New York Teen Mary Cain Turns Pro

MARY CAIN TURNS PRO
By David Monti, @d9monti

(15-Nov)
— After a record-smashing year which culminated in a 10th place finish
at the IAAF World Championships 1500m, Bronxville High School middle
distance standout Mary Cain has decided to become a professional
athlete at the age of 17. She will continue to be coached by Alberto
Salazar and will now be represented by Ricky Simms of PACE Sports
Management.

“For the past couple of months, my family and I
have been debating whether I should compete at a collegiate or
professional level going forward,” Cain said through a statement
circulated to the media. “I have decided, and am truly excited to
announce, that I will be turning pro. I believe that, in the long run,
this is the best way for me continue to develop as an athlete.”

Cain
enjoyed a magical season in 2013 where she excited crowds on both
coasts with her record runs. She set USA junior records at 800m
(1:59.51; later surpassed by Ajee’ Wilson’s 1:58.21), 1500m (4:04.62),
indoor 1500m and mile (4:11.72/4:28.25), and indoor 3000m and 2 miles
(9:04.51/9:38.68). She won the USA indoor mile title in Albuquerque
last March and finished second in the 1500m in the USA Outdoor
Championships in Des Moines last June to earn her place on the World
Championships team for Moscow. At 16 years-old, she was the
youngest-ever athlete to compete in a World Championships 1500m final.

“I’m
not even like sad, I’m just like angry,” Cain told the media after that
race. “And I think that’s a good thing. I think that this was all a
learning experience this whole meet.”

Simms said today that
Cain will finish high school as scheduled in the spring of 2014; no
plans for college were revealed, except that she planned to continue
her education. Her parents, Charlie and Mary, said that they fully
supported their daughter’s decision to turn pro.

“How to
proceed was always going to be a difficult choice,” said Charlie Cain,
an anesthesiologist, through a statement. “Mary is a straight-A student
and will be pursuing a college education while competing. This remains
a priority and we think this approach is the best way to balance her
educational and athletic goals.”

PACE Sports Management
represents other important athletes who are coached by Alberto Salazar,
including double Olympic Champion Mo Farah, 2009 World Half-Marathon
bronze medalist Dathan Ritzenhein, Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp,
and 2009 World Championships 1500m bronze medalist Shannon Rowbury.