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PRACTICE WILL MAKE PERFECT FOR SPRINT RELAY SQUADS
Jamaica is the defending Olympic Champion in the men’s sprint relay. It is also the world record holder and Olympic record holder 37.04 and 37.10 respectively. It is a commonly held belief that Jamaica will easily defend its Olympic title in London this summer and that by the end of these coming Games in London, the world record will almost be untouchable, somewhere in the region of 36.8 or 36.6 seconds, maybe even faster.
Don’t believe me? Well, let’s look back to the Utech Classic held at the national stadium earlier this month. A team of Mario Forsythe, Yohan Blake, Kimmari Roach and Usain Bolt stopped the clock at an impressive 37.82 seconds in rainy conditions. The time was also accomplished with two poor baton changes as Roach, perhaps excited by the speed at which Blake was coming at him, took off too early and had to come to a virtual complete halt just to take the baton safely within the changeover zone. The final pass to Bolt was also not as smooth as it could have been. Had they not had to contend with those issues, this team representing the Racers’ track club could perhaps have been closer to the 37.10 Jamaica ran in Beijing in 2008. Replace Forsythe with Carter and Roach with Powell and that 37.82 could have been a second or more faster.
The reality is that at no other time in history has a relay team been comprised of so much quality sprinters. The new world record that was set by Jamaica in Daegu, South Korea last year was accomplished without the services of Asafa Powell, the third fastest man in history. It would have been interesting to see what time Jamaica would have managed had Powell been fit enough to compete. Still, as it is Jamaica possesses the most talented relay pool, with Michael Frater (9.88), Yohan Blake (9.82), Nesta Carter (9.78), Asafa Powell (9.72) and, of course, Usain Bolt (9.58). Any four of these men running together can easily shatter the existing record.
However, going into London, I would love to see the pool of afore-mentioned sprinters enter a few meets running the relays, experimenting with several combinations that will give each and every member a chance to experience exchanges with each other and most importantly get in valuable practise.
Yes, there are many of us who feel that all we have to do is get the stick around and we will win and they wouldn’t be wrong to feel that way. But consider this. The Americans, who are really our greatest rivals this year, will be faster than ever before. Walter Dix and Justin Gatlin are clearly faster this year and Mike Rodgers and Tyson Gay can run with the best of them; so too, Darvis Patton or the returning Ryan Bailey. This pool of American sprinters might be a little closer to Jamaica this year, even if Blake is faster than ever before. So Jamaica cannot afford to be too nonchalant.
The other thing Jamaica would want to test is the Powell lead-off option, which I feel would give Jamaica the best shot of really shattering the world record. Powell is still among the best starters in the world and there is no one anywhere whom he would not destroy on an opening leg in the sprint relay, save for perhaps Tyson Gay. In my set-up Powell hands off to Yohan Blake, who because of his raw speed and speed endurance would be the perfect choice for the back stretch. Blake does not run the turn well and would lose valuable time negotiating it. So instead, he smokes the back stretch and hands off to Nesta Carter, who delivers to Usain Bolt. The way I see it, after the first two legs Jamaica would have at least a seven to eight metre lead and Carter would maintain that lead going into the anchor leg. The only better option I could see is Powell to Bolt to Carter to Blake.
However, for this proposed combination or any other for that matter, to work at its most efficient, it would be prudent to get a few practice runs in to make sure everyone is comfortable. This supremely talented squad doesn’t have much time left together as a couple of them will soon be on the wrong side of 30. It would be nice to see them do something really special before the window on the greatest sprint relay squad in history closes.
The case of the distaff sprint relay team is troubling. I know its early days yet, but if the performance of Jamaica’s women against the USA at the recently concluded Penn Relays is any indication of what to expect this summer, Jamaica’s women will be demolished by their American rivals. And this is not even about the speed, because to be fair, the Americans are a lot more race sharp than the Jamaicans. Simpson and Frazer-Pryce, for example, are not race ready. The former is coming off a slight mishap at the Utech Classic, Aleen Bailey looks a bit heavy and Kerron Stewart has just a couple races under her belt. However, the passing of the stick was disastrous.
Many of us will remember that it was Simpson and Stewart who botched the baton change that cost Jamaica a potential gold medal in Beijing four years ago. The lack of synergy between the two was on display again on the weekend and it cost the team some valuable time. The exchange between Stewart and Bailey was even worse so by the time the baton got round to Frazer-Pryce the race was over, which explains why the reigning Olympic champion seemed so disinterested while trotting the anchor leg.
The women will get sharper for sure, but if they are to challenge the Americans in London, a lot of work needs to get done. Word is that the women don’t ‘work well’ together but I would like to believe that they will be able to put whatever differences they have between them and work together to achieve the goal of winning a gold medal for Jamaica in London, because if they produce another performance like the one at Penns, it will be a knock-out for the Americans.
