Scott Reid of the OC Register has a great article on Athing Mu and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
The most interesting thing for LRCers is it seems he envisions Athing as more of an 800/1500 runner instead of a 400/800 runner. I say that because he talks about her attempting the 800/1500 double at next year's Olympics.
Is that crazy talk? Or does he just not want his star pupils squaring off at 400 which I think most people assumed would be the second event Athing would try as she is already world class in that.
(may be behind a paywall so some top quotes below)
“I think the goal is she needs to be under 3:59 or better to really get the benefit out of the 1,500 and with her speed ability to get the ultimate transfer to the 800 in order to break that other 30-year-old (plus) record at 800 meters,”Kersee said.
“I just think when she has that, that anaerobic threshold and being able to hold over that and take the 800 out at a decent speed, that’s going to allow her to go under 1:53.”
Kersee also raised the possibility of Mu attempting next summer to become the first woman to sweep the Olympic 1,500 and 800 gold medals since Great Britain’s Kelly Holmes in 2004.
“The 800/1500 or 400/800 has been done and I think Athing has that ability and I think if the schedule allows it, it would be nice to see for a woman to double the 8 and 15 at a very high level with the potential to gold medal in both,” Kersee said.
What you won’t see is Mu and McLauglin-Levrone racing each other over 400 meters, a showdown Olympic champion Michael Johnson, among others, has said they would most like to see.
“No, no, no,” Kersee when asked about the potential 400 matchup. “No. They train (together) enough. Racing them together is not needed. Particularly for me. … It would not make any sense for me to put them together.”
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The schedule does allow the double next year as the 800 is over before the 1500 starts.