Could Jakob dunk?

easily

early success in the steeplechase gives some idea of his athleticism

Dya really believe Jakob could exceed a 30" vert?

Rather than athletic, it’s having enough fast-twitch muscles. For a 6’2” guy, it’s going to require a 30” vertical. I’ve read that the best middle distance runners can do 25”, so probably not:

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Dunk Calculator - How High Do I Need to Jump to Dunk?

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Probably yes but I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if he couldn’t either. He has way more sprint speed than me (PR of 53 as a distance runner) and I could dunk over a 15+ year period at just under 6’3. At his age I probably had 3-4 inches to spare on dunks.

i can dunk better than jakob. i am the greatest dunker in the world.

I dunno. Could he knit a sweater, get within 10 seconds of the 100 butterfly WR, prepare a rack of lamb, change a carborator, paint a Bob Ross masterpiece, hit a curveball, eat half of the current hot dog WR?

Doubtful.

Middle distance training takes away from jumping ability

6'2" is not the height of many NBA players...

No. He's European, so he probably doesn't have a basketball or a hoop. You can't dunk if you don't have a basketball or a hoop.

Yes

Specialisation is for insects.

I am 6'2" and could dunk as a young guy, but never in a game situation. Not all 6'2" people would have the same advantages. Other things to consider would be reach height. I have a relatively long neck and my wingspan is only 6', so my arms aren't especially long. Another person who also measure 6'2", but is taller at the shoulder and has a longer wingspan, would have an advantage. Jakob has a very good cruising speed, but doesn't have great acceleration. I would guess that someone with better acceleration would probably have a better vertical. For example, I think that Steve Cram's top speed would probably be close to that of Steve Ovett, but Ovett could change pace more quickly and I would give him a higher chance of dunking a basketball.

He would have to decrease his mileage a lot, unless he’s super twitchy. 6’2” is obviously above average height, but it still requires a solid vertical jump. Speaking from experience, mileage (even 40 miles a week) kills the vertical.