UPDATE: Mary Cain hits the high school national record set by Melody Fairchild back in 1991 by 15 seconds, going 9:02.10 to win her first race unattached on the track. While the record will not be considered legal, due to the track dimensions, it is definitely fastest under all conditions. Legal rulings say that tracks outside the standard dimensions will not count for records, but a stellar time nonetheless.
MileSplit HQ - At the end of the spring season, we compiled the top ten best moments of the past athletic year. It was a difficult process, but we narrowed it down based on how exciting the moment was for us, and the impact it had back home. However, the format we chose allowed us to skip over one of the hardest questions: Who had the better spring season, Kadecia Baird or Mary Cain? (It wouldn't be out of the question for Brianna Nerud's name to be thrown into the mix, but for the sake of the argument, we left her out)
To the average on-looker, the answer is clear. Ask a sprinter, and they'll side with Baird, but ask a distance runner, and Cain becomes the only answer. One thing was clear, they were both above the level of even the best high school athletes. Both went undefeated in 2012, including all trials and semi's for Baird's sprinting events. The next quantifier would be their championship season, which would include the summer's youth events. At the IAAF World Juniors, Cain would take home the National Record, placing 5th place overall, and Baird would take home the silver medal, going second. Again, both performances speak more than words about the caliber of athlete.
The last quantifier would be to use their PR's, and insert them into the London Olympic Games. There, Baird would have cruised to the semi's, where she would have been only .03 seconds out of qualifying for the finals. For Cain, semi's would have been possible only if she had run in the second heat of the trials, which was a kicker's race. But, put Cain's time into the final, and you have a fifth place performance. Do you think you have the answer? Sound off in the message boards. We sure don't
That being said, both are of incredible talent, and represent the Empire State well. And both are looking to make a return to the scene of Track and Field.
A Scare Averted
For Kadecia Baird (Medger Evers Prep), the situation is a little different. She had returned to racing at the Bishop Loughlin Games, running a huge 300m in the semi's, then relinquishing her spot to focus on the relays. Returning two weeks later, she was entered in the 400m at the Hispanic Games. Approaching her second lap at the Armory, Baird grasped her left hamstring, and went down. One week later, and the situation seems to have taken a turn for the better. Speaking to the Daily News, coach Nikola Martial stated that a doctor confirmed that it was nothing more than tightness caused by an issue with her hip muscle.
“She’ll be fine,” Martial said Wednesday. “We’ll take it one step at a time, but she should be fine relatively soon. We’ll make sure she’s 100 percent before she steps back on the track. It’s not as bad as it looked when it happened. Kadecia’s level is much higher than most in high school right now. We have to make sure she’s well, make sure she’s uninjured and make sure she can perform at the highest level that she can.”
With the goal to qualify for the
IAAF World Championships, and a very knowledgeable coach, Baird should be back on track when he is ready. For the full story, of which the quotes were pulled from, head on over to the
article from the NY Daily News.
Westward Bound
For junior Mary Cain (unattached), the situation is a little different as well. Now coached by Alberto Salazar, Cain will open her season this Saturday, at the University of Washington Indoor Preview. According to her coach, at last check, her fitness had been impeccable, an improvement of last summers. Entered in the 3000m, that could mean that the 22-year national indoor record of 9:17.4 set by Foot Locker Champion Melody Fairchild, could very well fall in a matter of days.
Cain won't be running alone, either. Katie Knight, of North Central, WA, has already to committed to the University of Washington for next year, and will be in attendance as well. Cain was the second place finisher at this years Nike Cross Nationals, but Knight took home third, so it looks like the pair work off each other. Another first for the race will be that Cain will now have a rabbit for the first time, which could influence her sit-and-kick race tactics.
We'll be sure to keep you updated on all the action this weekend.