Reminder: Nijel Amos ran 800m in 1:41.73 at the age of 18 years and 4 months.

It's very difficult in track to make that final push over the top to world record holder. All the variables are already in place and as somebody emphasized there's massive gap between 1:42 flat and 1:41 flat. Likewise at 1500 with 3:27 and 3:26. Likewise at women's 800 with 1:54 and anything lower. Even if Mu fully dedicated she would have remained underdog to take that record.

Contrast to swimming where promising youngsters are far more likely to fulfill world record expectation. They become stronger via weightlifting, which really benefits the back half of their race. There are so many areas where slight improvement can pay massive dividends, like maximizing turns and underwaters.

Amos was probably 23-24. Looked way older than is listed age.

Mu isn't getting near the WR.

Hodgkinson is the only women's 800m runner that even looks close to doing that.

While Aman turned out not only to be a doper but also an age cheat, unsurprising, I do not recall any proof that Amos was also an age cheat. I would bet that he was, considering how he came out of nowhere to run 1:41 and that he was caught doping well after the second 1:41, nearly a decade after the first. The 2nd performance also suggests that he wasn't that old the first time, maybe 20-22.

There really is no massive gap to the world record for Lutkenhaus right now. One may develop this year or next, but he's sixteen, still growing, and just 1.36s from the record. Unlike the previous hs record holder, no one's forcing him to train or making him hate the sport.

I hope you aren’t on a debate team with that logic. Team prodigies, as a whole, and especially in track is the highest indicator of you being successful.

Whatever your definition of prodigy is, you’ll still find most of your super elites in that bucket compared to those weren’t prodigies.

You can look no further than his event:

Hoey - HS indoor record holder

Brazier - Cooper 1.0

Brandon Miller - even younger; pre teen prodigy

Harris - won the 200 & 1600 at state meet

Sahlman -

Current World best by event:

100/200 - Lyles - teen prodigy

200 - Tebogo - teen prodigy

800 - Wanyonyi - teen prodigy

1500m - 5k - Jakob - teen prodigy

half mar - Jacob - teen prodigy

marathon - Kipchoge - teen prodigy

Being a teen prodigy does not guarantee you success, but not being one almost guarantees you won’t ever be the best.

I like that he has the talent to be the best.

I don't think it will happen with Lutkenhaus, but it absolutely can happen that a teenager never improves on his high school time. Anyone remember CADE FLATT? The last great high school 800 talent? He's only gotten slower in college.

a 16 year old (more than 3 month until he turns 17) runs 1.42.2 and now people here try to argue it’s not more impressive than an almost 19 year old running only half a second faster 🤦🏻

Cade was almost 19 when he ran his fastest time in high school. I didn't say that it never happens that a teenager doesn't ever improve his PR. What I'm saying is that's rare for a 16 year old to run a lifetime PR and never improve after that. Generally, most track athletes do not peak at 16. Most high schoolers, including a list of various all-time HS greats do not run their fastest times in 10th grade and just plateau. Yes, it has happened a ton with a lot of 18 and 19 year old super talents; but, 16 year olds usually don't get stuck on a plateau unless there are some wild injury issues.

You shouldn’t question someone’s logic and then make a different point with yours. If we had 1,000 young runners, 100 of whom were teen prodigies, and 10 of whom set world records, then you are arguing that all 10 would have been from the teen prodigy pool. This is almost certainly true but it doesn’t counter the previous poster’s assertion that we have 90 of 100 teen prodigies that fizzle out.

Always trying to confort yourselves. You are at home we understand.

Super-spikes and Carbon shoes you forget that.

Your prodigy will only run what nature allowed him to do as adult age whatever he did a teen results.

Non Afros took 42 years to break the 10sec limit.

So then why is Nijel Amos still credited with the u20 world record? Why hasn't World Athletics investigated and taken that u20 world record away from him?

Guys he literally has a perfect body type for the 800. He clearly has the fast twitch fibers too, low bodyfat and great aerobic development. His mindset is rock solid. He rises to the competition time after time. In 2 YEARS he will only be 18. Imagine more healthy balanced training and racing over 2 years, plus all of the maturation at 18...

That's also considering he may even run faster this year in the right race.

Cooper is easily the best candidate to break Rudisha's WR (maybe Wanyonyi gets it this year for a bit) and even challenge 1:40

Let me laugh about this, after me the deluge or think bigger than his ... (you know that thing small in the behind).

I think this is a mixup with a story about Mo Aman who was undoubtedly overage. Amos surely could have been but he was still running 1:41-2 in his late 20s. Yes PEDs possibly but that was suspected his whole career.

100+ people upvoted the comment and no one can provide me with a link to the agent admission?!

I would be shy myself if I look at this list:

80% of best time in history are East African.
Your country with 30.301 trillions USD GDP is no more bright than an North African country (Algeria).

en.wikipedia.org

800 metres at the World Athletics Championships

The 800 metres at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by both men and women since the inaugural edition in 1983. It is the second most prestigious title in the discipline after the 800 metres at the Olympi...

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