Evan Jager runs 8:26.14, wins steeple, 64 last lap, gets Olympic B standard

malmo wrote:

When Huling beats Jager I suppose you might have a point. Until that day comes Huling has never been closer than 7 seconds to Jager in a steeplechase.

When I want a stupid comment, I can always count on malmo coming through.

Kanye North wrote:

malmo wrote:

When Huling beats Jager I suppose you might have a point. Until that day comes Huling has never been closer than 7 seconds to Jager in a steeplechase.

When I want a stupid comment, I can always count on malmo coming through.

In the context of what he was replying to-- which was people belittling Jager's win because Huling has run faster times in the past-- Malmo's comment makes perfect sense to me. If you don't care for it, though, think about this: in his debut, Jager ran the fifth fastest time in the world this year. Of the four guys ahead of him, two have PRs of 8:11, one has a PR of 8:16, and the fourth just ran his PR (8:24). Pretty heady company. Yes, the list will get much faster as the season progresses. But there's no reason to think that Jager won't as well.

Kanye North wrote:

malmo wrote:

When Huling beats Jager I suppose you might have a point. Until that day comes Huling has never been closer than 7 seconds to Jager in a steeplechase.

When I want a stupid comment, I can always count on malmo coming through.

How is that stupid? Past results mean nothing now that a new season has started. As another poster said, Huling season best was 8:25.95 last year. Jager has a lot of room for improvement and it was obvious he was being tentative in the opening laps and going off of the other runners until 1000m left in the race. Avery good debut and I think malmo of all people would be the most qualified to speculate on who is the better steepler AT THE MOMENT.

First lets us realize that the US is really weak in the steeple. Jager performance I think shows that weakness. Smart move by Jager because he had no chance of making the olympic team in other events.

If Jager decides to make this his focus permanently that would be great. Hopefully in a year or two he can get below 8:10.

It is weird that all the great women steeplers left the event as soon as they found some strength in other events. On the mens side that was not the case, our best steeplers were mediocre at best in events other that the steeple. (Side note I wonder if Anna pierce will return to the steeple since she has been getting her butt kicked in 800m and 1500m)

"fastest times in the world so far this year" recognitions are worthless. It's April. It's one of the fastest times because the real racing season hasn't started yet. Don't ruin Jager's performance with dumb superlatives. Especially when you know there are guys out there who can run 30 seconds faster.

Just a number wrote:

"fastest times in the world so far this year" recognitions are worthless. It's April. It's one of the fastest times because the real racing season hasn't started yet. Don't ruin Jager's performance with dumb superlatives. Especially when you know there are guys out there who can run 30 seconds faster.

So don't you think Jager will also get faster when the real racing season starts?

I'm not trying to ruin the performance with dumb superlatives. But this really is one of the most stunning event debuts in the last few years of American track and field. If anything, it should be getting more superlatives, and less of the typical "well, the steeplechase is really weak" caveats. If you watched that race without knowing who the athletes were, would you be able to pick out which one had won a national championship and earned a top-15 world ranking and which one was running his debut?

dfdsaf wrote:

I'm sure he has his long term goals aimed at the 5000 and, later on, the 10000.

It's kind of late for that now.

He's well into his 20's and hasn't been close to running one.

J.R. wrote:

dfdsaf wrote:

I'm sure he has his long term goals aimed at the 5000 and, later on, the 10000.

It's kind of late for that now.

He's well into his 20's and hasn't been close to running one.

You do realize Jager's only 23, right?

I think people forget that. Not saying he'll focus on the 10k at any point during his career (not sure--he does come from a mid-d type background, after all), but for a 1500 guy who moved up to 5k, ran like 3 of them, ever, and then spent 2 years injured...I'd say he has plenty of time to run a 10,000...you make it sound like the kid's been around forever. He's still very, very young.

Jager is FOUR years younger than Sam Chelanga. Two years (I think) younger than Miles Batty. Etc.

As I recall, in the spring of 2010 before he set the AR in the 10000, Solinsky was also talking about switching to the steeplechase.

Interesting to think about what might have been.

Why is it noteworthy that a guy closed a steeplechase with a lap that equates to WR pace for the entire race? Do folks get excited when someone closes a 10K in 63 or a 5K in sub-61?

Last lap != last 400m.

64 Fast ? it depends on if it's an inside lap or and outside lap no.

Jager is running the steeple at Stanford next weekend. Expect him to run about 8:20 or slightly faster.

With the past foot problem Jager had. Why would you unecessarily risk that foot. Was it done to prove to him his foot is sound?

This might be the runner that America needs for this event. Jager could not only be one heck of a steeplechaser and possibly break the U.S. record later on in his career, but also be the motivation for others such as Huling, Nelson, and whoever else to start getting their act together and start running in the 8:10s or better consistently rather than screw around in the 8:20s-8:30s. Honestly we (Americans) suck at this event and hopefully Jager can be the one to turn it around for us.

64 last lap wow, i cant wait to see him and ezkiel kemboi battling it out on the last lap, who do you think would win? which was better jagers 64 second last lap at mt. sac or kemboi's finish at the world champs in daegu korea last year?

Funny how Solinsky has played footsies with this event for years then Evan pops this one.

Kanye North wrote:

malmo wrote:

When Huling beats Jager I suppose you might have a point. Until that day comes Huling has never been closer than 7 seconds to Jager in a steeplechase.

When I want a stupid comment, I can always count on malmo coming through.

Malmo\'s comment was spot on and made me laugh so hard I choked up what i was drinking.

is the promise ring dead? wrote:

This might be the runner that America needs for this event. Jager could not only be one heck of a steeplechaser and possibly break the U.S. record later on in his career,

After watching the video I would say that "possibly" is an understatement. Jager isn't "potentially one heck of a steeplechaser" nor is he "a project". Jager is the best American steeplechaser I've ever seen. He could be giving clinics right now.

For a neophypte he does everything right. It appears that his natural lead leg is his right, but when he leads with his left there's a slight upper body rotation. Pretty much every steeplechaser who has ever lived does that off the "wrong" leg. He's got no lapses of confidence going into the barriers, and what I really like most of all, is that if put into the lead he attacks.

It remains to be seen how he does when he runs out near his physical edge, but I have a hunch that 8:05 to 8:10 will be his sweet spot this year.

Needless to say, I'm very impressed.

I'm completely befuddled how Schumacher could get it so wrong with Bethke, yet have had this kid under his nose undetected all this time? Now it appears that both runners have found their real events.