Ethan Strand 800m in training

They're faster at 3k only because they've ran that distance many more times than him. If he ran 7:30 against his teammate indoors and now his 15 PR is 3:30; his 3k PR is deceptively soft just due to how little he has competed in the 3k. Not a good barometer at this point.

Oh yea ive completely missed his tactical blunders, thats on me, but yea i do see him screwing up his semis

Can see him missing the final and can see him winning.

The thing about inexperience is its volatility.

He's got the tools.

What we will learn in the final more than anything is if one of the top guys played things close to the chest (Jakob, Hocker, Kerr) or is what we’ve seen what we’re going to see (Laros, Koechx2)

Will be fun to watch.

I’m a massive Ethan strand fan I still can’t get over that he didn’t win NCAAs in the 15 or win the DMR indoors. It kinda blows my mind because when he closes he CLOSES. It’s really fun to watch. Hoping he has that same magic if he can make the final!

Agreed, but he can figure that out. Whether he will in a week is to be determined but if this guy stays healthy, I actually think it’s statistically improbable he never medals with his kick. It might be better than Cole Hockers

Strand struggles to find good position in a really slow race, and I think a lot of others do as well. In a 3:50 type 1500, basically you need to be at the front, or you're at risk of getting swallowed up in the bubble. Staying on the rail is fine in a hot race. You'll likely be close enough to the front, and find room to move out. But sitting on the rail, even in 2nd, 3rd, 4th in a very slow race, is just a roll of the dice.

Green is good in those races because he's smart enough to get to the front very early.

I think Strand can learn and become fine tactically. He's only been really good for around a year, so every race is practicing a new scenario.

Honestly I think based on this logic, he will be okay in the final if he makes it, but I also do see him panicking a little, because this race is going to be fast AND crowded, so he might be scrambling around to stay in the right position at such a fast pace and lose too much energy