Shelby MF Houlihan - She just took down Semenya and moved to #4 all-time in US history

i still think mary decker was the best ever.

George213 wrote:

Hate to say this, but Simpson is not really comparable with Houlihan even at her peak. Simpson can close and Rowbery can time trial,; while Houiihan can do both .

Jenny Simpson has 4 major international medals; Shelby Houlihan has 0. What Houlihan is doing right now is incredible, but to say Simpson doesn't compare is ridiculous. It's like saying Matt Centrowitz doesn't compare to Alan Webb.

messinat wrote:

George213 wrote:

Hate to say this, but Simpson is not really comparable with Houlihan even at her peak. Simpson can close and Rowbery can time trial,; while Houiihan can do both .

Jenny Simpson has 4 major international medals; Shelby Houlihan has 0. What Houlihan is doing right now is incredible, but to say Simpson doesn't compare is ridiculous. It's like saying Matt Centrowitz doesn't compare to Alan Webb.

Not the OP, but you've completely misunderstood him. He was responding to posts about Houlihan's running ability, not her accomplishments. He was saying that she wasn't Simpson 2.0, but something else.

If you are going to criticize posters, at least criticize them for sins they committed.

Houlihan didn't "stagnate." She ran the 5k in 2016/2017, very rarely contesting the 1500m. If you think Houlihan going from 4:03 to 3:57 is a lot, what do think of Simpson going from 4:11 to 3:59? Nearly double the improvement.

Rojo did you watch the race? Houlihan did not 'take down Semenya'.

She took down Laura Muir (which I'm quite gutted about actually, but fairplay).

Semenya came 6/7th or something and despite most of the field being evidently scared by her, tentatively sitting on her shoulder for 200m more than they should have, they all blew her away in the last lap. She isn't a 1500m runner. If it's hard from the start she can't keep in contact and doesn't have the endurance to kick.

Nobody seriously thought Semenya would win that race. Surely.

NOP Skeptic wrote:

I think it's unusual that she ran this fast WITH that kick. To be able to have that much drop in time and have that kick at the end is insane. Most people develop the times and the kick in different years.

In her defense, I think she's been in 3:59-4:01 shape the past 2 years even though her PR had been 4:03 til this season. Maybe it was just her concentrating on 5k training or Jerry was peaking her in a manner that never lined up for a fast 1500 while she was in peak shape. Maybe there was a set up, but she had an off day. Too many variables to justify the time, but that kick is unreal.

She didn't only just develop "the kick". She has always had the kick, but now she has developed the strength and endurance which she lacked before.

go ahead and fault me, but there were three seriously cute folks duking it out. what a great race. more, please.

I was about to come on here and mention the suspect progression but then someone else mentioned how this is the first season she has specifically trained to run a 4:00 pace and also finish in 61. So now I feel a little stupid.

What I Saw wrote:

go ahead and fault me, but there were three seriously cute folks duking it out. what a great race. more, please.

then came the not so cute

Old Walker wrote:

And it's so nice that Speedy Gonzales could come out of retirement to do the play-by-play.

Was that Cacho doing the commentary?

ex-runner wrote:

Rojo did you watch the race? Houlihan did not 'take down Semenya'.

She took down Laura Muir (which I'm quite gutted about actually, but fairplay).

Semenya came 6/7th or something and despite most of the field being evidently scared by her, tentatively sitting on her shoulder for 200m more than they should have, they all blew her away in the last lap. She isn't a 1500m runner. If it's hard from the start she can't keep in contact and doesn't have the endurance to kick.

Nobody seriously thought Semenya would win that race. Surely.

What did you think of Semenya's outfit?

All hail the new Makhloufi

ex-runner wrote:

Rojo did you watch the race? Houlihan did not 'take down Semenya'.

She took down Laura Muir (which I'm quite gutted about actually, but fairplay).

Semenya came 6/7th or something and despite most of the field being evidently scared by her, tentatively sitting on her shoulder for 200m more than they should have, they all blew her away in the last lap. She isn't a 1500m runner. If it's hard from the start she can't keep in contact and doesn't have the endurance to kick.

Nobody seriously thought Semenya would win that race. Surely.

The women's international 1500 field, seems to have the deepest talent pool of potential winners out of all events currently. I will be an interested observer when Shelby runs a DL event against Genzebe Dibaba this year. -No doubt Houlihan being American, is a signed up member of the "Dibaba is a doper" club. So perhaps she will steel herself to escalate her performance to an even higher plane.

As for all the speculation that she is doping - I cant believe the one dimensional minds that abound here. - I guess she should feel thankful that she is not black and doesnt have Amharic or Swahili as her mother tongue - in which case the doping accusations would surely drown her........

Shelby's progression is quite normal if you understand that she was only doing 30 miles per week and has increased to 80 over the years. And again, maturity. USA actual drug testing and not Russian/Jamaican/Kenya version. Nothing to see here. Move along.

run with the wom wrote:

Shelby's progression is quite normal if you understand that she was only doing 30 miles per week and has increased to 80 over the years. And again, maturity. USA actual drug testing and not Russian/Jamaican/Kenya version. Nothing to see here. Move along.

In this case, "USA actual drug testing" = three tests last year, so you are literally right: There is nothing to see here.

LMAO she looks like Ben Johnson in the last 100m blowing everyone out of the water!!

You could look it up wrote:

Simpson is the only other American who's won two DL 1500 races in a single season.

Uceny won three in 2011.

Augusto E. Perez wrote:

You could look it up wrote:

Simpson is the only other American who's won two DL 1500 races in a single season.

Uceny won three in 2011.

My bad! How could I forget that? Thank you for the correction. It's too easy to forget just how good Uceny was:

El Right'o wrote:

notrump wrote:

Rowbury never "kicked" like that. Not Slaney, either, or Simpson. Destroyed Hassan and Muir who are sub 1:59 and sub-3:57 runners at the peak of their careers. Imploded the Semenya bubble. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Total nonsense.

Mary Decker outkicked world record holder Tatyana Kazankina and other world class runners down the stretch in both the 1500 and 3000 events in the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

Sifan Hassan finished a 1500m race a few years ago with a 1:56.9 last 800.

That race was won in 4:00.9. Slaney's race was more Semenya-like - a sustained push from the bell. Nothing like the explosiveness of Houlihan on the final straight.