New Threat To JW 2008???

[gh]

Re: JW will not lose in '08

I'm going out on a limb here and saying that JW will dominate at least through 2008.

There are only two things that could prevent that, the injury bug OR continued improvement by a 19-year-old named LaShawn; he of the 44.14 credentials.

Just to clarify, Merritt was 20 when he ran 44.14 and will be 21 before the World Champs (turns a week after USATF).

[Jacksf]

It seems like a lot of people want to crown a next jeremy wariner. We already have one, and hes darn good. It shocks me that there is more talk about who is going to bring him down than when he is going to run a 43 low. In just over a week he will turn 23, and wasnt MJ something like 32 or 33 when he won his last olympic gold? LaShawn is darn good, and there is a good possibility that running 44.0 might be worth a bronze medal in bejing, if that.

Agreed. Everyone knows JW is good, but a lot of people out there figure that if he is that good, there must be somebody who is better. I think it's a sub-conscious racial thing.
There was a lot of talk about LM early last season, then Spearmon, then the X man, then LM again. Frankly, JW spanked all these guys real good.
LM has talent, but JW pulled him to all his fast times. I am not convinced as of yet that he is the next great 400m runner. Meanwhile, JW is, at this moment, one of the greatest 400m runners ever.

[Jacksf]

Hullett doesn't crack the top 12 tips for NCAA indoors 400m from Trackwire:

http://www.trackshark.com/trackwire/d12men070123.pdf

If you want to keep an eye on a 400m prospect look no further than Aussie youngster Kurt Mulcahy. Still 17 (dob 12 May 1989), he's improved from 47.24 to 46.03 already in this Australian season, and it's early days still. He's got decent speed: 10.68 (10.45w), 21.07 (20.94w), and is on the scrawny side...

Mulcahy sounds like a talent, but just to clarify, Hulett has the fastest coleegiate 400m so far this season.

From Trackshark:
Event 3 Men 400 Meter Dash ** Auto: 46.05 **
RANK ATHLETE YR SCHOOL SEED TIME DATE
==== ======================= == ======================= =========== =====
1 Lukas Hulett FR Nebraska 47.03 01-13
2 Kevin Mutai SR Baylor 47.04 01-12
3 David Dickens SR Georgia 47.04 01-20
4 Michael Bingham JR Wake Forest * 47.05 01-20
5 Andretti Bain JR Oral Roberts 47.10 01-20
6 Rodney Lockhart SO Mississippi 47.22 01-12

[KevinM]

Hullett doesn't crack the top 12 tips for NCAA indoors 400m from Trackwire:

http://www.trackshark.com/trackwire/d12men070123.pdf

If you want to keep an eye on a 400m prospect look no further than Aussie youngster Kurt Mulcahy. Still 17 (dob 12 May 1989), he's improved from 47.24 to 46.03 already in this Australian season, and it's early days still. He's got decent speed: 10.68 (10.45w), 21.07 (20.94w), and is on the scrawny side...

Mulcahy sounds like a talent, but just to clarify, Hulett has the fastest coleegiate 400m so far this season.

From Trackshark:
Event 3 Men 400 Meter Dash ** Auto: 46.05 **
RANK ATHLETE YR SCHOOL SEED TIME DATE
==== ======================= == ======================= =========== =====
1 Lukas Hulett FR Nebraska 47.03 01-13
2 Kevin Mutai SR Baylor 47.04 01-12
3 David Dickens SR Georgia 47.04 01-20
4 Michael Bingham JR Wake Forest * 47.05 01-20
5 Andretti Bain JR Oral Roberts 47.10 01-20
6 Rodney Lockhart SO Mississippi 47.22 01-12

To clarify a bit more, barring a weak year in the event, Hulett's current time is unlikely to make the NCAA meet. It's worthless to start talking about NCAA indoor times before the two major invite weekends (2/3 and 2/10) and the conference/last chance go round. "Next JW" talk is simply absurd at this point.

[AS]

Mulcahy sounds like a talent, but just to clarify, Hulett has the fastest coleegiate 400m so far this season.

But Hulett's time is a second slower than Mulcahy, which even allowing for the indoor aspect is a big gap... about the gap JW would put on either of them... by the 250m mark...

[Jacksf]

Another new name to watch for - comparisons to JW aside - is Alex Harcourt of Washington.
He ran a 46.43 (WL?) yesterday and beat Darold Williamson and all the quarterhorses from Baylor.

[Mennisco]

Another new name to watch for - comparisons to JW aside - is Alex Harcourt of Washington.
He ran a 46.43 (WL?) yesterday and beat Darold Williamson and all the quarterhorses from Baylor.

Wariner's big legacy is going to be like that of Evelyn Ashford: SHE showed that the East Germans could be vanquished, and US sprinting on the distaff side saw the beginning of a renaissance that lasts to this day. Thanks to the Tennessee State Tigerbelles, the US won the Olympic 100 in 1960, '64 [1-2 finish] and '68. They won the Olympic 200 in 60 and 64. By Munich, the best a Tigerbelle could manage was 5th, and in Montreal only 6th [ Ashford was 5th in Montreal]. Things changed in a huge way in 1979 when Ashford conquered Marlies Gohr and Marita Koch in the World Cup. Following Ashford were Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Flojo, Devers, Torrence, Marion, Inger Miller.....there hasn't been a nadir in American women's sprinting like the 1970's. Now Wariner , I predict, will be seen by track historians as the man who showed Caucasian Americans that they CAN sprint - and we will very likely see more Wariners, and some new Bobby Morrows and Dave Simes. [No, they won't be cloned.]

[Trackshark]

Another new name to watch for - comparisons to JW aside - is Alex Harcourt of Washington.
He ran a 46.43 (WL?) yesterday and beat Darold Williamson and all the quarterhorses from Baylor.

Harcourt only ran one year in high school as well. He was an avid swimmer/diver before giving track a shot in his senior year.

[Jacksf]

A little more about Harcourt and the race:
http://gohuskies.cstv.com/sports/c-trac ... 07aac.html

[paulthefan]

......but one critical difference is this:

He's not running under Clyde Hart.

Bingo!