Cameron Myers 7:41.11

(Jonathan Grahn is listed at the current record holder for 18-year olds with 7:43.38 (2023))

was at the meet and Cam physically looks a LOT more adult / stronger that he did last year...expect him to drop a chunk from his 1500m time in 2025...

Thought exactly the same. New look all round with the shaved head, which he said was "partly an accident" lol

"record".

He has GREAT range

1:47.11, 2:17.44, 3:33.30, 3:50.15 and 7:41.11 this year (as well as 3:33.26 from last year)

He will be very interesting to follow the next seasons. Wouldn't be surprised if he makes the final in the 1500m in Tokyo 2025.

Would also like to see what he can do in a 5000m (as well as a 2000m) in his current shape.

Niels Laros (19) vs. Cam Myers (18) - Wow. Who do you think ends up with the better pro career?

Honestly, I can't even wager a guess. They are both so good. Laros just won Euro Cross (U20). Myers is in 7:41 shape. They are mutants!

I am higher on Laros personally. It helps he’s already shown it twice at the highest level. He has more natural speed, which I favor. Myers year last year reminded me a bit of Kesslers 2022 but I didn’t see as much reasoning for the stagnation whereas Kessler had the big change from HS to pros and figuring out his set up. I think it’s generally a smart move to take the guy who’s already done it. Hotshot juniors don’t always work out

Laros has run 1:44.78/2:14/3:29.5/7:49 (in 2022), plus a Euro junior xc title, so he is on track to contend for gold medals, while Myers will likely get there but it's not a sure thing just yet.

Amazing time, but it's going to be a long outdoor season for him with Tokyo nine months away. He appeared to plateau quite early in the Northern Hemisphere season this year.

The runner-up last night, Jude Thomas, predicted Myers taking 10 sec off the junior record in this article:

athletics.com.au

Back-to-Back-to-Back? Jude Thomas Eyes Three-Peat at Sydney Track Classic

Athletics Australia

With back-to-back Australian 3000m titles to his name by the age of 20, Jude Thomas looked like he had it figured out.

Open link

Laros's 800-1500 conversion goes from 52.3/lap-55.9 (6.9%ish slowing from 8-15) ... Myers is 53.7-56.88 (5.9%ish slowing from 8-1500). Usually the endurance gets BETTER as they get older, and top speed is a more minuscule change. IF Laros gets down to 1:43flat (51.5) with that same percentage change in pace, it'd put him at 55.05/lap for 1500 (3:26.4ish). I believe he could do that. If Myers gets to 52.3 and kept the same percentage change from 800-1500, it's 55.4ish/lap (3:27.8ish). Granted, all of this assumes that their best performances were run in similar circumstances, primed for each, and gave 100%.

What's their mileage?...

My thought when I see stat lines, I'd put my money on Myers finding a home in the 5k/10k. 7:41 as an 18 year old off 3:33? these 3:58-4:00 18 year olds on this side of the pond are dropping 8:30-35 (59-64) (~8.5% change in pace) he's turning his (rounded) 57.0 to 61.5ish?! (about 7.9%) If you took that same rate and applied it to a "run of the mill" 4:20 miler, that 65 yields a 70 for 9:20. That's a common occurrence, but they are usually transitioned to the 5k in college, no?. That's the same as seeing a 4:40 girl run 10:00-10:05. Pre was 4:06/8:41 (61low-64.8ish

HOWEVER, I'm not belittling the ability to do that. He just eclipsed the lifetime bests of Ben Blankenship (3:34/7:44),Engles (3:33/7:44), we see 7.9% conversion (1500-3k) turns a 3:27mid (the aforementioned 55.4) to 7:28. That's almost exactly Nuguse's Olympic campaign. Let's say he came to the US this past year for school; I think you'd see him pull a Murphy/Langon/Martin XC/3k/5k at Boston. I bet he'd have been 10-15 in CC and pulled 7:35-40 or 13:10-15. Laros, on the other hand, would've likely challenged Blanks and the UNC guys at Boston and finished similarly to Myers in XC. Both are coming along, Laros is worlds ahead of him now; but I just feel their paths won't cross much after their mid-twenties.

I did all this, then discovered he ran 1:47.1 (53.55). Oh well. Doesn’t change much…

Kiwi phenom David Lee ran 7.55 for 6th place but works 80 hour weeks and fits in training around that.

Kessler missed a month of training from March to April in 2022. That’s why he stagnated.

Ari Paunonen...what could've been...

Twice the European U20 champion in 1500 m, first time he won in the race where two years older Seb Coe was third. Was pushed too hard and hit the wall at the age of 20.

His time from the Cologne race was actually 7:43,20, I don't know why it's listed nowadays as a handtime because by my recollection, it wasn't (perhaps confused by Lasse Viren's national record, which is indeed the handtime 7.43,2).

At that age you’d still expect an improvement late in the year a la Laros last year or Hocker in 2023. Both PBed in years with uneven health.

It’s not as linear as a “at that age” thing. Laros & Hocker had winter injuries. Hobbs had a long spring injury. Hobbs did rebound to run 1:46 / 2:16 at the end of his season but obviously at that point there weren’t many races left.

Yeah, from what I can tell his training is a solid blend of threshold, easy volume, and specificity, but not much in the way of periodization relative to other programs. Either way, add him to the top 6 in the Olympics 1500 final, and you have a very exciting intermediate- and long-term future for middle distance.

Very exciting might be an understatement. Hocker, Kerr, Nuguse, Jakob, Kessler, Laros, Myers? Insane.