Craig Pickering

[white lightning]

Another question for mastermulti. Does Matt Shirvington have any boys yet or just girls? You said he has two kids and I'm just curious. Also, was his wife at all athletic. Maybe the kids will be blessed. Morne Nagel got his speed from his family and genetics is huge! I hoping for alot of little shirvos in the future!

Edited by: white lightning

 

[white lightning]

I just went and rewatched the meet from yesterday on WCSN.com Craig destroyed Ndure by .016 seconds! That is a big margin in the 100 and I won't even mention the rest of the field like Akari, etc. Ndure has been one of the most consistant sprinters out there and he has a personal best of 10.01 from this year. He runs in the sub 10.10 range quite frequently. For Craig to blow him away like he wasn't moving is exciting. Like I said above, in better conditions, the sub 10 thing is already a done deal. I just hope he can recover fully with only 5 days till mutiple rounds at nationals. All of the other top British Sprinters have been resting. Hopefully this race isn't too close that he can't recover. Running rounds is so hard physically. We will know soon enough. I'm still betting on a new p.b.Edited by: white lightning

 

[white lightning]

Well this it guys. Craig will begin his quest to make the olympic team tommorow. The British Olympic Trials last from Friday thru Sunday. The 100 field is stacked and it will be difficult for anyone to get in the top 3! Even druggie Dwain Chambers is competeting coming off a 10.05 last weekend.

I was over at a UK Track & Field Message Board and it's amazing to me how little faith some of their fans have in Pickering. At least some of the idiots that post. They go crazy over guys that aren't even as fast as he is. I think the stereotyping is alive and well in England just like in the US.

I will predict a time in the 100 finals of around 10.10! That should be good enough to make the team. At least I hope so. He is capable of going faster but the weather, the pressure, and the multiple rounds will slow him down. I just will be happy with a new p.b. and a ticket for Craig to the olympics. He has to prove he belongs and that's very hard on a 21 year old kid. Good luck to him and some of the other British Sprinters.

 

[Kali]

I do not think the times will be fast. The meeting is in Birmingham & the weather forecast is not good so I think times will be in the 10.2's. Last year the winning time was 10.32ish by Devonish who ran 10.06 before & after the trials. Running fast times in the UK is tough which is why Powell's 9.77 in Gateshead was amazing.

Still I think Pickering will finish top 3 & qualify. Providing he is top 6 he will go for the relay which will be good Olympic experience

 

[white lightning]

On one of the british sites, it said he had to finish in the top two to compete individually. I hope that's wrong. Usually it is the top 3 that they take for the 100,200, etc. If he needs to get in the top 2, he better run perfect. Most of their top sprinters have close personal bests so who knows what could happen. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Your right about the weather. They say it will be gloomy all weekend. Off course. Pickering always has his best races in the worst conditions. That is why his p.b. is only 10.13 when it should be around 10.05! It's game time. Let's hope Craig is up to the challenge.

 

[Kali]

Top 2 finishers with qualifying times are automatically picked (unless 1 of them is Dwain Chambers)third spot is at selectors discretion (same for all events in UK)But given that Pickering has beaten most of the others in head to heads this year I think if he finishes top 3 he will get picked as he meets all the other selection citeria (ie young, improving, needs the experience)

 

[white lightning]

Craig has qualified for the semi finals with the 2nd fastest time in the prelims. He won a landslide victory coasting to a 10.33! It was like a jog in the park. They had 7 different prelim heats. I didn't know England had that many people let alone sprinters.

On Saturday will be the semis and finals of the 100. So we are 24 hours away. By the way, Chambers with his Flinstone Vitamins ran a 10.14 today for the fastest time of the day. The UK Court will decide next Wed. if he can compete assuming he finishes in the top two. As of right now, Chambers still has a life time ban from the olympics. I hope it stays that way. He knew the rules but off course like Gatlin of the US, he is fighting it to the end.

I wish they would have had the semis today. I think we would see a quicker finals time if they didn't have to run two races tommorow. Oh well. No big deal. I just hope everything goes well.

