just split a 51.34 to anchor the US 4X400 relay to an easy gold. on her 18th birthday. quite the games for her.
And all of you said I was crazy that she has more potential than Athing Mu. You said she had no speed. Mu's 400 PB in high school was 51.98 and I am not aware of any relay splits she ran that were faster.
Willis on her 18th birthday just split 51.34, the fastest time in the 4x4. The winning time of the open 400 was 51.50 so Willis had the fastest 400 of the entire meet.
You can't just project similar ages to see who will be better, because the 51 to 49 drop is the hardest thing for a 400m/800m runner to do. Many women who run 51 in hs or college never break 50. But her 51.3 split shows she has plenty of speed to eventually run 1:55 as she builds endurance. Whittaker is actually 8 months older, as she turns 19 in December. They will be great training partners for each other, because the one is a bit better at the 1500/mile right now, the other at the 400m, but they're within .1s at 800m.
You can't just project similar ages to see who will be better, because the 51 to 49 drop is the hardest thing for a 400m/800m runner to do. Many women who run 51 in hs or college never break 50. But her 51.3 split shows she has plenty of speed to eventually run 1:55 as she builds endurance. Whittaker is actually 8 months older, as she turns 19 in December. They will be great training partners for each other, because the one is a bit better at the 1500/mile right now, the other at the 400m, but they're within .1s at 800m.
Mary Moraa only has a 400m PB of 50.84 and she just beat the Olympic and World Silver medalist who only lost to Mu by inches.
It's not about getting the fastest 400m PB, it's about running 800s. Mu's was nowhere near 49 this year in the 400 because her speed went away with more endurance training. Miller-Uibo and Michael Norman just won the world championships in the 400 but they definitely couldn't run a good 800 right now.
Willis has SUPERHUMAN range right now for a girl 18 years and 1 day old.
I had her split at 51.4. Either way, that's about 1.5 seconds slower than Syd McGlauglin's 49.85 split, which is the legendary split for high school girls, the only one in the U.S. ever below 50.
Being 1.5 seconds slower than Syd over 400 meters is VERY fast for an 800 meter runner. Speed will never be Roisin's problem.
Come back next spring and let us know if Willis runs 49.5 in the 400 from the blocks like Mu did as a college freshman.
No need. 600m (1:25.80i) is a more realistic measuring stick.
Mu ran 1:23 at 16. I like Roisin and think her 51.4 split showed a ton of potential for JJ Clark to make her into a very formidable 800m runner. But please, please, stop with the Mu comparisons.
There is not a single 800m runner that possesses Mu’s talent. Not to say she will never lose. But it will almost never be the case where another runner is just better, but more of her being off he game like she was this year.
No need. 600m (1:25.80i) is a more realistic measuring stick.
Mu ran 1:23 at 16. I like Roisin and think her 51.4 split showed a ton of potential for JJ Clark to make her into a very formidable 800m runner. But please, please, stop with the Mu comparisons.
There is not a single 800m runner that possesses Mu’s talent. Not to say she will never lose. But it will almost never be the case where another runner is just better, but more of her being off he game like she was this year.
Willis' official split was 51.34. Link is below. Willis has a faster 800m PR from high school than Mu. Willis' 51.34 split is faster than Mu ever ran a 400 in high school. Willis was younger in high school than Mu was.
Is Willis going to run 49.5 in the open 400 and 1:55 flat next year? Probably not. But she is going to improve a significant amount each year, whereas it looks like Mu is starting to stagnate. Mu only ran 50.42 in the 400 this year.
If 400 time was the only thing that mattered, Michael Johnson would have the world record in the 800.
Apparently the only thing that matters is the fact that you predict that Willis will keep getting faster and faster and Mu will get slower and slower. Science.
No need. 600m (1:25.80i) is a more realistic measuring stick.
Mu ran 1:23 at 16. I like Roisin and think her 51.4 split showed a ton of potential for JJ Clark to make her into a very formidable 800m runner. But please, please, stop with the Mu comparisons.
There is not a single 800m runner that possesses Mu’s talent. Not to say she will never lose. But it will almost never be the case where another runner is just better, but more of her being off he game like she was this year.
Really? What about her "over distance" talent. She seems to lacking there.
A lot of folks are Nostradamus on this site and the so-called experts of the field....Its pretty comical to read actually. Kind of like the National Enquirer full of bull$!Te but you read it anyway! LOL
The talent in US middle distance is strong and getting stronger every year! Why can't we just sit back and enjoy it? And applaud ALL the success of ALL of these ladies? Roisin is a great runner and an amazing person and deservedly is getting recognition for her accomplishments and hard work. How about focussing on her and what she did rather than comparisons to Mu etc....?
Mu ran 1:23 at 16. I like Roisin and think her 51.4 split showed a ton of potential for JJ Clark to make her into a very formidable 800m runner. But please, please, stop with the Mu comparisons.
There is not a single 800m runner that possesses Mu’s talent. Not to say she will never lose. But it will almost never be the case where another runner is just better, but more of her being off he game like she was this year.
Willis' official split was 51.34. Link is below. Willis has a faster 800m PR from high school than Mu. Willis' 51.34 split is faster than Mu ever ran a 400 in high school. Willis was younger in high school than Mu was.
Is Willis going to run 49.5 in the open 400 and 1:55 flat next year? Probably not. But she is going to improve a significant amount each year, whereas it looks like Mu is starting to stagnate. Mu only ran 50.42 in the 400 this year.
If 400 time was the only thing that mattered, Michael Johnson would have the world record in the 800.
Mu's not stagnating. She didn't have the same preparation for 2022 as she had in 2021, which saw her run more 400s and relays. In two years, if she's not near her 1:55, I'll concede that she's stagnated. Now, no.
No need. 600m (1:25.80i) is a more realistic measuring stick.
Mu ran 1:23 at 16. I like Roisin and think her 51.4 split showed a ton of potential for JJ Clark to make her into a very formidable 800m runner. But please, please, stop with the Mu comparisons.
There is not a single 800m runner that possesses Mu’s talent. Not to say she will never lose. But it will almost never be the case where another runner is just better, but more of her being off he game like she was this year.
Video of Willis' 51.34 here.
Her 1st 200m is between 23.00 – 23.20. She’ll be very close, but marginally behind Mu in 400m speed long term, but miles ahead of Mu in every endurance category.
USA women's relay team led by 400m hurdle gold medalist Akala Garrett and 800m gold medalist Roisin Willis outrun the rest of the field by three seconds to w...
she might be.or she wont improve,get injured,and be history in a few years,much like mary cain was.with teen phenoms nobody can predict.most just go away.