Watching the video, I noticed how he was much taller than everyone else, so I looked it up:
Wheating is 6'5".
(one site said 6-2, but all others say 6-5)
That gives us taller dudes some hope.
Watching the video, I noticed how he was much taller than everyone else, so I looked it up:
Wheating is 6'5".
(one site said 6-2, but all others say 6-5)
That gives us taller dudes some hope.
Truly impressive. This was nice to see after the "women's" 1,500m at Stanford last week. Symmonds and the gang should be ashamed.
Wheating, should he stay healthy, has a 3:34 in him!
Schiefer
Was Wheating a walk-on his freshman year? He had to have shown some promise for Vin to even take a look at him....scholarship $$$$, or not.
Don't think any college kid (maybe Lanzano) will make the Olympic team. Times have changed; this isn't 1972 anymore...actually, back then the college kids had the advantage....not now.
There is a good reason Lomong & Rupp skipped college this year.
I love how big of a bandwagon site this is. Talking about Wheating even being close to qualifying for the Olympics is a joke. No one here has any kind of idea what shape he's in. For all we know this could be the fastest he runs all year and people are saying 3:34? Get serious.
Everyone who is talking about him not having a chance this is my 2 cents. This is also from a guy who only heard of Weating 2 weeks ago and I am not jumping on the wagon. NCAA's and the Olympic Trials are not fast races generally. Manzano and Webb though having the fastest times in these races are not going to take the lead and try to bring the field through at 3:3?. The pace will be extremely slow and basically an all out 800 or 600 race. This kid has some unbelievable speed. If he can be in the race I say he has a chance. At the same time even though I am excited because it is this kids 3rd year I do think we have to look at the fact that as someone said he doesn't have the years of pounding. Because he doesn't have the years of pounding I think it will be hard for him to sustain what he has been doing much longer. I will say if he can keep himself in the race for a 600 meter kick anything is possible for this kid. If he is in it with 200 left I would just love to watch.
...dito!
a) he is just a kid, and he ran a great, flawless race, end of story!!
b) don't compare college with the pros. By the time the pros getting just warmed up the season for college runners is over. So yes, he is peaking...and he should be!!!
c) what do you want to base your predictions for the trials. Got any insight?? Senseless...just like we predicted Webb to win worlds...
Jesse Larson wrote:
With his 800 speed and that kick I wouldn't be too surprised if Wheating takes down Leo at NCAAs.
Leo's kick looked good compared to Lagat (and LL) at the Trials. Of course, Wheating will be peaking for NCAAs while Leo will not.
As far as I know, Wheating has not been in a 3:36 race, so who knows what pace he can hang with. I would not be surprised to see a 3:36 or better out of him, although the season might get to him be the end and he might need a break about the time he would be getting in to 3:34 races.
Twenty five years ago another little known (at that time) Oregon runner made a breakthrough at the Twilight meet - Dub Myers ran 3:57 to win the race. He took the lead with a lap to go and held off the challengers. He ended up having a very successful collegiate career and did well in the '84 Trials.
Wheating's disadvantage will be his inexperience at the 1500, particularly in a big meet setting and with prelim paces ranging from the suicidal to the mundane. Offsetting that will be his speed which is really high octane. Kicking 40 off a 2:58 1200 isn't exactly world beating (the best close in 40 off a 2:48 1200), but that last 200 was a thing to behold. It's early May, he can probably run 1:46 or 1:45 once he really cranks up the speed work, so 3:35 or 3:36 is a distinct possibility for this kid. Regardless, it will be fun to watch.
bullet wrote:
Senseless...just like we predicted Webb to win worlds...
you act like Webb got blown away. He was less than a second from first place.
How soon will he go pro? My guess soon.
hey, you still got this link? i mean the kid cant have trained that hard as a soccer player, so i'm really interested to hear his story, like how he ran for UO (walk on?) and his training and stuff. from no track to 3.38 in 3 years is AMAZING
just use the search function. it was from my time with andy, not a story from a paper.
Flashback to 1983 wrote:
Twenty five years ago another little known (at that time) Oregon runner made a breakthrough at the Twilight meet - Dub Myers ran 3:57 to win the race. He took the lead with a lap to go and held off the challengers. He ended up having a very successful collegiate career and did well in the '84 Trials.
Dub Myers had one of the most successful NCAA careers ever over his 4 years at Oregon. It's a shame he didn't compete after college.
jt54 wrote:
I love how big of a bandwagon site this is. Talking about Wheating even being close to qualifying for the Olympics is a joke. No one here has any kind of idea what shape he's in. For all we know this could be the fastest he runs all year and people are saying 3:34? Get serious.
I wouldn't be so sure of that. Granted he's got a long way to go, but it's about the same distance as Gabe Jennings the year he won NCAA's and went on to win Olympic Trials in 3:35 in blowout fashion.
Wheating's kick is a huge advantage since he will be able to relax and kick at Pac-10's and regionals as well as the first round at NCAA's. All he has to do is be near the front with a lap to go in an 8 or 15 to do his job. He certainly has all the tools to get it done, he actually ran some pretty strong cross country races last year. Very strong for a 1:47 guy. The thing is, this is a guy who's pr's are not really worth quoting yet because they will be dropping very soon and it will be a some time before we really start to estimate what he's capable of.
And let's remember something else. This isn't just some greenhorn who is impressive because he's running great times by being dragged. He's just killed legitimate veterans in his last three consecutive races and in doing so is stamping down impressive marks. He's got the talent, upside, drive and execution. I see Carol Lewis telling 30 million fat americans about his 'amazing' story as the gun is going off for the 1500 Meter Finals Olympic Trials. With the home crowd behind him, and the memory of cutting throats over the last 200 meters of Hayward Field, I think anybody in that race should be very nervous if Mr. Wheating is anywhere near those top 3 spots coming into the final bend.
Remember, it will be a race to win with the utmost consequences for failure. I don't see Webb going at 3:46 mile pace so PR's will not matter.
After watching his finish again, I honestly can't think of another race (of this relative caliber) where someone made such a decisive move over the last 150. And the way he punches the air a couple times at the finish, he appears to have some more power in the tank. That is really impressive.
Here are some very good runners running all out and getting strung out to 3:40+ and then there's this guy who looks like he jumps in for a fast 200M interval right as they are going by and blows them away. And I bet that's how they felt.
Andy's first track season he ran 3:53.01 (=4:11 full mile).
I've never heard of that happening before. No wonder Jeff Johnson steered him towards Vin.
This Wheating guy shouldn't be able to put on an Oregon uniform. To just wait around until the last 200m is a sissy way to run with no guts. Pre wouldn't have done that, he would have taken the lead and hammered it home a lot earlier.
Bill Bowermans Statue wrote:
After watching his finish again, I honestly can't think of another race (of this relative caliber) where someone made such a decisive move over the last 150.
How soon we forget...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it9uLpoUMksBagger wrote:
Umm, no. He was hanging out in that race and unleashed a mighty last lap. Appeared effortless for first 3 laps. Kid's a talent.
i wouldn't say he was hanging out. he was near the front and with a lap to go when things started to get tough he was feeling it and dropped back. then it seems he saw the finish line 200 meters away and launched into an absurd kick.
definitely more in the tank, i would say. anyone who has enough left for a 26.1 at the end of a 1500 obviously has more in the tank. whether or not it can/will come out, we'll have to see. i hope it does.
yea, he'll go "pro" soon I bet. Who wouldn't give up a college career for $10, 000 a year!