Hello, I’m almost a 15 year old girl who is starting to take up track and field...I was wondering if I should switch from 100/200m runner to 200/400m runner? I am 5’10 and heard that being y’all gives you more momentum, but won’t it slow you down because you’re taking less steps? I don’t know which type of sprinter to be....
Also, sorry about the typo in the title :p
Dafne Schippers is 5’10”.
Try different events and see what you’re best at!
Top 5 women 100m sprinters of all time, in order, are these heights:
5-7, 5-4, 5-10, 5-0, 5-6
My point is that it is a mixed bag. It seems like a range of heights fit in. You're in that range. If you decide to do a different event, it shouldnt be because of your height.
For the 400m, the 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6th fastest women all time are:
5-7, 5-7, 5-11, 5-7, and 5-5
I couldnt find the height for number 5. Again, a range of heights and you are in that range.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce 5'0
Dafne Schippers 5'10
Being a shorter sprinter makes one better off the blocks
Being a taller sprinter makes one better at accelerating at the end.
You have the perfect build for women’s tennis.
I would say yes, especially if you continue to get taller.
Shaunae Miller is 6-1 and has an almost perfect frame. She can look unfair gobbling up ground at the end of the 200. Sometimes she gets wobbly in the final 20-40 meters of the 400 and stumbles badly, but that's an oddity and I don't expect it to continue.
BTW, this forum is lots of sarcastic opinionated and occasionally harsh males much older than yourself so that explains the troll behavior you mentioned in another thread. I think you did a great job describing yourself and your goals in this thread. It was impressive and will help big time in how you are treated here from now on, at least by anyone who remembers your story. It wouldn't hurt to occasionally provide the bio again. Not many females post here.
sprintingjourney wrote:
Hello, I’m almost a 15 year old girl who is starting to take up track and field...I was wondering if I should switch from 100/200m runner to 200/400m runner? I am 5’10 and heard that being y’all gives you more momentum, but won’t it slow you down because you’re taking less steps? I don’t know which type of sprinter to be....
For the indoor 60 probably a disadvantage
100m not much of an advantage
200m about even
400m would be an advantage
sprintingjourney wrote:
Hello, I’m almost a 15 year old girl who is starting to take up track and field...I was wondering if I should switch from 100/200m runner to 200/400m runner?
No, keep running the short sprints for now to work on your start and top end speed. Later you can graduate to the longer sprints.
don't over think this. HS is the time to try a bunch of different distances and see what you are best at. Even think about trying cross country in the fall. If you can survive XC, your speed might play well in the 800m.
Great question, but your height is not the most important variable, it’s your training age. Because you are a beginner, stay a 100m/200m runner (for now). Even though you might have success in the 400m right now, you will have much greater success in the 400m in the future (when you do switch) if you first develop your 100m/200m speed to its fullest.
Look up Quincy Watts.
I think this is great advice. Then again, I can't help but think of the great anomaly, Bolt, with his 200/400 early background.
Quite correct, but I’ll cling to your “anomaly” lifeline by pointing out that I’ve not heard Bolt or his coaches claim that early concentration on the 200m and 400m made him a better 100m runner than he would have been otherwise.
Then again, here comes Van Niekirk. . . . .