Leo Young is #goodforthesport

Shea finished 10th for the U20 women though.
i mean, I'm not knocking Young's finish, it was amazing.

Can’t wait for the L&L video! having fun and working hard on a global stage

I agree. I like their energy and love of the sport. Some people might not, that's okay too.

I think the key is to have lots of different stars in the sport. Right now is a good time to be a track fan: Tuohy, Sisson, Sydney, Bol, Athing Mu, Jakob, Kipchoge, Kiplimo, Cheptegei, Hoare, Wightman, Fisher, Kincaid, Nuguse, the Youngs, and so many other stars are really making this an exciting era.

The only event I can't get stoked about is the 800m. I can't even name the world champion for some reason...

i met you at a meet. didn’t know who you were. you were a huge jerk and acted like you were better than everyone.

i beat you in the mile so that was cool but too were an as$hole.

Love this guy's enthusiasm.

I can’t stand the way they sound in interviews. But who cares. That’s my issue. I’d imagine for the younger generation, the actual future of the sport, they are great. Which is all that matters.

I agree. And I think it’s obnoxious that Leo was jamming it up mid race and as he crossed the finish line. But it’s my issue and I’m guessing it plays well with the intended audience, which isn’t me.

you might not like that he was jamming it up during the race/across the finish but like why not let him have fun? he knew he wasn't gonna be in the top group with the africans and he was the top non-african finisher (and like 15 secs behind the last african across the line) so why not have fun while competing in the biggest race of his life?

No. He is just showing off. He thinks it's just a joke.

Yeah like he did well what’s the problem. 16th his age in the world. Plus I think it’s pretty cool a guy who ran 4 flat in the mile as a high school junior is running world xc instead of running indoor miles trying not break 4.

Despite their NXN race this year Leo and Lex have definitely got a shot at NCAA xc all American next fall.

As someone who is about a decade older than the Young twins but who works with teens every day, one thing I can really appreciate about them is their genuine enthusiasm for what they're doing. It's not a new observation, but one thing teen boys often try hard to avoid is the appearance of caring too much. A lot of teen boys (who will grow up to be good, contributing members of society; I'm not trying to dig into them too hard) play up a certain level of sarcasm, cynicism, or too-cool-to-care vibes around guys their own age, OR they tip into a kind of cringey machismo as they try to figure out what "being a man" looks like for them. The Youngs just don't have that same energy; they don't try to play down their enthusiasm or excitement, and they aren't trying to look "edgy" or play up to a more mature audience. I can see how this would turn off guys their own age (and if you read through comments on some of the bigger running IG accounts, there are plenty of high schoolers throwing shade and even subtle homophobia their way), but I like that they don't change what they're doing to fit in.

I'm also impressed by the way they seem to lean into a variety of interests. They have their sport, but they also post about drawing, camping, photography, mountain biking, etc. I wish more of the teen boys I work with had interests outside of their sport, Fortnite, and social media dramas. It relates to the teenage avoidance of "looking like you care," but there's a certain refreshing vulnerability to pursuing a variety of interests. While they might seem weird to other high schoolers, I think in the long run the Young's apparent lack of screen/video game/phone addictions and pursuit of multiple hobbies will be really healthy and serve them well as they grow up.

Anyway, those are just my observations as someone who spends a lot of time around boys their age. I can definitely see why some people would find them "cringe" or awkward, but I also think my students would have better mental health and be better poised for young adulthood if they borrowed certain traits from the Youngs.

As someone 6-7 years older than these u20 guys, the celebrations are cringe, BUT I loved it. You can’t sit there and tell me at 17-19 yrs old, that wouldn’t have been you.

Those guys had their heads screwed on right, held back in the race at the beginning, were super patient and got rewarded in a big way. Sure the Ugandans weren’t there, but I think the prediction was over/under 1 USA guy in the top 25….. there were FOUR!

Proud of them. They deserve to celebrate.

Their enthusiasm in front of the camera is fake. They act the way they do just so that people like you will praise them. Their act is basically just a virtue signal. I know people like this at school and hate them.

I won. I was a jerk to everyone. Because I could be like that.
Maybe you would, too, if you had been me. But you're not.
Neither is anyone Leo. Nor Lex. They're as close as they can be to each other, and neither is the other.
Take a breath wad of twisted salt.

You seem kind of uptight.

Projecting your experiences onto others you don’t know

Both twins have a big following and it's well deserved. Sure, there will be some who don't like them for a variety of reasons but I think it's great to have runners with personalities. I think some of the resentment comes from their self-assurance which some perceive as arrogance. Anyway, I'll be one of many looking forward to the next L&L video.

They are more genuine than all the people who turn into robots when a camera comes near them.

Maybe if you worked on yourself and worked harder, instead of obsessing over or criticizing successful people while being lazy, you'd have something to celebrate too. You just sound bitter because you're criticizing successful people and you should develop the self awareness to acknowledge that. I'm not attacking you either, I'm merely attempting to aid you as you hopefully progress, with perspective.