Christophe Lemaitre "White Lightning" 9.92 and 19.80!

[white lightning]

Lemaitre finished tied for 5th in a time of 10.09! After the week this kid has had, it shouldn't come as too much off a suprise. He did countless interviews for the newpapers, radio and tv stations. He had a terrible start and he made a nice effort to at least come back on some of the field. The pressure had to be unbelievable. I'm very proud of him.
Bolt won running a 9.84 by the way.
Edited by: white lightning

 

[trackster]

Well, that's what you get for giving interviews all week instead of training. Awful, awful race. 10.09, beaten out of sight.

Time to start training like he means it now. Bolt and Gay and company all have dietitians preparing their meals. If Lemaitre wants to enter their class, he needs to start eating right, and stop letting media requests take over his schedule. What kind of rinky-dink operation is training him?? Pitiful.

Very disappointed in this race. Any other reaction is just putting lipstick on a pig.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

it looked to me like Christophe pressed a bit, as his form didn't look nearly as relaxed to my (non-expert) eye asit normally does. also, he staggered aftergetting away fromthe blocks, and it caused him to not run straight. he ended up well to one side of his lane, and at this level these minor things add up quickly in hundredths of seconds.

all in all though, i felt he had a good showing. his time was yet another sub-10.10, and he was right in the pack with a lineup of the world's elite. this was a learning experience, and he will learn a lot from this, i'm thinking. this is just another step forward in his progression.

also, the idea thatlightly-populated Jamaica can legally (without PEDs, i mean) monopolize dominance ofthe short sprints is laughable. those yams must be hella good.

 

[white lightning]

Look at it this way. Should they turn down most of the interviews? That would cost him popularity and alot of money down the road. It is only one race. He also ran 6 races last weekend. No one else in this 100 meters raced even twice and most didn't race at all last weekend. So they had fresh legs while Lemaitre had tired legs. He has two weeks until the Euro Champs and he needs around 3-4 days off to just rest. Then he can resume training and be ready for Barcelona.

On a bright note, this was his 7th sub 10.10 race of the season and he did it with virtually now wind while being very tired. I'm very proud of him despite the time not being what we had hoped. Get some rest Christophe. You deserve it.

I also agree with Jimmy Chitwood on him looking poor with his sprinting tecnique. He was all over his lane and he hadn't done that all year. Usually that is because your pressing like Jimmy said. He knew he had alot of ground to make up and he tried with all his energy to come back in the race. His form suffered because of it. My biggest complaint is that he needs to get back to starting better like he did indoors. Edited by: white lightning

 

[trackster]

On a technical level, LeMaitre's reaction time was identical to Bolt's, yet LeMaitre was left back by almost a full meter after the very first stride! I love the skinny lad, but the steroid-pumped bodybuilders just BLAST out of the blocks, which LeMaitre simply isn't strong enough to do. By 10 meters, he is so far back it's like he's in a different race. He gained on a few of the other runners towards the end.

Well, we'll just have to see from this point on if LeMaitre is willing to do what it takes to become a world class runner. Eat better, start a serious lifting program, keep up the training, turn down the interview requests. He can do a lot better if his training gets serious.

 

[freedom1]

Getting blown away makes anyone tighten up.

This will work out in his favor in the long run. It's big race experience, learning to deal with the pressure. And it gives him a realistic perspective on where he is and what he needs to do.

 

[white lightning]

I have watched the race around 5 times now. Lemaitre by far showed his worst form of the year. I'm amazed he still ran as fast as he did. I think the nerves got to him. Remember guys that he was racing with Bolt and Powell right next to him. There got into his head a little. I have no doubt about that. Lemaitre needs to be more focused the next time. His form really was bad but he will be back. There is no doubt that he can compete when his form and start are there. He almost ran two sub 10's last weekend alone.

 

[trackster]

Well, I certainly hope it favors him in the long run. This wasn't just any race. This was the worst possible race for him to do so horribly. He had a lot of people watching. After drawing so much attention, he was going up against the legendary Bolt. This was his chance to prove that he was really something special and not just the Gerry Cooney of track. But this race was so bad that he made even Gerry Cooney's glass chin look good by comparison. And why? Because he had to fart around all week eating hamburgers and giving interviews. If anyone should disappoint because he's too busy being famous, it should be Bolt. Not LeMaitre.

All we can do is hope he learned a lesson about what NOT to do in the week before the most important race of his life. Dammit. This was just such a pisser. I saw it coming when I read the article about him not training this week, but it was worse than I feared. Sigh.

