ajee wilson opts out of college

After watching the youtube video of her cleaning up at the world juniors in 2-flat with an impressive kick, I think she has a reasonable chance of making the US team next year. Most of the gals she will be competing with for a spot on the team rarely if ever run faster than 1:59. Minor improvements on her behalf and a solid race when it matters will give her a good shot.

If the worlds is her goal, then I think she made the right choice to delay or even opt out of NCAA track. Why risk going to an entirely new program and environment that will focus on the collegiate racing schedule, if her objective is the worlds.

To Milespilt:

In the future please label thread starter as a 'sponsored post'.

The Management

The ability that Ajee Wilson has can be reached if she is train correctly by her pro coach. With the growth and development that she will get running as a pro it will only help her long term. An training as a professional athlete she will not have any unnecessary wear and tear on her body everything will be planned well in advance. We knocking a kid for thinking outside the box she is willing to give this a shot support is need not hearing that she is WRONG !!!

I thought I'd call up this thread from a year ago. Clearly she made the right choice to go pro.

Student wrote:

After watching the youtube video of her cleaning up at the world juniors in 2-flat with an impressive kick, I think she has a reasonable chance of making the US team next year. Most of the gals she will be competing with for a spot on the team rarely if ever run faster than 1:59. Minor improvements on her behalf and a solid race when it matters will give her a good shot.

If the worlds is her goal, then I think she made the right choice to delay or even opt out of NCAA track. Why risk going to an entirely new program and environment that will focus on the collegiate racing schedule, if her objective is the worlds.

I'm surprised at the number of doubters there was last year after she won the world juniors. Today she was just .3s away from winning a medal in the WC one year out of high school.

Yeah, she probably feels a little slighted that Mary Cain gets so much attention, yet when it mattered most (just like last year), Ajee had her nose in it and Mary was not competitive.

lol, not competitive. Good one.

Wilson was running 2:02.64 SB when she was 17, BTW. Lets be real here.

I hope Wilson is ultimately better than Cain because that should mean medals galore in Beiging, Rio, and beyond.

I think Mary has a great future, but the facts are she was not competitive when it mattered (i.e., WJ and WC finals) both this year and last (WC)

800 analyzer wrote:

lol, not competitive. Good one.

Wilson was running 2:02.64 SB when she was 17, BTW. Lets be real here.

I hope Wilson is ultimately better than Cain because that should mean medals galore in Beiging, Rio, and beyond.

USAs (both indoors and outdoors) and Moscow didn't matter??? very funny. i do find it amusing that people are surprised that wilson had doubters on here last year. like 19-minute 5k high school boys have any clue what it takes to be a world class 800 runner. also, just to be clear, wilson is 2 years older than cain and just completed a full year of full-time training so thinking that the 2 are similar in age is wrong. what is clear is that the 2 of them are the future (and present) of the USA track team for many years going forward.

The facts also are that Wilson would not have made the US team never mind gotten to the WC final when she was 17.

You're comparing apples and oranges almost.

I mostly agree with what you write. However, the point of my previous post is that Ajee was largely forgotten in the wake of Mary's early-season accomplishments. Now it's time to recognize Ajee for competing for a WC medal right down to the wire and running a really smart race. Her coaches and advisors deserve recognition too for advising that she go pro last year, for peaking her perfectly this year and last, and for her good racing strategy. Her team accomplished this without the resources Mary had.

obummer wrote:

USAs (both indoors and outdoors) and Moscow didn't matter??? very funny. i do find it amusing that people are surprised that wilson had doubters on here last year. like 19-minute 5k high school boys have any clue what it takes to be a world class 800 runner. also, just to be clear, wilson is 2 years older than cain and just completed a full year of full-time training so thinking that the 2 are similar in age is wrong. what is clear is that the 2 of them are the future (and present) of the USA track team for many years going forward.

Two years ago Ajee was not racing anyone for a World's title, and she got her age-group title at an age where Cain had already bypassed that world.

Ajee is very good; she is not likely, at age 19/20 (soon to be 20, so that they are really 3 competitive years apart, but not certain), to be where Cain will be at age 19/20. Also, Cain what second of four Americans, not third of three. Ajee's big PR did allow the 800m specialist to have a better PR than the distance runner Cain.

Fortunately for both of them, US middle distance and distance running has gotten so much better that both of them will have multiple strong competitors year after year in the US and not have to rely primarily on the European circuit.

I expect Cain (and Wilson) to take next year as a development year and try various things, and possibly to not quite go 'all-in' (especially Cain). The next target really is 2015 followed by the OGs.

YUNESCO wrote:

Pretty stupid wrote:

She is good, but not bypass college good. Stupid decision. Probably brought up by her club coach in hopes of working into the pro ranks. Another reason why club track sucks ass.

"Good, but not bypass college good"? You know you're talking about the World Junior champ, right?

Another dumbazz

Cain will focus on winning a world championship (World Juniors in Eugene) next year. Not sure what Ajee can focus on - no major championships outdoors for her. Perhaps work on her speed (400m) and endurance (1500m).

Pretty stupid wrote:

She is good, but not bypass college good. Stupid decision. Probably brought up by her club coach in hopes of working into the pro ranks. Another reason why club track sucks ass.

LOL!

Smarty Pants wrote:

Pretty stupid wrote:

She is good, but not bypass college good. Stupid decision. Probably brought up by her club coach in hopes of working into the pro ranks. Another reason why club track sucks ass.

LOL!

WOW!! This anti-club crap is so bogus. No wonder the club system in the USA is so bad - so either you turn pro with one of a handful of groups upon College graduation or you quit the sport. What a great choice.

She just won the monaco DL in 1:57.67