Bianca Razor switch from 400 to 800m

[nilsbrown5]

Hi there - I'm new here and I watched the European indoors over the weekend and noticed Razor running the 800. Can she really be a threat in the 800? As a junior she had great potential (bronze over 400 U20 World Championship Barcelona I think) but she never fulfilled that potential as a senior. She has a blistering last 200m but the first 200m were the problems for her. I just read an article (google translation) and the Romanian Federation president said that it is easier in the 800 than 400 to be a top athlete. IMO I think it is insulting to the 800 athletes but this aside I cannot see Razor in a fast 800 race (true 800m race) being able to challenge even for a semi place in Olympics or World Championships. Steve Cram was saying on the BBC during the semi that she might be a danger if it is a slow race, but how slow does it need to be to allow Razor a top 2 in a heat at a top event? Any thoughts on this?

[Yhelloo]

It's not like she is going to set the world on fire with her times or wins in the 800 right away. If it were that simple, all 400 runners would eventually switch to the 800 when they get older. We don't know if she's really switching. The 800 is not a weaker event than the 400 right now.

[LuckySpikes]

Interested to see whether Razor persists with the switch and, if so, how it goes for her. There can't be many current 800 runners with 51 speed - Semenya and maybe Ajee Wilson (I know Bianca ran 50.3 but that was in Beijing 2015 when the 400m runners seemed to have a tailwind all the way around). But, sometimes that 400 speed means little in the 800, a very different event.

[larkim]

Interesting listening to Rooney on the subject on the Murray / McCourt podcast. He ruled out switching, even though 800m was his love when he started running. He saw a very clear difference between what he was capable of even as a 400m guy with potential 800m potential and didn't think the switch would be at all straightforward.

[nilsbrown5]

Thanks guys - it will be interesting to watch events unfold in the summer - I think one of the reasons Bianca thinks 800 is weaker is that at 400 for the last 2 WC there were 4 athletes from Jamaica in the final. But at 800 you get the Ethiopians & Kenyans.

[trickstat]

It's an interesting one. It does seem to me that it's been quite a while since an established senior international at 400m from anywhere has seriously and reasonably successfully moved up to 800. The magnificent Alberto Juantorena is perhaps the greatest example. British examples include Ann Packer (Olympic champ at 800), Lillian Board (European champ) and Steve Heard (European Indoor champ). By the way, Jenny Meadows doesn't count as she was an English Schools' 800m champ at 14.

[RandyBonnette]

Hi there - I'm new here and I watched the European indoors over the weekend and noticed Razor running the 800. Can she really be a threat in the 800? As a junior she had great potential (bronze over 400 U20 World Championship Barcelona I think) but she never fulfilled that potential as a senior. She has a blistering last 200m but the first 200m were the problems for her. I just read an article (google translation) and the Romanian Federation president said that it is easier in the 800 than 400 to be a top write my paper athlete. IMO I think it is insulting to the 800 athletes but this aside I cannot see Razor in a fast 800 race (true 800m race) being able to challenge even for a semi place in Olympics or World Championships. Steve Cram was saying on the BBC during the semi that she might be a danger if it is a slow race, but how slow does it need to be to allow Razor a top 2 in a heat at a top event? Any thoughts on this?

As far as I know, she also tried 200m in Pitesti and 300m in Ostrava. Can't find the videos on European-Athletics though.

Randy - research areas: visual skills, grip strength and torso power in relation to tennis performance of Division I tennis athletes.