The sad thing for some of these athletes is that either the rigors of college, college life, training, or real life, itself and its cruelties, take hold of many of these athletes and create a different person.
Sadly enough, many do not continue at that level or at an Olympic level, not because they aren't good enough, but because people are selective.
For Mary Cain, it was not even a fair playing field to start with. Every inch of extra (natural) weight and every second of her times were evaluated as if this mystical girl was never allowed to become a woman. I honestly think the sport itself broke Cain before it truly gave her a chance.
For Alan Webb, people expected him to always be in his younger form, even when it was clear that it was not always going to be possible. People still have the most glowing things to say about Mr. Steve Scott and how much of a pioneer he was to the mile. I agree in many ways. Mr. Scott is a great man. I have met him and he's an all-around good guy (and coach for his athletes).
Alan really deserves the same respect, if you think about it.
For Centro, it's interesting to see how people have turned on him. When Centro was winning gold, everyone loved him. Now that Matt is struggling, people have turned on him. It hardly seems fair.
A.J. Acosta.....he is someone that if he never gets to see an Olympics or world championship, it would be a travesty. This is someone whom I have witnessed go out in a sub-15 5K with a bad hamstring. The problem with AJ is twofold...or maybe three-fold.
1. AJ was not given the opportunities after college that most would have. AJs Oregon Triple would have been comparable to Cabrera's MLB Triple Crown. Any other sport would have taken a chance with AJ. He was worth the money. Because of this....
2. AJ had to try to become the worker/athlete, which is something that is difficult at best....and many more drastic adjectives at worst. It creates hard schedules, training struggles...and...eventually...
3. Injuries...AJ has had more than his share of those. We can only wish he could be healthy.
Conversely, one of the names left off of this list ended up being one of the most respected (and now hall-of-fame) runners...Michael Stember.
He got the respect he rightfully deserved as a running groundbreaker. And, what he did after HS was not really as important, necessarily, because of what he did during the time he did it.
I suspect others (like Phil Healy of Ireland) who make groundbreaking strides will get the same respect.
Honestly, I don't know what happened to many others. Why? Running and its sponsors don't advertise their athletes enough.
We all bought into Dan and Dave of triathlete fame. Why? Advertising. Runners (and non-runners) everywhere can utter the name Kipchoge like a household name...because they have advertised Kipchoge to sell Nike. Puma made it clear to us who Usain Bolt was, even if someone had no idea who he was (if that was possible).
Why do we all remember Jordan Hasay? Why do so many of us love Jordan Hasay?
That one night, on the tv, a big deal was made about a talented, long blond-haired runner. She impressed us with her ability. And, the crowd did not disappoint, cheering louder for Hasay than for even the winner. Then, since they were at Hayward Field......they chanted "Come to Oregon! Come to Oregon!" When she made the decision to come to Oregon, the nation was ready.
We have every reason to love Dan, Dave, Eliud, Usain, and Jordan.
But many of these high school standouts would have gotten more acclaim had they received more publicity and support.
End of story.
It needs to be switched.
It just does