Who is the most UNDER-hyped/underrated elite T&F athlete at the moment?

Kenny Bednarek

Karissa Schweizer

Grant Fisher

13:11, 3:36 low, 7:39 at 23 years old and after only one season as a pro.

If he keeps this progression going, I see no reason why he wouldn't make the Olympic team over guys like Hunter, True, and Mead. Now the rest of BTC could spoil his party lol.

He is not underhyed. You just hyped him by making predictions of things that he has not accomplished. He has gotten adequate credit for his accomplishments.

go go away wrote:

He is not underhyed. You just hyped him by making predictions of things that he has not accomplished. He has gotten adequate credit for his accomplishments.

People frequently leave him off the list when talking about the 5k Olympic team next year.

A single person does not make someone "hyped".

Amory wrote:

Grant Fisher

13:11, 3:36 low, 7:39 at 23 years old and after only one season as a pro.

If he keeps this progression going, I see no reason why he wouldn't make the Olympic team over guys like Hunter, True, and Mead. Now the rest of BTC could spoil his party lol.

Sorry he's absolutely not underhyped. He's been a star since he won Footlocker his junior year while playing soccer. Sub-4 in HS, NCAA champion, etc. If you think he's under-hyped you must be new here.

fisher hype wrote:

Amory wrote:

Grant Fisher

13:11, 3:36 low, 7:39 at 23 years old and after only one season as a pro.

If he keeps this progression going, I see no reason why he wouldn't make the Olympic team over guys like Hunter, True, and Mead. Now the rest of BTC could spoil his party lol.

Sorry he's absolutely not underhyped. He's been a star since he won Footlocker his junior year while playing soccer. Sub-4 in HS, NCAA champion, etc. If you think he's under-hyped you must be new here.

Right, he has a ton of accomplishments like the ones you listed, yet people still think of Drew Hunter as the next great American distance runner, when they're the same age!

Having accomplishments does not make you "hyped". Hype is what people talk about in addition to those accomplishments.

Hope this helps!

Gardiner is a great pick. He could break the 400m WR seemingly "out of nowhere," but really it would be much like WVN (who was similarly under-hyped before 2016).

A couple from me:

Sha'Carri Richardson - You'd think she'd be overhyped, but the combo of being out of gas last year after the college season and a low-key season this year actually leaves her under the radar to me. She just turned 20 and I think could be the SAFP, but I don't hear as much about her.

Getnet Wale - He only ran 4th last season at Worlds, but before COVID he ran 7:32.8 indoors in the 3000 this season and his listed age even if a few years off is 20 (his progression is impressive either way). He has the speed/potential to go under 8.

Faith Kipyegon - I suspect she sets the 1000m WR in a week. I think she can beat Hassan in the 1500 and potentially run 3:50-3:52. She wasn't fully healthy last season, and is still getting better.

Daniel Roberts - He ran 13.00 last season and then there were a series of misfortunes at Doha. That being said I think he can podium in Tokyo and with no clear favorite that medal could be gold.

Amory wrote:

Right, he has a ton of accomplishments like the ones you listed, yet people still think of Drew Hunter as the next great American distance runner, when they're the same age!

Having accomplishments does not make you "hyped". Hype is what people talk about in addition to those accomplishments.

Hope this helps!

Sorry but Fisher has been hyped to death here whether you missed it or not. Making the next Olympic team has always been sort of a par expectation for him. He was honestly a better example of a slightly over-hyped athlete. All this promise and he's still regularly getting beaten by McGorty.

fisher hype wrote:

Amory wrote:

Right, he has a ton of accomplishments like the ones you listed, yet people still think of Drew Hunter as the next great American distance runner, when they're the same age!

Having accomplishments does not make you "hyped". Hype is what people talk about in addition to those accomplishments.

Hope this helps!

Sorry but Fisher has been hyped to death here whether you missed it or not. Making the next Olympic team has always been sort of a par expectation for him. He was honestly a better example of a slightly over-hyped athlete. All this promise and he's still regularly getting beaten by McGorty.

I mean you're wrong, but that's ok. Sure, it might be a subliminal expectation but I rarely actually see him in the discussion for Tokyo. McGorty is also 2 years older.

Typically you compare him to his peers to determine hype. Why is Hunter always ranked far above Fisher when it should be the other way around? I never see people talk about Fisher talked about as the next great American distance runner, yet with his credentials he should be.

In college Fisher was definitely overhyped, people constantly had him as a favorite over McDonald despite McDonald being superior to him in every championship meet

Just going to chime in and agree with those saying Fisher is a bad answer. He has plenty of hype for a guy that won a single individual NCAA title.

