Amos or Aman?

[Deerfoot]

Who is the bigger threat to Rudisha?
Aman has beaten Rudisha twice, which Amos has yet to do at all. On the other hand, Amos has run faster than Aman and did it when it mattered most. I also think he has more room for improvement. I'm inclined to believe that Aman is a more immediate threat, but that Amos represents a greater challenge to Rudisha's position.

[Marlow]

Who is the bigger threat to Rudisha?
Aman has beaten Rudisha twice, which Amos has yet to do at all. On the other hand, Amos has run faster than Aman and did it when it mattered most. I also think he has more room for improvement. I'm inclined to believe that Aman is a more immediate threat, but that Amos represents a greater challenge to Rudisha's position.

I love that the three have each other. It should raise the entire 800's community and bring even faster times for the next several years. We were due for another step forward as in the days of Johnny Gray's running, when 1:42 runners came out of the woodwork.

[John G]

Amos' style is horrible. Even worse than Mark Everett.

Does anyone know who is coaching Amos and what advisers / agents he has around him? He ran 1:41 in perfect conditions with perfect pacemaking. He may never get close again.

My gut feel is that Aman will be the one. He suffered in London by trying to go with Rudisha but had he raced for silver I suspect that's what he would have got. I'd even place a small bet now on him beating Rudisha in Moscow. If Rudisha is a little short of full fitness (and it'll be hard to motivate himslegf back to the same level as last year) and he tries to win gun to tape again, then he will be very vulnerable.

[norunner]

Amos' style is horrible. Even worse than Mark Everett.

Does anyone know who is coaching Amos and what advisers / agents he has around him? He ran 1:41 in perfect conditions with perfect pacemaking. He may never get close again.

Rudisha storming away like a madman is not perfect pacemaking. Perfect pacemaking is having an actual pacemaker who hit the marks they tell him to and doesn't run away. And perfect conditions? You gotta be kidding me, an 18 year old kid runs the second best time ever behind Rudisha when it mattered most and you make it sound like it was just coincidence.

[AS]

Amos improved his 400m PR to 45.66A in Sth Africa over the weekend. That's 0.28 faster than his previous best from last year...

Wonder if that'll impact on his 800m PR this year?

[John G]

Amos' style is horrible. Even worse than Mark Everett.

Does anyone know who is coaching Amos and what advisers / agents he has around him? He ran 1:41 in perfect conditions with perfect pacemaking. He may never get close again.

Rudisha storming away like a madman is not perfect pacemaking. Perfect pacemaking is having an actual pacemaker who hit the marks they tell him to and doesn't run away. And perfect conditions? You gotta be kidding me, an 18 year old kid runs the second best time ever behind Rudisha when it mattered most and you make it sound like it was just coincidence.

I didn't say or imply that his performance was a 'coincidence', just that pacemaking and conditions were perfect.

Rudisha did not storm away like a madmen. He ran a first 400 at the same pace, or possibly slower than the rabbits used by Coe, Cruz and Kipketer when they ran their 1:41.7s. He opened up down the back straight at a similar point to the one at which the aforementioend rabbits would have stepped off the track. I forget at which point Amos moved into 2nd but I'm sure he benefitted from a little drafting far longer than Coe, Cruz or Kipketer.

He may be a consistent 1:40.x runner next season but there are plenty of runners who produced the performance of their life at an early age and never quite scale the same heights again. Kaki's pb is nearly 3 years old - he may not go faster. Cruz peaked at 21.. .. .. ..