I’d like to see him stop deferring and start challenging Jakob. I think it might be on the horizon
Once the pecking order has been reversed it's hellish to take it back, especially against a prodigy.
The prodigies are a separate category, IMO. So much margin for error. That's why I'm never going to doubt a Duplantis, Jakob, Mu or McLaughlin regardless of recent results or race schedule.
I’d like to see him stop deferring and start challenging Jakob. I think it might be on the horizon
Once the pecking order has been reversed it's hellish to take it back, especially against a prodigy.
The prodigies are a separate category, IMO. So much margin for error. That's why I'm never going to doubt a Duplantis, Jakob, Mu or McLaughlin regardless of recent results or race schedule.
They don't need a step ladder.
But the counter argument to this is that there is very little evidence that Jakob is more talented than TC at 1500m. I see no evidence of this in fact. I see Jakob as being superior to TC at probably 2000m and above, whereas I see 1500m as being too close to call and 1000m and below belonging to TC. Now this can change of course.
Tim could frontrun to faster times than Jakob. He beat a diminished Tim in an unpaced race on the 3rd race in 4 days in Tokyo. I’m not sure why Tim’s ability to run 3:28-3:29 off of even too fast first laps is no longer effective vs Jakob. Especially since Jakobs ability to outkick people in a race where the leader has something left is a bit of a mystery.
Somewhere in between because on the circuit, it is only 600 meters to lead. Much as people think Jakob is good at grinding it down in races, Tim was actually as good or better at it from 2018-2020. Just look at those races and the high number of them for evidence in faster times and superior last 100 splits. In a championship race, yes if Jakob will lead let him have it.
2018 to 2020, J I was 17 to 19 years old. That era is gone. T C should never lead a 1500m race going forward with J I until 1350m.
I’m pretty sure he meant Cheruiyot was as good or better at it from 2018-2020 as Ingebrigtsen was last year. And it’s hard to argue those years weren’t better 1500m seasons for Cheruiyot than last year was for Jakob.