The first event of the BAAA's track and field season is always the Odd Distance meet; 2014 will be no different. For 2014, this annual meet will take place at the old Thomas A. Robinson Stadium at 3pm this Saturday January 4th, 2014.
Bahamas Athletics visited the stadium on the weekend and observed a very busy stadium filled with athletes preparing for the weekend's meet. We also took the time to contact the BAAA's office and inquired into the entries for this meet. It was heart warming to find that the entries were above five hundred (500) and rising! This certainly shows the enthusiam and readiness of both coaches and athletes to start their 2014 track and field program.
Some may ask – why an odd distance meet? The purpose of this meet is mainly for athletes to ready themselves for the upcoming season; it also serves: As an ice breaker for first timers.
By Professor Trevor Hall, Special to Trackalerts.Com
Over the last week, the quarter-mile, now called the 400-meters has returned to prominence in the World Championships of Athletics in Moscow. Before the athletes descended on the Russian capital in summer 2013, the 400-meters was seen as a race where defending Olympic champion Kirani James would beat LaShawn Merritt, and Luguelin Santos and one of the Borlée twins would battle to get on the podium.
Furthermore, the Jamaican men’s 4 x 400 relay team was expected to just make the finals, but not get close to the medals. Now that the championships are over, reality is a long way from prognostication, and in Jamaica, a new name has emerged—Javon Francis. He ran 44.05 on the anchor-leg of the 4 x 400 relay, and took Jamaica from fifth to second. Before looking at Mr. Francis, let us look at the winner of the 400-meters.
First, Mr. LaShawn Merritt ran 43.7 to win the gold medal, while Mr. Kirani James ran 44.9 to finish in sixth place. That shocked everyone, especially Mr. James; however, Mr. Merritt was not surprised! To be honest, I too was shocked. As a historian, I can now do what we do best—reconstruct the past, instead of peering into the future. I recall a conversation decades ago while I was a Triple Jumper at University of Texas-El Paso. I was talking to my teammate Steve Williams, one of the few men who ran faster than 10 flat for the 100-meters, under 20-seconds for the 200-meters, and below 45-seconds for the 400-meters. Steve had just run 45.2 for 440-yards or 44.9 for 400-meters. He had strained a hamstring in the 220-yards, and I suggested that he concentrate on running the 440, because it was less stressful on the legs. Steve reminded me that, “running the 440 under 46 second is like walking up to a big man, placing your hands at your side, and saying to him—punch me in the face.”
I experienced the 440 as a sophomore at Newtown High school in Queens, New York City. My first 220 was in 23-flat, and I felt great going into the second turn. At the top of the second turn I glanced at the finish line where the timers were standing. I knew I had a big problem when the finish line began moving away from me. Then I abruptly hit a brick wall and felt like a grand piano had fallen on my shoulders. In high school, we called it rig, short for rigor mortis—muscular stiffness following death, according to Webster’s Dictionary. I remember my stride got shorter and shorter, until I could not put one leg in front of the other. I felt like I was dancing the moon-walk, where one moves backwards on the dance floor. My entire body locked up as I crossed the finish line at 51.1-seconds for the 440-yards or a respectable, 50.8 for the 400-meters. I knew that was not my race. Mr. Steve Williams was right; it felt like a big man had just punched me in the face when I had my hands at my side. Before analyzing the recent 400-meters in the World Championships in Moscow, it is necessary to respect the 400-meters, and the athletes who run it. One notices that no 400-meter runner smiles before the race.
At the recent World Championships in Moscow, Mr. LaShawn Merritt knew the pain of running faster that 44-seconds, and he decided to pay the price to become the world champion. According to Track and Field News, Mr. Merritt’s 100-meter splits were, 11.1, 10.1 [21.2], 10.6 [31.8], 11.9 [21.2 + 22.5] = 43.7. As we can see, Mr. Merritt’s last 100-meters were a slow 11.9, which shows that the ever-present rig took its toll, even on the world champion. By comparison Mr. James’s splits were, (11.1, 10.2 [21.3], 10.6 [31.9], 13.1 [21.3 + 23.7] = 45.0. Both runners’ times were rounded down .1 of a second to 43.6 and 44.9.
