/12:37

Yes, it's obvious he's the WR holder, but seeing those times in comparison to other world class runners shows just how far above them Bekele is. He is faster than Geb- only time will tell if he can match HG's longevity.

I think Webb's already the best we have ever had. He needs to add some championship medals to the resume, but when he hangs them up, he'll be one of the best ever middle distance runners in the world. His range is already sick and he's still just developing!

I doubt he had food poisoning. New York has more variety of restaurants than probably anywhere else in the world. As anyone who has ever had food poisoning can tell you, it's tough to get out of bed, let alone run an 8k race. He probably had something that disagreed with him and was still feeling it. That doesn't mean that he had salmonella or something. I've eaten at Indian restaurants and had the trots the next day and no one else who ate with me got sick.

Also, pardon me if I don't get too upset over a early or off season 8k, I think he'll be fine.

I totally agree. Webb is the most talented runner in the world.

But, like you say, only if you look at the mile and 5K.

And, of course, you only look at races run on Thursdays in years that are not leap years.

And only when a majority of the competitors wear orange and he competes in non-IAAF sanctioned races without a rabbit with less than 7 runners.

Oh, and you look only at competitions that are west of the International Date Line, but of course that throws the whole Thursday rule out meaning that it needs to be Wednesday over there, but you still only look at non-leap years remember.

Well, anyways to cut it short, oh yeah, Webb is the most talented runner in the world.

dmb wrote:when he hangs them up, he'll be one of the best ever middle distance runners in the world. His range is already sick and he's still just developing!

Based on what exactly? He has no medals at championships and some fast times. He's also 25 years old, meaning that he's not "just developing", he's in his prime, as the 3:30 shows.

His range isn't that impressive. There are literally dozens of people who have run 3:30 and some so-so races at longer distances. Running 13:10 and 27:34 isn't that impressive when you look at the very best of all-time. Try 3:33/12:46/26:49 as Kipchoge has done, Bekele's 3:32/12:37/26:17, or Geb's 3:31/12:39/26:22. Webb isn't anywhere near that. Hell, Daniel Komen ran 3:29/12:39, which blows Webb's doors off, and added a 27:38 years later when he was out-of-shape. Venuste Niyongabo ran 3:29/13:03 and has an Olympic medal as well. Webb would do well to replicate these times, but no one talks about Niyongabo these days.

Aouita ran faster than Webb 20 years ago: 1:43/3:29/12:58/27:26. When Webb medals at the Olympics in the 800 and the 5,000, we can talk about Webb as being the best at anything. Until then, you're just suffering from American myopia.

Name all of the people in history who can claim 1:43/27:34?

There aren't many. Most athletes tend to specialize. There's nothing special about being mediocre at two events, there's something very special about running 3:30.

A 1:43 is mediocre? I suppose everyone you know runs 1:42.

I said it before, I think he's still developing. He ran a PR in the 800 last year and it will take him a few years to fully exploit that.

Not only that, he's only run one 10000 in his entire career, and just a handful of 5000s. By the time he retires, he'll likely have many more PRs from the 1500 to 10000....not sure about the 800 though.

I know this has been brought up before, but I think Webb's best chance for Gold in Bejing could indeed be the 800. I dont doubt that he has a great shot at a medal in the 1500, but should he double, no one can last through the rounds better than he could. He clearly has speed and can be strong in the last part of an 800, as is evident by his win over Reed in the final strides. Not saying 100% that he can win both, but I would like to see him double ,and I think he can win one of them.