So he always gestured to the crowd. Lol. At least Kerr taught him a lesson last year
What lesson did Kerr teach him? That if you have a bad day, an opponent will run a once in a lifetime race can beat you by a few 100ths? Peter Rono did better than that.
So, what's your assessment? Should he be doing more steeple?
After seeing that video, I am sure he can go sub 8:00 (dare I say sub 7:50?) if he chose to run it. I'm that impressed. The problem here is the risk, not necessarily of injury, but the risk he'd eff up his status in the flat races. 1500m - 5000m, he's already on the razors edge. Maybe if he gets the 1500m WR, what else is there to prove? It certainly would be exciting to watch
To me, this was more impressive than Jager's debut, and I said then Jager was the best steeplechaser I've ever seen (as a novice).
I'm eager to see Jakob 1) get the gold medal, 2) set the WR, then turn his focus to the steeplechase. With his ability to prepare, focus and concentrate, I think the WR would be done.
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Would be interesting to say he least to see him try another against El Bakali and others. Not sure if it's glamorous enough for him though. He loves the attention that the other distances bring.
Notice that El Bakkali that lost to Girma in May 2023 (3000m flat time 7:33) was on the beginning of the season and one week after the end of the Muslim fasting month.
El Bakkali beat a 3 min 29 sec 51 sec miler and a 7 min 24 sec (3000m indoor WR holder).
That mean that you don't have any idea about the real potential of El Bakkali when he is focused on a distance.
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So, what's your assessment? Should he be doing more steeple?
I'm eager to see Jakob 1) get the gold medal, 2) set the WR, then turn his focus to the steeplechase.
I think you're going to be waiting an awful long time. It's likely that Nuguse gets him this year (not to mention that Kerr and Wrightman will be back to challenge as well), and given how long JI has been training hard, I doubt he's able to improve much from here on out, time-wise. 3:26.00 was almost assuredly drug-aided, and likely out of reach for all the current top guys (though given Nuguse's trajectory, I'm sure he'll take a crack at it). After this year, JI probably transitions to the longer distances where yes, he could likely break 8:00 in the SC. Thing is though, he's just gone through a long injury period, and given how absolutely brutal the steeple is on your body, who knows if he's durable enough to do a full season of it? Time will tell.
So, what's your assessment? Should he be doing more steeple?
After seeing that video, I am sure he can go sub 8:00 (dare I say sub 7:50?) if he chose to run it. I'm that impressed. The problem here is the risk, not necessarily of injury, but the risk he'd eff up his status in the flat races. 1500m - 5000m, he's already on the razors edge. Maybe if he gets the 1500m WR, what else is there to prove? It certainly would be exciting to watch
To me, this was more impressive than Jager's debut, and I said then Jager was the best steeplechaser I've ever seen (as a novice).
I'm eager to see Jakob 1) get the gold medal, 2) set the WR, then turn his focus to the steeplechase. With his ability to prepare, focus and concentrate, I think the WR would be done.
Historically, an athlete's 2 mile time was thought to be a good guage of what they could run in the SC. So his 7:54.xx (which to me looked like he eased off every so lsightly at the end , so perhaps could have been 7:53.xx) puts him in the area of the WR depending on how efficiently he can hurdle and handle the water jump.
Well, considering that he's the best in the world at 3k, that he handled the steeple easily at 16 or 17 (8:26 being his best), and that he's taller now, I'd think the world record would be something he'd get within two or three races, although Girma is no slouch on the flat and he's the new wr holder. Notably, Jakob has stated that it is his intention to break all the distance records at 1500m and up. He just turned 23 so he has time.
Well, considering that he's the best in the world at 3k, that he handled the steeple easily at 16 or 17 (8:26 being his best), and that he's taller now, I'd think the world record would be something he'd get within two or three races, although Girma is no slouch on the flat and he's the new wr holder. Notably, Jakob has stated that it is his intention to break all the distance records at 1500m and up. He just turned 23 so he has time.
Well, considering that he's the best in the world at 3k, that he handled the steeple easily at 16 or 17 (8:26 being his best), and that he's taller now, I'd think the world record would be something he'd get within two or three races, although Girma is no slouch on the flat and he's the new wr holder. Notably, Jakob has stated that it is his intention to break all the distance records at 1500m and up. He just turned 23 so he has time.
Yes, he was 16 when he ran 8.26, and he won the race (could therefore maybe even been faster), and it was his debut in the 3000m sc…
Well, considering that he's the best in the world at 3k, that he handled the steeple easily at 16 or 17 (8:26 being his best), and that he's taller now, I'd think the world record would be something he'd get within two or three races, although Girma is no slouch on the flat and he's the new wr holder. Notably, Jakob has stated that it is his intention to break all the distance records at 1500m and up. He just turned 23 so he has time.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I
a) agree with you that he could break the steeple world record. The barriers are less of a “barrier” than some think.
b) do NOT think he could break the 5k world record. It’s a stronger record and slightly longer than ideal for him
Anyone share this combination of opinions? Or am I off my rocker?
After seeing that video, I am sure he can go sub 8:00 (dare I say sub 7:50?) if he chose to run it. I'm that impressed. The problem here is the risk, not necessarily of injury, but the risk he'd eff up his status in the flat races. 1500m - 5000m, he's already on the razors edge. Maybe if he gets the 1500m WR, what else is there to prove? It certainly would be exciting to watch
To me, this was more impressive than Jager's debut, and I said then Jager was the best steeplechaser I've ever seen (as a novice).
I'm eager to see Jakob 1) get the gold medal, 2) set the WR, then turn his focus to the steeplechase. With his ability to prepare, focus and concentrate, I think the WR would be done.
I agree that he could get near the steeple WR, if not break it.
But I don't think that he has the abilities to be a winning championship steepler.
Even if he can race the event 5-8 seconds (or more) faster than Jager did, runners like Bakali and Girma would gap him by 5+ meters on the final lap, or simply off the final water jump.
So he always gestured to the crowd. Lol. At least Kerr taught him a lesson last year
What lesson did Kerr teach him? That if you have a bad day, an opponent will run a once in a lifetime race can beat you by a few 100ths? Peter Rono did better than that.
LOL - it wasn’t a bad day. The illness was just his excuse for the fact that he left himself wide open. He demonstrated countless times in timetrial races earlier in the year exactly what his max capability was - and it was only c. 1.5 seconds faster than the rest of the field. In a championship race that’s not enough to secure a victory when you don’t have your rabbits or wave lights.
Jakob has been the favorite 3 WC races in a row… first he lost to Tefera. Then to Weightman. Then Kerr. How many times is the guy going to have a ‘bad day’ when it counts before we start to recognize it for what it is… he’s not a 1500m championship racer… he’s just a really good 1500m ‘pace setter’. That’s fine I guess, but he now needs to move on to the 5,000m.
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