According to the November 1999 edition of Track and Field News, when Mr. Michael Johnson broke Butch Reynolds’s world record for the 400-meters in Seville’s World Championships, Mr. Johnson ran splits of: (11.0, 10.3 [21.3], 10.5 [31.8], (11.4) = 43.18. Mr. Johnson’s last 100-meters were faster than what today’s athletes are running. His upright body and tremendous upper-body strength might have been a key to his relatively fast final 100-meters. In contrast, some coaches believe that it is best to lean forward over the last 50-meters of the 400. This technique stresses the use of gravity and a long, straight arm-pull, close to the body, to help counter the effect of Mr. and Mrs. Rig and the Rig family.
Back to Mr. Merritt and Mr. James, their splits at the 200-meters show Mr. Merritt was only .1 second ahead of Mr. James; they were almost even. At the 300-meter, both men were still only .1 second apart; thus, both ran the same 10.6 for the third 100. Mr. Merritt won the race in the last 100 when he ran 11.9 and Mr. James ran a very slow 13.1. However, the splits were only a small part of the story.
Mr. Merritt runs under 20-seconds for the 200, while Mr. James cannot go that fast. Since Mr. Merritt was a lane outside of Mr. James in Moscow, Mr. Merritt went out fast and kept on going. Mr. James ran Mr. Merritt’s race; however, Mr. James does not have the flat speed that Mr. Merritt possesses, and by the end of 300-meters, Mr. Merritt had broken the will of Mr. James to continue the race. Normally, Mr. Merritt would have come back to Mr. James, at the end of the 300-meters. However, in the Moscow race, Mr. Merritt kept on going, and Mr. James had nothing left in the tank. Even the great 2012 Olympic Champion, Mr. James, fell victim to the Rig.
Mr. James’s major error was that he ran Mr. Merritt’s race. In the future, Mr. James has to run his own race. He should focus only on himself and his technique, and forget about Mr. Merritt. It is important that Mr. James and his coaches believe that when he runs 43.4 or faster, he will win—unless Mr. Merritt runs close to the world record of 43.1. Mr. James needs to run against the clock, not against other athletes. Thus, Mr. James and his coaches have to go back to the drawing board, especially when he has to run three rounds. I would suggest that Mr. James runs either more 200-meters or more 800-meters. He and his coaches must decide if they want to increase his speed or his strength. If he does both then Mr. James will probably break the world record.
However, the rivalry between these two great quarter-milers is just beginning. On the Diamond League, Mr. James will have a better opportunity to win, because he will only run one race. In a single race, Mr. Merritt will not have the same advantage that he had in Moscow, where the men had to run three fast rounds in a few days. Moreover, there are a few things both athletes can do to run faster: they need to learn the old knowledge about running the 440-yards—wisdom that has been forgotten in the twenty-first century. I recall decades ago, speaking to a great American quarter-miler, and his coach; both agreed that “the secret to a very fast 440 is to run fast 330s in practice, and to think about the race as 330 + 110, not as 220 + 220.” That is what I learned at Arizona State University, when Coach Richard Purcell’s team ran the 4 x 400 relay in an American College Record of 3.01. The 400 is a long-sprint, and athletes do not have time to float in mid-race and kick at the end.
That brings me to Mr. Javon Francis, the 18-year-old anchor leg who took the Jamaican 4 x 400 meter relay team from 5th to 2nd in the finals of the World Championship in Moscow. His split was 44.05 according to Seiko, the official time-keepers for the championships. Mr. Francis ran the first 100 just as fast as the other four men in front of him. However, as soon as he hit the backstretch he went by three men, as if they were standing still. Then, he cut into lane one, placing himself in second place, and just kept on going. He was not satisfied, and looked to catch Mr. Merritt, who had a big lead and was cruising. Mr. Francis actually went after Mr. Merritt, but he was too far ahead.
By the time Mr. Francis hit the 300, he was meters ahead of the third-place runner. Then, about the 350, the Russian anchor leg came back on his right shoulders. However, Mr. Francis dug deep and found another gear, holding off the Russian to bring his Jamaican team the silver medal. That was one of the best relay legs that I have ever seen in my 50-plus years in Track and Field. It is up there with the 43.4 for 440-yards or 43.1 for 400-meters that Mr. Maurice Peoples ran at the NCAA championships for Arizona State University in 1973.
Both Mr. Merritt and Mr. Francis proved once again that the 400 is a long sprint, and there is no antidote for speed-endurance. That is why many Track and Field experts believe that Mr. Usain Bolt could be the greatest quarter-miler in history, and someone who can break the world record. With Mr. Bolt’s 9.59-speed in the 100 and 19.19 in the 200, he would have little trouble running the first 200 of the 400 in 20.8, and dropping a 300 in a relaxed 31.5. After that, with training, he should be able to finish up at low-43, for the 400. But, why should Mr. Bolt go through all that pain and face Mr. Rig when he could dominate the 100 and 200, with very hard work, and not suffer the pain inflicted by Mr. and Mrs. Rig and their family of granddaddy Rig and baby Rigs.
