Is Merber on Crack? Says Femke A+ Result…

This is a DUMB argument for Bol who is the indoor 400m world record holder. Her overall 400m PR is from an INDOOR race so she does not run slower indoors than outdoors.

Yes she will be more fit by outdoors and will improve her time, but realistically this is a 2026 off year experiment only. She is not going to run fast enough in the 800 to justify giving up the 400 hurdles.

Even Addy Wiley has run 1:56. I think Faith Kipyegon has closed 1500s in sub 2. Faith Kipyegon was aiming to average 1:59 twice in a row for her sub 4 mile project. The bar has been raised and 1:59 is not as impressive anymore. The best marathoner in the world right now, Sifan Hassan, has a 1:56 PR too.

if you had a 49s male 400 runner make his 800 debut in 1:59, do you think he could drop time? Of course.

H-klecker ran over 2 minutes multiple times last year. Her PR is 2:00. Then she ran 1:59 multiple times. Then she ran 1:58, 1:57, 1:55. Bol is starting faster than Klecker has ever run. Of course she will run 1:54 at some point.

Totally agree. Think her race thread was a bit overcritical. 1:59-flat is still pretty strong indoors. She left some time on the table & is that really a surprise given her background? You can debate letter grades all day. Bottom line is she ran a solid time & can get better just by racing again. Obviously her endurance needs to improve. That doesn't take away from this being a good start into this experiment.

Femke Bol: Runs fastest debut 800 in history.

Stupid guy on Letsrun: "That’s pathetic."

So many stupid people post here.

I hope you specifically like the taste of humble pie

He actually has valid points. The energy demands of an 800 where you might have to run 815 meters (in lane 2) while getting elbowed, tripped, and pushed while boxed in are significantly different than Femke having a clean run at it in lane 1 with no traffic.

Then add in pace surges then slowing down, and making strategic decisions in a split second. The mental component of it might be harder for Femke than the physical.

A+ is a bit extreme but so is a C+.

She beat a field consisting of 1:58 and 1:59-low runners by a fairly large margin. So a field of reasonable quality.

The time is worth about a 1:57-mid outdoors if she demonstrated no real progress from beyond what typical 800m runners do between indoors and outdoors in the same season

If you suspect she'll improve about a second more than a typical 800m runner does between indoors and outdoors she'll be in at worst in 1:56 shape come outdoor season, enough to be in the mix, and if she improves 2 seconds more shell be in 1:55 shape.

Most realists thought 2:00 - 2:01 would be the expected ok result, with anything sub 2 showing real promise for the event.

Both Wilson and Whittaker (49 sec 400 runners) over the last 2 years debuted with 800m of around 2:02. And these times were celebrated.

Bol's performance was at worst a B, probably more like at B+/A-.

I don't think a C+ is extreme because they were clearly aiming for 1:57. The requested pace was to get a 1:57. Femke herself would probably give it a C+ or a B-.

1:57 is an A

1:58 is a B

1:59 is a C

This post is so painfully dumb and clueless

Yes, Femke stated she wanted to run 1:57 and even the announcer stated 1:59 was a given but how fast can she really run. She underperformed. Hopefully she does not go back to the 400mH.

There is obviously no way she goes back to the 400mh. This was just a test and she showed she could already run 1:57 but didn't because of a few mistakes she made, normal mistakes for a debut race

You're nuts if you think this is nothing but an off year experiment and she will go back to 400 hurdles.

Femke Bol was never a prodigy. She has accomplished far more than she has ever dreamed possible. The Paris mixed relay gold medal is ridiculously undervalued around here. That accomplishment along with the two world championship golds at 400 hurdles is what enabled this move. Her coach Laurent Meuwly emphasized at the 800 announcement that Femke has won every medal there is to win. Those were his exact words.

Now they are making a bold move to a different event. But even if it doesn't pan out she's not going to regret it and reverse course. Bol is engaged and told NBC last year that she considers herself the luckiest girl in the world.

It forever amazes me that situational influence is so comfortably ignored around here. This is a Bol interview linked below from early 2021. She describes how shocked she was to run 51.1 indoors, after 52.4 the year prior. If you grasp what she expected her career to be in comparison to how it has unfolded, it's no big mystery that she's eager to undertake a unique challenge over the second half of her career and see how it pans out:

Athletes are their own worst critics, 1:57 was an abitious goal. Announcers often are overly optimistic too. They are literally there to hype the event.

If she opened with a 1:57 it would mean by outdoor season she'd be at 1:54 or lower. So yes she was saying her goal was to be on pace for a historic world leading, and world record threatening season. My opinion is that that was a bit ambitious.

I'm astonished that her performance isn't receiving universal praise. Barely sub-2 is a totally fine season opener for literally every 800 runner on the planet. For a career debut, it's jaw-dropping.

In the 800/1500, it's pretty normal to drop major time from a first to second race of the season, especially for less experienced runners. Racing these events takes practice. There's also a recalibration of perceived exertion that happens after racing. The first one genuinely hurts more, and then the brain realizes that the thing you did to your body didn't actually kill it, so it loosens the reins a bit for the next effort.

I have no idea what her ceiling is (and neither does anyone else). She could max out around 1:57 and never be a medal threat. But I wouldn't be shocked if she scares the world record in another year.

Many members of this board suffer from MDS (Merber Derangement Syndrome)

Before this takes of, where is that source of Femke stating that ?

Yes, I read that the lights were set for a 157.8 and I believe her coach confirmed that, but that doesn't mean she was actually going for that time. As far as I know Femke herself never stated anything like that time. In fact, in Dutch media she only ever stated the Dutch NR was the goal (was 2:00:01).

Also in an interview with Dutch media, her coach stated that she had an irritated foot for the 2 weeks leading up to this race, which hampered her training a bit (mostly bike and crosstrainer, less time on the actual track). So maybe the goal was a 1:58 low or mid, with the lights a bit ahead, but her less than optimal preparation made it a 1:59.07 ?

Merber and Chavez are too positive or have a positive swing on all results. Never heard them get down and dirty disrespecting and being honest about an athlete like Rojo would. That is why I value the letsrun pod.

The mental aspect of a particular race can be very difficult for some athletes. For example, Sydney took several years to get used to running the flat 400 at a high level because she is more comfortable having hurdles in her lane instead of having no hurdles.

And running an 800 with a bunch of other women who are jostling for position is more difficult than running a 400 in lanes.

Having said that, I think that by the time the 2028 Olympics rolls around, Bol will have figured all that out.