WHO IS BETTER: ALAN WEBB OR NICK WILLIS?

Asking for facts,

Did you even read 3 other posts on this thread? Get back to us with that question in a few...

...the awnser is NO, they have never raced.

Of course they have raced. On several occasions. Webb the winner each time. Please do us and read before you write.

ninjacore wrote:

thats all good, but how many times has willis run the 2mile and 3k?

and conversions are worthless.

and so is comparing 5k and up, since willis isnt a 5k/10k guy.

just as worthless, then, would be comparing 800s, since webb isn't an 800 guy.

the reason people DO make such comparisons is that they reveal more about an athlete than just their specialty PRs do.

Willis has (compared to his 1500) a good 800, a pretty good 3k, a not-so-good 5k and an abysmal XC record (even when compared to his mile/1500 times during his NCAA years).

Webb has a decent 800, a great 3k(2mi), a good 5k and a good 10k (as well as some good xc results).

obviously, Webb is more of a strength runner than Willis, who edges Webb on speed. to say, as some in this thread have, that the Webb's strength advantage (as evidenced by his overdistance ability) is irrelevant but Willis' speed edge (as evidenced by his 800m pr) is relevant is just silly. both are important.

one thing that people don't seem to be discussing is Willis' durability concerns. if he's not able to train at full capacity, he'll soon find himself getting left behind by less talented athletes.

this was a GREAT DAY. Webb kicked Willis' ASS!

2004 Pre Classic

Mile

Mile 1500 split

Athlete Affiliation Time Time

1 Alan Webb USA 3:50.85 3:34.42* (*Hayward Field & Pre Classic Record)

2 Nick Willis New Zealand 3:53.51 3:38.20

3 Elkanah Angwenyi Kenya 3:54.52 3:38.6 4 Kevin Sullivan Canada 3:58.35 3:43.02

5 Paul McMullen USA 3:58.60 3:42.83

6 Julius Achon USA 3:58.66 3:43.56

7 Steve Slattery USA 3:59.78 3:42.88

8 Aaron Lanzel USA 3:59.88 3:43.93

Alan Webb is better, career-wise, at the moment. Superior range and a superior one-event personal best based on IAAF points. Also, IAAF ranked Alan Webb higher than Willis in each of the last 4 seasons. Same with Track & Field News, just for support.

Alan Webb, on the basis that he placed 9th at the 2005 World Championships 1500M. Willis has not made a World Championship and/or Olympic Final.

My Vote: Alan Webb

Compare the following:

Biography: Nicholas WILLIS ()

Sex Weight Height Date of birth Place of birth

M 68 1.8 25 04 1983 Lower Hutt (NZL)

Information

PERSONAL BEST

Performance Wind Place Date

800 Metres 1:45.54 Heusden-Zolder 31 07 2004

1500 Metres 3:32.17 Paris Saint-Denis 08 07 2006

One Mile 3:52.75 Wanganui 11 02 2006

3000 Metres 7:45.97 Lausanne 05 07 2005

5000 Metres 13:27.54 Sacramento, CA 11 06 2005

SEASON BEST

Performance Wind Place Date

1500 Metres 3:35.85 Carson, CA 20 05 2007

PROGRESSION

Season Performance Wind Place Date

800 Metres

2006 1:47.40 Melbourne 09 03 2006

2004 1:45.54 Heusden-Zolder 31 07 2004

2002 1:49.44 Campbelltown 10 02 2002

2001 1:51.11 Beijing 30 08 2001

1500 Metres

2006 3:32.17 Paris Saint-Denis 08 07 2006

2005 3:32.38 Paris Saint-Denis 01 07 2005

2004 3:32.68 Roma 02 07 2004

2003 3:36.41 Zagreb 07 07 2003

2002 3:42.69 Kingston, JAM 21 07 2002

One Mile

2006 3:52.75 Wanganui 11 02 2006

2005 3:53.43 Oslo 29 07 2005

2004 3:53.51 Eugene, OR 19 06 2004

2002 4:02.46 Brunswick 06 07 2002

2001 4:01.32 Wanganui 20 01 2001

3000 Metres

2005 7:45.97 Lausanne 05 07 2005

5000 Metres

2006 14:13.44 Wellington 13 01 2006

2005 13:27.54 Sacramento, CA 11 06 2005

HONOURS

Rank Performance Wind Place Date

800 Metres

21st Universiade 5 h 1:51.11 Beijing 30 08 2001

1500 Metres

10th IAAF World Cup 3 f 3:54.76 Athína (Olympic Stadium) 16 09 2006

18th Commonwealth Games 1 f 3:38.49 Melbourne 25 03 2006

10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics 6 sf 3:40.87 Helsinki 08 08 2005

