Run-Down Forums

Conway · Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2002 10:15 am Post subject:

so do you see the Brits being in the top 3 at the end of the year ??? And which one do you see as Britains leading sprinter ???

Dan · Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2002 10:24 am Post subject:

I'd be surprised if Montgomery remains as off-form as he is now, probably moving up to #2 or 3. I'm guessing Chambers will hold on as the top Brit this year, leaving MLF a likely #4.

Dan

Conway · Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2002 11:01 am Post subject:

Hmmm ... Wish Justin were around ... Do you really think that Montgomery is off form ??? I see him as running normally .. He had two very good (great) runs last year ... But ... If you look at them both were aided !!! Race 1 in Oslo he had Boldon leading most of the race and (gonna sound weird) setting the pace !!! Tim was able to hang on and close and get a great time !!! Add to that maximum wind and you hvae his 9.84 .... Race 2 was the Worlds where again he had someone else setting the pace (Mo) ... He had several other good races, but they were without Mo and as a result he was only running mid 9.9x ... And half of those were wind aided ... He comes out early this season and runs 9.94 at altitude and got excited ... But subsequently I think we have seen the value of altitude as neither he nor Crawford have been able to approach those levels (as generally happens to folks who do well at altitude) ... I said before teh season started that I expected him to be like Andre Cason (a single great season that he could not live up to again) and so far that has been the case ... And I expect it to continue ...

As for the Brits I expect injuries to ruin Chambers season ... He has seemed fragile to me in the past and this shoulder thing leads me to think that that continues .... On the other hand I expect MLF to make significant changes to his PR this season ... So I see him moving into the top 3 and chambers moving down a couple of spots ...

Dan · Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2002 11:28 am Post subject:

I look at Tim's season more as a sophomore slump (with last year's breakthrough akin to a frosh season) than a Cason-freefall... I wouldn't go so far as to say he proved himself to be a worthy 9.8-mid guy, but I do believe 9.9-mid is well within his capabilities, which would have him winning nearly every race so far this year.

True that altitude skews things, but it was also early season when they shouldn't have been in peak form. Considering we're talking about a tenth of a second or so, it doesn't take much of a funk to make someone look really bad comparatively...

Dan

Conway · Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2002 11:42 am Post subject:

Tim and Mo are the same age and Tim was actually world class sooner ... I would say sophmore jinx if he were say in Gatlin's or MLF's shoes - just arriving on the scene and trying to establish himself ... But tim has been around .. He's competed in two World's already ... His season last year was Cason's '93 season .. Bailey's '96 season, ... Surin's '99 season ... Boldon's '96 season ... None of those athletes were able to "get back" to that glorious season's level ... And I think in another couple of year's we'll be saying definitively that '01 was Tim's year ...

What that demonstrates is just how difficult it is to stay at the upper levels of sprinting !!! And wpotlights just how special Mo's career has been ... No one ... Not even the "great" Carl Lewis (choking here) has ever run at that level for that long - or anywhere near it ... Lok at Fredericks ... His great seasons have come with down seasons almost immediately following ... He ran well but not great in '97 and has been a shadow since ... Sprinting is HARD ... Willhvae ot find a awy to transfer this to a distance forum or general forum ... Smile

Paul · Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2002 3:23 pm Post subject:

Dan, Conway: Ordered Speed Trap today. Also been reading through Training For Speed. Also read through a number of articles at the .uk site that Conway referred to. For a coach like Francis to be considered "so 90's" his approach and analysis hold up remarkably well. All the things he stressed are still being referred to today. His remarks on transitional fiber training is still cutting edge stuff.
Gee, I must be mentioning Francis as often as Micah mentions Ann Trason!! Surprised

Paul

Dan · Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2002 4:07 pm Post subject:

Paul · Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2002 4:45 pm Post subject:

You are exactly right. I was thinking 80's and then I thought of the '92 Olympics, but Seoul was in '88. Embarassed

I went to abebooks just like you suggested. Found a place in VA (Burke Used Books) called 1st thing this morning. They still had it. $25 + $5 priority shipping (+my phone call). I should get it early next week. Plus my Western States 100 video arrived today. Looks like I'll be all set for my surgery recovery.

Paul

Dan · Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2002 5:25 pm Post subject:

Happy readings/viewings! Smile

Dan

Paul · Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2002 6:11 pm Post subject:

One thing I forgot to mention is you have to read a pure sprinting manual like Francis' to realize that the who trains harder... arguements are a moot point. Specificity is the key. One of my favorite quotes so far is "If you have a ferrari, you don't plough fields with it".

Paul

Conway · Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2002 9:26 pm Post subject:

Guess I'll have to call ABE tomorrow .. Francis was excellent ... The one thing that I have always said is that while Ben did take stuff, THAT wasn't the erason he was as fast as he was ... There are tons of people outo there taking all kinds of things ... Yet they don't do what Ben did ... What Ben did was art ... Just as what Mo has doned is art ... While their styles are vastly different, the technical aspect that both have brought to the table is what put them where they ended up ... I've always felt that Ben got a very bad rap ...

Conway · Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2002 10:42 am Post subject:

The British 100 sprinters did well without Chambers yesterday ... 10.06 for MLF and 10.11 and 10.13 for the runners up ... I dare say that Chambers would have been pressed to win that race ...

Am listening to the meet on the computer .. 200 is up shortly ...

Dan · Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2002 10:57 am Post subject:

Those guys are getting pretty consistent in the 10.0x range. Still a notch away from being low 9.9 threats, but getting there.

Did Chambers pass because of the shoulder injury?

Dan

Conway · Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2002 11:18 am Post subject:

Chambers supposedly passed casue he wanted to focus on the 200 ... Let the selectors put him on the 100 squad ... Now here are the results as the race was run about 15 minutes ago ...

200 METRES - Men - Final

1 675 Marlon Devonish 20.18
2 653 Darren Campbell 20.26
3 785 Christian Malcolm 20.29
4 724 Dwayne Grant 20.60
5 717 Julian Golding 20.62
6 628 Graham Beasley 20.90
7 658 Dwain Chambers 23.81
19 Doug Turner DQ

Chambers was never in the race ... Finally gave up ... So my question is -- if you are the selectors what do you do with him ???

Dan · Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2002 11:28 am Post subject:

Yikes, "not in the race" doesn't do that performance justice. I'd have to say that pretty definitively proves a lack of fitness at the moment...

Not bad for the top 3, though. Devonish seems to be an oft-forgotten person.

Dan

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