snowflakes wrote:
I think Nuguse will have a tough time winning. He doesn’t seem as good as last year. It might be due to not having a Jakob in setting a fast, economical race. He should try hanging back rather than pushing a fast pace, I don’t think he’ll get it right that way.
Nuguse has actually run faster so far this year than he did prior to his first post-outdoor nationals race last year:
- Wanamaker Mile: 3:46.63 this year; 3:47.83 last year
- Bowerman Mile: 3:45.95 this year; 3:46.22 last year
- He's also improved his 800m PB this year from 1:46.30 to 1:44.77
At the U.S. championships, Jakob had nothing to do with how Nuguse performed this year compared to last year or any other year. I think Nuguse just ran a bit too hard in his semi this year and in the first 1200m of the final, in addition to dealing with a more competitive field.
Looking ahead, I think not running quite so aggressively early on should help him. As many have said, the margins for error are slim. If he gets his pacing right, he can win.