But, why take a kid with no obvious leg speed whatsoever and put them into a sprint race? Who says they have to be fast before they run distance? They may have been up against entry limits and had no choice but to enter her in the 800. You can work technique all day every day on kids like that and they won’t get any faster in a sprint race. But, she could improve and become serviceable in a distance race if she chooses to.
