Seb Coe warns about overworking young athletes

Sebastian Coe, president of the IAAF, warned that coaches must be careful of how they trained and used young talents.
“I think you have to be very careful. I do think there has to be caution here about asking athletes too young in age to undertake certain level of physicality, which can in the long term harm their development,” said Coe, who won four Olympic Games medals, included 1500m gold in 1980 and 1984.
Victor Lopez, president of NACAC, and a former athlete, agreed with IAAF boss Coe.
“The main factor you have to consider here is that get excited and start to train our young people like adults and that is dangerous,” said Lopez.”

[@albertbrooksjr.1435]

Words of wisdom!!! Can't express how many former runners burn out by college. A lot of coaches like runners to run two or three events a day. Not much incentive to run after high school and college in the United States.

[@charnocks246]

I really believe that the Jamaican athletes at champs are subject to overcomepetting and over training. As great as they are we really see them competing after high school. Plus at a young age they are injured quite frequently, jevaughn mattheson, Christopher Taylor, tyreke Wilson, akeem bloomfield all had to come back from injuries. Are they peaking too early, tell me if I am wrong.

[@RYOTT22]

only time can answer that...if they go on to greatness people will say it's the foundation from competing at the high school level that helped paved the way for their success,if they leave school and injuries plague their professional careers the same people will say this is the result of doing too much too early....proper conditioning and career guidance is key

[@charnocks246]

Well said

[@hotbiz123]

Champs is great and all that however, I believe the World Junior are more important as a stepping stone to the senior level. Jamaica have so many young athlete with great potential, but they never make it to the senior level. I believe that we should be doing the opposite of what we're doing now. The young athlete should be nurtured and brought along slowly, instead of competing in so many track events and different distances. If Usain Bolt didn't end up with Glen Mills, who knows how to bring an athlete along in the right way, Bolt may not have become the Champion he is today. We have seen it time and time again our junior athlete fail to make it where it really matter World Junior. I would rather see our Junior athlete run their best time at the world Junior, than at Champs...Jamaica young Athlete need protecting!!!

[@charnocks246]

hotbiz1 just look at jevaughn mathesons performance at champs 2017. I think his future as a world class sprinter is in doubt due to bad management and he is not the only one

[@hotbiz123]

Greg Dottin, I don't know how we,re going to change this.You have made a good point about all those Athlete been injured in your post.