Over the years, I have developed a speed-endurance program called SWIFT (Speed With Intelligence Flexibility and Technique). SWIFT could open a new epoch in the quarter-mile, one that has not been seen since Mr. Michael Johnson retired from our sport. I believe that the current group of athletes could begin an assault on Mr. Johnson’s world record. We coaches and historians of Track and Field could assist this new cadre of quarter-milers and their coaches who need to learn long-forgotten knowledge about running the 400.
One place to start is to call the event the quarter-mile instead of the 400-meters. It would be wise for athletes to practice in yards, by running 660-yards, 550-yards, 440-yards, 330-yards, 150-yards, and 110-yards. Running yards will help the 400-meter runners over the final 5-meters of the race—the slowest part of the race! I skipped over the 220-yards in practice, because I was taught by Coach Richard Purcell that the 220 is too long for speed and too short for strength. Finally, the World Championships has brought a renaissance to the quarter-mile, and reintroduced one of the most beautiful events in Track and Field.
**Professor Trevor Hall is an All-American Triple Jumper and Penn Relays Champion. He coached Mr. Paul Ereng, the 1988 Olympic Champion in 800-meters for Kenya. Hall earned a Ph.D. in History from Johns Hopkins University and recently was a volunteer Jumping Coach at Manchester High School in Jamaica. He speaks Portuguese and is now a sports consultant, historian, and speaker who can be reached at: [email protected]
With Bolt talking about retirement, the questions are what happen after and who will be the next sprint king. We all know Bolt cannot dominate for more than the next four years much less forever. Like the lion in the jungle who rules his pride until he gets old. Then the young lion move in and take over. A similar situation with 100m champions on the professional level.
The challenger was Asafa Powell, Tyson Gay, Justin Gatlin and Yohan Blake. All with the exception of Blake is at least three years older than Bolt. They have yet to give Bolt much of a competition in a championship since 2008. Unlike the others, Blake has youth on his side, which is not saying much if he is not able to break or run close enough to the 9.58 and 19.19. A 19.26 and 19.44 say he is in the vicinity of the 200m. As for the 100m, a 9.69 is not close enough to the 9.58. As I said, Blake has youth and who is to tell if he has fully maximized his potential yet. The only problem I see is the injury woes that afflicted Asafa and Gay as they seek to threaten and usurp Bolt. Blake is having his share of injury too.
Outside of the question of performance, does anyone possess charisma similar to what Bolt brings to the table? When Bolt retires, the problem for the men will be two fold. One, will anyone be able to run at or above his level. The other will be how to overcome the huge shadow of personality he holds over the sport. People turn up to see Bolt win whether he ran a fast time or not they all cheer regardless. Just his name mentioned and the crowd shouts like teenage girls following their pop music idol. The 2010 Penn Relays was my first live experience of the Bolt effect. As soon as his race was over, the people started to move for the exit, even though there were more races to run.
At the Daegu 2011 world championship, many of the spectators got up and left when Bolt was disqualified. The 100m final was still to be started but they did not care. Athletics do not have a huge hard-core fan base around the world like that of say Cricket or Football. A significant amount of athletic fans is casual fans to say the least. Blake won the finals in 2011 with a very good time after considering the condition, yet many choose to think of Bolt disqualification instead of Blake’s victory. The shadow of Bolt was too overpowering to overcome.
To those who think otherwise, look at Yohan Blake 2012 performances and the number of sub-9.80 seconds he ran. It is one of the greatest year any sprinter ever had, yet how many recognize it. Hardcore athletics fan will but no one else. Blake ran a 9.69, two 9.75’s and a 9.76. In 2008 Bolt ran 9.69, 9.72, 9.76 and 9.77. Without taking wind reading and condition into consideration Bolt was better since this was the year Bolt not only won Olympic gold medals but in some of the races it was evident he could have gone faster. Nevertheless, Blake season was one for the ages yet I have not come across one sports journal express the quality of the performances. In 2009, Gay ran a 9.69, 9.71 and 9.77, like Blake his performances suffered anonymity because of Bolt.