28th Olympic Games 6 sf 3:41.46 Athína 22 08 2004

IAAF/Coca Cola World Junior Championships 4 f 3:42.69 Kingston, JAM 21 07 2002

Short Race

32nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships 42 12:23 Bruxelles 20 03 2004

31st IAAF World Cross Country Championships 90 12:24 Lausanne 29 03 2003

Biography: Alan WEBB ()

Sex Weight Height Date of birth Place of birth

M 13 01 1983

Information

US Olympic Team Trials: 2004 (1st, 1500m) National Championships: 2005 (1st, 1500m)

PERSONAL BEST

Performance Wind Place Date

800 Metres 1:46.09 Malmö 02 08 2004

1000 Metres 2:20.32 New York, NY 11 06 2005

1500 Metres 3:32.52 Rieti 28 08 2005

One Mile 3:48.92 Oslo 29 07 2005

3000 Metres 7:39.28 Eugene, OR 04 06 2005

Two Miles 8:11.48 Eugene, OR 04 06 2005

5000 Metres 13:10.86 Berlin 04 09 2005

10,000 Metres 27:34.72 Palo Alto, CA 30 04 2006

SEASON BEST

Performance Wind Place Date

800 Metres 1:47.32 Walnut, CA 15 04 2007

One Mile 3:51.71 Des Moines, IA 28 04 2007

PROGRESSION

Season Performance Wind Place Date

800 Metres

2005 1:47.13 Malmö 16 08 2005

2004 1:46.09 Malmö 02 08 2004

2001 1:47.74 Richmond, VA 02 06 2001

1000 Metres

2005 2:20.32 New York, NY 11 06 2005

1500 Metres

2005 3:32.52 Rieti 28 08 2005

2004 3:32.73 Ostrava 08 06 2004

2003 3:44.05 Eugene, OR 24 05 2003

2002 3:41.46 Ann Arbor, MI 10 05 2002

2001 3:38.26 Eugene, OR 27 05 2001

One Mile

2006 4:00.87 Eugene, OR 28 05 2006

2005 3:48.92 Oslo 29 07 2005

2004 3:50.73 London (CP) 30 07 2004

2003 3:58.84 Eugene, OR 24 05 2003

2001 3:53.43 Eugene, OR 27 05 2001

2000 4:06.94 Raleigh, NC 12 06 2000

3000 Metres

2005 7:39.28 Eugene, OR 04 06 2005

Two Miles

2006 8:33.92 Carson, CA 21 05 2006

2005 8:11.48 Eugene, OR 04 06 2005

5000 Metres

2005 13:10.86 Berlin 04 09 2005

10,000 Metres

2006 27:34.72 Palo Alto, CA 30 04 2006

HONOURS

Rank Performance Wind Place Date

1500 Metres

10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics 9 f 3:41.04 Helsinki 10 08 2005

28th Olympic Games 9 h 3:41.25 Athína 20 08 2004

Seguru wrote:

Alan Webb is better, career-wise, at the moment. Superior range and a superior one-event personal best based on IAAF points. Also, IAAF ranked Alan Webb higher than Willis in each of the last 4 seasons. Same with Track & Field News, just for support.

Alan Webb.... placed 9th at the 2005 World Championships 1500M. Willis has not made a World Championship and/or Olympic Final.

END >>> OF >>>> STORY.

Oh, but wait, Willis looks "pretty" when he runs. Are you Willis fans looking for a date, or the better runner? When Webb F's Willis up in their next match-up, Willis won't look so pretty any more.

Webb...Willis...(and Mottram & Cragg occasionally)

The battle of the whiteboys.

The parochial nature of this board shines through again - who is the "Great White Hope".

Willis would have finsihed 8th in Doha. Choge OPENED his season 1 second faster than Willis' PR.

Asking for facts wrote:

What is Willis's record against Webb. Doesn't Webb have the edge in head to head competition?

Yes. It's just that American guys tend to be loaded with either self-hate or jealousy. They don't like seeing a (white) guy from the US do well in the 1500 for some reason, and it's compounded by the fact that the guy ran 3:53 in hs.