 

[white lightning]

I should really post this in it's own thread for the British Olympic Trials. In the 100 meters womens heats,Laura Turner had the 2nd fastest time in the 100 heats. She is very talented and one to keep an eye on. In the 400 heats, all of the favorites advanced including Rooney, Tobin, etc. Tim Benjamin isn't competeting because of an injury but they still have 3 world class white 400 guys besides Benjamin.

It's kind of sad becaue they had a petition to object to Chambers winning a spot on the olympic team if he finishes in the top 2. Several british women athletes signed it, but Craig Pickering was the only british male sprinter to have the guts to sign it. There is alot of tension between Chambers & Pickering at the moment. Tommorow could be some fireworks. Just what Craig doesn't need because at 21, he is young and has enough pressure without wondering if he is going to get into a fight with Chambers.

It just goes to show not even one of the countless black male sprinters would stand up to Chambers. It is two things. One that they are intimidated by him. Second the blacks stick together regardless. How much do you wanna bet it's more of the 2nd option. If Chambers were white, the whole team would probably not want him competing but he's not so he gets a free pass. What a world we live in where you can cheat and get away with it alot of the time.Edited by: white lightning

 

[white lightning]

We will now before too long if he makes the final. Chambers makes me so angry. Great Britain is one of only 3 countries in the world where if you are found guilty of doing steroids, and admit it, you face a lifetime olympic ban. He is free to compete in other track meets after he served his two year ban but the olympics are off limits. Rules are rules.

We are only hours away from finding out. Two races and only the fastest survive. It would be fitting to see him Chambers not finish in the top two. I would like to see Pickering and Williamson make the team. We will see what happens.

 

[kre08]

Pickering finished 3rd in the finals behind Chambers and Williamson. His time of 10.19 is a new season best but very disappointing considering the positive wind of 1.6 m/s. Hopefully this will be enough for Craig to make the team.

 

[white lightning]

They already raced the semis and just ran the finals. Craig won his semi heat in a time of 10.26! He then finished 3rd in the finals in a time of 10.19 for 3rd place. As I feared, drug cheat Chambers won in a 10.00 flat. Simeon Wiliamson took 2nd in a blazing 10.03 which I predicted that Williamson & Pickering would make the team.

Alot of other very good sprinters fell short like M.Devonish, C.Malcom, and T. Edgar. Now it will be up to the courts on Wednesday to see if Chambers is allowed to compete in the olympics. Wouldn't it be ironic if Craig is stuck in only the 4 x 100 relay becaue of this admitted drug cheat! While Craig should have ran better, he still was the 3rd fastest guy out of a field of 56 of the best sprinters in Britain. Not bad for coming off an injury, however if he does make the 100 individual spot, he will have to be alot faster. His 10.19 today is a seasons best, but a far cry from where he will need to be to make the 100 finals at the olympics.

I still want to congratulate Craig on a good but not great performance. Hopefully he will be making the spot he dreamed about at only barely legal drinking age. Good luck to him going into August which could be the biggest month of his life!

 

[white lightning]

Laura Turner made the womens 100 finals and finised in 3rd place by 1/100th of a second. That might keep her stuck on only the relay team. Great Britain should take the top 3 regardless in the individual events.

Greg Rutherford jumped 8.20 meters to hit tha A Standard yesterday. That is great news!

 

[Guest]

White Lightning: Pickering 10.19 1.6 + wind. 3rd place

 

[white lightning]

We discussed this above but thanks anyway rob3873! Pickering ran a descent race but I really thought he would run alot faster but between the rounds and his hamstring, that was probably all he had to give. He should have a spot hopefully anyway finishing 3rd.

He races in Belgium tommorow night. I don't know if 3 days is enough rest after running 3 rounds. They are taking a chance but from what I've heard, he is pissed off. Craig has beaten every sprinter in England this season with the exception of Chambers. He wants to try and drop a huge time tommorow. While I'm glad he is racing to try and set a new personal best, I wish they would have waited and had him run in a different track meet this weekend. Let his body recover more. Oh well. I'm not his coach. If he doesn't feel too sore/tired, I will say with good conditions that he drops a 10.10 - 10.15 time. I'm still frustrated that he hasn't broken his p.b. from last year yet due to injuries and lack of fitness. Hopefully tommorow will be the night!