They have an even smaller window to work with and there are no clear successors. This could well be one of their last shots for a while at a gold medal at a major meet. They should do everything within their power to make it happen now.
http://gleanerblogs.com/sports/?p=1247
Jamaica is the defending Olympic Champion in the men’s sprint relay. It is also the world record holder and Olympic record holder 37.04 and 37.10 respectively. It is a commonly held belief that Jamaica will easily defend its Olympic title in London this summer and that by the end of these coming Games in London, the world record will almost be untouchable, somewhere in the region of 36.8 or 36.6 seconds, maybe even faster.
Don’t believe me? Well, let’s look back to the Utech Classic held at the national stadium earlier this month. A team of Mario Forsythe, Yohan Blake, Kimmari Roach and Usain Bolt stopped the clock at an impressive 37.82 seconds in rainy conditions. The time was also accomplished with two poor baton changes as Roach, perhaps excited by the speed at which Blake was coming at him, took off too early and had to come to a virtual complete halt just to take the baton safely within the changeover zone. The final pass to Bolt was also not as smooth as it could have been. Had they not had to contend with those issues, this team representing the Racers’ track club could perhaps have been closer to the 37.10 Jamaica ran in Beijing in 2008. Replace Forsythe with Carter and Roach with Powell and that 37.82 could have been a second or more faster.
The reality is that at no other time in history has a relay team been comprised of so much quality sprinters. The new world record that was set by Jamaica in Daegu, South Korea last year was accomplished without the services of Asafa Powell, the third fastest man in history. It would have been interesting to see what time Jamaica would have managed had Powell been fit enough to compete. Still, as it is Jamaica possesses the most talented relay pool, with Michael Frater (9.88), Yohan Blake (9.82), Nesta Carter (9.78), Asafa Powell (9.72) and, of course, Usain Bolt (9.58). Any four of these men running together can easily shatter the existing record.
However, going into London, I would love to see the pool of afore-mentioned sprinters enter a few meets running the relays, experimenting with several combinations that will give each and every member a chance to experience exchanges with each other and most importantly get in valuable practise.
Yes, there are many of us who feel that all we have to do is get the stick around and we will win and they wouldn’t be wrong to feel that way. But consider this. The Americans, who are really our greatest rivals this year, will be faster than ever before. Walter Dix and Justin Gatlin are clearly faster this year and Mike Rodgers and Tyson Gay can run with the best of them; so too, Darvis Patton or the returning Ryan Bailey. This pool of American sprinters might be a little closer to Jamaica this year, even if Blake is faster than ever before. So Jamaica cannot afford to be too nonchalant.
The other thing Jamaica would want to test is the Powell lead-off option, which I feel would give Jamaica the best shot of really shattering the world record. Powell is still among the best starters in the world and there is no one anywhere whom he would not destroy on an opening leg in the sprint relay, save for perhaps Tyson Gay. In my set-up Powell hands off to Yohan Blake, who because of his raw speed and speed endurance would be the perfect choice for the back stretch. Blake does not run the turn well and would lose valuable time negotiating it. So instead, he smokes the back stretch and hands off to Nesta Carter, who delivers to Usain Bolt. The way I see it, after the first two legs Jamaica would have at least a seven to eight metre lead and Carter would maintain that lead going into the anchor leg. The only better option I could see is Powell to Bolt to Carter to Blake.
However, for this proposed combination or any other for that matter, to work at its most efficient, it would be prudent to get a few practice runs in to make sure everyone is comfortable. This supremely talented squad doesn’t have much time left together as a couple of them will soon be on the wrong side of 30. It would be nice to see them do something really special before the window on the greatest sprint relay squad in history closes.
The case of the distaff sprint relay team is troubling. I know its early days yet, but if the performance of Jamaica’s women against the USA at the recently concluded Penn Relays is any indication of what to expect this summer, Jamaica’s women will be demolished by their American rivals. And this is not even about the speed, because to be fair, the Americans are a lot more race sharp than the Jamaicans. Simpson and Frazer-Pryce, for example, are not race ready. The former is coming off a slight mishap at the Utech Classic, Aleen Bailey looks a bit heavy and Kerron Stewart has just a couple races under her belt. However, the passing of the stick was disastrous.
Many of us will remember that it was Simpson and Stewart who botched the baton change that cost Jamaica a potential gold medal in Beijing four years ago. The lack of synergy between the two was on display again on the weekend and it cost the team some valuable time. The exchange between Stewart and Bailey was even worse so by the time the baton got round to Frazer-Pryce the race was over, which explains why the reigning Olympic champion seemed so disinterested while trotting the anchor leg.
The women will get sharper for sure, but if they are to challenge the Americans in London, a lot of work needs to get done. Word is that the women don’t ‘work well’ together but I would like to believe that they will be able to put whatever differences they have between them and work together to achieve the goal of winning a gold medal for Jamaica in London, because if they produce another performance like the one at Penns, it will be a knock-out for the Americans.
They have an even smaller window to work with and there are no clear successors. This could well be one of their last shots for a while at a gold medal at a major meet. They should do everything within their power to make it happen now.
http://gleanerblogs.com/sports/?p=1247
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