It seems the 800m category may welcome a new contender next season. Alica Schmidt, the world’s tallest athlete and a specialist in the 400m, has decided to transition to middle-distance running. She announced her decision on Instagram, explaining that she wants to explore something new in her athletic career.

“After Paris, I tried something new and ran an 800m & 600m and really enjoyed pushing out of my comfort zone. Back in 2022, I decided that I wanted to give the 800 m a shot after the Paris Olympics, so now it means… I’m going for it next year,” she said. Alica also said that she’s about to start high-altitude training for her 800m so that she’s completely prepared for the new season. However, a track and field icon is not on board with this idea, as he feels that she’s not ready for the step that she is about to take.

In the Ready Set Go podcast, Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green discussed the world’s tallest athlete, Alica Schmidt’s, decision to move from 400 meters to 800 meters. This meant that she went up against top track athletes like Keely Hodgkinson, Mary Moraa, and Athing Mu competing for the top prizes. However, Rodney doesn’t believe she has the necessary caliber to make a successful transition to middle-distance running.

He said, “Listen Shout out to her for being the world’s s–iest athlete, but let’s not get things like that confused with these juggernauts who she is calling out. Man You know what I mean. She got a whole list of people to go through, for these people met; these people run one 50 fours, one 50 fives, and one 50 sixes. Man, this, this is not a game. This is not a, you don’t; I don’t know if she wants that type of smoke, man.” The track and field icon then congratulated Alica for securing her Hugo Boss contract but doubled down, saying that she should lower her expectations.

“She needs to respectfully pipe down,” he said. Rodney Green didn’t like Alica Schmidt’s logic of moving to 800 m because she wanted to try something new too. He felt that, as she was not the best athlete in her category right now, 800 meters would only give her more difficulties and thus be the wrong reason to enter into a new category.

He said that one just cannot say they’re bored without dominating their event. They cannot just want to enter a category without winning everything in the one where you spent most of your career. “You know what I mean. What are you bored of coming third and fourth?” he said. Thus, it is safe to say he was not on board with this decision.

Track and Field icon considers endurance regarding Alica Schmidt

While Rodney Green expressed reservations about Alica Schmidt’s decision to transition to the 800 meters, he acknowledged the potential for her to excel in the category. Middle-distance running differs significantly from sprints, demanding a combination of speed and endurance. There’s a possibility that Alica’s endurance could prove to be a strong asset, potentially leading her to greater success in the 800m than she has achieved in the 400m.

However, the track and field icon remains skeptical, believing there is only a slim chance of Alica Schmidt achieving success in the 800 meters. The competition in this category is incredibly deep, with some of the world’s best athletes vying for dominance. Transitioning from a shorter distance to middle-distance running and excelling at it is a daunting challenge. He likened this scenario to the 100 meters, where the level of competition is equally intense, making it difficult for newcomers to make a mark.

If today a new athlete tries to jump into that category, competitors like Sha’Carri Richardson and Julian Alfred won’t give them a single chance to win a medal. Thus, it would be absurd to do so. Rodney believes that the 800 meters is very similar to this. This is why he believes that Alica Schmidt would end up failing there, and she should stick to 400 meters.