Nick Willis!!! 3:29.91! Greatest non African since the Brits !

Earlier in the season he was talking about moving up to the 5k for commonwealth games, almost as if he thought he didn't have a shot in 1500 anymore. Maybe he did a bunch of 5k work and is benefiting from some extra strength?

lol lol lol lol wrote:I can say that about very few if any of those who finished ahead of him in this race or who regularly beat him on "the circuit"...

Willis has credentials as good if not better than many of the people in the race. Commonwealth champion, Olympic silver medal, 3:49 & 3:29...what would make you certain that people with similar or lesser credentials are dirty while he's clean?

lol lol lol lol wrote:

I am quite confident Nick Willis is a PED-free athlete. I can say that about very few if any of those who finished ahead of him in this race or who regularly beat him on "the circuit"...

What are you talking about? Willis has beer in his system.

Blowing Rock Master! wrote:

In addition to Cacho, there is Mehdi Baala 3:28.98 (born Strasbourg, France).

Mehdi Baala is (North-)African.

Love2Hate wrote:

lol lol lol lol wrote:

I am quite confident Nick Willis is a PED-free athlete. I can say that about very few if any of those who finished ahead of him in this race or who regularly beat him on "the circuit"...

So a 31 yr old sets a PB, my goodness check out all the crap about Gatlin's time in the 200m on these MBs. But with Willis no questions. Only questions about guys who regularly beat him? Right.........

The key difference is probably that Willis hasn't tested positive twice

Nick is on the stuff just like every other sub-3:30. Webb was the last clean one.

Jofl wrote:

If Cacho was doping, so is Nick Willis at his age.

Yes, let's compare Cacho who ran during the dirtiest decade in distance running history to Willis, who is running in the cleanest era. And Willis is only 31 years old. Why are people talking like he's running these times at 34-35?

kjhiuj wrote:

Jofl wrote:

If Cacho was doping, so is Nick Willis at his age.

Yes, let's compare Cacho who ran during the dirtiest decade in distance running history to Willis, who is running in the cleanest era. And Willis is only 31 years old. Why are people talking like he's running these times at 34-35?

I don't think he's a doper, but milers usually run their best times in their early to mid twenties.

Willis = ALL Class!

lol lol lol lol wrote:

I am quite confident Nick Willis is a PED-free athlete. I can say that about very few if any of those who finished ahead of him in this race or who regularly beat him on "the circuit"...

Another idiot...

For all of those accusing Willis of drug use, I'm pretty certain this is his first season without any sort of injury/hiccup in training in nearly 3 years. I totally understand that a guy setting a PB at 31 is questionable, but people are setting PRs later and later into their careers. Sometimes it's just about getting into the right race, and this was definitely the right race. I don't really see the difference in setting a PR at 29 or 31 if you've been relatively healthy and take care of your body. If he was 38 years old then of course I'd have questions.

Good to see him having a great season. PR's in 5k, 3k, mile, and 1500 I think. He could win Commonwealth Games again too. Kiprop and Kiplagat aren't in it.

lol lol lol lol wrote:

I am quite confident Nick Willis is a PED-free athlete. I can say that about very few if any of those who finished ahead of him in this race or who regularly beat him on "the circuit"...

Completely agree. Willis is one I have no doubts is clean - years of gradual improvements, still 'only' 31, and a full season with no injury/etc. Such a quality athlete.

lol lol lol lol wrote:

I am quite confident Nick Willis is a PED-free athlete. I can say that about very few if any of those who finished ahead of him in this race or who regularly beat him on "the circuit"...

THIS!

But Political Correctness will allow certain POC to skate depending on what nations they compete for.

tears inmy eyes when saw this

don't let the haters tear you down nick!

you stuck with it and as a result im forever grateful

thanks for staying with it man!!!

Why do u hate the fact we admire him? He's a non-AFrican born runner who went to the school in the States and has lived over here for 10+ years and is incredibly good. I'm surprised the guy isn't more popular in the States.

In many ways, it can easily be argued that he's more Americanized than Bernard Lagat was when Lagat switched to the US in 2005 at age 30. Willis has been here longer as he's 31.

Strength = speed.

He might think he's got a decent shot in a slow kicker's race in a 5k. Remember as fast as he ran yesterday, he was only 7th!! Now that's hard to believe.

I find these posts laughable. Willis is an athlete about whom I wouldn't hesitate half a second to bet my actual life on that he's clean. It wouldn't even require thought for me. Many other athletes would require a huge hesitation.

I do think talk about Gatlin is a bit overblown (you always here how he's a two time doper but we never hear about Ohrugou's 1 year ban on the BBC) but he deserves it by getting a 4 year ban.

-Rojo

PS. Yes I'm biased. I'll never forget the summer before Willis came to the US, he was at a Can Am-Maine meet and asked to have his picture taken with me and my brother as he said we were famous. I laughed and said, "I'm the one happy to get my picture taken with a 4 minute HS miler."

Willis has lived in the US since 2002 and his wife is from Michigan.

People need to put some things into perspective. He might be 31, but it's not like he's smashing his PR's and he hasn't actually won any of the races he's PR'd in. He's always been consistent when healthy in his career and that's just what he has done this season.

He has shaved a fraction of a second off of his 1500m and mile PR, he had only run the 5k seriously two times before this season and rarely a 3000m outdoors either. So the PR's in those two events were there for the taking. Also he had good weather and race opportunities in all of those races. So it's not like he's some guy out of nowhere or has never run great races before.

And to anyone questioning him you ARE nuts. Anyone who knows Willis knows he's a natural as it gets.

Fastest white, English speaking 1500m runner since the 80s!

Seriously though, good run by Nick.

It's cool because we have been following him for at least a dozen years.

Okay, genius. Nick Willis is not a U.S. citizen. He has been here only since 2002, whereas Lagat came here in 1996 and has been a U.S. citizen since 2004 (acknowledged only in 2005). So, how is Willis more Americanized?