Well he’s still only 22, so he’s nowhere near his peak. He could definitely get stronger I’m sure. But you’re right, 9.4 might be it.[/quote]
I don’t know which way his age cuts. Although it obviously means he will get stronger and better at the event, the stress of that event is going to start accumulating on his body. He has not really had any significant injuries that I can think of. This will almost certainly change as it is inevitable that such stress will manifest. That is what Gay is going through right now; hamstring last year and groin this year.
In my view, this means he is approaching his peak in the next few years. And as he gets faster, he will probably be taking smaller and smaller chunks out of his time. Gone are the days where he is going to drop his time by .11 in a single shot. The next big race may be 9.55, then 9.53, and so on. The curve is flattening out and peaking; the only question is whether the curve’s apex will pierce 9.4 or not before it starts going the other way.
Too bad for Gay that he had to reach his peak while this freak of nature is rising. Bolt has spoiled what should have been a glorious 3 years at the top for Gay. It is kind of like Jan Ullrich and Lance Armstrong for those who follow cycling.
I really thought your Powell prediction was crazy but you were right. I thought I read somewhere that the Berlin track was supposed to be slow. How much lower can Bolt go?
I am not a track expert but when pausing the video at the very beginning when they take off Usain stands up almost right away, where as second and third place all lean forward like crazy. Would his time be better if he started with more forward lean? or is that just his style?
[quote]Typhoon wrote:
I am not a track expert but when pausing the video at the very beginning when they take off Usain stands up almost right away, where as second and third place all lean forward like crazy. Would his time be better if he started with more forward lean? or is that just his style?[/quote]
During the late 90s and uearly 00s, the group known as HSI consisting of Maurice Greena and Ato Boldon popularized the idea that you have to “stay low” during the “drive phase” in order to run fast times. A whole generation of sheep went through their careers copying and repeating the same nonsense and it turns out to be false.
[quote]belligerent wrote:
Typhoon wrote:
I am not a track expert but when pausing the video at the very beginning when they take off Usain stands up almost right away, where as second and third place all lean forward like crazy. Would his time be better if he started with more forward lean? or is that just his style?
During the late 90s and uearly 00s, the group known as HSI consisting of Maurice Greena and Ato Boldon popularized the idea that you have to “stay low” during the “drive phase” in order to run fast times. A whole generation of sheep went through their careers copying and repeating the same nonsense and it turns out to be false.
[/quote]
Interesting. Why does the second place guy lean so much forward? Are you saying that weather you stand up fast or stay low doesn’t matter its more individual preference or that leaning a lot is detrimental?
No need to feel weirded out. I am just a lovable, harmless ( ala Rush Limbaugh) Jamaican Track & Field sprint enthusiast. I follow the top Sprinters pretty closely. Here’s another prediction. If Powell runs on the 4X100 relay, and the Baton exchanges are perfect. Expect another WR!!
My prediction was right. The Jamaican team ran fast! The second fastest 4X100 relay with a 37.31, but with two botched exchanges ( Frater to Bolt/ Bolt to Powell) NO WR!!! Ahh Well!! until next time. Later folks!!!
I watched both the men and women finish with gold medals in the 4x400 m relay. Both the men and women smoked everyone in their race, the mens team winning by 20 meters at least.