Was recently joint announced on Instagram with her agency HSI Sports:
That last collegiate system really did a number on her. I know she was going for great things but I truly believe her coaches should have protected her from herself. She could've walked away with 2 individual NCAA titles (indoor 400m, outdoor 400mH) and started her pro career healthy and instead crashed out with 0 titles outdoors and hasn't been healthy since. Whilst the Arkansas program is indubitably excellent, I wonder if this is something potential transferrees might need to consider in the future.
She should not have been running on stress fractures. Her coach should have pulled her from competition despite what she may have wanted to do. They ultimately are the ones who have final say, but I guess the thought of ultimately some darn stupid points for the school overrode any due diligence. I hope she makes a full recovery.
And don't get me started on doing the 400/400h double...
We have Kaylin Brown, Sydney, Alexis, Gabby T, Rosie E, (all sub 50) and can still get great legs out plenty of others, Anna C, Rachel G, and so on. We're the deepest nation on the plant in the women's 400. We could drop the stick 3 times, and stop to tie a shoe and still win.
Is it common for sprinters to get stress fractures?
It is known to happen, but pulled hammys are way more common.
yeah, the way i’d describe it is that a high volume of sprinting will absolutely give you a stress fracture, but usually some other injury would happen first and give the bones a nice rest as a result.
We have Kaylin Brown, Sydney, Alexis, Gabby T, Rosie E, (all sub 50) and can still get great legs out plenty of others, Anna C, Rachel G, and so on. We're the deepest nation on the plant in the women's 400. We could drop the stick 3 times, and stop to tie a shoe and still win.
History is clear that relying on collegians, including those from Arkansas, to be at anything like their current level after last weekend is foolish. They'll likely still be competitive at the trials but by Paris they'll be past their sell by date. For example, its obvious to anyone who isn't blind that Glenn has been wearing out for a few weeks.
McLaughlin-Levrone will be ready and I expect that Thomas will be as well. Beyond those two there are big questions. Holmes has never broken 50.00 and hasn't been impressive. Diggs, Irby, Little and Ellis are all 51.00 runners at this point and Cockrell has never been nearly as good without the hurdles.
NCAA coaches are good at getting every drop out of athletes during their time in college. After that its mostly a trail of tears.
Was recently joint announced on Instagram with her agency HSI Sports:
That last collegiate system really did a number on her. I know she was going for great things but I truly believe her coaches should have protected her from herself. She could've walked away with 2 individual NCAA titles (indoor 400m, outdoor 400mH) and started her pro career healthy and instead crashed out with 0 titles outdoors and hasn't been healthy since. Whilst the Arkansas program is indubitably excellent, I wonder if this is something potential transferrees might need to consider in the future.
It's their job to support her when going for stuff like this, ESPECIALLY at the collegiate level. Going for crazy doubles like the one she wanted to attempt is what moves this sport forward. It's what creates history. It's what creates stars. It's what gets you big contracts.
Plus, where is all this concern over longevity suddenly coming from? Why no complaints about Valby trying a double in an Olympic year? Or Mckenzie Long? Why did no one say anything when Wilson did the same double at SECs 2 years ago? I know that no one said anything. I was on this board and social media when all of that happened.
The simple truth is that hindsight is always 20/20.
That said, this announcement isn't exactly surprising. Truthfully I was expecting it going into this year, and I knew it was gonna happen after she stopped racing early this year and went silent. It's gonna take more than a year, perhaps 2, to recover from an a grade 3 stress fracture in one leg and a grade 4 in another - which is one of the most devastating running injuries i've ever heard of. It was no wonder she had to get wheeled off the track in Budapest.
- People were telling her not to double *before* NCAAs because the gap between events was like 15 minutes and she already had shin splints. When she did it at SECs the break was far longer and there weren't multiple rounds. The 100m 200m double is very common and has more rest time in addition to not being 2 400m races.
- Parker Valby hasn't even qualified for the Olympics yet, Britton Wilson was showing potential of being able to WIN the world championships last year.
- Hindsight is indeed 20/20 but I think if you go back intime many people were cautious of the NCAA 400/400H 15 minute break double. I suppose neither her nor her coaches thought the resulting injuries would keep her out for over a year.
