Christophe Lemaitre "White Lightning" 9.92 and 19.80! -- Part Two

mastermulti

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why such inconsistency <<sighh>>:BangHead:

None of the times were good though. And with Vicaut injuring his adductor the relay team hopes take a big dive after such promise 3/4 days ago.
Such is track.
 
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Madara

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Yes 2 bad races, it's a slow track it's sure, but one thing more worriyng, we can see with this 2 races he did goods time in Mondeville thanks of his good start, so the max speed is not here, because when we see the race in Paris, he makes any difference during the last 10 meters. So It's the most important factor, and he doesn't have. For him it will be the gap to do 10.00 or just 10.10.
 

mastermulti

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Yes 2 bad races, it's a slow track it's sure, but one thing more worriyng, we can see with this 2 races he did goods time in Mondeville thanks of his good start, so the max speed is not here, because when we see the race in Paris, he makes any difference during the last 10 meters. So It's the most important factor, and he doesn't have. For him it will be the gap to do 10.00 or just 10.10.

let's hope his speed and speed endurance develops as he lengthens his training runs for the "outdoor" season.
 

Jimmy Chitwood

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great video !
heat and final in Mondeville

very good start for Christophe


the above video is highly illustrative and would serve as highly informative in "debates" regarding 40-yard dash times in football. if one watches closely, you will observe the VERY marginal separation between the winner, Lemaitre, and the third place finisher, Vicaut. their respective times over 60 meters "seem" large: 6.57 to 6.66, but in reality there is less than one full stride separating the two men.

this is significant, as it illustrates how truly small the difference is between a "blazingly fast" time of, say, 4.4 and a comparatively "slow-footed" 4.5 over 40 yards. in actuality, the separation between those two times is, at most, one stride. and on a football field where running in a straight line rarely happens, the difference between times of a tenth of a second (or even two tenths of a second) is almost totally insignificant.

the idea that a "speedster" who runs a 4.4 in shorts with no pads on is in a separate league than a "slug" who runs a 4.5 or 4.6 is, at best, misguided and, at worst, intentionally misleading.
 

sprintstar

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as well Jimmy Chitwood how many 4.4 40 guys run sub 10.70 100m's in the NFL...not too many. Lemaitre is lucky in the fact he can get a good time over 60m with his long lanky body, much easier for smaller guys but his asset is his closing speed when he really gets his legs a movin' over the 100m and 200m. Here's hoping his training and conditioning is better this year. I mentioned in an earlier post he looks slimmer this year more like in the past when he put up fantastic times.
 

limitless

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Lemaitre's PB from 2010 in the 60 is 6.55. So his 6.57 this season is a great sign. If he could crack that 6.55, it would be awesome news.
 

mastermulti

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it seemed to me his first 100 was a bit tooo easy ..... so much in reserve in the straight. Still, 6th best time this year and not far from places 2 through 5.
His bends in the 200, while never the best, look a bit awkward indoors on the tighter track. I may be wrong but maybe he has his old speed back. He was only 1/10th from his PR in this event
 
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white lightning

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Lemaitre looked very fast and powerful. I agree with mastermulti that he could have went a little faster over the first half of the race. Despite some mechanical and technical issues, he won easily in a superb time! I agree Christophe looks to be back.
 

jacknyc

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"Christophe Lemaitre missed his start in the 60m final of the French Championships, and has never managed to catch up."
 

jacknyc

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I haven't seen the race, but short of being injured, it's really a pathetic performance from Lemaitre.
6.73 is so slow for someone of his caliber. I've never heard of any of the 5 guys who finished in front of him.
It's 1 step forward and 2 steps back with this guy.
 

elispeedster

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Lemaitre decided not to run in the 200 Final after running 21.44 in his heat, I guess he gave up....after 10-15 years of training this guy still gets fatigued.......Christophe, you got your Bronze medal, you were a very good sprinter - you could of been great (ill leave it at that) -but I think its time to hang it up.....or try a completely new coaching staff and direction and see what comes out of it. Change can be good. Try it, it wont bite.
 

jacknyc

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Well said!
Meanwhile, after the race Christophe said he was tired and didn't want to push it and risk injury.
Tired from what?!!
As you said he's been training for years and he still gets soo tired from just competing.
It wouldn't surprise me if they eventually find out that he has some rare condition that causes his abnormal exhaustion.
 

white lightning

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This is what Christophe Lemaitre said to his fans after pulling out of the 200 meters final at the 2018 French Indoor Champs.


