AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 19: New Zealand middle distance runner Sam Ruthe (centre in black) runs in the mile distance at Mt Smart Stadium on March 19, 2025 in Auckland, New Zealand. Ruthe broke the four minute mile barrier with a time of 3:58.35 placing him as the youngest person in history and first under 15 years old to break the record. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
The conversion rate in athletics from junior to senior level is shockingly poor, and there are good reasons for this.
Generation after generation, we see the same thing. Athletes shine in their youth, then most of them vanish, and others emerge to dominate at elite level.
The number one reason is that junior athletes are broken by overzealous parents and coaches.
Last month, a 16-year-old boy from New Zealand ran an indoor mile in 3:48.88, which is one of the most incredible performances in the history of middle-distance running.
Unfortunately, he is unlikely to become a global star. We’ve seen it time and time again. Push a kid too hard in their youth, and they will be shattered to the point of no repair.
Nobody runs a 3:48 mile unless they’re training like a professional senior athlete, and nobody should be doing that at the age of 16.
Late bloomers
The problem with managing young talent is there are too many people living vicariously through kids. It gets to the point where the children don’t matter nearly as much as the opportunity for parents and coaches to bathe in the spotlight, receiving credit for things they could never achieve themselves.
And it’s not just an issue overseas. Year after year we see phenomenal talent in South Africa emerging and disappearing.
Parents and coaches need to cut this nonsense out.
A junior athlete breaking records and winning medals means nothing in the long run. It does zero to help anybody.
The only thing anybody looking after a young athlete should be doing is ensuring they are having fun.
When they reach university level, they can start pushing harder and targeting professional careers, but until that point there is nothing to achieve.
As a reporter, I can assure you I don’t remember junior stars. All that matters is what individuals achieve at senior level.
And history tells us that late bloomers are generally the ones who succeed because they’re not put under pressure in their youth.
When a young athlete enjoys a sport, they will stick with it. When they’re pushed overboard by people who care more about soaking in the limelight themselves than those they’re supposed to nurture and protect, the kids will drown.
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