Has Mike Smith failed Nico Young?

What does that even mean?

You said it yourself "never a given." Being a top HS runner really doesn't always mean a lot. That next step is a big one as is the next step after college.

Nico Young is Jordan Hasay. Neither of them have the finishing speed to win big track races. I think he will have to move up to marathon when he turns pro.

The pros and especially the great ones are never team players, more like the lone wolf type. Nico needs a championship win to run his best at NAU and beyond.

I dont know if the mods are deleting comments about a certain topic here, but I challenge anyone to watch Nico's post-race interview and tell me he looks healthy right now.

I really think this will be one of those situations where either alot of people know it and dont say anything, or somehow no-one has yet realised what's going on at the moment (and I know this topic is 'triggering' for so many people)

Look at his nose, cheekbones and jawline ffs...

Have you ever met a pro irl? None of them look healthy

Nico ran in non super-spikes, check slide 5

Adel Meechal (SPA), Stephen Scullion (IRL), Stewy McSweyn (AUS), Daniel Ebenyo (KEN), Lornah Salpeter (ISR), Kenenisa Bekele (ETH), Yemen Crippa (ITA), Nicholas Kipkorir (KEN), Luis Orta (VEN), Julien Wanders (SUI), Beth Potter (GBR), Julien Ranc (FRA), Revee Walcott-Nolan (GBR), Ellis Cross (GBR), Susan Krumins (NED), John Heymans (BEL), Bastien Augusto (FRA), Valentin Gondouin (FRA), Samantha Harrison (GBR), Simon Bedard (FRA), Jonny Davies (GBR), Callum Elson (GBR), Mick Clohisey (IRL), Dina Asher Smith (GBR), Jaryd Clifford (AUS), Laura Weightman (GBR), Alex Yee (GBR), Paul Chelimo (USA), Daryl Neita (GBR)

..so yes, I have. This is very different, this is Koko-esque.

Koko the gorilla? What? Nico looks gaunt but he always has.

He looks significantly leaner. The topic is forbidden here when mentioning females, but as he's male I think it's allowed. I'd be shocked if he's not anorexic.

Jakob is a miler but looks far more normal weight, Nuguse is smaller (both height and muscle-wise) but looks healthy. Looking at pro 5k/10k/marathon, Kipchoge obviously isn't huge at all but is nowhere near gaunt, Cheptegei looks healthy, Kiplimo, etc

Even Yomif who is probably the leanest pro runner has enough body fat % you need to be healthy.

Konstanze Klosterhalfen. According to Google, she's 5"9' and 106 pounds. Not healthy at all

My last post on this (for now): look at a photo of him from yesterday vs Rupp. Rupp looks far healthier.

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The reality is that EVERY returner on NAU got worse or placed the same as they did in 2022. The only reason they lowered their score is because of the transfer they brought in.

The OSU returners as a whole improved a lot. The only exception was Maier who might have just gotten worn down trying to keep up with his teammates in practice. Messoudi placed 2 better from 2022, shltsama placed 19 better, and Muirhead improved 55 places.

If Mike is the secret weapon, why are Dave's athletes improving A LOT more?

While I do notice and worry about the health and leanness of certain NCAA stars, Nico isn't really an athlete I'm that worried about. I think his family just has really pronounced facial structure. Look at the twins; they have a different body type with more muscle mass, but their cheekbones and jawlines are still very pronounced. I honestly think that's just their family's bone structure, and not a sign that Nico is too lean.

I know that talking and thinking too much about food (often hiding behind being a "foodie" or "loving healthy recipes") can be a clue that an athlete has an unhealthy relationship with food. Nico being a nutrition major could place him in that category. However, from what I see from him on social media, he doesn't seem to be restrictive with eating. I know you can't always trust social media, but he's posted repeatedly about eating ice cream and big burritos, along with reminding his followers that getting enough food, rather than worrying too much about what specifically it is, is the most important point regarding fueling. I also think that if he had a problem, there would have been some injury issue by this point. It doesn't appear that he's ever had a bone injury, which would be all too easy to get if he were running a high mileage, double-threshold plan at 7,000 feet while under-fueling.

TLDR: I'm not trying to be dismissive of your concerns, but I think Nico may honestly just be a true ectomorph with runway-model cheekbones.

Rupp doesn't have high cheek bones, he'll never look like that unless he starves himself.

I've gotten ask, is this just a bunch of trolls trying to over analysis and sound like they are super bright? In the last 4 years I've never seen this many bizzare unfounded totally ridiculous threads. What is wrong with you posters?

The analysis of the Nico/Rupp photos is a perfect example of how challenged these posters are. Rupp’s photo is BEFORE the race has even started and he is well rested, whereas Nico’s photo is AFTER a the biggest race of the year that didn’t go very well.

Do you lose significant amounts of facial fat during a marathon?

The word you are looking for is dehydration, no problem hang in there!

You the Sam dude that Dave cut fro the team with a different username. Be happy not angry