Christophe Lemaitre "White Lightning" 9.92 and 19.80! -- Part Two
- Thread starter Don Wassall
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white lightning
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I'm glad to see him back but he has a long road back if he is going to have any chance of winning
medals at the European champs. So much competition now from the younger and older guys. Guliyev
ran a 19.90 two days ago. It's just hard to understand how a guy that races so little gets hurt so much.
I hope he can stay healthy the rest of the summer. It's sad to watch him get injured so much. Good luck
to Christophe and may he surprise us all in the near future.
medals at the European champs. So much competition now from the younger and older guys. Guliyev
ran a 19.90 two days ago. It's just hard to understand how a guy that races so little gets hurt so much.
I hope he can stay healthy the rest of the summer. It's sad to watch him get injured so much. Good luck
to Christophe and may he surprise us all in the near future.
result 100M in Ostrava : very slow race for everybody (Christophe first 100M of his season)
Wind : - 0,7m/s
1 Justin Gatlin
USA 10.03
2 Akani Simbine
RSA 10.13
3 Michael Rodgers
USA 10.15
4 Adam Gemili
GBR 10.22
5 Gavin Smellie
CAN 10.23
6 Ben Youssef Meité
CIV 10.28
7 Christophe Lemaitre
FRA 10.32
8 Zdeněk Stromšík
CZE 10.43
result 200M in Ostrava : great time for Christophe (2nd 200M of his season)
Wind : - 0,9m/s
1 Aaron Brown
CAN 20.05
2 Jereem Richards
TTO 20.09
3 Ramil Guliyev
TUR 20.09
4 Christophe Lemaitre
FRA 20.19
5 Ján Volko
SVK 20.36
6 Anaso Jobodwana
RSA 20.48
7 Likoúrgos-Stéfanos Tsákonas
GRE 20.48
8 Solomon Bockarie
NED 20.55
Wind : - 0,7m/s
1 Justin Gatlin
2 Akani Simbine
3 Michael Rodgers
4 Adam Gemili
5 Gavin Smellie
6 Ben Youssef Meité
7 Christophe Lemaitre
8 Zdeněk Stromšík
result 200M in Ostrava : great time for Christophe (2nd 200M of his season)
Wind : - 0,9m/s
1 Aaron Brown
2 Jereem Richards
3 Ramil Guliyev
4 Christophe Lemaitre
5 Ján Volko
6 Anaso Jobodwana
7 Likoúrgos-Stéfanos Tsákonas
8 Solomon Bockarie
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elispeedster
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lol.......Lemaitre should just focus on the 200, he has a better shot of running 19.9 later in the season...the 100, I believe he wont break 10.1
mastermulti
Master
Actually that pleases me. It's as if they have a plan - testing his starts/drive etc (100) while seeing how his speed endurance is progressing (200).
It also means they're confident his body's now going well enough to cope.
We can only wait and watch from this point.
He certainly wasn't far off the pace in the 200
Madara
Guru
For me around 10,50-9.69, his actual level in 100m is 10.22 (we will see tonight in Montreuil), but i'm suprize, good second 100m.
I think with more speed, he could do very good things.
I think with more speed, he could do very good things.
What happened to this guy? He was very young and skinny when he ran his best times. I've heard rumors of disinterest in training, refusing to take PEDs, et cetera as excuses for his failure to improve. Very disappointing as he is really the one white guy to convincingly break the 100, and he seemed to have the potential to be the best in the world when he first broke on the scene.
mastermulti
Master
I've pretty much let him go from my consciousness. He's contributed what he can (regardless of our disagreements with some of his decisions) and no longer wants the weight of the world on his shoulders. I think he'll retain interest in being a club runner, a very good club runner
sprintstar
Master
I agree that he "was" carrying the weight of the world at one time but that was several years ago, there are more than a few whites running fast times and will eventually run faster than he did. He is physically gifted for sprinting( I wish) but it appears to the outsider that he is mentally weak. No one but his family, coach and himself actually know for sure. Could be he is satisfied with his accomplishments and like MM said he is ready to just be a very good club runner.
Personally I would love to see him stretch out to the 400m to see if he could do well at that distance. My old sprint coach told me that the worst day in a sprinters life is when he finds out he is best at the 400m lol thankfully I sucked badly at anything further than 200m.
Contrary to what I said last season I am not going to write him off just yet.
Personally I would love to see him stretch out to the 400m to see if he could do well at that distance. My old sprint coach told me that the worst day in a sprinters life is when he finds out he is best at the 400m lol thankfully I sucked badly at anything further than 200m.
Contrary to what I said last season I am not going to write him off just yet.
For whatever reason, Lemaitre peaked at the age of 21.
That was in 2011.
2012 was his last good season.
Since then he's had a couple of good races here and there, but has mostly been a disappointment.
He can peak for one championship race per season, and that's it.
It's best not to have any expectations for him, and instead focus on Guliyev, Tortu, Gemili, Volko, and Hortelano.
All are better sprinters than Lemaitre these days.
That was in 2011.
2012 was his last good season.
Since then he's had a couple of good races here and there, but has mostly been a disappointment.
He can peak for one championship race per season, and that's it.
It's best not to have any expectations for him, and instead focus on Guliyev, Tortu, Gemili, Volko, and Hortelano.
