3 European 17-18 year olds have run 1:44 this year...how is the US HSR still 1:46?

I just chalk it to the European club and junior racing model is way more organized and intense than in America so you produce a greater number of fast times during high school over there. Still many of these prodigies do burn out despite early success as has already been said. Meanwhile, American kids develop later and we still have our Brazier's and Mu's at the end of the day. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I also think European kids grow up watching Diamond races and respecting really fast races at a much earlier age. The fastet distance races on US soil are at Pre most years. So unless you're a super track nerd, you probably wont really appreciate that level of competition until you are in college.

TheSummerSoldier wrote:

I also think European kids grow up watching Diamond races and respecting really fast races at a much earlier age. The fastet distance races on US soil are at Pre most years. So unless you're a super track nerd, you probably wont really appreciate that level of competition until you are in college.

This is complete nonsense. We do not watch track as kids. We watch football (the real stuff not the american one). What we do not have is the odd HS/College System where going PRO is only acceptable at 22-23 years old. If you are fast you join a club and train there and can train like a PRO much earlier. The US seems to be stuck in a mindset of not "Burning" HS/college kids. Its just cultural really.

I agree that improvement and competitiveness at the senior level are more important than who is the fastest as a teenager. When we look at total medals won by men and women at the last four global championships (2016 Olympics, 2017 World Championships, 2019 World Championships, and 2020/2021 Olympics), no country has more medals in the 800 than the US:

USA - 7 medals

Kenya - 6 medals

South Africa, Burundi, and Poland - 2 medals each

The US is also the only country during this span with a global 800-meter champion on both the men's side and women's side.

USA is #1!

This is the answer. If you're good you're good, you're not wrapped in cotton wool during the period of your life when your growth hormone levels are sky high.

I'll take my share of the responsibility. I didn't run 1:46 in high school and haven't coached a 1:46 kid yet either. I'll keep trying though.

Ozzie wrote:

I'll take my share of the responsibility. I didn't run 1:46 in high school and haven't coached a 1:46 kid yet either. I'll keep trying though.

I’m guilty too. Ran 1:56 but couldn’t quite muster 1:46. Maybe if I’d leaned?

The HS 800m record is not weak at all, actually to the contrary.

Granville was in a HS meet, on his own after 20m, not on the European circuit with carbon plates in his shoes.

Nearly all the current HS records were set in open competition, tucked in on older competitors.

-Many high school coaches lump the 800m in with the distance events. So, wrong kids get the wrong training and it produces bad results.

Jim Ryun ran a world record 1:44.9 for 880y (1:44.3c) in 1966 just a few weeks after turning 19 and just a few weeks older than Max Burgin was when he ran 1:44.14. Ryun ran his time at the US Championships in Terre Haute on was probably a cinder track.

Even two Norwegians better than the best American U20 this year.

Age doping.

the two polish teenagers are about 10 seconds faster than anyone else in poland in their age group.

Kind of dumb to not compare apples-to-apples and use HSR instead of "17-18 year old" Americans.