Good morning, everyone. I wanted, in a first time, to take a step back from my French Elite Championships in the room for power, then you express what I've experienced and felt. You may know, but I finished only 6th of the 60 m and declared forfeit for the 200 m final. The reason is simple. I am tired physically and the left ischio make me suffer every stride, preventing me from expressing at 100 %. So as not to keep shooting a body already tired. I took the penible decision to give up this final on my favorite distance. But don't worry. I keep morale knowing that the real goal will be this summer with the Berlin European Championships. For this i will, after a few days of rest, get back to work for more than 2 months to find the shape to be at the top and find, as in the beginning of the indoor season, the hargne and joy of running By being in full possession of my means and living a aventure adventure together. In the meantime, I salute you and express my gratitude for your support and I will do everything to make it to you with performance and medals. #ASICS #IMOVEME #FFA #lievin2018 #franceindoor2018
 

jacknyc

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I just don't understand how he can be so "tired physically" as to perform this poorly.
This is what he trains for and does for a living.
He ran a few races in February, just like hundreds of other sprinters.
But for some reason it's too much for him.
If this is the truth, then there is something wrong with him medically.
 

mastermulti

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I just don't understand how he can be so "tired physically" as to perform this poorly.
This is what he trains for and does for a living.
He ran a few races in February, just like hundreds of other sprinters.
But for some reason it's too much for him.
If this is the truth, then there is something wrong with him medically.

I wonder if he is undiagnosed with something debilitating. I know our Ella Nelson who ran 22.53 in Rio to edge out Prandini lost form early 2017 and was getting desperate to know why until she found out she was ill.
But,yes, if ol' man Kim Collins can run 2 fast 60s every week to earn a living you'd think someone nearly 15 years younger could too
 

jacknyc

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I read an interview with Lemaitre where he said his objective at the European Championships this summer is to win 3 titles (100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay).

"Three medals and three titles if possible! ... I realize that the level of European sprint is much higher than in recent editions. It will go very quickly to get the podium. To pass under the 10 seconds on 100 m and under the 20 on 200 m, these are times almost essential to have the title."

So he acknowledges that he will probably need to run sub-10 and sub-20 to win each of those races.
But frankly, I think the odds of him doing that are very, very small. He hasn't run sub-10 since 2011, and sub-20 since 2012.
Plus there is Guliyev, Tortu, Hortelano, all the Brits, etc. to contend with.
What do you think?
 

mastermulti

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I think there is a lot of young talent with fresh determination to do well. The new guys also tend to have less fear of others' expectations - and fear can paralyze performance.
Christophe can never lose the accolades and medals he has won. They're written in history.
What incentive is there left?
He's already proven to be a great white sprinter, in his early days always a chance to beat nearly every world class sprinter on a given day.
 

CrazyFinn

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Filippo Tortu I believe has the potential to be that great white sprinter that Lemaitre never became.

His legacy is indeed secure, becoming the first white sprinter to go sub-10 in the 100m and his success on the international stage, with a combined 13 individual and relay medals in the Olympics, World Championships, and European Championships. That's quite a resume, and he may not be done. But I always go back to what could've been. With proper training and a mental game which he seemed to lack, Christophe could've legitimately taken it to the Jamaicans and Americans, but I don't think that will ever happen now. So, there's definitely some sadness there of the unrealized potential, a consistent 9.80/19.60 sprinter that he could've become.

I've seen a number of Tortu's races and the one thing you notice is how crisp and clean his sprinting technique and mechanics are. This is something we have always pointed out about Christophe and how he needed to clean things up. Tortu is already there and I'm hopeful that it will only get better from here.
 

jacknyc

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Speaking of Tortu....where is he?
I've been wondering why I haven't seen his name yet this season.
 
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