If we are making an argument for the better 1500 meter runner, I'm going to have to side with Willis. Webb just doesn't have the speed,race savvy, or fluid form to compete on the next level(medal in a championships race). I think Willis does have the necessary tools for that (especially considering his 1:45 and closing a 15 in 1:48). Willis has improved by 10 seconds in the 15 since high school and atleast 3 in the 800. He's still on the rise. Granted Webb has bigger fish to fry already being a high school 3:53 miler, but he is scratching and clawing to impove, and I think hes tapped close to his potential. However, he keeps on improving at the upper distances where his true calling lies. If we make another argument about who is the best runner at the distance of their choce in 5years we will have a stronger argument for Webb. Yet, the facts given, Willis seems like the better 15 medal candidate than Webb.

head to head match ups: 2 (I think)

Olympics heats - willis

oslo mile - webb

????

pb's

- 1500m - willis

- mile - webb

What is up with all the talk about webb having a better head to head record? For those saying that webb smashed willis in oslo - he did, along with heaps of others. Willis ran average, similarly at the olympics webb ran poorly.

Some of these arguments are rediculous. Saying webbs 1500 + mile divided by two are better hahahahah. They are essentially the same distance, obviously if willis had been in 3.32 shape for his mile he would have run 3.48 and ditto for webbs 1500m.

and yes, willis and webb WERE in the same heat in Athens.

monkey runner wrote:

Please do us and read before you write.

haha. I'm sorry, but this last sentence made me chuckle.

Yo, read other posts before talkin' out your ass. What part of this post of mine didn't you understand: (hint, hint, this was neither Oslo nor the olympics)

Militant Man wrote:

Willis is a better competitor. Webb is a headcase. Webb will, no doubt, run faster times than Willis in 1500m and the mile (in paced races and time trials). But Willis is a contender.

Mebbe it's just me, might Webb be likened to Seb Coe, in a great frontrunner kinda way, whereas Willis is more the Ovett/tactically savvy type? And for this to officially play out: Let the dodging begin! I think they're both swell, btw.

I agree with a lot of your points, but I think we need to give Webb this one summer to change our minds about whether or not he is much better at the 1500/mile or if his truer calling is in the 5. he's already ran 3:51 in late april, haven't heard anything yet about training either, assumnig he's still healthy at the moment and workouts are going well, but i think its safe to say that webb is seeming quite prepared for the summer to come. let's just hope him and his coach play it smart and have a good season.

Hey now, didn't see it I'm afraid. There are far too many posts by morons of your ilk to sift through. Note the use of "(I think" and "????" beneath oslo to denote that I was looking for clarification.

Again, thanks.

Off the Grid wrote:

Webb...Willis...(and Mottram & Cragg occasionally)

The battle of the whiteboys.

The parochial nature of this board shines through again - who is the "Great White Hope".

Willis would have finsihed 8th in Doha. Choge OPENED his season 1 second faster than Willis' PR.

I believe they're white men (read: not boys), you parochial piece of crap. Willis wasn't IN Doha, so how do you know where he would've finished? Oh, that's right: you had someone help you plug in the results to see where he would've ended up. Brilliant! Y'know he only ran 4:00 the race before. Where might that've placed him?

And so what if people are comparing Willis and Webb. They were both high school phenoms, Willis running something like 4:01, which would've placed him behind himself at the recent Ithica race I know. They both went to Michigan. They're both hot on the US circuit now. You gotta prob'm widdat--or just with people pointing out your idiocy?

[quote]Couldawouldashoulda wrote:

[quote]Off the Grid wrote:

And so what if people are comparing Willis and Webb. They were both high school phenoms, quote]

Choge ran almost as fast @ 18 (3:33) as NW/AW ever have. And he is just one of a raft of atheletes with much more talent and consistency.

Sorry...I am not impressed w/ either NW or AW relative to the top 15-20 1500 runners out there. They will have to be lucky to make the finals in Osaka.

The really big question is................................................

Who has been the most pampered?

The answer is of course WEBB.

If he can't achieve considering the $ that have been thrown at him from when he was 17 then he is a chump. That guy has known through his entire adult life that he will make enough from running to never work.

Conversely, Willis was lucky to get a few pairs of free trainers before he went to the US.

Webb like most yank "super stars" have everything laid out on silver platters.

If Webb was a bit harder he would wipe the floor with Willis.

The Milkman wrote:

Conversely, Willis was lucky to get a few pairs of free trainers before he went to the US.

not sure what you're talking about, but Nick Willis was offered a full ride to multiple D1 universities before he went to the US. and if you think having expectations of greatness placed on Webb by the media is "pampering" him, you're a retard. he is always expected to win/PR in every race, and has his life and career picked apart far more than Willis, who can train and race in relative anonymity.