Konstanze Klosterhalfen - 8:36,01 min for 3.000 indoor (solo)

Huge talent. Possibly a clean WR.

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Phantasy Star wrote:

Huge talent. Possibly a clean WR.

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Wow. Jamin should challenge her to a 3k and tell her that she has to go on a date with him if he wins.

Jamin vs Konstanze Klosterhalfen

It's on.

KK is outstanding at time-trial-like fast domestic performances. Championships, not so much. We'll see if that changes at Worlds.

She just turned 21 today and there is exactly one championship where she slightly disappointed, namely the World CS last year. One simple reason is that she ran in only 3 major international senior competitions. In Rio she performed well within her means as a 19 yo rookie and in the indoor European last year she won silver which exceeded expectations. In international junior competions she got twice a bronze (European u20 1500 and World 3000 2016) and twice gold (European Xcountry 2015 and 16) which is not at all bad.
The world junior 3000 Bydgoszcz is one of the most courageous races I have seen by such a young girl because she takes on no less than 6 africans (possible age cheats included) keeping the pace high until all but two could be left behind (and she would probably have gotten silver had she not have to lead the pack for most of the race).
It's true that she lacks a hard kick on the last 100 metres and obviously feels not comfortable running in the pack but again, she is only 21.

Jamin: 800(1:57) 1500(4:02) 3000(8:34) 5000(15:18)
Konstanze: 800(1:59) 1500(3:58) 3000(8:29) 5000(14:51)

That would be one heck of a matchup lol... maybe he would break 15 in a race against her.

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Jo72 wrote:

She just turned 21 today and there is exactly one championship where she slightly disappointed, namely the World CS last year. One simple reason is that she ran in only 3 major international senior competitions. In Rio she performed well within her means as a 19 yo rookie and in the indoor European last year she won silver which exceeded expectations. In international junior competions she got twice a bronze (European u20 1500 and World 3000 2016) and twice gold (European Xcountry 2015 and 16) which is not at all bad.
The world junior 3000 Bydgoszcz is one of the most courageous races I have seen by such a young girl because she takes on no less than 6 africans (possible age cheats included) keeping the pace high until all but two could be left behind (and she would probably have gotten silver had she not have to lead the pack for most of the race).
It's true that she lacks a hard kick on the last 100 metres and obviously feels not comfortable running in the pack but again, she is only 21.

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YMMV wrote:

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Jo72 wrote:

She just turned 21 today and there is exactly one championship where she slightly disappointed, namely the World CS last year. One simple reason is that she ran in only 3 major international senior competitions. In Rio she performed well within her means as a 19 yo rookie and in the indoor European last year she won silver which exceeded expectations. In international junior competions she got twice a bronze (European u20 1500 and World 3000 2016) and twice gold (European Xcountry 2015 and 16) which is not at all bad.
The world junior 3000 Bydgoszcz is one of the most courageous races I have seen by such a young girl because she takes on no less than 6 africans (possible age cheats included) keeping the pace high until all but two could be left behind (and she would probably have gotten silver had she not have to lead the pack for most of the race).
It's true that she lacks a hard kick on the last 100 metres and obviously feels not comfortable running in the pack but again, she is only 21.

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You forgot Euro XC '17 and before, Alina got her number ;)

She is progressing very well and yes is young, but has been running pro for a while now. Her performance in London showed a lack of big race instincts which hopefully her coach(es) can remedy. Not having a great final 100 is a killer unless she is willing to move up to 5/10.

For now, Laura Muir is still the best of the Euros, and she has only been pro a little longer in time frame. I would like to see them race more, as they have similar racing styles. Maybe at Worlds.

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In the long run she will move up to the 5000; see this article (in German):

https://www.leichtathletik.de/news/news/detail/deutscher-hallenrekord-konstanze-klosterhalfen-pulverisiert-uralt-bestmarke/

Key statements:
1.) World Indoor CS: Not yet decided whether 1500 or 3000, but tends to the 3000
2.) 5000 as main event: Plans to switch by 2020. Might even be an option forthis year's European CS.

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hmstrange wrote:

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YMMV wrote:

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Jo72 wrote:

She just turned 21 today and there is exactly one championship where she slightly disappointed, namely the World CS last year. One simple reason is that she ran in only 3 major international senior competitions. In Rio she performed well within her means as a 19 yo rookie and in the indoor European last year she won silver which exceeded expectations. In international junior competions she got twice a bronze (European u20 1500 and World 3000 2016) and twice gold (European Xcountry 2015 and 16) which is not at all bad.
The world junior 3000 Bydgoszcz is one of the most courageous races I have seen by such a young girl because she takes on no less than 6 africans (possible age cheats included) keeping the pace high until all but two could be left behind (and she would probably have gotten silver had she not have to lead the pack for most of the race).
It's true that she lacks a hard kick on the last 100 metres and obviously feels not comfortable running in the pack but again, she is only 21.

