16 year old runs 1:44.51 for 800 and 3:37.54 for 1500

Tilastopaja has changed the winner of the 800 in 1:44.51 so NO double, so disregard my first post.

Definitely 16.

Don't you know about altitude training, ugali, bare-feet and of course Kenyan government administration (birth registration etc etc) is right up there with the best first world countries?

Its so darn great for the sport that we have 16 year old east Africans running 1.44 for 800m - this is just what we need to motivate our lazy Western world 16 year olds into devoting their lives to the toughest individual sport on the planet...

Screwby Doo wrote:

Its so darn great for the sport that we have 16 year old east Africans running 1.44 for 800m - this is just what we need to motivate our lazy Western world 16 year olds into devoting their lives to the toughest individual sport on the planet...

Actually, what you need is for those "best first world" parents to let their fat ass kids walk to school, and for the to make their lazy, entitled kids put down their smartphones and video game controllers long enough so they can contemplate going outside and working up a sweat.

Right. Good point. But this has what to do with the previous statement?

douglas burke wrote:

Kumari Taki born May 6th 1999

LOL

douglas burke wrote:

Kumari Taki born May 6th 1999

According to Kenya, he was born on the 37th of Smarch

You know, I would believe May 6, 1899 a lot more than May 6, 1999.

Speaking for myself, I'd find it difficult to believe a 116 y.o.could run that fast.

let's say for argument sake he's 18. Still damn fast. If he doesn't have much racing history, regardless of age, he'll improve

The 800m runner was not the same as the 1500m. 800m winner was Willy Tarbei, He's another Brother Colm product and I expect him to do big things in the future. I believe he is in his final year of secondary school, so likely 18ish. Anyway, this is 1:44.5 IN NAIROBI, so I am impressed no matter how old he is.

Walking to school has nothing to do with it

Kenyan kids are gifted as runners (so are Irish and other northern European kids)........ but as always the 800 lb. elephant room with the Kenyans is whether or not they are on the junk..... talent + junk is unbeatable and destroys the sport.

I think we all know they're not 16

He is not 16, nor is the other Kenyan.

Kenya and other African nations are notorious for age cheating.

Coincidentally it is a World Youth Championship year... 16/17 is the age that works so guess what... sub 1:45 in the 800 m, sub 3:38 in the 1500 m. There will be others from North Africa as well. It is like clockwork with African nations when getting ready to have a World Age Group Team.

Anybody who has watched World Youth and World Junior championships live or on television will know what I am writing about. Balding, wedding rings, grizzled faces that show age.

Age cheating with male teenagers vs. males in the twenties is a performance enhancer greater than any PED's discussed on LRC (my opinion and not fact based).

World age group championships should test for age cheating. I understand there is a test but it is very expensive

African "juniors" have a convenient way of bursting on the scene running WJRs at an "early" age, then vanishing or plateauing heavily, perhaps PRing one more time at age "22" or so.

E.g. Nigel Amos, who ran 1:41 at London in 2012, age "17", but has plateaued at 1:42-42 since. Many other examples, like Sammy Kipketer, who was "20" in 2001:

PERSONAL BESTS

PROGRESSION

PERFORMANCE PLACE DATE

2007 7:48.35 Dakar 28 APR

2006 7:48.95 Ostrava 30 MAY

2002 7:35.91 Monaco (Stade Louis II) 19 JUL

2001 7:33.62 Lausanne (Pontaise) 04 JUL

2000 7:35.72 Monaco (Stade Louis II) 18 AUG

1999 7:34.58 Bruxelles 03 SEP

5000 METRES

PERFORMANCE PLACE DATE

2006 13:29.3 Nairobi 01 JUL

2005 13:01.55 Berlin 04 SEP

2003 12:52.33 Oslo 27 JUN

2002 12:56.99 Zürich 16 AUG

2001 12:59.34 Athína 11 JUN

2000 12:54.07 Roma (Stadio Olimpico) 30 JUN

1999 12:58.10 Oslo 30 JUN

10,000 METRES

PERFORMANCE PLACE DATE

2008 28:35.98 Nairobi 05 JUL

2007 27:14.04 Hengelo 26 MAY

2005 26:52.60 Bruxelles 26 AUG

2004 27:03.61 Bruxelles 03 SEP

2003 27:13.42 Bruxelles 05 SEP

2002 26:49.38 Bruxelles 30 AUG

I just assume that at "17/18" they are actually 23 and well developed; yes including doping, and will have about the appropriate career for that age, so by 28, or "22", they are on the downslide.

Sure, exercise and activity as children have nothing to do with it. I would run the same times, regardless of whether I had sat on a couch inhaling potato chips all my couch vs. getting out constantly and walking the tracks and playing sports and so on.

george oscar bluth wrote:

this is 1:44.5 IN NAIROBI, so I am impressed no matter how old he is.

At Nairobi's altitude (about 5,500'), a 1:44.5 800 meters worth about a 1:43.85 at sea level. I'm not sure if this is about the difference you expected, but some people think that the 800 is more altitude-affected than it actually is. At faster paces, the lack of air resistance in a race lasting well under two minutes almost completely offsets the decrease in oxygen availability.

Also, he's probably 16 in nautical years. That would be about (16 x 1.15) = 18.40 in everyday years.

Interesting times list.

Just adds to being convinced that African nations cannot be trusted when age group championships are involved.

Coaches know it, administrators know it, athletes know it. But administrators and coaches don't do anything about it. To some extent coaches at the NCAA level turn a blind eye to it and bring in age cheats just to save their jobs. The IAAF has much to do age cheating as well - more than anyone else really... because they have done absolutely nothing about it yet have the power to do something about it.

Age cheating is stealing from teenagers. Stealing by people who have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

Oh how I hope a change at the top of the IAAF will have a trickle-down enema effect on that organization.

How does this affect Mike Rossi and his efforts to clear his tarnished reputation?