Let's get real. Mary Cain is doing great. But to put her in a legacy race with Ryan or Lindgren or Prefontaine, get real. If you were around when Gerry or Jim or Steve were in high school, you would understand that they all ran as high school athletes, representing high schools which were coached by high school coaches. None of them had father's that were medical doctors either.
In the 1960's when these three ran in high school, Phil Knight did not know yet the work "Nike." The three high school boys ran in mostly high school races, but on occasion or through qualification, they got to run in open races with often world leading runners. There was no professional running at that time. There were no World Championships (Helsinki, 1983). And no one will ever compare a World Championships with the Olympic Games. A professional way of equating that is in the payments Nike pays to a Medalist in both these competitions. An Olympic performance pays double as to what a World Championship performance merits. We all hope that Cain can grow and perform as best possible. Her situation today is similar to what Jim Ryan faced in the final US Olympic Trials in Los Angeles in 1964. He had finished his junior year in high school, winning the state meet in Kansas. He was trying to make the three man team in the 1500 to make the Tokyo Games. He beat Jim Grelle, a former high school, collegiate, national AAU champion and already a former olympian,for the third spot. It was something to watch. Ryan did it and made history.
Cain faces off with a similar situation. She runs against a teammate in the finals who also won as a high schooler, collegiate champion, and national USATF champion and a former olympian too. Let's see how Cain does! I hope she wins. But I say to that her teammate is also a great competitor and may have to hold Cain off for another day.