Would Syd be a world beater in the 800m?

I don’t get where this conversion naturally happens. No she’s highly specialized in hurdles which is still considered a sprint. the 800 meter is over twice as long once you consider how the splits slow down. She could maybe crack open anywhere from a 2:04 - 2:06 based on her raw 400 speed but nothing to indicate otherwise. The 600 would be a fair comparison, but any longer and then she would need to respecialize for the 800m and lose 400 speed. and who knows if she would be any good at it I doubt it

Jeremy Wariner only ran 1:53, not sure Syd could break 2 without proper training. Patryk is the exception to the rule, though coincidentally his 400mh best ranking and his 800pb ranking on the all-time list are pretty close (112th vs 103rd)

Anna Hall's PRs are 54.48 and 2:03.11. sub-2:00 would definitely come quickly for Syd. Beyond that is hard to say and maybe as much a mentall/motivation issue as anything.

Bobby Kersee has no interest in coaching a "good" 800 runner. He would much rather coach a "great" 400 runner.

And Athing Mu. And maybe a few others. And that's the whole point. The number of people who have been world class in the both the 400 and 800 is EXTREMELY small.

Looking at it from a practical standpoint, what would Sydney running a 1:59 accomplish? Absolutely nothing.

She has much more natural talent in the 200, 400, and 100h. Bobby Kersee will have Sydney run one, or more, of those events going forward, not the 800.

Yes, but that was at a very low key meet and he would have been lucky to break 47 in the 400 at the time.

So absurd. "doesn't really care for running", "healthy amount of real distance training". are just such bad takes. The reality is she's so amazingly good at the event(s) she does run, why on earth would she move up in distance to an event she wouldn't be as dominant at? hint, it's not because she's afraid of the difference in training.

"not sure Syd could break 2 without proper training."

No $hit

if she had the desire she could probably jump 2 metres in the high or long jump 7.20 . once in a generation athlete that would be world class at most things she concentrated on . 12.8 leading with her weak leg in the 100 hurdles says it all really ..

I would have her jog 2:05 and then kick home a 700 to break the world record in the 1500.

Taragon Ice Cream is correct. Sydney herself has said that she doesn't like distance training. It's not a secret.

I wouldn't say that she is "afraid" exactly, she just doesn't like it and she doesn't want to do it.

Why hell, she might as well try the heptathlon. You think she could go 16 feet in the pole vault. Maybe she could throw the javelin into lane 5 or 6. If she can spin as fast as she can run she might throw the hammer onto the track as well. But what I'm really curious about is how fast she could run the 1500 off of 40 mile a week training. She even might be a world beater in the steeple chase. She clears 10 hurdles very well in the 400h. With her speed and only having to clear 5 barriers per lap, she might lap the stragglers.

I'm sure she would be terrific. Whether she would be a gold medalist, I don't know. Actually, I think more of Bol in the 800 meters. She is the epitome of a "strength" 400 meter hurdler. I mean, not that she is slow, she can't be to run a 52.2 hurdle time, but relatively speaking, the best part of her performance is her final 100 meters.

Typical of distance runners and distance running fans to fall in love with the “move up” in distance proposition. Syd might be a great 800 runner, but we have no evidence to support this claim. I’d be more interested in her moving down and trying to win gold in the 100H too. She’s done this and is pretty good at it already. That would be an amazing double to attempt.

It is OBVIOUSLY not the same, as the hurdles for females are lower and therefore 400m hurdles not being as "though" for women as for men, and then because of that even further from the 800.