Sydney McLaughlin no 400 meter hurdles?

The only other elite athlete I recall making a move to a shorter distance, Jennifer Simpson, 3000mSC to 1500m. 400m training is grueling. One is anaerobic five days a week. Does one take a year off from 400m/400mH training from age 17 1/2 to 18 1/2 and go back to 400m/400mH at age 19 or so as if one never stopped? [There was an Ethiopian 1500m runner about ten years ago who started off as a 10000m/Marathoner. His name escapes me.]

Is Floreal fo real?

Kentucky coach hasn't really had an opportunity to work with McLaughlin. It's not like he has seen something special in a 5x50m & 5x100m workout. If Kentucky coach made this decision after a great indoor season of McLaughlin dominating the 60mH I would understand. Dominating is a NCAA D1 indoor 60mH championship.

i think shes mixing and matching events,because itll mean career longevity.very few teen phenoms improve,they peak too young,and most are out of the sport by their early 20s.usain bolt,and alyson felix are the exception,not the rule,and theres a very real danger sydney is just another teen phenom.she could go on to win olympic gold,or she could be out of the sport,at age 21,and just a memory.

Coach wrote:

Focus on speed, power, explosiveness and high hurdle technique that will eventually help her 400IH. Her freshman year won't be full of expectations and added stress. Yes, long term development.

Do you guys know of some other success stories that dropped their primary event so that they could get better at it?

bloob wrote:

This. Those intermediates are going to feel so low when she makes the move back.

It is only a 3 in. difference. The 100 hurdles are already low to begin with.

Hurdler No More wrote:

Coach wrote:

Focus on speed, power, explosiveness and high hurdle technique that will eventually help her 400IH. Her freshman year won't be full of expectations and added stress. Yes, long term development.

Do you guys know of some other success stories that dropped their primary event so that they could get better at it?

Do you know any other success stories of athletes who do several events in college and improve in all of them including their best?

Pretty much every American Olympian of the recent past.

Indoor? wrote:

Hurdler No More wrote:

Do you guys know of some other success stories that dropped their primary event so that they could get better at it?

Do you know any other success stories of athletes who do several events in college and improve in all of them including their best?

Pretty much every American Olympian of the recent past.

OK, I didn't realize pretty much every American Olympian of the recent past dropped their primary event so they could get better at it. Thanks for the heads up. I think we'll start having our distance kids work on the shot put next season instead. Only the most talented distance runners, of course.

Hurdler No More wrote:

Do you guys know of some other success stories that dropped their primary event so that they could get better at it?

If Usain hadn't dropped the 400 as a Jr. he would never have gone on to run 42.67 later.

Dumb decision. She should only be competing in the 400h, 400, or 200. Not all at once of course.

I watched her flotrack bio pic piece.

I will tell you right now, she should stop running entirely and just go to acting.

She has got something special .

Raily McRailerson wrote:

bloob wrote:

This. Those intermediates are going to feel so low when she makes the move back.

It is only a 3 in. difference. The 100 hurdles are already low to begin with.

But that 10th hurdle in the 400s is about 5 feet high anyway.

Hurdler No More wrote:

Indoor? wrote:

Do you know any other success stories of athletes who do several events in college and improve in all of them including their best?

Pretty much every American Olympian of the recent past.

OK, I didn't realize pretty much every American Olympian of the recent past dropped their primary event so they could get better at it. Thanks for the heads up. I think we'll start having our distance kids work on the shot put next season instead. Only the most talented distance runners, of course.

Clayton Murphy ran 800 & 1500 in College

Emma Coburn, steeple, 1500, XC

Florida jumpers all do LJ & Triple

Jenny Simpson mainly focused on Steeple in College now only 1500

I could go on all day...

Her coach knows what he is doing, remember he does coach the world record holder in the 100 Hurdles. I predict that by 2020 Olympics she will be much improved over 400 hurdles in part because of this decision and also will have a solid 2nd event, if not a 3rd. They are probably looking at being able to medal in 3-4 events 400 Hurdles, 100H, LJ, 4x400. My guess is 2-3 is what they will get out of it. But she is 18 years old, if ever a time to be patient and work on other stuff while developing to be a better runner/hurdler now is the time in a non-world champs year.

Hurdler No More wrote: Do you guys know of some other success stories that dropped their primary event so that they could get better at it?

Yes. Sebastian Coe. Worked on the 400 in 78-79 and raced it against top athletes. Was second @ 400 in the UK champs in 1979 behind El Kasheef Hassan, World Cup winner. Then set WR at 800. Then at mile. Then @ 1500. Worked more than well, I'd say.

Thanks for taking the time with that. I must admit the prospect of her being a triple event Olympic champ would be well worth it, obviously. If she does that her endorsement deals will be insane.

Someone who knows wrote:

Not going pro or being able to try different events freshman year may seem crazy to some. But you really need to know both the athlete and the family to understand what their long term goals are (developing a grounded, God-fearing, upstanding member of society). The "take the $$ and run" approach may be good for some...but not for all. Before entering that "pro" lifestyle you need to be prepared to deal with all that comes with it...good and bad.

Exactly. She seems to want to a be a normal teenager, having the normal college experience. She skipped the opening ceremonies of the Olympics last year because she wanted to spend her birthday with her friends in NJ instead.

No knock on her but that doesn't sound like someone who is eager to have the pressure of being a professional runner as a 17 yr old. She doesn't even turn 18 until August and she has already graduated high school.

whatthewhatthewhat wrote:

Seems pretty awesome her coaches are this open minded. Maybe she'll develop into an amazing heptathlete?

What would earn her more money, a star sprinter or star heptathlete? I'm guessing sprinter since she would compete more often?

Jackie Joyner did both. Good money in being an all around badass.

Sometimes stupid shit is just stupid shit and this is just plain stupid. You don't trade a guaranteed for a maybe. This is something that overly smart Track coaches do all the time. Oh she can run the 400 well let's try her in the 400 hurdles. One or two kids my succeed at it but 100 fail. Crazy. He's not a genius for this and don't try to turn him into one. The pinnacle of the sport is Olympian so to take an Olympian out of their event is crazy. Not other explaination. Ha, heptathlete, dude she's already an Olympic 400 hurdler. I'm embarrassed for the sport. Why not make Deion sanders a full time receiver instead of a corner, why not make tom Brady play tight end, why not make Lebron a point guard and trade Kyrie Irving. This level of dumb is exclusive to track

Insanity wrote:

Sometimes stupid shit is just stupid shit and this is just plain stupid. You don't trade a guaranteed for a maybe. This is something that overly smart Track coaches do all the time. Oh she can run the 400 well let's try her in the 400 hurdles. One or two kids my succeed at it but 100 fail. Crazy. He's not a genius for this and don't try to turn him into one. The pinnacle of the sport is Olympian so to take an Olympian out of their event is crazy. Not other explaination. Ha, heptathlete, dude she's already an Olympic 400 hurdler. I'm embarrassed for the sport. Why not make Deion sanders a full time receiver instead of a corner, why not make tom Brady play tight end, why not make Lebron a point guard and trade Kyrie Irving. This level of dumb is exclusive to track

Hoping for the best for her, but can't help but feel the same way.

What are the odds she doesn't end up posing in the ESPN Body issue? Maybe 1:100?