THOUGHTSLEADER wrote:

Getnet Wale - He only ran 4th last season at Worlds, but before COVID he ran 7:32.8 indoors in the 3000 this season and his listed age even if a few years off is 20 (his progression is impressive either way). He has the speed/potential to go under 8.

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Good call—after he beat Barega in that quick indoor 3k I wondered if he was going to switch to the more glorified flat 5,000 and start contending internationally at that distance, and if he had I’m sure many would have said he came from nowhere. He hasn’t looked so good outdoors, but he’s been competing unlike Barega, Gebrhiwet and T.H. Bekele.

fisher hype wrote:

he's still regularly getting beaten by McGorty

You might be on to something there—McGorty’s 13:11 5k win this summer was nothing to scoff at, and he’s capable of a big finish. As for Fisher, he was very (albeit expectedly) hyped in high school but by the end of his Stanford career I think many had concluded he’d plateau at 13:15 and ultimately be an “also-ran” at the pro level. Now, having run pretty well with BTC thus far he’s “back on track” and has recovered some “hype,” though all in all I think he’s been fairly and accurately treated.

UFCJoe wrote:

In college Fisher was definitely overhyped, people constantly had him as a favorite over McDonald despite McDonald being superior to him in every championship meet

I mean, all the races he ran against McDonald were incredibly close, so I don't see having him as a favorite is "overhyped"

seasoned ranker wrote:

Just going to chime in and agree with those saying Fisher is a bad answer. He has plenty of hype for a guy that won a single individual NCAA title.

Yeah, if that's his only accomplishment. 13:11, 3:36, 7:39 are very good for a new pro. Add in 2 footlocker XC titles and sub 4 in high school, and I think he's underhyped. Not by much, but a little.

I'm basing ALL of this off the hype that was generated for Hunter, where I think Fisher was the better high school performer, and now the better pro. Yet Hunter is still seen as the next big thing and Fisher as just another also ran pro. Ridiculous.

Kevin Mayer is pretty unheralded considering the weight that usually comes with being the WR holder at decathlon. His injuries probably contribute to that though.

Amory wrote:

seasoned ranker wrote:

Just going to chime in and agree with those saying Fisher is a bad answer. He has plenty of hype for a guy that won a single individual NCAA title.

Yeah, if that's his only accomplishment. 13:11, 3:36, 7:39 are very good for a new pro. Add in 2 footlocker XC titles and sub 4 in high school, and I think he's underhyped. Not by much, but a little.

I'm basing ALL of this off the hype that was generated for Hunter, where I think Fisher was the better high school performer, and now the better pro. Yet Hunter is still seen as the next big thing and Fisher as just another also ran pro. Ridiculous.

Cool. You’ve managed to work your Hunter-jab into the underhyped thread by providing a bad answer and making us drag it out of you. Congratulations.

seasoned ranker wrote:

Amory wrote:

Yeah, if that's his only accomplishment. 13:11, 3:36, 7:39 are very good for a new pro. Add in 2 footlocker XC titles and sub 4 in high school, and I think he's underhyped. Not by much, but a little.

I'm basing ALL of this off the hype that was generated for Hunter, where I think Fisher was the better high school performer, and now the better pro. Yet Hunter is still seen as the next big thing and Fisher as just another also ran pro. Ridiculous.

Cool. You’ve managed to work your Hunter-jab into the underhyped thread by providing a bad answer and making us drag it out of you. Congratulations.

Why shouldn't I base my answer off of comparables? I don't see a jab, could you point it out?

Hunter has already accomplished what you think Fisher *might* be able to accomplish, i.e. make a USA team at 5k. You can quibble over whether Hunter or Fisher is better, but neither of them is under-hyped by a long shot. McGorty is a better example of a guy with a similar college/pro resume with a lot less hype probably because he didn't break 4 in HS.

Hardloper wrote:

Hunter has already accomplished what you think Fisher *might* be able to accomplish, i.e. make a USA team at 5k. You can quibble over whether Hunter or Fisher is better, but neither of them is under-hyped by a long shot. McGorty is a better example of a guy with a similar college/pro resume with a lot less hype probably because he didn't break 4 in HS.

World teams are a lot easier to make, first of all. And I'm talking specifically about the future. Hunter's been a pro for a while; Fisher is just starting and now they're on level ground again.

I agree with McGorty being underhyped as well. To be fair though, he is 2 years older than both Hunter and Fisher.