NO college athlete that qualifies for NCAAs choose to skip it.
Because they are competing for NCAA schools. They have obligation to the schools that pay their scholarship.
Addy Wiley said in her post race interview she wouldn't have won the world bronze this year if she had been competing for an NCAA school.
EXACTLY MY POINT!
Schools feel an NCAA championship/berth are worth more to them than A WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP/BERTH. They wouldn't hesitate to skip NCAAs if it came down to choosing between that or the Olympics because the value of having an Olympian on the team and taking credit for their success brings.
I also want to add another point - If a World Indoor Championship is worth more (or equal) to an NCAA Championship, why do shoe companies seek to sign recent NCAA champs while also not giving two S's about indoors, as reflected in signing athletes AND bonuses??
This is what he claimed on his word indoors preview. Awful take that’s very American-centric.
What is Geordie Beamish more well known for, his NCAA mile title, or winning world indoors against Hocker, Kessler, etc? Obviously world indoors.
Not only is it harder to win a world indoors title, it’s more memorable and respected by the fans.
Anyone disagree?
Apples and Oranges.
I only lean towards winning an NCAA Championship as being more important due to EVERYONE who competed in high school and were talented enough to compete at the NCAA D-1 level, has winning an NCAA title as a goal. Not as many athletes have winning a world indoor title as a goal, due in part to not all athletes run indoors, and if they do, it's in relation to their winter training, kind of like a glorified time trial in the middle of winter.
Not throwing shade on any world indoor champions, but to athletes who came up through the American ranks of running (High School, Youth Champs, and College), that NCAA trophy is special.
Here's my list of individual titles by importance (American):
It's not even close where the more elite talent is as a whole during the indoor season. Top NCAA athletes dominate the world rankings. Very few pros take indoor seriously enough for this meet to be as competitive as NCAAs as a whole.
Thank you for doing the leg work on this!
It's obvious to me that it truly depends on the year and the event. There are absolutely years where the quality of the NCAA field trumps a World Indoor field.
He wasn’t talking literally. In the US, world champions are barely remembered, but prodigies have crazy earning potential, especially if they have a big social media presence. NCAA champions are much better marketed in the running community because ncaa champion is more marketable than IAAF champion to the casual runner. We remember HS/college studs better because they are showcased
I agree that the world men's 1500 was weaker than most NCAA championships. Cole Hocker and Yared Naguse didn't make the team. Had they made it, I am sure one of them, if not both would have medaled. Both are much stronger and seasoned runners than the two who finished 1st and 2nd at the US world indoor championships, who then had to run another race just to qualify to go. That being said, I don't agree that a NCAA championship is equal to a World Indoor title. Perhaps the minor medals are not as equivalent in certain sports, but not the championship itself.
Every year you see super times out of the NCAA where 9/10 of the top dogs then fail to back it up on the world stage. Talk to me when the NCAA operates a functioning anti doping policy that's worth more than the paper it's written on.
Regardless, asinine take by Chavez but what do you expect at this point.