rojo wrote:
The problem people have with the NOP is 2nd part of your statement. How do you legally suddenly develop world class speed and then lose it? Seriously, how do you do it? Many argue pharmaceuticals and that's why the androgel accusations are so alarming for many. When Semenya is pumped full of testosterone, she's a world beater. When she's not, she's not.
1) Rupp has always had great top end speed, better than Farah according to Salazar. He's just lacked the strength to use it. Rupp's ability to sprint isn't at question; his ability to sprint after running within a second per lap of PR pace is the issue.
2) Being sharp in terms of speed comes and goes. You can't replicate everything perfectly every season, or else everyone who stayed healthy would PR every year.
3) Rupp was allegedly using that stuff since HS, so there's no reason it would be connected to a sudden improvement in kicking speed much later in Rupp's development (that would more closely follow the pattern of aerobic development I described in my first point, where Rupp is now strong enough to tap into that speed at the end of fast races).
4) Rupp lost some of that strength this winter when he had that virus; he simply may not have been able to put in the work this training cycle.