- Regarding care for longevity - I come from a country without an NCAA system and we often observe NCAA athletes never match their college PB so being concerned about longevity isn't really new either. Although injuries aren't the only factor there, some people merely are in their prime in their early 20s, and also the amount of support you get on a full scholarship is much more than being a fringe athlete with a minor contract, etc.
i think it's important to remember that wilson bounced back to make the world team that year only a few weeks later, beating diggs to get 2nd behind SML after 2 rounds
always wondered about okolo and would could have happened her. but going pro out of HS doesn't always play out either. look at whitney and (to a lesser extent) hill. seems that what works best for phenoms is going to school, staying one year if things go well, then going pro immediately
History is clear that relying on collegians, including those from Arkansas, to be at anything like their current level after last weekend is foolish. They'll likely still be competitive at the trials but by Paris they'll be past their sell by date. For example, its obvious to anyone who isn't blind that Glenn has been wearing out for a few weeks.
McLaughlin-Levrone will be ready and I expect that Thomas will be as well. Beyond those two there are big questions. Holmes has never broken 50.00 and hasn't been impressive. Diggs, Irby, Little and Ellis are all 51.00 runners at this point and Cockrell has never been nearly as good without the hurdles.
NCAA coaches are good at getting every drop out of athletes during their time in college. After that its mostly a trail of tears.
I'd disagree with Holmes, she's been consistently running 50s all year. Her 51 from June 2nd was a few days removed from Oslo and she posted that she had her period. If she has been training to peak at the right time which I believe she has, she will break 50 at the Trials. Diggs is an interesting case since she ran 11.01 early in the season, She ran 50.91 at the windy NYC Grand Prix and has established for a few year the ability to peak when needed like running 49.93 at the US Champs last year or going from a 51sb to running 49.99 at NCAAs 2022. We also have Quanera Hayes running 50.44 June 4th and she ran on the 3:21 World Relays squad. We also have a dark horse relay member in Abby Steiner who has been getting back to form every race she's run this season. I agree with your comments on Glenn and a few others though.
We have Kaylin Brown, Sydney, Alexis, Gabby T, Rosie E, (all sub 50) and can still get great legs out plenty of others, Anna C, Rachel G, and so on. We're the deepest nation on the plant in the women's 400. We could drop the stick 3 times, and stop to tie a shoe and still win.
History is clear that relying on collegians, including those from Arkansas, to be at anything like their current level after last weekend is foolish. They'll likely still be competitive at the trials but by Paris they'll be past their sell by date. For example, its obvious to anyone who isn't blind that Glenn has been wearing out for a few weeks.
McLaughlin-Levrone will be ready and I expect that Thomas will be as well. Beyond those two there are big questions. Holmes has never broken 50.00 and hasn't been impressive. Diggs, Irby, Little and Ellis are all 51.00 runners at this point and Cockrell has never been nearly as good without the hurdles.
NCAA coaches are good at getting every drop out of athletes during their time in college. After that its mostly a trail of tears.
The USA's winning roster of 2022 had 3 people who had just finished a college season and they ran their fastest time in many years.
Furthermore, calling Holmes unimpressive when she split 48.8 to a WR last year and medalled in a generationally fast 400m indoor final earlier in the year is... a choice. Diggs is always a 51 runner until the big meet. USA is so far ahead there is literally nothing to worry about save for lane violations and dropped batons.
"Big questions"... about what?! About what random combo of 10 girls we can put out there and still run 3:17?? We have a 47 leg plus any combo of three other girls who only need to go 50 flat each and that's 3:17.
Athing Mu's 202One run from NCAA to Trials to Olympics to Pre shreds this take to pieces.
Even Britton Wilson's 2022 season is a direct counterpoint to your take. She crushed her split at worlds, but I can't remember where she went to college that year. Oh wait, yes I can, Arkansas.
We have Kaylin Brown, Sydney, Alexis, Gabby T, Rosie E, (all sub 50) and can still get great legs out plenty of others, Anna C, Rachel G, and so on. We're the deepest nation on the plant in the women's 400. We could drop the stick 3 times, and stop to tie a shoe and still win.
History is clear that relying on collegians, including those from Arkansas, to be at anything like their current level after last weekend is foolish. They'll likely still be competitive at the trials but by Paris they'll be past their sell by date. For example, its obvious to anyone who isn't blind that Glenn has been wearing out for a few weeks.
