2019 Track Season News and Results

[mastermulti]

Michele Jenneke is a knockout on and off the track. She is just so sexy to me she has helped to grow athletics popularity which is a great thing. Love her little dance she does.

hopefully she's made a decision as to whether she wants to be a model or a good athlete. She was in appalling shape at Rio.

I have some confidence that Browning and his coach have a decent plan.
A 17.32 triple jumper (and between 54.5 and 57 ft for 15 years running), his coach Murphy knows all about how to avoid over-stessing the body with too much work too early.
It also helps that Rohan is a very intelligent guy whose studies give him a good work/life balance

 

[white lightning]

I'm confident that Rohan Browning will go sub 10 in the next year or two. I'm a little more worried about Jack Hale. I think he has lost a little confidence this season. Maybe Trae swtiching to
Rugby will be a good thing for Jack as he won't have as much elite competition. In my opinion he is not as smart or mentally strong as R.Browning. I still think he has the talent to succeed though.

I'm very excitied about the near future of Australian Track & Field. Especially in the sprints.

 

[jacknyc]

Lemaitre won his 200m heat at the French Championships in the incredible (slow) time of 21.23.
Let's see if he has the strength to improve his time tomorrow.

 

[white lightning]

Lemaitre won his 200m heat at the French Championships in the incredible (slow) time of 21.23.
Let's see if he has the strength to improve his time tomorrow.

It's like a monsoon storm there so everyone ran slow to be safe. Damn jacknyc you really hate Christophe. Remember what he did in the past. Your so hard on him
and it shows in everything you post. We all had higher hopes & expecatations but he won medals at the olympics, world champs & double gold european championships. He
also went sub 10 and sub 20. First white man to go sub 10 and still fastest white man ever over 100 meters (9.92) and 2nd fastest over 200 meters(19.80)! He is an inspiration
despite his career not fullfilling our lofty expecations. He is amazing and we should remember him for what he did.

https://scontent.fphx1-1.fna.fbcdn....=6316ff2082af85ace2d8b2bd644b8bd7&oe=5DEB0EB5

 

[white is right]

It's like a monsoon storm there so everyone ran slow to be safe. Damn jacknyc you really hate Christophe. Remember what he did in the past. Your so hard on him
and it shows in everything you post. We all had higher hopes & expecatations but he won medals at the olympics, world champs & double gold european championships. He
also went sub 10 and sub 20. First white man to go sub 10 and still fastest white man ever over 100 meters (9.92) and 2nd fastest over 200 meters(19.80)! He is an inspiration
despite his career not fullfilling our lofty expecations. He is amazing and we should remember him for what he did.

https://scontent.fphx1-1.fna.fbcdn....=6316ff2082af85ace2d8b2bd644b8bd7&oe=5DEB0EB5

I figured it out he was Jim Belushi in Red Heat and bet on Lemaitre at one world level meet and hasn't forgiven him.....

 

[jacknyc]

Damn jacknyc you really hate Christophe. Remember what he did in the past. Your so hard on him
and it shows in everything you post.

Yes, I am hard on him. And you know what, that's just what he needs or needed.
Not from me, but from his coaches, trainers, the French Athletic Federation, their Olympic Committee, etc.
Here's the most talented sprinter we've ever had (France too), doing the absolute least with his ability.
He's just like all the football and basketball players that everyone complains about here - 'that upside!'. Guys who run a fast 40, but can't catch a football; jump out of the gym, but don't know basketball fundamentals. That's Lemaitre. Tons of natural ability, and doesn't work on his talent. Never improved his start, which is awful; horrid form running the curve; completely exhausted after every race; training in a little town with E-level sprinters; hiding from serious competition; still running in club level races for god's sake!
Unlike most of those 'upside' basketball and football players, he doesn't seem arrogant and cocky, but rather a nice guy. But, other than the fact that he's immensely talented, he's a total wimp! The guy has no hunger, ambition, drive. It's difficult to respect that. I really wouldn't be surprised if he is on the autism spectrum or has some personality disorder, but not knowing that, it's hard to respect someone who seemingly doesn't 'try'.
We think Boling is talented (10.11), but Lemaitre ran 10.04 when he was the same age! However he hasn't run that fast in 7 years now. He also hasn't run sub-20 in 7 years. 7 long years.
Of course he's had injuries, all sprinters do; but nothing serious like a torn hamstring. Meanwhile, Guliyev, who is the same age and endured much more hardships in his career than Lemaitre, has kept at it year after year. The payoff - he is the current world champion in the 200m. He ran 19.76 last year, and 9.97 the year before. He doesn't have Lemaitre's natural ability, but he's certainly working harder.
It's okay to remember Lemaitre for all that he's accomplished in the past, but to pretend he is still a great sprinter is a deception.
I don't hate Lemaitre, but I don't respect him, and he frustrates the hell out of me.