Fast forward to Bolt retirement, who will be able to garner the passion from the fans? Who will have the personality to match the quality performance needed? When Bolt said he wants to be an icon like Michael Jordan, Pele and Ali, I am afraid that the next champion or the next sprint king might suffer what I call a Larry Holmes syndrome. I hope I am wrong. Those who are boxing historian or who follow heavy weight boxing will understand my point. Larry Holmes came right after Mohammed Ali and though he was a dominating champion, he never got the recognition he deserved. It was all about “the Greatest”. The charisma and media coverage Ali drew kept Holmes in the shadow when it came to the limelight. If Holmes had come any other time, people would be talking about how great a heavy weight champion he was. Coming at the end of Ali was too much for him to overcome.
For the next three years if it goes as Bolt is saying, fans will line up to see Bolt. If his retirement happens, then my question is who will be the next sprint king. In most of the world, athletics will thrive. I am wondering if the next sprint King can penetrate the US lack of coverage and its huge market potential. Penetrating the US market with more coverage than Bolt would be a huge coup for that athlete and athletics on a whole. Unfortunately, at this point, Usain Bolt is the only recognizable name on the US sports stations. Hoping his retirement does not cast such a huge shadow whereby it leads to a Larry Holmes situation.
**The views expressed in this article are those of the author (Robert Taylor) and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, trackalerts.com
With the situation as it is surrounding the Jamaican athletics and the effort by Ms Ann Shirley to denigrate the organization she once head, I can only see positive for the future if the Jamaican athletic community learn from this situation. Getting to the top is hard and staying up there is even more difficult. Gone are the days of Jamaican sprint dominance being a novelty. Beijing 2008 was a time of world celebration and with the exception of certain US media house, most was enthralled with Jamaican sprinter performances. Now it is over two Olympics and three-world championships cycle. All the wide-eyed world fan and media support and acceptance have reduced if not dissipated.
Now it seems like the yam theory, Bolt height advantage theory, track and field being a national sport, the most compelling high school athletic competition in the world is set aside for a new theory. The way the news are being skewed and the way positive test are being put out of context is the new way of life. Beijing honeymoon is over, like a marriage, the time is for corrective measures and hard work to make a good situation last regardless of the outside forces that can destroy the marriage.
The Jamaican federation needs to embark on a major effort to train their athletes to be prepared for outside forces that will affect performances. We are living in a world where questions and accusations will be a part of great performances. The effort should be to develop athletes with proper public persona, humility and media savvy. Athletes should be educated and made to understand that regardless of how minor an offense, it can taint them for the rest of their athletic life and affect their earning power. Care should be taken in what they consume, who they trust and from whom they accept anything for consumption.
When the USA sprinters were dominating, many considered their male sprinters to be unduly arrogant. This did not seem to affect their earning power significantly. With US being a major economy, they were able to garner enough from the small niche the US market had for track and field. Jamaica on the other hand is different. The Jamaican economy is in dire straights for as long as I can remember. Corporate Jamaica only sponsors a very few athletes. Most earn their living from money earned outside Jamaica. Thus, the recent negative publicity from the foreign tabloid can be costly. The only way to deal with this issue over the long haul is for athletes’ great performance on and off and off the track. How one carries one self in an interview and interaction with fans is as important in marketing as performance on the field. Being Bolt will not work because Bolt personality is unique and natural to him. Each has their own personality so it is best to be oneself but in the same breath, be careful about coming across as arrogant and ignorant. In time of negative coverage, it is best to have fan support and some media friends. To go along with this, athletes from a young age should understand and accept that they can never be too vigilant with what they consume.
Also important, is the part WADA will play. WADA with its grandstanding and all will have to come out after all this is over and either give Jamaica a clean bill of health in their testing system or provide the necessary help they deemed necessary. In this case, WADA and Jamaica testing will be intertwined. At least I hope.
If as expected, Jamaica continues to produce top quality sprinters and athletes in other discipline, the critics will be there but muted to some extent. The Jamaican federation at this point, must understand that coordinated action with all stakeholders is important if they hope to overcome the barrage of negative publicity athletes and testing body are experiencing. Thus, I say things should only be better in the long run for Jamaica. At least the hypocrisy surrounding the so-called “developed testing system” will not be a problem for Jamaica since WADA, the only acceptable objective testing body will have a strong say in Jamaica drug testing system.
**The views expressed in this article are those of the author (Robert Taylor) and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, trackalerts.com
MALTA, January 1, 2014 – For the first time in his career, Mo Farah – one of the leading figures in the athletics world and for the third time in her carreer Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva are the winners in the 2013 Edition of the European Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.
