it's a stupid thing to say, but look at the attention it has brought. if you are of the mindset that any publicity is good publicity, he wins.
i think people understand setting the bar high. how about saying something like "4:00 minutes is not an impossible time for a high school kid." It's all relative. 5:00 is fast for the majority of high school milers. 4:30 is a dream for almost everybody. 4:20 is knocking on the door of being an elite high schooler. Something between 4:05-4:10 might be considered national class.
why do you have to downgrade the 4:20 kid to set a higher bar for more talented kids? The Sahlman's and YOung's don't need to be told that 4:20 isn't a worthwhile goal in order to put in the work to make them their best selves.
I like Brosnan, but this just isn't a great quote.