Dear Emma Coburn,
Before I even begin, let me just say this; I AM KENYAN. Of course it matters!
Secondly, I believe that like several professional athletes, you do frequent this site.
.....but dear Emma (all the same).
You fell just short of accusing Beatrice Chepkoech of doping. (May be you did. You just didn't say it expressly).
The cardinal sin you committed in your utterances is twofold:
1. You accused her of doping with no evidence (other than the fact that that the steeple has had its share of dopers).
2. You held (or hold) yourself out as the quintessence of distance (or middle distance) running.
"If I, Emma, cannot break the 9 minute barrier, no one can run 8:44 that easily". That is how you sound Emma!
You have run nowhere near what she ran in Monaco and therefore, she must be on something illicit!
In your interview, you said that there are three of you, the others being your colleague Courtney Frerichs and Hyvin Jepkemoi. You say that you have been flirting with the 9 minute time barrier and as a result, you are genuine runners.
Then you stated that Chepkoech's great run was too abrupt (I forget the words you used) her stellar performance over the years notwithstanding.
On the other hand, Frerichs, who is now the US record holder, is very green in terms of quality performance and yet, she won Silver behind you in London and improved her time greatly (by over 10 seconds!)
NO NEED TO PAUSE!
Courtney hadn't beaten you the whole year and then, in the only race that she beats you, she takes the American record!
In your assumption of the three greats, you never even included Celliphine Chepteek!
Celliphine has won virtually everything she has set out to compete in except of course the World Championships and the Commonwealth. She has just about as many medals as you! We've watched her grow since she won her first medal in Cali, Colombia in 2015 all the way to the commonwealth and the African Championships.
Let's look at a few PB.
1. COURTNEY FRERICHS
https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/courtney-frerichs-273194
2. EMMA COBURN
https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/emma-coburn-236647
3. NORAH JERUTO
https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/kenya/norah-jeruto-265393
4. CELLIPHINE CHEPTEEK
https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/kenya/celliphine-chepteek-chespol-298331
5. BEATRICE CHEPKOECH
https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/kenya/beatrice-chepkoech-293209
A few notes:
1. With the exception of Jeruto, our ladies have better times than Courtney and yourself save for your 1500m where you beat Chepteek.
2. You don't seem to have done a 5k.
3. Chepkoech's 5k is stunning! May be we also need to pause here.
4. Chepkoech's 5k is better than all American women's save for Shannon!
May be we need another moment of silence.
5. Chepkoech has a range, and a vast one!
A fast 800, a very fast 1500, a very fast 3000m flat and an unbelievable 5k!
I will not dwell too much on statistics (and Chepkoech's mechanics in the steeple) because others have done so in another thread regarding this subject.
So Emma,
It's against that backdrop that Chepkoech can drop an 8:44. She has built it over time. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for her to run that world record. She has a history and a record.
Also, between Frerichs and Chepkoech, if there is one lady whose performance is 'unbelievable' (in terms of how fast they rose) it is certainly NOT Chepkoech.
Finally, I will leave you with the words from the Desiderata;
IF YOU COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS, YOU MAY BECOME VAIN OR BITTER, FOR ALWAYS THERE WILL BE GREATER AND LESSER PERSONS THAN YOURSELF.
Sincerely,
Native Son,
Nyahururu, KENYA.