Not sarcasm. And, yes, of course I have doubts. Would be impossible not to given how long it's been since he's gone gun to tape as the old AB.

I am unabashedly a believer/sentimentalist for the dominant old guard to show the young blood how it's done on their way out. GJ and AB both. Wishful thinking? Perhaps. But, I stand by the Miami assessment that it was AB's race to lose and a message was sent nonetheless. He had dropped Laidlow. He had a 1:45 gap to Ditlev and much more to Long. He has the best running palmares of anyone ever in triathlon, including a 28:30 track 10K. If you are any of those guys chasing him on the run, you know the race is lost unless he blows up. Their destiny is out of their hands. And, yes, AB blew up spectacularly. Yet again. But that does not change the fact that those guys know AB had them beat. You think that won't be in Ditlev's head the next time they line up toe to toe?

But, yeah, you're only as good as your last race and it's been a long time since AB had a good one gun to wire, so maybe it never actually happens again.

His race in Nice was the last one, getting on for 5 years ago. He was super strong in the second half of the run finishing off down La Promenade des Anglais in the Sunday sun, behind Iden.
I agree with your analysis.
Except I don't think Ditlev (assume ahead out of T2) will be running scared. He'll just run his race and if it's 'old AB' he'll discover that at the pass. But then Ditlev will not give up: look how Laundry kept faith at Oceanside (22), not phased by the double gold medallist striding away, and pushed on with 2 miles to go.
If he planned to try to race Kona a second time, that's now looking more difficult, given his contractual T100 commitments.