 

[trackster]

Agreed, though, that getting blown out of the blocks can ruin the rest of your race. I think that (along with non-training) was a bigger factor than nerves. He's just gotta start getting serious in the weight room if he wants to be able to hang with the bodybuilders from the start. Watch the slow-mo's. It's unbelievable how much farther the others go with their first two steps. It's like they have a head start. Maybe if this had been the 200m, we'd have seen him do more.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i think his tightening up all goes to his inexperience. if he had enough big races under his belt to truly trust his speed, he wouldn't have ran so stiff and choppy. he'd have been able to relax and run his race and let his speed and the stopwatch handle everything else. but this adversity is understandable and expected, as every competitor who has ever stepped up his level of competition (be it in athletics or any phase of life) has experienced a level of uncertainty and tension when he made the move to a higher class of performers. that uncertainty prevents you from giving your best, but once you settle init will all come back.
Christophe belongs with the big boys, and now he can see that. he had a tough race from a technical perspective, but his performance was still impressive (sub-10.10 is no joke). his fifth-place finish showed that he is competitive even when not running his best.

this was a necessary step for him to get where he wants to go. his future is still waaaaaaay ahead of him, i think.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

trackster does make some good points about Christophe needing to handle his success better. he got this far by being hungry. if he wants to continue improving and reaching his full potential, he can't let all the hangers-on (and sundry issues associated with sudden stardom) prevent him from maintaining that focus and drive.

but all in all, i think this whole week (not just the race, but also the lead-up, press frenzy, etc.) was a necessary learning experience. he will be better off for having gone through this. i suspect his coach allowed him a bit more freedom this week than normal, and will nowpoint out all these issues in training.

if Christophe is the class act and driven competitor i think he is, he will use all of this as motivation to keep getting better.

 

[waterbed]

if you take in the wind then ther isn't much difference between,
9.98 ( + 1.3) and 10.09 ( - 0.3).

 

[white lightning]

<DIV =>-0.3 Wind
Rank Athlete Nation Result Reaction time Diamond Points Diamond Ranking
1 BOLT, Usain JAM 9.84 MR 0.170 4 3
2 POWELL, Asafa JAM 9.91 0.154 10 1
3 BLAKE, Yohan JAM 9.95 PB 0.184 3 4
4 BAILEY, Daniel ANT 10.00 =SB 0.194 1 6
5 LEMAITRE, Christophe FRA 10.09 0.171
6 MARTINA, Churandy AHO 10.09 0.173 1 6
7 KIMMONS, Trell USA 10.14 0.167
8 MBANDJOCK, Martial FRA 10.20 0.164
<DIV =>
<DIV =>I posted the results for you guys. Many things to consider here. His start was only the 5th fastest out of 8 sprinters in the race so his reaction time needs to improve. His drive phase will continue to suffer until he gets stronger. He also didn't have his arm swing correct and this hurt him early on. Then he was all over his lane instead of running straight. This race was also run into a negative wind. When you factor everything going wrong and he still ran a 10.09, you have to see the amazing talent there. He ran poorly but still put up a fast time into a negative wind. It's not the end of the world. Lemaitre will bounce back. I have no doubt about that.
<DIV =>
<DIV =>Am I dissapointed? Of course I am just as I'm sure he is. At the end of the day though, what can you do? Just take a few days off and then resume training. His coach will get him back on track. My biggest knock on him in this race was his lack of form. It had to be the nerves. He has not raced like that since a year ago.
<DL ="postpro online">
<DT>
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<DIV =back2top>http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/discussion/viewtopic.php?f=1&amp;t=40643&amp;start=0#wrap

 

[homer]

as you said earlier, christophe was tired of her last weekend and this week's media space .... Then there is the 4x100 meters and it was prepared for anything that messed with energy. Now, despite a bad race technically, even when it's a 10 "09 which proves that he will be the a Barcelona.'s coach will push the media this week, and make recovery of the session, so that it returns to its best.

 

[waterbed]

if you take in the wind then ther isn't much difference between,
9.98 ( + 1.3) and 10.09 ( - 0.3).

anyone agrees with me?

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

if you take in the wind then ther isn't much difference between,
9.98 ( + 1.3) and 10.09 ( - 0.3).

anyone agrees with me?

that sounds reasonable to me, but i'm certainly no expert. i'm sure the more experienced track guys know the exact conversions.

 

[homer]

in fact the problem is not really the wind, but rather fatigue, and poor technical race ... christophe and able to run the 100 m - 10 seconds without wind positive, but right now he needs to find a balance .... too much pressure in one week. he discovers a new media space pressure, and when we know we know it is boy does not like her. this week should allow him to return to form

 

[white lightning]

I believe that his 10.09 converts to a 10.07 with the wind. It wasn't much wind but the humidity can also affect a race a little too. His form is my biggest complaint like I said earlier. He has raced too many races to revert to that lousy of sprinting technique. That is why I'm 99% sure that the pressure got to him and he just mentally lost it today. It's ok though as we still have a few more months of racing.

