Marileidy Paulino

[ATK]

This was Bryce Hoppel's 2019 season between September 2018 to October 2019. He eventually ran an 800m PR in the Doha final.

• 4 XC races: 6k (1), 8K (3)
• 12 indoor races: 800 (6), One mile (1), DMR (2), 4x4 (3)
• 19 Outdoor (NCAA): 800 (10),1500 (2), DMR (1), 4x800 (1), 4x4 (5)
• 8 Outdoor (post-NCAA): 800 (8)

Sure he is the exception not the rule, but Athing Mu is also an exceptional athlete as well.

[Atticus]

I'd love to see her not compete now until the US Olympic Trials, qualify, and then take a break from racing, and come out next month and do a couple of meets. But she wont!

Her OT 800 final is June 27. Her OG 800 prelim is July 30. How does she do what you propose?
Her coach is a smart guy. He'll figure it out, e.g., a week of lighter training, 2 medium weeks with some race-tempo 400s and 600s, a light week and she's there. She's got a great base; she just needs a mental break and no super-hard training.

[Powell]

It's not so much the sheer number of races she's done this year. It's the fact she has been competing continuously, seemingly close to peak form the whole time. I guess that means she only did the base work before the start of the season in January.

[gm]

Note Wariner had 8 outdoor races by this time of year, compared to Mu's 12.

You don't count relays? Wariner ran a lot of relays for Baylor in addition to his 200/400 open races in 2004.

[ATK]

You don't count relays? Wariner ran a lot of relays for Baylor in addition to his 200/400 open races in 2004.

Good point, I think he missed some results because World Athletics does not show all his NCAA races that year. For example his WA page only shows him running the 4x4 at NCAAs, which is of course not true.

[ZazaShoya]

And now 49.99 in Huelva ...

[Atticus]

I was going to post this under the Ones to Watch thread, but decided she deserves her own.
Now, I pride myself on being pretty knowledgeable about the sport, but must say, she has snuck under the radar for me a bit. Marileidy Paulino,

And now 49.99 in Huelva ...

Your faith has been rewarded!

[Powell]

Paulino is the 7th woman to have run sub-50 this year, a result that hasn't been beaten since 2007. And it's still early season; we might very well see 10 women break 50 this year for the first time since 1988!

[Wiederganger]

Your faith has been rewarded!

It has.
Although I am very slightly dubious about some of the times. Catia Azevedo ran a huge PB of 50.59 in 2nd place, knocking off just over 1 second at age 27 after being around on the circuit for years. Her last race was 52.99 at the ETC and a 51.61 before that, which was a PB. 3rd placer Anabel Medina also set a PB, and 4th placer Laura Bueno also ran a PB of 51.93 here, her last races being 53.15, 53.88, 54.07 & 55.01 (that's a 54.03 average, and she now runs 51.9..)

I guess the conditions could well have been perfect, and Paulino has shown she is in that kind of form. I just wonder about the women behind her as it kind of doesn't make sense to me.

[26mi235]

Like Powell, I'm not sure why running a 400m relay leg is any less significant then a 400m individual? I guess there may be, in some ways, less emotional stress, but on the other hand, more pressure.

I agree every athlete is different, and I think at a young age, athletes can cope much more with lots of races. I just think she cannot keep this level of racing up and be her best in 2 months. Happy to be proven wrong though!

She is running anchor, in many races she does not have to run that hard to secure a desired finish. I think that it makes those relays easier (running 50-point relay is not really that hard a race since it is more than a second slower than she can run, and maybe two..=

[Vault-emort]

Probably needed to be in 'ones to watch' thread since there are so many much faster than her already this yar.

[Powell]

Although I am very slightly dubious about some of the times. Catia Azevedo ran a huge PB of 50.59 in 2nd place, knocking off just over 1 second at age 27 after being around on the circuit for years. Her last race was 52.99 at the ETC and a 51.61 before that, which was a PB. 3rd placer Anabel Medina also set a PB, and 4th placer Laura Bueno also ran a PB of 51.93 here, her last races being 53.15, 53.88, 54.07 & 55.01 (that's a 54.03 average, and she now runs 51.9..)

Yeah, I wondered about Azevedo, too. Last weekend she finished 4th in Chorzów, more than 1.5 secs behind Natalia Kaczmarek. As nice as it would be to believe Kaczmarek is in 49-low form, I'm pretty sure she's not.