52.43 wrote:
Not a fantastic time? When you don't assume the tracks improve year by year (and the shoes) and look at the alltime list, then that is better than the PRs of many great runners. For sure, it was only the second place...
Souleiman is the 25th best performer in history (taking Ramzi and Saidi-Sief out). He has run faster than Webb, Bile and Ovett.
Personally, I believe the equipment is improving a little bit. But still, if this was no fluke, he has improved from 3:34 to 3:30 in one year. It's still early in the season, so there might be more to come.
Actually that's not quite true. His 3:34 was run in December last year, so less than 6 months ago!!
His best time a year ago was 3:46!!
And its not as if he's just taken up the sport a couple of years ago. He was 6th in a heat of the World Youth Championships in 2009 for 3000m, running 8:31.
So his progress in a year is from 3:46 to 3:30!