Axel Vang Christensen Strikes Back - 14:06 5,000m & 9:06 steeple @15 years old

Nice efficient form, rather Rupp-like:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBOK4l5BDg_/

Remarkable performances, these age group world records. He should also smash the 10000m record of 29:56 of a Japanese runner, Ikeda, set over 20 years ago. However, it gets a lot harder next year. 28:30s is the 10k record for 16, 13:35 (Jakob) is the 5000m record for 16, and 8:26 (Jakob) is the 16/17/18 year old record for the steeple. Jakob has a chance to have a large number of under 20 records, according to the site I looked at. He has the 1500m record at 3:30.16 (I thought a Kenyan had gone sub 3:30 as a junior). He's tied with Jim Ryun at 3:51.3/.30 for the mile. He can get the steeple record. He should now have the 2k record, which was the drug cheat Ali Saidi-Sief's 4:59. He can easily get the listed 3000m and 2M records (2M is still Jim Ryun's 8:25.2 from age 19). 800's probably out of reach this year at 1:43.

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

The super talented Danish kid who ran a 30:50 10000m last year at the age of 14 had multiple other big breakthrough performances.

He ran a 14:06 5000m in Alborg two weeks ago at the age of 15. At first I thought it might have just been a lucky race, but two days ago he also ran a 9:07 3000m steeple chase. These performances are not flukes, he is consistently performing like decent D1 runners at the mere age of 15.

With barely any lifetime mileage, the young runner seems to be more talented than Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who already trained seriously from a young age and was heavily coached by his father Gjert.

Christensen might be able to break each of Jakob's age-records in the next years.

Funny how you didn't reply to that post calling you out for getting injured following Tinman's training.

I wouldn't go that far. He may be running 13:50 at 20 years old.

YMMV wrote:

Nice efficient form, rather Rupp-like:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBOK4l5BDg_/

Yeah! I like that style.....had been interesting to coach him.

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

The super talented Danish kid who ran a 30:50 10000m last year at the age of 14 had multiple other big breakthrough performances.

He ran a 14:06 5000m in Alborg two weeks ago at the age of 15. At first I thought it might have just been a lucky race, but two days ago he also ran a 9:07 3000m steeple chase. These performances are not flukes, he is consistently performing like decent D1 runners at the mere age of 15.

With barely any lifetime mileage, the young runner seems to be more talented than Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who already trained seriously from a young age and was heavily coached by his father Gjert.

Christensen might be able to break each of Jakob's age-records in the next years.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBYy84LhSUa/

Do you know for how long he has been training?

Those are insane PRs for his age and also a great improvement, from 14:54 (equivalent) to 14:06 in one year. It only shows that he's nowhere near his limits.

zxczxcv wrote:He has the 1500m record at 3:30.16 (I thought a Kenyan had gone sub 3:30 as a junior).

African runners are obviously not allowed in the official age-records, since their official birth date can't be confirmed. No one believes for example that Kipchoge is a 35-year old man, the Robertson's just recently confirmed again he is in his early 40's.

It also goes against Jakob - he got absolutely smoked in the world's XC U20 championship, you better hope most of the Africans (who also look older) weren't actually U20 but a lot older, or it looks even worse for Western distance running than it already does if he actually gets beat by a dozen African U20 runners at the same age where the only reason they are not in Olympics/world championship is that there are already 3 Ken/Eth/Uga runners on their team and they have no more slots available.

He's very smooth but his arm swing is better than Rupp's I'd say. Major talent.

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

No one believes for example that Kipchoge is a 35-year old man, the Robertson's just recently confirmed again he is in his early 40's.

Obviously the Robertsons are to be trusted, being white and all, and Kipchoge is actually a 45 year old running consecutive sub 2:03 marathons.

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

He ran a 14:06 5000m in Alborg two weeks ago at the age of 15. At first I thought it might have just been a lucky race..

Can you give me an example of a lucky/fluke 14:06 5k?

Does he have any speed? 400m time?

macdaddy wrote:

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

He ran a 14:06 5000m in Alborg two weeks ago at the age of 15. At first I thought it might have just been a lucky race..

Can you give me an example of a lucky/fluke 14:06 5k?

No such thing as a lucky good race. You can have an unlucky bad race, but a good race means you earned it.

macdaddy wrote:

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

He ran a 14:06 5000m in Alborg two weeks ago at the age of 15. At first I thought it might have just been a lucky race..

