seb wrote:
This wasn't a 5k, it was a 1500m with a warmup, and admittedly a very interesting one. If kiprop ran the 5k, mo would just speed the pace up to 13:10, and asbel, being an 800/1500 guy, wouldn't be able to hang and would have his kick neutralised. Mo probably could have even medalled in the 800m final. The only guy who can take down mo in the 5k is kemboi. He runs twice the distance so a move up to 5k would be easier for him. His kick is just insane, plus he's nearing the end of his career so a move up would make sense, unlike kiprop.
Kiprop won World Junior Cross beating Matthew Kisorio, Imane Merga, Samuel Tsegay, Abreham Cherkos etc.
He said at the time that: “I didn’t want to run in cross country but my coach convinced me to run as part of my build-up to the season. I am not sure how I won the race because for me it was a build up and I consider cross country like training for track.”
He's freakishy light and never seems out of breath. I think it's very plausible that a successful winter of increased focus on extending his endurance would see him become utterly formidable at 5000m.
The logic that says he's too quick over 800m to be top class at 5000m is nonsense, Aouita was running 1:43 and sub 13 about thirty years ago and Farah is obviously top class over a huge span of distances.
A shame he didn't win the Olympics in 2012, because a Kiprop with two Olympic titles and multiple world titles may be tempted to move up/double in order to be the authentic Kenyan challenger to Farah.