Not really. Not even considering WRs and medals, to my mind a professional 800/1500 has to be able to make a living at both distances. Coe could. Mahkloufi could. Sahlman - no. His money distance is the 1500. Sahlman's 800 is good but nothing spectacular. Centro and Nick Willis both ran faster over 800 and nobody considers them 800/1500 runners. That breed seems to have disappeared.
He’s run 1:45.57 at age 20 and this thread is about a 46.9 400m split. I don’t see why he can’t run 1:43 in 2-3 years, which would obviously qualify as professional.
Willis’s lifetime PR was 1:45.54, for clarity. Centro didn’t run faster than 1:45.86 until he was 25.
mmm i think i basically agree, except I don't think 1:42 is an outlandish goal for his career. Definitely a high goal, but he's been exceeding expectations for a whole lotta years now. What'd your Nico Young predictions look like in 2019? I think even I wasn't predicting him to be sub-13/27 at age 21.
Amen on training him as a 1500 guy, although I feel like with the amount of 400s/800s he does, and the fact that Aaron seemed pretty focused on the 800 his senior year and still went to NAU, that Smith is trying to get them to the point they're nationally competitive in the 800. Maybe not a real 800/1500 guy like Coe, but more like what Wightman has where he can win WCs in the 1500 (best event) and the DL 800 (not his best but still top tier).
I mean fair, though Jake does a good bit of plyometric/sprint work that Colin is not doing at the same level.
I definitely underestimated Nico’s track upside that’s for sure. That being said 1:42 is different in that that is a time that places you as a top 5 800m specialist if not greater. if he’s getting there he’s running 3:27-8. If is not like he is aerobically weak. I’d find it more likely he improves to 1:43hi-44 and gets much stronger as opposed to becoming an 800 stud.
Isn't he though? Unless he drastically improves his 5k/10kXC times over the next year I think so
We are just conditioned to middle distance runners who are really strong and can run around 13:00 or faster off 3:32 speed. 29:41 (10K XC) means Sahlman has plenty of strength for a mid-distance dude, he's just a Cooper Teare style of runner.
mmm i think i basically agree, except I don't think 1:42 is an outlandish goal for his career. Definitely a high goal, but he's been exceeding expectations for a whole lotta years now. What'd your Nico Young predictions look like in 2019? I think even I wasn't predicting him to be sub-13/27 at age 21.
Amen on training him as a 1500 guy, although I feel like with the amount of 400s/800s he does, and the fact that Aaron seemed pretty focused on the 800 his senior year and still went to NAU, that Smith is trying to get them to the point they're nationally competitive in the 800. Maybe not a real 800/1500 guy like Coe, but more like what Wightman has where he can win WCs in the 1500 (best event) and the DL 800 (not his best but still top tier).
I mean fair, though Jake does a good bit of plyometric/sprint work that Colin is not doing at the same level.
I definitely underestimated Nico’s track upside that’s for sure. That being said 1:42 is different in that that is a time that places you as a top 5 800m specialist if not greater. if he’s getting there he’s running 3:27-8. If is not like he is aerobically weak. I’d find it more likely he improves to 1:43hi-44 and gets much stronger as opposed to becoming an 800 stud.
Most posters don’t believe even Ingebrigtsen will ever run 1:44ish, but he’ll always be able to out kick Young.
Counting Indoors Sahlman has raced 17 times, obviously all part of a plan, but that is a lot. Now you have regions two more, NC's two more, that's 21 by the Trials. At some point there are diminishing returns, not sure what that is, but.....
If he split 47 that’s 48 from the blocks 48 is slow for a would class 800 about average for a 1500. Some world class 800s go out in 50 point to be any where near the leaders at 50 point a 48 athlete will fill like he is sprinting
FYI I asked Mike Smith if NAU had a watch on the split. NAU's sprint coach told Smith he split 46.88.
We don’t need to question or speculate for an athlete that doesn’t run a lot of 400s would have several watches on him - the coach and the athlete would be very interested in the split
listen, in fairness, a 46.8 relay split for a 20 year old 1500 runner is nuts. How many guys with similar times could do that at the same age?
Not many, but to name a few: Tim Cheruiyot, Niels Laros, Hobbs Kessler, Steve Ovett, Jim Ryun, Ermias Girma, Nathan Green.
Fully burst out laughing at this one.
46.8 is an elite split for a 1500 guy. Would not be surprised to see 1:43.xx from Sahlman in the near future. Would love to see him compete in the 8 at trials.
46.8 is an elite split for a 1500 guy. Would not be surprised to see 1:43.xx from Sahlman in the near future. Would love to see him compete in the 8 at trials.
It’s very good if accurate though it’s at altitude and hand timed, those guys (outside of Green/Girma) all were pretty elite at 20 and had great careers. Not sure who you’re disputing. I’d like him to do 800 at the Trials as well, but breaking 1:45 isn’t a fait acompli.
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