That was a great season debut. He has had an outstanding college career. Most guys do nothing as freshmen in xc. He was winning races and finishing 4th at NCAA xc. He's remained at that level in place but gotten faster as the NCAA has gotten faster. The team's won NCAA xc each year so far with him. So, his career value at NAU will be incredible. But if he is to start winning major races, he'll need to be able to do one of two things, one, break away well before the kick begins, or two, alter his form to a style more suited to the kick, meaning a slight forward lean instead of straight up or leaning back a bit and keeping his hands lower, both things that Bosley does and that he does not (his hands rise up to throat level on each arm swing). The slight forward lean can be accomplished in part by shifting to a midfoot plant or even front foot for the sprint.
Dunno why Nico is bothering with Mike Smith when you could be coaching him.
I love how for once in the history of LetsRun, no one in this thread is hating on him. Everyone here seems in total agreement that he's a beast, has incredible consistency, is gutsy as hell, grinds his way to fast times and podium finishes despite lacking the kick, etc. Way to go guys
Why are we pretending to know Nico's top speed? There is no indication he is any slower in the 100m than Fisher. Kicking is NOT the same as speed, remember Nordas kicking down most of the field to snag bronze?`
Umm check out 5k at NCAA this year. He was fifth and had 11th fastest last 400 to get 8th. .
Why are we pretending to know Nico's top speed? There is no indication he is any slower in the 100m than Fisher. Kicking is NOT the same as speed, remember Nordas kicking down most of the field to snag bronze?`
Umm check out 5k at NCAA this year. He was fifth and had 11th fastest last 400 to get 8th. .
lol did you watch the race? Nico made a really bold move with a mile to go (look at the difference in splits between 3000-3400-3800) and just hit a wall. Losing that race had nothing at all to do with his top speed.
lol did you watch the race? Nico made a really bold move with a mile to go (look at the difference in splits between 3000-3400-3800) and just hit a wall. Losing that race had nothing at all to do with his top speed.
I believe the plan was for Nico to close the last mile in sub-4, which was way too aggressive for the Austin heat. I wouldn't be surprised if he could do it in Eugene this year however.
I dont agree with that, but even if i did i was just pointing out that using that race as an example makes no sense.
People always say he has no kick because he hasn't won these big races. But he always beats a lot of guys who are also kicking. You could argue that he never seems to have the best kick among the challengers in a field which is why he is not winning, but he very rarely has the worst kick among the challengers either. He outkicked Ky Robinson to the line on friday for instance.
I dont agree with that, but even if i did i was just pointing out that using that race as an example makes no sense.
People always say he has no kick because he hasn't won these big races. But he always beats a lot of guys who are also kicking. You could argue that he never seems to have the best kick among the challengers in a field which is why he is not winning, but he very rarely has the worst kick among the challengers either. He outkicked Ky Robinson to the line on friday for instance.
Yeah, I feel this way too. I get that Nico doesn't have the kick that 1500m guys do, and we haven't seen him close in the way that some collegiate 5000m stars of the past decade have (multiple M. McDonald performances and Hicks's win at the '23 Stanford Invite 10k come to mind), but I feel like there are still multiple examples of Nico closing well. I listed them in a different thread maybe a month ago, but some races where Nico closed well include:
1) 2019 Arcadia 3200
2) Jan. '22 dome mile to beat Luis in a 3:54 converted time
3) 2022 indoor NCAA's (barely out-leaned Wildschutt, 4 years his senior, for 3rd)
4) 2023 Bryan Clay 5000m B-heat (yeah, I get it was the B heat, but for a guy who was muddling through a few months of injury-hampered training, he was able to change gears surprisingly well)
5) Nuttycombe 2023 to hold off Robinson, Samuels, and Sharp for second.
Of course Nico is more of a grinder than a kicker, but I still think his ability to close against good competition gets underrated, especially for someone whose professional sweet spot is likely 10k and up.
lol did you watch the race? Nico made a really bold move with a mile to go (look at the difference in splits between 3000-3400-3800) and just hit a wall. Losing that race had nothing at all to do with his top speed.
I am not saying he has no kick, but I think his key is not on par for him to beat some other top guys in the final 200 always. And to say he has a kick like Fisher.. please give me an example. For instance Fisher 2019 5k NCAA drops a 53. Has Nico done that last lap? I like Nico and believe he will be a successful pro, but I do not see the kick especially in championship races and shorter distances. He best defeats folks by pounding hard laps or fast pace early on to break others and diminish kicks. His kick is fast but relative to other top 5k folks we have seen, I have not seen that type of acceleration. I think he ultimately will be better 10k and up guy where kicks come less into play.
Mike Smith's a great coach, no question. That being said, he's done nothing to change his form, so expect the same results, second, second, second. He's also done nothing to change his attitude to take risks, so expect the same results again.
Mike Smith's a great coach, no question. That being said, he's done nothing to change his form, so expect the same results, second, second, second. He's also done nothing to change his attitude to take risks, so expect the same results again.
Nico's form has changed alot if you were paying attention. Early in college he overcorrected his HS form and was running too rigid. Now he has found a middle ground of rigidity and fluidity.