Is Nico Young a better runner than Henry Rono?

Agree. The boomer narratives here are out of control. Take any Jim Ryun thread.

It is hard to admit that someone might be better than Rono because it's really hard to be better than Rono. There is no way for us to know for sure how today's times compare with those of the past. Henry had no rabbits. He had no pacer lights nor magic shoes.

Could Young end up better than Henry? Sure, but he's eons away from that now. What do "we people" want from him? Well, he could win several international caliber races. He could set multiple world records. Maybe he could be ranked number one in the world in a couple events.

Henry was far and away the best distance runner of his time. Nico Young is not the best runner of his time. Yes, he has a faster PB than Henry. You can't compare times across eras and learn anything meaningful. For as good as I think Henry was I think Zatopek was even better despite having 5 and 10 bests that were something like 40 and 70 seconds slower.

Rono absolutely dominates this poor young lost boy

Until Young sets ONE world record he is not in the conversation. Rono had 4 at one time.

End of discussion.

Rono didn’t have any world records at age 21. Nico has accomplished a lot more at age 21 than Rono did at the same age.

Seriously? Sounds like trolling. Go do some history homework friend. Rono was the best in the world and a world record holder in many events at one point. Could stay out all night and still beat anyone. Nico is a really good collegiate runner at present. Put Rono in super shoes, on good tracks, and give him modern training, the times he might run….

Apples and oranges friend. Rono didn’t get to run for Newbury Park and it’s pro like regimen and culture. He ran early but not until Washington State did he really get all the support and organization. Then, 4 world records in 81 days, one of which stood for 11 years. Go watch some You Tube videos of him destroying top shelf world competition and get back to us.

Maybe you recall Henry Rono versus the milers in a 2 mile race. Let's see N Young race the best milers in the world in a two mile race. We know Ovett outkicked Rono. Will N Young be able to stay with the best milers of the world in a two mile race for 2900m?

Yeah, did Young get his first pair of shoes at age 19? Rono was living it up in a lap of luxury wasn't he?

HIS PR IS 30 SECONDS FASTER... Once again... Does he need to run a 26 flat? Like seriously, this can't be a real argument. I guess Henry Rono gets magical powers because he was the best runner 40 years ago, wow you've convinced me...

Your argument is ludicrous. You don't just get magical powers because you trained in an era where nobody knew what they were doing ...

It's an objective fact that Nico Young is faster than him, what's stopping me from saying that LeBron would beat Henry Rono in a race. LeBron has more aura, clearly if he tried on a track he could run 25:30. How is my argument any different than yours????

Do you understand that you're arguing a hypothetical... Your point is completely biased. You can't just say "modern training" and "super shoes". Give LeBron 3 years and he'd easily break every world record 100m-10000m, he's a harder worker and he has infinite HGH.

Of course not. He needs at least 25' flat to be comparable.

So what you’re saying is: context matters when making comparisons. I completely agree. It’s not fair to compare their accomplishments at age 21 because of their very different circumstances. Likewise, it’s not fair to compare the accomplishments of a fully grown and in his prime man who was 26 to those of a still developing young man who is only 21.

Downvotes here show a poor grasp of history in the sport.

Another good point about context. So let’s explore the context further, this time with another runner who is actually the same age as Rono was when he went on that record-breaking spree: Grant Fisher.

Fisher has run the 5,000 meters 20 seconds faster than Rono and the 10,000 meters 49 seconds faster. Is Fisher better than Rono, or do even those substantial time differences not matter because of modern advances?

Looking at context, it’s fair to say the sport is a lot more competitive now than it was in Rono’s era. Fisher hasn’t broken a world record, but he did have the number 1 time in the world in the 10,000 in 2022, and his 26:33 is the 7th fastest time ever. So what’s more impressive: having world records in 1978 before distance running got raised to the higher level we have now, or having the 7th fastest time in history today, when our current world record in the 10,000 was run at a faster pace than Rono ran for his 5,000 record?

Nico is a better 10k runner.

It’s not an objective fact. The conditions are completely different. You can’t make the comparison based on time. Time is irrelevant.

Rono is the more accomplished, better runner.

It’s not even close.

No.

Because he’s not better than Rono.