He had a 1:42.6 at altitude in 2024, and qualified for the Kenyan Olympic team at their trials, behind Wanyoni 1:41.7 and Kinyamal 1:42.5
In his first year in the NCAA, he ran 2:20 for the 1000 at BU in Dec 2024, and 1:15 to win the 600 at Big 10 indoors.
This is all fast running that would have even an Oregon recruiter patting himself on the back.
In outdoor NCAAs, he got though semis injured in the 1:45 you mention, but pulled his hamstring in the final and limped home DFL in 1:52. Lots of guys wouldn't have finished.
Far from a bust. Oregon is not immune to critique for failing to capitalize on their recruit.
I don’t think a 1:42 runner would be happy with a 2:20 1000..
Exactly. 2:20 and 1:15 are not in line with a "verified 1:42" guy. I had a guy at my college run 2:19 on a flat 200m track in 1986, and the US just had a 16 year old run 1:14 last year.
If you are inside the collegiate coaching world at all, you have all heard the stories of the "great" runner coming in from Kenya, who is the "brother" of somebody who has run some times in Europe, and then turns out to be a donkey and can't come near to replicating those times. So "verified" means different things in different parts of the world. No matter how many excuses you make for him, he is still a "never was" in the NCAA.
I don’t think a 1:42 runner would be happy with a 2:20 1000..
Exactly. 2:20 and 1:15 are not in line with a "verified 1:42" guy. I had a guy at my college run 2:19 on a flat 200m track in 1986, and the US just had a 16 year old run 1:14 last year.
If you are inside the collegiate coaching world at all, you have all heard the stories of the "great" runner coming in from Kenya, who is the "brother" of somebody who has run some times in Europe, and then turns out to be a donkey and can't come near to replicating those times. So "verified" means different things in different parts of the world. No matter how many excuses you make for him, he is still a "never was" in the NCAA.
Except there's video of Kidali and it's FAT. He ran a 1:42
Kidali is a 1:45-1:46 guy who for one race somehow mustered a 1:42. Hasn’t made sense before or after. He barely scraped into the final of that race btw relying on a time qualifier: He repped Kenya so he had to take at least 3 OOC tests in the 10 months before. The whole situation is somewhat baffling.
I still view him a 1:42 guy. Looks like he just put it all together for one race and couldn't muster anything close since. If you have someone who mostly runs 3:33-34 and suddenly runs a 3:28, he's a 3:28 guy. Not a consistent 3:28 but still a 3:28
Kidali is a 1:45-1:46 guy who for one race somehow mustered a 1:42. Hasn’t made sense before or after. He barely scraped into the final of that race btw relying on a time qualifier: He repped Kenya so he had to take at least 3 OOC tests in the 10 months before. The whole situation is somewhat baffling.
I still view him a 1:42 guy. Looks like he just put it all together for one race and couldn't muster anything close since. If you have someone who mostly runs 3:33-34 and suddenly runs a 3:28, he's a 3:28 guy. Not a consistent 3:28 but still a 3:28
So bet everything you own on it. I would bet you won't. You don't really believe the athlete in your scenario is a 1:42 or a 3:28 guy. You KNOW he is a 1:45-46 or 3:33-34 guy, so call it what it is or put your money where your mouth is. A one time posting does not a runner make when it comes to times.
I still view him a 1:42 guy. Looks like he just put it all together for one race and couldn't muster anything close since. If you have someone who mostly runs 3:33-34 and suddenly runs a 3:28, he's a 3:28 guy. Not a consistent 3:28 but still a 3:28
So bet everything you own on it. I would bet you won't. You don't really believe the athlete in your scenario is a 1:42 or a 3:28 guy. You KNOW he is a 1:45-46 or 3:33-34 guy, so call it what it is or put your money where your mouth is. A one time posting does not a runner make when it comes to times.
If you run 1:42.99 you are a 1:42 guy. End of story.
I still view him a 1:42 guy. Looks like he just put it all together for one race and couldn't muster anything close since. If you have someone who mostly runs 3:33-34 and suddenly runs a 3:28, he's a 3:28 guy. Not a consistent 3:28 but still a 3:28
So bet everything you own on it. I would bet you won't. You don't really believe the athlete in your scenario is a 1:42 or a 3:28 guy. You KNOW he is a 1:45-46 or 3:33-34 guy, so call it what it is or put your money where your mouth is. A one time posting does not a runner make when it comes to times.
At minimum you can say he is CAPABLE of running 1:42 because he's already done it. Doesn't mean it'll happen again. No team in the country is passing up the opportunity to bring in a runner like that.
He had a 1:42.6 at altitude in 2024, and qualified for the Kenyan Olympic team at their trials, behind Wanyoni 1:41.7 and Kinyamal 1:42.5
In his first year in the NCAA, he ran 2:20 for the 1000 at BU in Dec 2024, and 1:15 to win the 600 at Big 10 indoors.
This is all fast running that would have even an Oregon recruiter patting himself on the back.
In outdoor NCAAs, he got though semis injured in the 1:45 you mention, but pulled his hamstring in the final and limped home DFL in 1:52. Lots of guys wouldn't have finished.
Far from a bust. Oregon is not immune to critique for failing to capitalize on their recruit.
I don’t think a 1:42 runner would be happy with a 2:20 1000..
Not as a season's best, no.
But as a foreign guy's first race ever in the NCAA, in December, for a comfortable win?
Beyond solid. Come on. That's a ~1:46 performance indoors... again, in December.
Further, nobody can seriously say that a guy running 1:15 indoors was "outclassed" in the NCAA. That's 1:43 material, and itself would be highly ranked among NCAA 600s any year.
Seems like Oregon just didn't manage to make the most of his 1:42 2004 ability, and even his 2025 ability as shown by 1:15i.
It's very unlikely someone who got himself to 1:42 in 2024 simply stopped doing the work mid-season in 2025, but yes 1:45.3 in the NCAA semis was as fast as he ran before his injury and it's hard to know his shape at that time. (Injured for finals.)
Kidali is a 1:45-1:46 guy who for one race somehow mustered a 1:42. Hasn’t made sense before or after. He barely scraped into the final of that race btw relying on a time qualifier: He repped Kenya so he had to take at least 3 OOC tests in the 10 months before. The whole situation is somewhat baffling.
I still view him a 1:42 guy. Looks like he just put it all together for one race and couldn't muster anything close since. If you have someone who mostly runs 3:33-34 and suddenly runs a 3:28, he's a 3:28 guy. Not a consistent 3:28 but still a 3:28
Basically describing Cole Hocker.
He never once broke 3:30 before or after August 2024.
So bet everything you own on it. I would bet you won't. You don't really believe the athlete in your scenario is a 1:42 or a 3:28 guy. You KNOW he is a 1:45-46 or 3:33-34 guy, so call it what it is or put your money where your mouth is. A one time posting does not a runner make when it comes to times.
Would you bet everything you own on Hocker running another 3:27?
He never once broke even 3:30, before or after August 2024. And even then only broke 3:29 ... once.
I guess Hocker is a 3:30 guy in your idiosyncratic system.