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You forgot Euro XC '17 and before, Alina got her number ;)

She is progressing very well and yes is young, but has been running pro for a while now. Her performance in London showed a lack of big race instincts which hopefully her coach(es) can remedy. Not having a great final 100 is a killer unless she is willing to move up to 5/10.

For now, Laura Muir is still the best of the Euros, and she has only been pro a little longer in time frame. I would like to see them race more, as they have similar racing styles. Maybe at Worlds.

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what kind of pro? she is going to university as a NCAA runner is. this pro argument is as bad as NCAA is for us running

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The OP hoping for a NOP contract probably does not read LR, but you forget than Sifan Hassan is European now and the real deal. Laura Muir does not have a kick either and she does not seem as fit as Koko Klosterhalfen at the moment. They both should double at the European Championships and concentrate on the race without Hassan.
If Hassan doubles, then, Koko should make the 5000m hard early on. Rested, maybe she can hit 14:30 (and certainly 14:40). That would secure a medal, possibly gold. I have not looked at the schedule yet but this strategy will work better if the 5000m is after the 1500m.

There is no parallel to NCAA or collegiate running in Germany. Kindly inform yourselves before commenting on countries you apparently don't know anything about. Muir is three years older and has considerably more experience (and a faster finish) by now. But at 20-21 she was not as good as Klosterhalfen. Klosterhalfen also ran well at her two DL outings in 2017 and in the European team and U23 Championships. Again, the only disappointment was the Worlds and many think that she simply was not in top form, so it was not mainly faulty tactics.

Totally agree!
No surprise in this kind of performance - but has she the tools to win gold at major championships? No evidence yet in any race I've seen that she possesses the necessary acceleration. Is she really going to run away from a world class field at 3K or 5K?

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NOP already has Hassan wrote:

The OP hoping for a NOP contract probably does not read LR, but you forget than Sifan Hassan is European now and the real deal. Laura Muir does not have a kick either and she does not seem as fit as Koko Klosterhalfen at the moment. They both should double at the European Championships and concentrate on the race without Hassan.
If Hassan doubles, then, Koko should make the 5000m hard early on. Rested, maybe she can hit 14:30 (and certainly 14:40). That would secure a medal, possibly gold. I have not looked at the schedule yet but this strategy will work better if the 5000m is after the 1500m.

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¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote:

Jamin: 800(1:57) 1500(4:02) 3000(8:34) 5000(15:18)
Konstanze: 800(1:59) 1500(3:58) 3000(8:29) 5000(14:51)

That would be one heck of a matchup lol... maybe he would break 15 in a race against her.

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This pro / non-pro discussion apparently tends to become a bit heated ;)
German track and field is based on club membership, and there is no formal distinction - or precise separation line in practice - between professionals and other athletes, nor is there any type of mandatory competition program. So things depend on what you define to be a pro.
Klosterhalfen finished school and started university studies in 2015, and in my view she is a professional athlete since winter 2015/2016.
Maybe we can agree that both Laura Muir and Konstanze Klosterhalfen have been successful in combining university studies with professional running.

Btw: I don't think that Sifan Hassan or anyone else will try the 1500 / 5000 double at the European Championships given that the finals are scheduled for 12th of August, 20:35 and 20:55 respectively.

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¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote:

Jamin: 800(1:57) 1500(4:02) 3000(8:34) 5000(15:18)
Konstanze: 800(1:59) 1500(3:58) 3000(8:29) 5000(14:51)

That would be one heck of a matchup lol... maybe he would break 15 in a race against her.

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We don't know. She did well in Birmingham at the end of the season where only Hassan was too fast for her. There is also the possibility that her potential over 5k has only been scratched until now. She has run that distance only twice at small local meetings and her BL of 14:51 started slow (ca. 9:10 for the first 3k and 5:41 for the rest) with lots of overtaking of slower runners. We will see what happens when she does a 5k in early summer under more serious conditions. While she will probably never develop a deadly kick on the home straight she has run sub2 800 and would be able to do a very fast last lap which could be enough to win some major races.
Doubling 1500/5000 is not possible at the EC in Berlin as the finals are within an hour or two.