 

[CrazyFinn]

jacknyc stole my thunder, very well said. To me his story is one of unrealized potential. It seems that the good Lord gave all this sprint talent to a guy with virtually no personality or ambition/drive to be the best. I don’t know if he’s just shy or autistic, but Christophe seems to hate the spotlight. That also explains his desire to never leave the confines of his comfortable Alpine home and training with an old man whose outdated and ineffective methods have no place in today’s modern competitive track landscape.

Imagine if he had half the personality and charisma of Usain Bolt. No doubt he would’ve inspired legions of white kids everywhere to take up the sport. As it stands, I don’t think anyone knows who he is. And if he had the drive, he would’ve left France and come to America to train with the best, especially when it became clear that he started regressing after he hit those PBs in the 100/200.

So, to me, he has a very important legacy as having been the first white man to break 10s, but you cannot deny that he has underachieved. I’m not even talking lofty expectations such as having Usain Bolt type success, just being the premier sprinter in Europe and regularly taking it to the Jamaicans and Americans on the international stage, it never happened.

Now, we shall hope that our very own Matthew Boling will be that guy.

 

[jacknyc]

. . but you cannot deny that he has underachieved. I’m not even talking lofty expectations such as having Usain Bolt type success, just being the premier sprinter in Europe and regularly taking it to the Jamaicans and Americans on the international stage, it never happened.

Yes, . . . just being the premier sprinter in Europe and taking it to the Jamaicans and Americans every now and then would have been great. But Lemaitre hasn't won a Euro Championship since 2012. Hasn't made a European Championships final since 2014. Hasn't won a Diamond League race since 2015.

 

[white is right]

Yes, . . . just being the premier sprinter in Europe and taking it to the Jamaicans and Americans every now and then would have been great. But Lemaitre hasn't won a Euro Championship since 2012. Hasn't made a European Championships final since 2014. Hasn't won a Diamond League race since 2015.

He has clearly underachieved, but what would you say about Asafa Powell?

How many world records did he set in the 100 meter dash? How many major finals did he make as the favorite and literally freeze and have the look of a man heading towards the gallows. Throw the drug usage out and you have a guy who had no race nerves, Lemaitre at least has that in spades, everything else he deserves to be s^%t on to a point. Lemaitre has more individual medals than Powell does.

This is why I don't s&^t on him like other posters because he never showed up wanting when he had to dig in to win a medal, unlike Powell.

PS, I looked up the individual medal totals at world level meets and it's a push, but Lemaitre was never the world record holder heading into a World or Olympic meet, Asafa was until Bolt magically appeared at the world level in the 100 meters.

 

[jacknyc]

Asafa is a bigger choker than Lemaitre, but Lemaitre is a bigger underachiever.
Anyway, what Asafa did or didn't do (he actually has way more individual medals than Lemaitre), has no bearing on this discussion.

 

[mastermulti]

He has clearly underachieved, but what would you say about Asafa Powell?

How many world records did he set in the 100 meter dash? How many major finals did he make as the favorite and literally freeze and have the look of a man heading towards the gallows. Throw the drug usage out and you have a guy who had no race nerves, Lemaitre at least has that in spades, everything else he deserves to be s^%t on to a point. Lemaitre has more individual medals than Powell does.

This is why I don't s&^t on him like other posters because he never showed up wanting when he had to dig in to win a medal, unlike Powell.

PS, I looked up the individual medal totals at world level meets and it's a push, but Lemaitre was never the world record holder heading into a World or Olympic meet, Asafa was until Bolt magically appeared at the world level in the 100 meters.

Asafa, a choker in big races, but he still ran 10.03 this week and earned some keep - he works hard and continues to even though he himself must hate the way he underperforms when it counts. He sticks with the hard graft though, even to this very day.

 

[white lightning]

He has clearly underachieved, but what would you say about Asafa Powell?

How many world records did he set in the 100 meter dash? How many major finals did he make as the favorite and literally freeze and have the look of a man heading towards the gallows. Throw the drug usage out and you have a guy who had no race nerves, Lemaitre at least has that in spades, everything else he deserves to be s^%t on to a point. Lemaitre has more individual medals than Powell does.

This is why I don't s&^t on him like other posters because he never showed up wanting when he had to dig in to win a medal, unlike Powell.

PS, I looked up the individual medal totals at world level meets and it's a push, but Lemaitre was never the world record holder heading into a World or Olympic meet, Asafa was until Bolt magically appeared at the world level in the 100 meters.

We should have discussed this topic more on the Lemaitre thread. I never said he didn't underachieve. I never said I didn't want and expect more. I just simply said that even if he never does anything ever again he deserves some respect for what he has done and the future generations he helped to inspire. I just feel bad for him as he has admitted he has a different/shy/introverted personality since he was a kid. He admitted he was bullied in school and had little or no friends. He admitted this before he was famous. So in some ways he has overacheived from a mental & emotional standpoint. He had to fight through countless mental lifetime fears just to compete. He just is a homebody/introvert and doesn't like to be around alot of people. Millions of people are similar to him. It's just too bad he had the once in a lifetime physical genetics to do so much more. I am still proud of him for what he accomplished. So I have some dissapointment but mostly pride when I think of what he did accomplish in the short time he was on top. I will live with that. His heyday is over but I still enjoy rooting for him. Let's just try to remember him as the one that first did what many people thought was impossible.

