RE: Zola Budd was much better than Cain at this age

Stating Budd was better than Cain at this age isn't really fair though, is it ?

Budd was about the most talented young female distance runner the world has ever seen.

(And a thoroughly nice person too, unlike the drug cheat MDS)

Stop deleting my posts wrote:

Scottish Pessimist wrote:

In other words, she'll be another ~2:00/4:00/15:00 type (like Rowbury but with a different progression).

That would hardly be a bad career. If she can "race" like Centro and Jenny, who knows. Centro especially is nowhere near the fastest, but he brings home the medals.

I think Cain can do better. The question is does she want that life? Its HARD and she could punt at anytime, become a doctor, engineer, whatever.

+ 1. I'm not convinced Cain is completely sold on the professional runner thing for the long term. Efraimson, on the other hand, seems completely into it, but she hasn't [yet] demonstrated that she's really at the pro level.

Joe Binks wrote:

And (unlike Mo Farah who has zero British blood in his veins!) she was never accepted as British by a large proportion of the British public.

Zero British blood? Mo Farah's father was BORN in London.

seb coe was only the 61st fastest ever under 20 at 1500m in britain and he did ok

dkny64 wrote:

+ 1. I'm not convinced Cain is completely sold on the professional runner thing for the long term. Efraimson, on the other hand, seems completely into it, but she hasn't [yet] demonstrated that she's really at the pro level.

You are wondering if Cain is into running? I kind of find that laughable. She ran on her own - not on her own HS team. She's turned down scholarship offers to Stanford to go to Portland State and run for Alberto.

I'd say she's pretty into it.

But let's say you are right. Let's say she's not into it.

Here's a thought for you. It might be better to NOT be obsessed by it. If you aren't obsessed at age 18, you gradually tighten the screws each year, and keep improving.

To me, running is about 2 things. 1) Talent level and 2) "who keeps improving the longest"

As a college coach, to find a guy who wasn't all in meant they normally had more upside. Assuming they'd do the work down the road. And I never really found desire to be a problem.

I dont think being totally obsessed at age 17 would be best. Let that total focus come at 24-5.

I pretty much agree with everything you're saying, but I also agree with the poster who thinks that by the time Cain graduates college, she might be ready to go to med school [other professional school, etc.] instead of focusing on pro running. Anyway, time will tell.

Scottish Pessimist wrote:

She ran 4:01, 8:37, and 15:01 (WR) at age 17

Now she ended up very good with 3:59 and 14:48 but not don't get your hopes up for Cain. She is not as fast and neither of Zola's times would be American records. In all likelihood she will just be another solid performer Shannon Rowbury who happened to reach her peak early.

There are plenty women who went on to win Olympic and World Championship medals who were slower at 17 than Zola Budd.

It's hard to predict entire careers based on what their PB's were at 17. Zola Budd was a phenomenon...I have great respect for the way she handled all the adverse circumstances she went through at a young age.

Not Portland State. University of Portland. I don't think there is a long run for Cain. Olympics or bust. Then medical school.

Les wrote:

Joe Binks wrote:

And (unlike Mo Farah who has zero British blood in his veins!) she was never accepted as British by a large proportion of the British public.

Zero British blood? Mo Farah's father was BORN in London.

Really?

"The twins’ father is Muktar Farah. He had left Somalia as a young man and settled in London where he worked as an IT consultant. During a holiday visit to his homeland he married Amran – and decided to stay. They made a life together in Mogadishu and already had two sons and a daughter when the twins arrived."

Mo is as British as Lagat is American as Kipketer was/is Danish...

Joe Binks wrote:

Les wrote:

Zero British blood? Mo Farah's father was BORN in London.

Really?

"The twins’ father is Muktar Farah. He had left Somalia as a young man and settled in London where he worked as an IT consultant. During a holiday visit to his homeland he married Amran – and decided to stay. They made a life together in Mogadishu and already had two sons and a daughter when the twins arrived."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2190417/Revealed-We-twin-brother-Mo-Farah-forced-abandon-child-war-torn-Somalia-tells-harrowing-story-separated-aged-parents-agonising-decision.html

I actually heard a BBC commentator say: ‘At last we have a British runner that can beat the Africans at distance running.’

He should have visited Specsavers!

I notice, despite the claim that Zola was ‘done internationally at 20’ - she did run a 8.42 aged 25 which was the second fastest 3000 that year - 1991.

And that was after she had been banned for a time for running (actually watching) in a race in South Africa.

They are still hounding her - they took away her age group prize in the last Comrades Marathon because she wasn’t displaying an age group tag and gave the money to one who finishing 16 minutes behind her.

Scottish Pessimist wrote:

She ran 4:01, 8:37, and 15:01 (WR) at age 17

Now she ended up very good with 3:59 and 14:48 but not don't get your hopes up for Cain. She is not as fast and neither of Zola's times would be American records. In all likelihood she will just be another solid performer Shannon Rowbury who happened to reach her peak early.

Dude, I watched Saladbar turn Rupp into a beast and a silver medal at the olympics.

Cain has more finishing speed then Rupp ever did relative to the field.

She has gold medal written all over her in 2020, she might even win a medal in 16

Joe Binks wrote:

I actually heard a BBC commentator say: ‘At last we have a British runner that can beat the Africans at distance running.’

He should have visited Specsavers!

I notice, despite the claim that Zola was ‘done internationally at 20’ - she did run a 8.42 aged 25 which was the second fastest 3000 that year - 1991.

And that was after she had been banned for a time for running (actually watching) in a race in South Africa.

No it was 8:35.72 to Elana's 8:32.00 as they planned to trade laps to run a world class time.

Elana mentions it here in her speech at AIMS........

I know a lot about Zola and see mistakes in the thread.