Barcelona will be huge for Christophe. To beat Chambers, he will have to get a good start and maintain his form. Chambers starts as good as anyone in Europe so Lemaitre will have to make up ground quickly if he is to beat him. I'm confident that he will be ready. Edited by: white lightning

 

[FastEuro]

LEmaitre needs to hit the weights very hard, especially in his shoulder area. this will give him an explosive start and will help him hit top speed earlier. He has top eed speed, the only problem is it take s a while to reach that level while the elite sprinters are at top speed in the 1st 2 seconds. He is only 20 yrs of age and has run consistently under 10.10. Next year he will run consistently in the 9.9 range, 2012 9.8 and possibly below.

 

[white lightning]

Here is the video guys. Watch how ragged Christophe looks. Nerves got to the kid! I still am not too worried. Only one race. The kid is a PHENOM!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrFxjhloHvo

 

[Morpheus]

if you take in the wind then ther isn't much difference between,

9.98 ( + 1.3) and 10.09 ( - 0.3).

anyone agrees with me?

<div>
</div><div><div>Good point. Basically, it was the same race.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>A 9.98 with a 1.3 tailwind in Valence, France is a 10.05 with no wind, and at sea level.</div><div>
</div><div>A 10.09 with a -0.3 headwind in Paris, France is a 10.07 with no wind, and at sea level.</div></div>

 

[albinosprint]

I think the kid did a good job. had he taken 3rd it would have been great, but after the past week, not bad. he had a long weekend with the French Champs and he got barely any training in this week. add in a splash of nerves and some head wind and the kid ran a good race. you really can't bust the kid up for taking press time and I would bet my left nut that places 1-4 are on PEDs. I also feel he is handling the fame quite well. let me be honest when I say that if I had broken 10 I would be partying, drinking champagne and banging whores all week

so all in all not a bad race and one hell of a experience! this kid is the real deal and I'm looking forward to him beating Chambers.

 

[freedom1]

In terms of boxing analogies, I don't see him as a Gerry Cooney. It's good that CLM's coach is mixing him with the very cream of the sprinting crop at a time when he's young, flexible and able to bounce back.

Cooney's people kept him away from top competition for too long. Even though he had all the tools, he was never the same after his first shot at the big time.

Obviously a coach can put an athlete in with the top dogs too early and destroy his confidence, so a balance has to be found.

I see CLM as somewhere in between a Tommy Morrison and Wladimir Klitscko. He's not as disciplined as the Klitsckos, and not as crazy of a party animal as Morrison.

I don't think we can ever expect him to train like a monk. He likes girls, chocolates, hamburgers, etc. That's just who he is. The relaxed machismo is part of what makes him great.

I do agree with everyone else here, get that guy into a weight room this off season.

Does anyone here have any info about his current strength training regimen?

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I don't think it was that bad of a race by CLM at all. He came back to tie for 5th, and after the week he's had. This race will help Christophe in the future. This kid is impressive through it all. He has some growing and maturing to do, but he'll be fine. I look forward to watching him a lot more in the future!

 

[mastermulti]

Just for fun let's add two metres per second to that wind (call it +1.7), use the oft recognised (2 metres wind is worth 0.13 second) and re-evaluate things.......
9.71.9.77,9.81, 9.87, 9.96 which looks much more impressive on the page. He is a quarter of a second, 3 metres behind the fastest man who ever lived and pulled nearly a metre back on Powell in a month or 6 weeks since they last met.
The third placed man Blake ran a PB which cannot be predicted and Bailey also ran well. These two have done their apprenticeships and are used to racing the top two guys.

Christophe is in his "first year" apprenticeship to enhance his strengths and work on his weaknesses. I've been a trades teacher and can liken the situation to having a very gifted stage one student. He may be a gem but you cannot hope for this student to hand in a final project to compete against the best year 3 or 4 students no matter what promise he shows. The experience just isn't there to draw from.

He needs to be invited to these meets from now on to get familiar with the situation. Bolt , as we've seen, can laugh, joke, do rabbit ears on people even before a race because pressure isn't an issue. I think he enjoys it.
On the other hand Christophe is there dwelling on "what ifs" for a week leading up to the race in his own back yard. Personally I think another sub 10.10 here is great work because, for all the flaws shown in various stages of his race, he is so fast he'll do these times anyway Edited by: mastermulti