All are better sprinters than Lemaitre these days.
white lightning
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I would like to see Tortu run around 3 or 4 races over 2o0 meters this year. If he can run the curve better, and increase
his speed endurance he should get into the 20.10 range by the end of summer. It will also help his 100 meters times as
he will be able to maintain top speed for a little bit longer to dip into the low 9.9's at some point and maybe high 9.8's!
mastermulti
Master
I wondered about that "being psychologically weak" but rejected it. He's medalled in various big meets when he's put his mind to it.
As far as 400 goes ......... he takes 15 minutes to get breathing correctly after a 200
mastermulti
Master
of those mentioned I think the tough guy is Guliyev. He's overcome a lot since his dad died prematurely.
As a young man he went in search of better things in Turkey, his own country objecting and landing with him 3 years out of world competition. Still he triumphed against all odds.
Christophe on the other hand wanted to stay in his hometown with his only ever coach and keep dong the same thing year after year inside his own comfort zone (crazily) thinking the results the next season would be different. Which is fine ... but it demonstrates a huge difference in attitude between him and Guliyev.
As a young man he went in search of better things in Turkey, his own country objecting and landing with him 3 years out of world competition. Still he triumphed against all odds.
Christophe on the other hand wanted to stay in his hometown with his only ever coach and keep dong the same thing year after year inside his own comfort zone (crazily) thinking the results the next season would be different. Which is fine ... but it demonstrates a huge difference in attitude between him and Guliyev.
white is right
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He's been at that peak for a major meet form for years, it seems like there has been a slow diminishing level of racing form through the rest of the season since 12', I suspect he will never get world class form at the 100 meters again, but because the 200 extracts less of a toll on his legs and demands less pure speed he could still be in the mix for a major medal until Tokyo.
He would need to hit at a minimum 20 flat with rounds to win a medal and need a 20.2 or a high 20.1X to make a major final, I think he still has that in him if his body holds up through the season.
If I were his coach I would just use the 100 meter races as warm ups for the 200, similar to what Mennea did through out his career and what Guliyev seems to be doing.
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Tortu, Gemili, Guliyev, Nascimento, Reus, Volko, Stromsik, Smelyk, Tsakonas, Kilty, and Hortelano are all white Europeans that have run faster than Lemaitre over the past 3 seasons.
That's how far he has fallen.
He might be able to beat most of them in a one-time 200m, but if they had to race 5 or 6 times in the course of a season, I suspect Lemaitre would be about #5 in the 200m amongst this group. I would take Tortu, Gemili, Guliyev, and Hortelano over him.
That's how far he has fallen.
He might be able to beat most of them in a one-time 200m, but if they had to race 5 or 6 times in the course of a season, I suspect Lemaitre would be about #5 in the 200m amongst this group. I would take Tortu, Gemili, Guliyev, and Hortelano over him.
white is right
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Fair enough Guliyev is obviously better than him at this point, but both Gemili and Hortelano have had injuries, I wouldn't rate them as obvious favorites over a healthy Lemaitre in the 200. When you throw in the rest of the world Lemaitre would need a near miracle major final to medal again, but I contend if he is healthy that he should be able to final in a major off of recent form.
PS a few posters have stated he has regressed to the point of him being an elite club level runner. I'm assuming they mean in the 100, even in that event he can probably get the international B standard, IMO that's not a club level runner. A true club level runner is only a domestic also ran who can't break 10.3X, similar to guys who make the French finals but are left way up the track when Lemaitre battles Vicaut for the national title.
Unless Lemaitre has severely regressed he is a full level better than that runner.
sprintstar
Master
MM, I have never seen any sprinter at any level look so gassed at the end of a 200m, Lemaitre looks like a fish out water the way he is so out of breath at the end of a 100 and 200 even worse. I have often wondered why he is like that. Is it because he is actually not in good enough shape or maybe he has lung capacity issues? It is perplexing.
mastermulti
Master
https://www.lequipe.fr/Athletisme/Actualites/Pas-de-saison-en-salle-pour-christophe-lemaitre/981642
Christophe's injury history from last year and how he's progressing
Christophe's injury history from last year and how he's progressing
Guliyev to go 19.6 this year ,,,he will be very hard to beat over 200 meters ...once again ( barring injuries ) he is one of the top guys to win in the worlds ......have we forgotten anybody ..hhhmmmm. Only van niekirk could possibly take him 1 on 1 at the moment ...guliyev is a dominant 200 meter sprinter ...if he were an American , Jamaican or a Brit , he would have Coca Cola sponsorship ,,and his own tv show already ,, but life has made him tough and opposing athletes know how hard he is to beat ...,,remember he is reigning world champ over 200 ...respect !...
Still can't get my head around the fact that german athletics doesn't have a quality 200 guy ,,,,although Kevin Kranz might begin to change that ....still really believe all German sprinters need to compete regularly outside of the " heimat" ...in order to gain confidence ,,,also note the young Dutch sprinter who bronzed in the euros over 60 ( whose name escapes me ) ...this guy has a big upside , still very raw and lean ...was great see a good white Dutch male sprinter ....who has attitude and has been touted through his teens here in Europe ,,, he has real potential as a senior and I believe he is involved with daphne schippers group ,,,which is good..