The Men’s 1500m WR was set by a 23 year old

Maybe. But that record was set by a high reaponding juicer doped to his eyeballs (and protected, for the good of the sport of course). That’s why it’s taken the world decades to catch up.

We do know that nobody would get protected now of course.

El G had to retire early, after it was announced the testing was getting better.

The fact that this record is a day away from being 27 years old despite advances in tracks and shoe technology is bonkers.

If Jakob doesn't break it, someone else will. Someone from the next generation will step up.

Times across the board are getting faster. It's only a matter of time before 3:26 is broken.

4 world championship Titles + 1 Silver
+ 3 times Athlete of the Year

We can't glean much from a sample size of 1. Here are the last 10 records and the approximate ages of the record setter:

• 3:26.00 by El Guerrouj: age 23.8
• 3:27.37 by Morceli: age 25.3
• 3:28.86 by Morceli: age 22.5
• 3:29.46 by Aouita: age 25.8
• 3:29.67 by Cram: 24.7
• 3:30.77 by Ovett: 27.9
• 3:31.24 by Maree: 26.9
• 3:31.36 by Ovett: 24.8
• 3:32.1 by Ovett: 24.7
• 3:32.1 by Coe: 22.9

The average age was ~24.9. The median was 24.75.

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You don’t think the longevity of the record means that that maybe the new shoes and tracks make a minimal difference.

Honest question: why would El G be protected but not Jakob (or some other runner capable in this era)?

Wouldn’t it be good for athletics to have an athlete breaking world records, and therefore someone worth “protecting”?

Literally every other record, men's and women's, has been smashed by someone in Dragonfly spikes. Only El Guerrouj remains.

The guy who mentioned his sudden retirement around the incorporation of the synthetic EPO test might be onto something.

No EPO test during El G’s “peak”. Runners are now tested more often worldwide - with the exception of the East Africans. Let that settle in.

Interesting aside, before EPO the Kenyan 1500 record was always behind the US record, never mind other nations. Interesting indeed. Meanwhile, a certain Moroccan with amazing range came along. A Moroccan who later became a coach and lost a great job because he told at least one charge that drugs were the way to go. Or so we’re told.

That is total BS. Witness the constantstream of posts of coevett announcing Kenyan busts the last few years.

Actually it's another of the many red flags concerning El G.

He ran that on 14th July (27 years ago today) with four more 1500m time trials to come at Monaco, Zurich, Brussels, and Berlin and no major championships to aim for that year.

After the race, he declared he would run 3:24 before the end of the season.

Of course he didn't. He ran his mile WR the following year.

In the winter of 1999/2000, his coach declared that they were training to run sub 3:24/3:40 and were confident he would do it.

He had had no injury problems, yet did not touch his WRs again.

The first testing for EPO came in 2000, although it was pretty ineffective (but did nab Bernard B-Sample Lagat in 2003).

He did.

El G did the job better than Morceli who did a better job than Richard Virenque who did a better job than Marco Pantani. I believe Ovett and Cram were clean but Coe didn't get toxoplasmosis by accident, Peter was doing experimental science on his son (ring a bell)

what a fun era

were you not entertained?

… or maybe the record was set by a superior runner.

Ryun was 20 Elliott was 22

Not at all. All other records, 2000, 3000, 2 mile, 5000, 10000, HM, Marathon all set in the supershoe era. I think El G was simply an outlier or he was doped or both. I think you also can't focus on ONE runner. Look at how many more guys are running 3:32 or better now.

I think he was an unexpected exception.
The first that showed the road of 3:26 ahead of his time.