His post is just incendiary nonsense to stoke the flames. Coogan’s Instagram posts (prior to New Balance Indoors) indicated she was doing hard road work, probably more than she had previously done in years. Granted, to the rest of the New Balance Team, it was likely just normal stuff.
I don't think she's serving a silent ban, but the optics don't look good. New Balance is not getting a return on their investment and it seems like her father is still not doing her any favors.
If she's hurt, she's hurt. That's a reality of running at any level. I feel like I've seen just as many pictures of her wearing Nike garb over the past 5 months as New Balance photos. If managing her socials is too much on her mental health, she should hire someone to do it for her. She has the $$.
Unfortunate, all these advances in shoe/track tech and nutrition to make runners faster, but seems like injury rate is not decreasing at all. Hope she is back and better than ever next year.
There have been a lot of advances to make runners faster--and also allow them to train more. Professional athletes at the top are going to try to get as much out of their ability as possible, and that means riding that line between incredible training and injury. All that these new technologies and advances allow is for that line to be moved--to which the athletes will promptly bump up against again.
His post is just incendiary nonsense to stoke the flames. Coogan’s Instagram posts (prior to New Balance Indoors) indicated she was doing hard road work, probably more than she had previously done in years. Granted, to the rest of the New Balance Team, it was likely just normal stuff.
I don’t want to be throwing Coogan under the bus, and I very much appreciated his posts. But when I saw stuff like this, where she is pressing hard to try and stay up with MacClean, the effort level looked off. She may eventually have gotten there, but she was a special case (even though tough as nails, and wouldn’t let on) due to past injury history.
I agree they are probably feeling like they got completely hosed. It would be one thing if she was actively using her social media following to promote NB, going to events, etc., but she's not. They paid her all that money and for what? So she could buy a McMansion in Gainesville and post bikini thirst traps from the beach?
You do realize that Gainesville is not really near the beach, right? She used to post from her parent's place near Tampa. I know this because she put on an annual mile race at her old high school about 10 miles from where I live.
It's a shame she won't be there, but she's got her entire career ahead of her. I do agree that so far NB doesn't seem to be getting a great return on this investment.
Nah some folks bodies can’t match the engine. Too much talent for the legs to handle.
Shout out German Fernandez. I fear Parker might be just like him.
These types of talents can jump off the couch and do runs/ workouts the rest of us mortals have to work years to achieve. They haven’t built up the strength to handle it.
I don't think she's serving a silent ban, but the optics don't look good.
USADA hasn't done a silent ban in over a decade. WADA told them they couldn't do it, so they stopped. It was only for cooperating witnesses who were working undercover to bring down other violators.
Now, I'm not saying USADA is above reproach. They have historically been pretty willing to accept flimsy excuses regarding missed tests or contaminated supplements, but there is essentially zero chance that they're actively covering up doping. They have no incentive to be involved in that kind of a conspiracy; it would put USADA personnel at tremendous personal risk, for no discernible payoff. Basically, USADA is nothing like RUSADA because we don't have a government that demands international domination of Olympic sports and is willing to literally assassinate people who stand in the way. Heck, we care so little about Olympic sports that we're the only industrialized nation that doesn't fund our athletes.
Being the best in the NCAA is not the same as beibg the best in the world. The transition to professional running is rough. Not everybody makes it.
I'm reminded of Josh McDougal, another NCAA winner who's pro career never really materialized. I think he got a single season of post collegiate running after battling injuries.
Hopefully Valby can recover from this and learn from what got her injured so she can return to high level running for years to come.
Being the best in the NCAA is not the same as beibg the best in the world. The transition to professional running is rough. Not everybody makes it.
You do realize that she finished second in the trials and tenth in the Olympics, right?
She was actually 11th, but I agree with the gist of what you're saying, which is Valby has already demonstrated the ability to be competitive at the top level.
I'll add that one year as a pro is too soon to be drawing any conclusions about Valby's prospects. Remember, Cole Hocker had a disappointing first full year as a pro too. Like Valby, Hocker showed potential at the highest level following his last NCAA season by doing well at the US Olympic Trials (winning!) and then placing high in the Olympic final (sixth). In his first full year as a pro, Hocker ran a 5k PB in March (as Valby did in the 3k in February), then he got injured and couldn't advance past the first round of the 1500m at the US championships. Hocker also had injury issues in 2023, then finally had a full year of health in 2024 and showed the world what he was capable of.
I'm not saying Valby will win Olympic gold like Hocker did. Just saying that a disappointing first year as a pro doesn't necessarily portend a disappointing career.