Can you give me an example of a lucky/fluke 14:06 5k?

I also disagree with you throwing around those words. Jack Daniels has said it best - there are no fluke good races, only fluke bad races. If everything’s legitimate and accurate, you can’t fake your fitness or get lucky. Ever.

Nico who?

OP seems to lead one to think this guy doesn’t train much. His insta shows him going to Portugal for a training camp and doing a 30k+ workout day.

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

The super talented Danish kid who ran a 30:50 10000m last year at the age of 14 had multiple other big breakthrough performances.

He ran a 14:06 5000m in Alborg two weeks ago at the age of 15. At first I thought it might have just been a lucky race, but two days ago he also ran a 9:07 3000m steeple chase. These performances are not flukes, he is consistently performing like decent D1 runners at the mere age of 15.

With barely any lifetime mileage, the young runner seems to be more talented than Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who already trained seriously from a young age and was heavily coached by his father Gjert.

Christensen might be able to break each of Jakob's age-records in the next years.

strange wording:

"At first I thought it might have just been a lucky race" - literally nobody at this age runs a 14:06 in a "lucky race". it's not just talent, it's a lot of work that pays off.

"With barely any lifetime mileage" - what does that mean? that he has trained little? wrong. he is sponsored by adidas, is in training camps and has a whole team of professional supervisors.

"lifetime mileage" at age 15...strange wording. you may ask the ingebrigtsens about their "lifetime mileage" at age 15.

"(...) more talented than Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who already trained seriously from a young age and was heavily coached by his father Gjert." - axel vang has also trained from a young age very seriously. "team axel": pia frandsen, nikolaj sorensen, nickolaj kaae. "more talented" - i don't know, neither do you.

wisenheimer at work wrote:

"At first I thought it might have just been a lucky race" - literally nobody at this age runs a 14:06 in a "lucky race". it's not just talent, it's a lot of work that pays off.

"With barely any lifetime mileage" - what does that mean? that he has trained little? wrong. he is sponsored by adidas, is in training camps and has a whole team of professional supervisors.

"lifetime mileage" at age 15...strange wording. you may ask the ingebrigtsens about their "lifetime mileage" at age 15.

"(...) more talented than Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who already trained seriously from a young age and was heavily coached by his father Gjert." - axel vang has also trained from a young age very seriously. "team axel": pia frandsen, nikolaj sorensen, nickolaj kaae. "more talented" - i don't know, neither do you.

Of course I was hyping him up a bit, since there is finally someone who can surpass even Ingebrigtsen. Daniel Skandera is still too young to bet on him.

Training camps are completely standard in Europe for kids. It's the same in the US. That has nothing to do with his abilities, kids can be 15 min 5k runners or 23 min 5k runners and both go on a training camp.

Yes, he has a mental coach, athletics coach, and physio therapist behind him. Nothing unusual for someone running 14:06 in the 5k.

Yes, his training is not "little". Since last year, he posted some of his long runs on Instagram, usually 28k (18 miles) at sub 4 (sub 6:20/mi) pace. Sounds strong for a kid, but if you keep in mind he ran 30:50 10k last year, and 30:10 10k this year, it's right in the middle of Jack Daniel's "easy range" so nothing spectacular.

His coach once said he runs 100 mpw (that was last year), but at low intensity, so he isn't training as hard as others and will have more longevity in his career. Lots of doubles. That's also a good point to the one who asked "what's his 400 speed?" - they aren't trying to develop it, who cares if he can run a fast 400 when he is in the finish LONG before anyone else is? I wanna see the US freshmen, who do lots of sprint training and plyometrics and then run 40 mpw beat a 14:06/30:11 guy in a XC race. Hell, even most seniors would have problems with the Dane!

If this kid tells us anything it's that mileage seems to be underrated. He also ran 4:04 1500 off just base mileage and threshold, without any speedwork.

And to the point that he is sponsored by Adidas since 1 year - you should actually commend Adidas for grabbing a young talent like him before Nike does. They released a new shoe (Adizero Pro), so he might be even faster now. He did do some of his former PR's in the Next% tho, admittedly.

he ran 14:23 in a mixed race in August 2019:

http://statletik.dk/index.php/Profile/index/6456

Anyone know his birthdate? I see 2004 and no month. That means he will be 16 this year, and for all we know, very close. Awesome times regardless. For reference, Lukas Verzbikas ran 14:18i at 16y 2mo. That's the nearest person I could think of.