I agree completely, and I thought the Young twins were not outstanding talents in high school. They just developed quickly while having outstanding coaching. If they are dedicated and healthy, they will improve but will never be top-tier.
I agree completely, and I thought the Young twins were not outstanding talents in high school. They just developed quickly while having outstanding coaching. If they are dedicated and healthy, they will improve but will never be top-tier.
I don't understand the near-100% consensus this board has that the twins are destined to never make it in the sport. As for the claim of "not-outstanding high school talents," here is the list of high schoolers with a faster 1500/mile PR than Leo Young:
Hobbs Kessler 3:51.51
Alan Webb 3:53.43
Jim Ryun 3:55.3
Simeon Birnbaum 3:55.37
Colin Sahlman 3:56.24
There's three olympians, and two promising young talents, who haven't been subject to half the criticism that the Youngs have. Obviously Colin and Simeon have had better NCAA careers thus far, but have either of them done anything truly exceptional? Yet every time they run, you don't see people clamoring to be the first to say that they'll never amount to anything. And Colin came out of the same exact high school program, so was he also not an exceptional talent? Is the threshold for being an "outstanding talent" being Kessler-Webb-Ryun level?
I know you’re in love with “gatekeeping” based on your old running credentials, but the fact that AJ Acosta didn’t run well in the steeple is irrelevant: the question isn’t whether Young will excel in the steeple, it’s whether it could ruin his season. The first time AJ Acosta ran the steeple in college was May 2010, and the following 2 months were the best of his running career, with a 2nd place in the NCAA 1500 (Wheating-Acosta-Centrowitz Duck sweep), and 3:36 and 3:53y clockings in July.
There is no "gatekeeping" going on here, certainly not by me. The only thing I offer here is experience, real experience. ..... The only gatekeeping I hear is based on your non-existent running credentials. It's your leitmotiv.
AJ Acosta's failure is very relevant, especially considering I've always encouraged people to give the event a shot. You've never, ever, not even once heard me discourage anyone not to try the steeplechase. There is not secret hand-shake, no dues, no nothing. It's not for everyone. Everyone doesn't get to run the steeple. Everyone gets to try... if they want. Or even if they dare. Just have some humility and try. Humility goes a long way. That's the best anyone can hope for.
FWIW, he ran that steeple on April 9th. Just sayin'.
I don't understand the near-100% consensus this board has that the twins are destined to never make it in the sport. As for the claim of "not-outstanding high school talents," here is the list of high schoolers with a faster 1500/mile PR than Leo Young:
Hobbs Kessler 3:51.51
Alan Webb 3:53.43
Jim Ryun 3:55.3
Simeon Birnbaum 3:55.37
Colin Sahlman 3:56.24
There's three olympians, and two promising young talents, who haven't been subject to half the criticism that the Youngs have. Obviously Colin and Simeon have had better NCAA careers thus far, but have either of them done anything truly exceptional? Yet every time they run, you don't see people clamoring to be the first to say that they'll never amount to anything. And Colin came out of the same exact high school program, so was he also not an exceptional talent? Is the threshold for being an "outstanding talent" being Kessler-Webb-Ryun level?
I think people doubt the twins because they have very short legs for their height. They're the opposite of Nico, Simeon, Colin..who are lanky and 'look like runners'.
But Wanyonyi has a similar short-legged build and runs 1:41, so I guess the twins can still have hope
I don't understand the near-100% consensus this board has that the twins are destined to never make it in the sport. As for the claim of "not-outstanding high school talents," here is the list of high schoolers with a faster 1500/mile PR than Leo Young:
Hobbs Kessler 3:51.51
Alan Webb 3:53.43
Jim Ryun 3:55.3
Simeon Birnbaum 3:55.37
Colin Sahlman 3:56.24
There's three olympians, and two promising young talents, who haven't been subject to half the criticism that the Youngs have. Obviously Colin and Simeon have had better NCAA careers thus far, but have either of them done anything truly exceptional? Yet every time they run, you don't see people clamoring to be the first to say that they'll never amount to anything. And Colin came out of the same exact high school program, so was he also not an exceptional talent? Is the threshold for being an "outstanding talent" being Kessler-Webb-Ryun level?
I think people doubt the twins because they have very short legs for their height. They're the opposite of Nico, Simeon, Colin..who are lanky and 'look like runners'.
But Wanyonyi has a similar short-legged build and runs 1:41, so I guess the twins can still have hope
This is a faulty argument when you see that runners with short legs, such as Nick Simmonds have excelled in the sport of running.
I think people doubt the twins because they have very short legs for their height. They're the opposite of Nico, Simeon, Colin..who are lanky and 'look like runners'.
But Wanyonyi has a similar short-legged build and runs 1:41, so I guess the twins can still have hope
This is also a faulty argument because while, yes, neither L&L twin is as 6’1” Nico Young, Leo is the same height as Woody Kincaid, a 2x Olympian, and Lex is taller that both of them.
Regardless, instead of focusing on aspects of their body, they can’t change, Why don’t you just focus on their successes, what they’re doing well, and what they can do to improve their training?