MARY CAIN is easily the greatest running prodigy in the US since Mary Decker Slaney

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/magazine/mary-cain-is-growing-up-fast.html

Well, this thread didn't turn out well. Mary Cain was all hype and no substance once she had to face the elites.

Addy Wiley is the best prosepect in history.

Mary Cain was the youngest runner ever to make the 1500m final at the World Championships, age 17. She finished 10th in the world. She ran in the Olympic Trials at age 16. She won a USATF 1500m title at age 17 and a World Junior Championship title at age 18.

I think this is sufficient to call her a "prodigy." Who knows how her career would have turned out if she hadn't hooked up with Salazar. Do you realize she is only one day older than Karissa Schweizer? Cain could be at the pinnacle of her career right now but we will unfortunately never know what could have been.

Well put. Often forgotten in the Cain saga was that she had good results as a pro, the pro career was just short.

For a current pro to match Cain on the all time pro list, they must win a us title and make a world final.

Don't blame Salazar. Even years after Mary Cain got kicked out of NOP, she attempted a come back on the track and couldn't even factor at the pointy end of the real elites.

Cain was an early developer. When her growth caught up to her lungs and heart, she became just another decent runner. Salazar extended her for 6 more months than she would have without him.

I think it was a combination of both Cain's growth catching up to her AND also that she has a extremely poor work ethic. If she doesn't win easily, she is not willing to put in any work. Like in her attempted comeback on the track after years away from NOP, she did like 1 or 2 races and then immediately quit because she was nowhere close to winning. Same for her extremely brief triathlon career, 1 race and she couldn't factor at the front and she immediately quits without putting any effort into improving her weaknesses on the bike.

What have you seen, read or heard that suggests Mary Cain doesn’t have a strong work ethic? I wasn’t following running when she was a teen phenom, so maybe you are forming this impression based on something legit. Or is it just a hunch based on her vibe??

You haven't seen her recent race results?

She was a teen phenomenon. As soon as it became work, she quit.

The best? That would be Athing Mu. Periodt.

Yes Athing Mu has done (American Record, Olympic Gold Medal and Worlds Gold and Bronze Medal All Before age 22) what Mary Cain was Expected to do

No one expected Mary Cain to win Olympic Gold.

But she certainly was a prodigy. I had no idea she was only 1 day older than Karissa Schweizer. She really should be in her prime right now.

I'd expect someone that made a world final at 17 to have a very long and successful career.

Why would you EXPECT a 17-year-old who's really great at something to turn it into a long and successful career? Fine to think of it as an exciting possibility, but not more than that.