McLaughlin-Levrone will be ready and I expect that Thomas will be as well. Beyond those two there are big questions. Holmes has never broken 50.00 and hasn't been impressive. Diggs, Irby, Little and Ellis are all 51.00 runners at this point and Cockrell has never been nearly as good without the hurdles.
NCAA coaches are good at getting every drop out of athletes during their time in college. After that its mostly a trail of tears.
There are no questions about the readiness of the USA 4x400. The United States, Jamaica, and the Soviet Union are the only 3 national teams to have ever broken 3:20. Jamaica barely has the team to run under 3:25 this year, if they even made it out of world relays.
always wondered about okolo and would could have happened her. but going pro out of HS doesn't always play out either. look at whitney and (to a lesser extent) hill. seems that what works best for phenoms is going to school, staying one year if things go well, then going pro immediately
Hill had a crappy coach who got her badly injured. You need to find the right coach.
I definitely agree with the 1 year dedicated to school. Many athletes don't seem to understand that most of them will reach their peak when they are competing for points for a school.
Was recently joint announced on Instagram with her agency HSI Sports:
That last collegiate system really did a number on her. I know she was going for great things but I truly believe her coaches should have protected her from herself. She could've walked away with 2 individual NCAA titles (indoor 400m, outdoor 400mH) and started her pro career healthy and instead crashed out with 0 titles outdoors and hasn't been healthy since. Whilst the Arkansas program is indubitably excellent, I wonder if this is something potential transferrees might need to consider in the future.
It was awful, and I was watching the Arkansas 400m women at this years NCAAs with some concern.
By the time Britton was at NCAAs last year, she was unable to train normally, and was cross-training nearly exclusively. The coach should not have entered her in the double. Although Britton Wilson was an adult world-class athlete, she was not a pro. She was not getting paid. It's the responsibility of NCAA coaches as (putative) educators to see their main responsibility as preparing their athletes for their future, not exploiting and maximizing their current potential at the expense of their future capacity. The two biggest NCAA sprint talents of past few years on the women's side were Britton Wilson and Abby Steiner, and both of them ran grueling schedules and haven't been the same since.
The commentators and athletes kept dropping comments about how intensive and relentless the Arkansas program's training is. You don't get to 48 seconds without it, but their should be limits.
Was recently joint announced on Instagram with her agency HSI Sports:
That last collegiate system really did a number on her. I know she was going for great things but I truly believe her coaches should have protected her from herself. She could've walked away with 2 individual NCAA titles (indoor 400m, outdoor 400mH) and started her pro career healthy and instead crashed out with 0 titles outdoors and hasn't been healthy since. Whilst the Arkansas program is indubitably excellent, I wonder if this is something potential transferrees might need to consider in the future.
It was awful, and I was watching the Arkansas 400m women at this years NCAAs with some concern.
By the time Britton was at NCAAs last year, she was unable to train normally, and was cross-training nearly exclusively. The coach should not have entered her in the double. Although Britton Wilson was an adult world-class athlete, she was not a pro. She was not getting paid. It's the responsibility of NCAA coaches as (putative) educators to see their main responsibility as preparing their athletes for their future, not exploiting and maximizing their current potential at the expense of their future capacity. The two biggest NCAA sprint talents of past few years on the women's side were Britton Wilson and Abby Steiner, and both of them ran grueling schedules and haven't been the same since.
The commentators and athletes kept dropping comments about how intensive and relentless the Arkansas program's training is. You don't get to 48 seconds without it, but their should be limits.
If the NCAA program was geared towards preparing their runners for the future, there would be an abbreviated program during the global championship years, as schools would be preparing them to shine at Trials and then at the global championships. This has never been the case. Once again, I am interested to see how NCAA athletes fare at Trials and how many of them make it on the team for the Olympics and how their performance stack up against their best NCAA performance.
That program got Kaylin Brown to 49.13 as a freshman. And they ran 3:17... I think whatever he's doing is working.
The good far outweighs the bad here.
What, was he holding a gun to her head forcing her to double the 400/400h?
The coaches didn't ask her to double, she wanted to do it and they supported her. That's why I said they should've protected her from herself. Sure, she might have been upset but I'm sure she would've been in a better position now.
She is an adult, she was in control. Adults don't blame other adults for their bad decisions.
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