I’ve seen several speculate more that his body just really struggles with rounds for whatever reason. If that’s the case, he needs to look more at the 200 or even 100. He has the flat speed to still be an impact there
That could be. I had high hopes until I saw him run the semi and how he looked following it.
I’ve seen several speculate more that his body just really struggles with rounds for whatever reason. If that’s the case, he needs to look more at the 200 or even 100. He has the flat speed to still be an impact there
That could be. I had high hopes until I saw him run the semi and how he looked following it.
he tried the 100 last year or the year before. it didn't work. he's been hurt, and hasn't really run to his ability at all this year.
He hasn't looked right at all this season. Barely raced and never looked comfortable when he did. Didn't race at all last year either. He may be cooked.
He's got more variance race to race than any elite talent I can remember.
It has to be mostly mental. Sometimes coming around the turn he looks totally relaxed. Other times he's already very tight in the chest. This is the first meet that he ran so slowly from the outset he was already irrelevant entering the turn.
Is it psychological? He always flames out like this.
He was the 2022 World Champion.
But he has immense talent but got tempted by the 100 and didn't make it fully back to 400.
He got it done once, and I'm really glad he's got that one to hold onto. (And even then, it was a slow-ish race where he got pretty lucky that no one else really had it that night.)
But he's been to two Olympics where he was either the fave or one of the obvious faves, and in both he choked horribly in the final.
Like really appeared to just quit.
I wish the guy the very best, but if we don't conclude he's really got a serious psychological block at this point, I don't think we're being honest.
What coach having a worse meet than Quincy Watts? Norman goes down in flames. Kendall Ellis bombs. Either needs better drug plan or better psychologist or just toss his training model into trash. USC since Caryl left has underperformed for all the talent they've recruited. Just talking 1, 2 and 4 and relays, not other events.
Is it psychological? He always flames out like this.
He was the 2022 World Champion.
But he has immense talent but got tempted by the 100 and didn't make it fully back to 400.
Okay, I had to go back and see if I was horribly misremembering some stuff, but I don't think I was.
I slightly conflated Tokyo and Doha, but I don't think it changes the picture too much.
He's IMO the greatest 400 talent the US has seen for a long time. (Maybe Q Wilson is the next.)
He went to Doha as the prohibitive fave, IIRC. He horribly choked, like just completely checked out.
Tonight, he horribly choked, like just completely checked out and was never remotely in the race.
Tokyo '21, he was sure as hell one of the faves, kind of looked like he gave up with 100 to go, and finished a very disappointing 5th.
He's got one good performance, one quite disappointing, and two absolute disasters.
IMO he'll go down as a guy who never came close to fulfilling his potential, and it sure as hell seems like the only reason was --as my coach used to say-- from the neck up.
Very unfortunate. Kind of in a similar category as an Andy Wheating or Robby A.
(Except that neither of them quite had his level of talent, and I don't remember either of them ever spitting the bit as overtly as we've seen Michael do twice now.)
What coach having a worse meet than Quincy Watts? Norman goes down in flames. Kendall Ellis bombs. Either needs better drug plan or better psychologist or just toss his training model into trash. USC since Caryl left has underperformed for all the talent they've recruited. Just talking 1, 2 and 4 and relays, not other events.
Tbh, I don’t think any of this is on Quincy Watts. Rai is always ready to go. Norman is never ready to go. Quincy Watts should hire a sports psychologist for Norman if he hasn’t already.
If its in Norman's head or maturity then he still takes the blame when Norman is on a big contract and no actions taken to intervene. My sources in LA say Norman too distracted living in SoCal on big contract.
My arm chair opinion is Michael Norman and Athing Mu share similar issue. Extremely talented and for a long time so much better than their competition in high school and college it was not a struggle. After moving up to pros they also had early success but then stiffer competition and pressure of expectations became a burden and anxiety provoking experience. At the heart of it they were accustomed to relying on their physical abilities to carry them through but it’s not enough at top of the sport. When a true desire to compete is required they recoil. It’s hard to imagine being that talented and not wanting to compete but it’s no different than an athlete of lesser talent who likes everything about the sport except competing. Some like training and meeting goals or the social aspects of being on a team but do not have killer instinct. They care about performing well but that’s not the same as competing to vanquish your opponent. Can you imagine Michael Norman’s body with Cole Hocker’s or Quincy Hall’s brain? I saw this paradox many times as a coach. It’s not a psychological problem per se but since they are competing at highest level their struggle’s are on public display. There’s also not a cure or fix it’s just individual differences and constitution.