 

[white lightning]

Sam Hendricks broke the U.S. National Pole Vault Record today. Sensational stuff. Here is the video.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1155244368246312967

 

[white is right]

I forgot to post this yesterday but Quinn placed 3rd in his heat the opening round of the 200M dash, his time was slow again but the winds were swirling and nobody even Lyles ran a spectacular time. Quinn probably didn't advance to the semifinals because of this as some heats had better weather conditions. I did notice that the 2 semifinal format was adopted for this meet and that is less time based and more about placement, so if your heat is run into a storm like wind you can advance easier.......

 

[white is right]

No mystery Devon Allen is going to Doha......

Note Trey Cunningham made the final too but he finished last, he will have to use the final as a learning experience.

 

[white lightning]

One name I'm very curious about what happened to is Jan Volko. He has been healthy all summer yet is running 10.30's to 10.40's times. this guy ran a p.b. of 10.13 last
summer and he is only 22 years of age. I had such high hopes for Volko. Not sure why he regressed so much.

The same with Samuel Purola and others. Weird to see guys so talented yet they are running slower.

Even Tortu passed up the Italian National Champs. He isn't hurt but he is clearly struggling outside of one good race this year. It's been a strange year indeed.

 

[FootballDad]

One name I'm very curious about what happened to is Jan Volko. He has been healthy all summer yet is running 10.30's to 10.40's times. this guy ran a p.b. of 10.13 last
summer and he is only 22 years of age. I had such high hopes for Volko. Not sure why he regressed so much.

The same with Samuel Purola and others. Weird to see guys so talented yet they are running slower.

Even Tortu passed up the Italian National Champs. He isn't hurt but he is clearly struggling outside of one good race this year. It's been a strange year indeed.

Aren’t they all training with Master Carraz now??

 

[elispeedster]

Aren’t they all training with Master Carraz now??

You know nothing of Sprint!!!!!!

 

[FootballDad]

You know nothing of Sprint!!!!!!

Ah, I miss RCSMAN!

 

[white lightning]

Ah, I miss RCSMAN!

Yes even now he will still defend Master Caraz to the death. His coaching and training methods are zeee best!!! Lol.

 

[jacknyc]

Monsieur Caraz is the person most responsible for the downfall and failures of Christophe Lemaitre.
Christophe is also responsible for not moving on to other coaches, training, etc.

 

[NWsoccerfan]

I said it 5-6 years ago, Lemaitre should have went down and trained with the Jamaicans or the Americans in a warm climate and gotten used to racing Bolt and Gatlin and company. None of us know for sure what Lemaitre is like in person, but I think we are probably right in assuming he didn’t have the mental toughness to reach his full physical potential. When he was at his best, his top speed was simply incredible but he never fixed the start. He had a low 9.8 or high 9.7 in him but never realized it.

 

[white is right]

I said it 5-6 years ago, Lemaitre should have went down and trained with the Jamaicans or the Americans in a warm climate and gotten used to racing Bolt and Gatlin and company. None of us know for sure what Lemaitre is like in person, but I think we are probably right in assuming he didn’t have the mental toughness to reach his full physical potential. When he was at his best, his top speed was simply incredible but he never fixed the start. He had a low 9.8 or high 9.7 in him but never realized it.

At bare minimum he should have gone to Paris to train with Vicaut.

Really the French sprinting scene is rather abysmal as you go from prime Lemaitre and Vicaut to guys who are really club level 10.3X guys or slower. Out in the hinter land where he lives he would be lucky to have a training partner that could break 11 seconds.

 

[limitless]

Yeah, I remember when Vicaut came on the scene. He was behind Lemaitre and did not have Lemaire's genetics, but I was able to find vids of doing plyo and weights. And as a result of that training he made significant improvements. He paid his dues. Lemaitre did not. Added to that, the stuff Vicaut was doing was not near as intense as the guys on this side of the Atlantic. If Lemaitre would have packed his bags and come over here after he ran that 10.04 at age 19, there is not telling what could have happened. Top speed? Forget about it. He was the best. Just think, Yohan Blake ran in the 19.2s for the 200. Lemaitre and Gulilev, both should have come to CA after that junior meet.

As I have said earlier, it is really hard to not to think about what could have been.

 

[greyghost]

As far as I know ..Volko has been carrying injuries since after the indoor season and has been catching up since ...but still not fully healthy ...also is being coached by an older female coach in Bratislava , with no professional background ...but he trusts her ...he may not begin to trust her from next year ...I reckon he should join his Czech compatriots in Prague ....a good solid group that includes pavel maslak ....