I didn't even realize WVN made it out of round 1 for the 200M. He came DFL in Knighton's victorious heat 3 of the 200M, and I didn't even notice he was in the race at all until I checked the results.
As for Norman... what the f*ck bro. Another spectacular DFL for someone who should be obliterating the WR by now. I hope he can get his mental state in check before it's too late. It'd be a shameful waste of talent and potential
I’d say Wayde Van Niekerk had an excellent career, world record, Olympic gold, and twice world champion. Probably second greatest 400m runner ever behind Michael Johnson.
Michael Norman really underachieved though I can’t lie. 5th in the Olympic trials 200m as a high schooler in 20.1, broke the NCAA 400m record in 43.6 I believe, than ran 43.4 in 2019, 19.7, and 9.86. I have no doubt he’s as talented as Michael Johnson, but all he brought home individual hardware wise was a 400m gold in 2022.
It was cool to see him win that, but he looked like he’d become a 43.0 or 43.1 guy and a 19.3 guy and win a bunch of world and Olympic championships in 2019. It’s like the Alan Webb of sprinting
I’d say Wayde Van Niekerk had an excellent career, world record, Olympic gold, and twice world champion. Probably second greatest 400m runner ever behind Michael Johnson.
Michael Norman really underachieved though I can’t lie. 5th in the Olympic trials 200m as a high schooler in 20.1, broke the NCAA 400m record in 43.6 I believe, than ran 43.4 in 2019, 19.7, and 9.86. I have no doubt he’s as talented as Michael Johnson, but all he brought home individual hardware wise was a 400m gold in 2022.
It was cool to see him win that, but he looked like he’d become a 43.0 or 43.1 guy and a 19.3 guy and win a bunch of world and Olympic championships in 2019. It’s like the Alan Webb of sprinting
Yes, both had excellent careers. Maybe they could have achieved more, but that's the way track goes sometimes.
Norman (43.45, 19.70, 9.86) is only guy ever under 43.50, 19.80 and 9.90
I’d say Wayde Van Niekerk had an excellent career, world record, Olympic gold, and twice world champion. Probably second greatest 400m runner ever behind Michael Johnson.
Michael Norman really underachieved though I can’t lie. 5th in the Olympic trials 200m as a high schooler in 20.1, broke the NCAA 400m record in 43.6 I believe, than ran 43.4 in 2019, 19.7, and 9.86. I have no doubt he’s as talented as Michael Johnson, but all he brought home individual hardware wise was a 400m gold in 2022.
It was cool to see him win that, but he looked like he’d become a 43.0 or 43.1 guy and a 19.3 guy and win a bunch of world and Olympic championships in 2019. It’s like the Alan Webb of sprinting
Yes, both had excellent careers. Maybe they could have achieved more, but that's the way track goes sometimes.
Norman (43.45, 19.70, 9.86) is only guy ever under 43.50, 19.80 and 9.90
Kerley is pretty close: 43.64, 19.76, 9.76.
Not sure what happened with Norman. He seems to lack the killer instinct. He is perhaps the most promising all-around sprinter in history… but has yet to realize his full potential. He turns 27 later this year, which is the end of the prime for most 400m runners.
WVN was done after that celebrity rugby match - he just didn’t know it. He’s also 32 years old now.
Wades been done since he hurt his knee. Norman is baffling. I thought for sure he would have the WR by now. I miss the days where he was casually dropping 9.8s.
I didn't even realize WVN made it out of round 1 for the 200M. He came DFL in Knighton's victorious heat 3 of the 200M, and I didn't even notice he was in the race at all until I checked the results.
As for Norman... what the f*ck bro. Another spectacular DFL for someone who should be obliterating the WR by now. I hope he can get his mental state in check before it's too late. It'd be a shameful waste of talent and potential
This session, captured by FloTrack, was an interesting insight into the Norman–Benjamin training dynamic.
There are clear personality differences, and by the end of this week there’ll be one individual gold medalist from the pairing, when on talent alone there should be two.
they are both done because they despise the greatest gift the were born with, which is running the 400
honestly to each their own and all that, but hard for me not to find it pathetic they are really that afraid of hard work
weak af mindset for both of them, though i don't think WVK set his WR clean and knows he could never touch it again without risking ruining his reputation the rest of his life
I didn't even realize WVN made it out of round 1 for the 200M. He came DFL in Knighton's victorious heat 3 of the 200M, and I didn't even notice he was in the race at all until I checked the results.
As for Norman... what the f*ck bro. Another spectacular DFL for someone who should be obliterating the WR by now. I hope he can get his mental state in check before it's too late. It'd be a shameful waste of talent and potential
This session, captured by FloTrack, was an interesting insight into the Norman–Benjamin training dynamic.
There are clear personality differences, and by the end of this week there’ll be one individual gold medalist from the pairing, when on talent alone there should be two.
In no way is Norman done, however.
Thank you for posting. Love watching training sessions.
Here’s an interesting fact about Norman I found on his World Athletics profile: he has run under 44 five times, and all five times have been in the US. That doesn’t include his gold medal run at the 2022 world championships in Eugene.
He clearly does his best 400m running in the US. Good news for him is the next Olympics will be on home soil. In 2028, he’ll be younger than Michael Johnson’s age when Johnson won in Sydney. If Norman can hang on until then, maybe he’ll finally get an individual Olympic medal. Just probably not gold, which will hopefully go to Quincy Wilson.
Ugh, I bet on Norman to win since the odds were so high. I guess they know what they’re doing when they set these odds. I just thought he was out for redemption.
I also bet on Oblique Seville. I’ve learned if I bet on you, you will finish butt naked last in the final.
As has been pointed out, WVN is completely on his farewell golden hours tour - he's running the 200 here because quite simply it's easier to run than the 400, even though he is probably still more competitive in the latter - but it's not about truly competing anymore for him. It's more about enjoying events like the Olympics without the nerves and expectations of when you are a contender and his trophy cabinet of wins and records, he's made.
Michael Norman is also done and goes down as one of the most bizarre guys I can remember in the sport. Even in interviews you get the feeling Norman is operating on a different wavelength and living on a different planet - he is just a strange, strange guy. I remember watching him and Benjamin at NCAAs in 2018 and just thinking these insane talents are going to dominate their events for a decade. Well it's coming to fruition with Rai (and would have already not for another uber talent in Warholm), but Norman just hasn't really done that save for winning in Eugene in (fortunately for him) a really down year in the 400.
We had this weird period of "I'm shifting to the 100m now" - all along I thought this was a sports psychology thing with him but I have also at times wondered if it's actually a mental health thing.
Either way with the emergence of Hall and the never-ending production line of great 400m runners in the US (including a 16 year old running mid 44's) it's hard to see Norman being a factor ever again and I don't think he will.