It was the 31st annual poll conducted by the AIPS – EUROPE as the biggest continental section of AIPS and was established in 1977 at the AIPS Congress in Milano Marittima. ?Since 2003, the annual poll was named the Frank Taylor Trophy in honour of the former president of both AIPS and UEPS.
Mo Farah, runner up in last year’s edition got a total of 58 votes ahead of Rafael Nadal (tennis) with 49 votes, Formula1 champion Sebastian Vettel with 44 votes and France football player Franck Ribery with 42 votes
The women's award for the Evgen Bergant Trophy was won for the third time by Russian athlete Yelena Isinbayeva with 56 votes ahead of Slovenian Tina Maze with 49 votes followed by Russian swimmer Julia Efimova with 41 votes and Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania with 36 votes. Isinbayeva won this title already in 2005 and 2008.
Bolt, Fraser-Pryce winners AIPS America Athletes of the Year Awards
The Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce were elected Best Athletes of America in 2013 by AIPS America, the American continental arm of AIPS through the vote of their national associations.
Bolt wins the award for the second consecutive year, while Fraser-Pryce edged out North American tennis player Serena Williams in a second round of voting following a first round tie.
Other male athletes who received votes were the Mexican gymnast Daniel Corral, the Colombian soccer player Radamel Falcao Garcia and the Cuban judoka Ashley Gonzalez.
Among the women were Colombian jumper Catherine Ibarguen and the Ecuadorian weightlifter Alexandra Escobar.
BEST TEAM
The Dominican Republic's baseball team was voted best team of 2013 ahead of the football teams of Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador's champion team, Emelec.
BEST PRESS FACILITIES
The AIPS America 2013 award for the Best Press Center was the one of the Cali World Games in Colombia, ahead of the Olympic Basketball Qualifying tournament of the Americas in Caracas, Venezuela.
XIAMEN, China – IAAF President Lamine Diack started 2014 with an extensive schedule of activities in the southern Chinese city of Xiamen, home to the Xiamen International Marathon, the first IAAF Gold Label Road Race of 2014.
The first day of the New Year saw President Diack meet with representatives of the Chinese media, giving interviews to five major national newspapers and press agencies, as well as two national TV stations. In the afternoon of 1 January, President Diack met with Mayor Liu Keqing, the leader of the Xiamen local government and other leading Chinese politicians and sports administrators, including the President of the Chinese Athletic Association and IAAF Council Member Zhaocai Du and his long-standing friend and fellow IOC Member Dr Ching-kuo Wu, President of the International Boxing Federation.
The race was started by President Diack, who later presented medals to the winners and also handed awards to the winners of a children’s’ painting competition which had the subject of ‘Marathon –Run for Love’.
President Diack will leave Xiamen on Friday, traveling to Beijing and Tokyo for additional meetings, according to the IAAF.
President Diack also has called on Chinese authorities to improve air quality in their cities, before the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, reports noticiasaominuto.com.
Two Jamaican sprint sensations, Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce are the male and female Athletes of the Year respectively according to All-Athletics.com, the world leading track and field statistics website.
All-Athletics.com WORLD ATHLETE of the Year in 2013:
Jared Tallent’s second triumph in the IAAF Race Walking Challenge could be said to very much a family affair.
The 2008 winner, and second last year, topped the standings in 2013 and banked a cheque for USD$30,000 thanks in part to his new coach: his wife and international race walker Claire, herself a former winner in Challenge races.
The Tallents also moved from their Australian Institute of Sport base in Canberra to Adelaide, but not from Jared’s lofty position in the Challenge.
However, when it came to really big winners, Yelena Lashmanova was the women in the money.
By taking the IAAF World Championship 20km in Moscow, the Olympic champion also headed the Challenge women’s standings and walked away, literally, with USD$90,000 in total – USD$60,000 for the World Championships win and another USD $30,000 for topping the Challenge standings.
It underlined the 21-year-old’s meteoric rise since her surprise IAAF World race Walking Cup win on home turf at Saransk two years ago.
WACO, USA – Top USA 200m runner Wallace Spearmon has announced that he will run indoors this season, with meets in Arkansas and NYRR Millrose on his schedule so far, he informs via his Twitter.
Meanwhile, Thirty athletes have been named to Team USA for the 25th Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country race on Saturday, January 11, informs USATF.
Former winner Bobby Mack and Chris Derrick, who finished 10th at the 2013 World Cross Country, highlight the senior men’s selections. The race will be streamed live by USATF.tv.
