Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?...

[79.]

To my mind, Marie-José PEREC had the highest
potential in history:
Her 53"20 was set without any specific work and
experience in the early nineties, far before her
200/400m Atlanta 1996 apogée...
A easy 51"5 potential on 400m/h.

[steve]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?..

I'm inclined to agree.............but your use of the word specimen springs to mind images of athletes kept like insects in a mayonnaise jar for a fifth grade science project. I know, I know, I need help :O)

[paulthefan]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?..

gosh Id like to be stuck in jar with her!

[gh]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?..

Tough not to think of Szewinska

[Powell]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?..

Szewinska only ran 56.62, though.

[agingstatsman]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?..

Quite possibly the 2000 OG winner Privalova - she'd never run the event before that year, and did 53.02. 7 years earlier she ran 48.47 in the Stuttgart 4x400, and as an 18 year old ran 13.4 for the 100 hurdles. She was probably capable of around 51.5-51.9

[Pierre-Jean]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?...

Sabine Busch was World Champion indoor and outdoor in 1987 at 400 and 400 hurdles respectively.

[Rob]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?..

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[eldrick]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?..

not a 400 flat or H runner, but JJK had some great potential - 22.3, 12.69 & 2'08 ability ( never actually ran a flat out 800 )

her 100H is miles faster than any of the other gals mentioned & 22.3 is great speed ( obviously not in the class of the above, but the far better H technique should compensate enough for the inferior sprint speed )

then it comes down to 800 strength - excellent

she couda possibly gone into 52 territory if she'd taken this on as her main event in the late '80's ( when WR was stepanova's 52.94 )

[buckeye II]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?..

Mostly to add a different type athlete into the discussion, I will throw out Ana Quirot. The 800 background proves strength needed in the 400h in addition to excellent cadence & rhythm in her 400's. I feel Perec would be lacking, not only in strength, but in the cadence & turnover necessary for 400h.

[xcfan]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?..

How about Kathy Freeman of Australia I feel
that she could have been a great 400/400mh
competitor.

[Pego]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?..

Does anybody (Rob particularly) know why did Heike never attempted hurdles. With her size, speed and leaping ability, I think she'd be very good at it.

[Rob]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?..

..

[gh]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?..

>not a 400 flat or H runner, but JJK had some great potential - 22.3, 12.69 &
>2'08 ability ( never actually ran a flat out 800 )

her 100H is miles faster
>than any of the other gals mentioned & 22.3 is great speed ( obviously not in
>the class of the above, but the far better H technique should compensate enough
>for the inferior sprint speed )

then it comes down to 800 strength -
>excellent

she couda possibly gone into 52 territory if she'd taken this on
>as her main event in the late '80's ( when WR was stepanova's 52.94 )>>

Don't forget that JJK did play around at the 400H back when she was doing everything at UCLA. In '85 she was the NCAA runner-up and took 4th at both Van Damme and ISTAF, and at 55.05 was No. 11 on the yearly world list.

[gh]

Re: Best 400m/400m hurdles female specimen in history?..

>Szewinska only ran 56.62, though.>>

"only"?!!!!! Let's put it in historical perspective: when that year ('77) began the WR was all of 56.51. As an experiment at the end of a very long season Szewinska ran the 400H twice, DNFing after hitting a hurdle in her first then running 56.62 to win the other at a time when the WR was 55.63.

You recall well, of course, that she was a legit 49-second 400 runner, but note also that back in '65 when she was doing everything, including the pentathlon that she was in the top 15 in the world on the 80H list.