Hannah England seems to be having an off year. She made the 1500 final at the GB championship last weekend, but finished 8 seconds back in 8th. That's her worst finish in years. She was also way back at Pre. Her place -- 13th -- wasn't that surprising. She's never had blazing speed, so she usually ends up towards the back in the faster races. But she was ten or eleven seconds slower than last year.
For a few years, she was regularly snagging top finishes in slower tactical races. Last year, she ran about as fast as usual, with lots of races in the 4:04-4:08 range. But she didn't have her usual quota of high finishes, This year she definitely seems slower, and she's only had a couple of high finishes. This is the first time in a while that she's not going to the Big Show.
I'm curious as to why the drop off over the last year or so. She's only 28, which is a bit young to age out. Is she injured? Is it just that Muir and Weightman are enough faster that she's not longer competitive?
Any thoughts? Facts?