Ajee’ Wilson plans to eventually move up to the 1500, perhaps as soon as next year

By Jonathan Gault
June 14, 2019

Editor’s note: On Sunday the adidas Boost Boston Games and adidas Boost Boston Back Bay Mile will take place on Boylston St – home to the finish line of the Boston Marathon. A schedule for the adidas Boost Boston Games which will be televised live on NBC from 4:30-6 pm ET is here. The mile schedule is here. Jonathan Gault talked to Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Noah Lyles, Ajee’ Wilson, and Robby Andrews at today’s pre-event presser. His article on Ajee’ Wilson appears below. There are three other articles: a Miller-Uibo article is here, a Noah Lyles article is here, and a Robby Andrews article is here.

BOSTON — American Ajee’ Wilson has been in her usual fine form in 2019, running 1:58 for 800 in her DL opener in Doha, winning in Stockholm, and running 1:59 to win at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston last weekend. But Wilson has also been dabbling in the 1500, running 4:06 in Princeton in April and 4:08 at Swarthmore in May, and she revealed today as the press event for Sunday’s adidas Boost Boston Games that she eventually plans to move up to the 1500.

It’s not a totally new event for Wilson, who said she began high school as a miler before her 800 talent revealed itself, but she’s never run it at a US or global championship. That may change in a year or two, however. Wilson said that there’s no strict timeline of when she will move up, but hinted that it could come as soon as next year, where she didn’t rule out doubling in the 800/1500 at the Olympic Trials.

“I think it really just depends on how training goes,” Wilson said. “This year has been really positive in terms of how I adapt to it. So I think next year we’ll be a little bit closer to that. We’ll see. The schedule for the Olympic Trials plays out nicely, so it’s just a matter of fitness and how I’m doing.”

Then there’s the question of Caster Semenya. What if Semenya’s appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal is successful, and Semenya and other hyperandrogenous athletes are again allowed to compete in the women’s 800 without being forced to lower their testosterone levels? Wilson said she isn’t sure how it would affect her decision-making, but her coach Derek Thompson would likely consider it.

“He probably considers everything,” Wilson said. “He’s definitely a big-picture thinker.”

More from today’s press event: Noah Lyles on Christian Coleman: “Some people just don’t like you. You can’t do nothing about it.” The world’s fastest 100 meter man also reiterated once again that he has zero plans to run the 100 at USAs and Worlds. Plus he says he’s “more excited” to train after losing to Michael Norman in Rome.

Shaunae Miller-Uibo Say She’s In the Best Shape of Her Life, “I Just Feel A Whole Lot Stronger This Year.” In other news, Miller-Uibo declined to discuss what happened in the fight with Tori Bowie that led to Bowie’s exit from PURE Athletics

Robby Andrews is trying to come back from hell but he’s not making any excuses, “There’s no real excuse for running 1:54.” Andrews who is coming back from Lyme disease and surgery was horrific earlier this week when he ran 1:54 for 800.