 

[albinosprint]

result are in and pickering didn't run so great. then again no one ran a great race. all the time in the sprints were really slow, even with the tail wind. I'm guessing its just a slow track.

1 CAPEL JOHN USA 10.20
2 MALCOLM CHRISTIAN GBR 10.27
3 KIMMONS TRELL USA 10.30
4 BRUNSON MARCUS USA 10.36
5 EMELIEZE PETER NGR 10.38
6 PICKERING CRAIG GBR 10.42
7 WAUGH AINSLEY AUS 10.61

does anyone know if pickering is going to run in the london meet?

 

[jacknyc]

I am frustrated with Pickering this year.
Even on a slow track he came in 6th to a bunch of 2nd level sprinters. It is not a good sign. He should have run 10.10 by this point in the season, especially in an Olympic year. His best time this year is 10.19 with a strong wind. There are 3 white guys in Europe faster than him right now, and if doesn't step it up he won't even get chosen to run the 100 at Beijing.
Seems likes it's a really bad year for all the white sprinters - Wariner is losing races, Rock dropped out, Pickering is slow, other guys are injured....disappointing all around.

 

[white lightning]

You nailed it jacknyc. I'm incredibly dissapointed in alot of sprinters including Craig. I don't know what is going on. Just two weeks ago, Pickering looked ready to run sub 10 and now he is running high school times. He ran two 10.42 races today! That is not going to cut it. Edgar might get the nod over him. Damn would that suck but he has to step it up. The olympics are only three weeks away.

Then you have Matic Osovnikar. He races too much and he is not getting any faster. Sometimes you need to go off the circuit and rethink your training. I like Matic but his is racing way too much. He will have nothing left at this rate for the olympics.

I know we are being a little hard but it is an olympic year! If you ever are going to be in the shape of your life, it is now. So many of the young guys are not progressing either. Guys like Christian Blume, Julian Reuss, Dariusz Kuc, etc.

As of right now, unless Pickering makes a miraculous turnaround, Unger is probably the best hope for a final in the 100 and that is a long shot. In the 200, Hession and Connaughton are good but they will have to be better to make the 200 finals. Let's hope for the best.

Pickering has to race at Crystal Palace. He can't be intimidated either by the competition. He just needs to run his own race. Craig doesn't have to win, but he needs to get faster soon or else be happy running the relay. That is not even a guarantee as they could make him a reserve. Good luck to Craig. I don't know what is going on, but he is still my favorite sprinter and I want him to get back on track!

 

[mastermulti]

it's disappointing but with a low participation rate it's going to happen. I
noticed long ago when our great 400 runner Darren Clark finished fourth
at consecutive Olympics that he was always beaten by different people.

When there are few of you , you can't afford to be out of form, Whereas if
there is a seemingly endless number (e.g. of black Americans, Jamaicans
etc at a very high level) then someone will ALWAYS be in form.

In the 100 for instance not many guys back up for Olympic selection and
perform as well as before. Maybe Maurice and a few others but not many.
So it's a big ask for the Shirvos of this world to keep stepping up to the
plate to run 10.10 when 10.30 is all they can manage this year at this
particular time.

I hope you guys can get a little encouragement from the "Sally McLellan"
post. Some white Aussie 21 year olds are performing well.

 

[jacknyc]

100m and 200m as you mentioned - nobody really doing well enough yet to make the Olympic finals.
400m
~Wariner - slipping a bit. Has lost to Merritt twice including at the Olympic Trials.
~Rock - Said he was fit and then didn't even run!
~Wissman - Made a tremendous break through to the top level last year. Expected to be in the hunt for a medal this year, but unfortunately has not performed as expected so far this year. Has 1 month to get it together.
~Benjamin - the last guy to beat Wariner before Merritt. Has been terrible this year. Won't even make the British relay team.
~Boase - made a break through to the elite level this year, only to lose out at the Trials because of a stress fracture
~Rooney, Gillick, Milburn and a few others could make the final if all goes well and they continue to improve.

The 400m has definitely had a huge renaissance of white sprinters in the last few years. A tremendous change from years ago.

110H - Liu lost his WR to Robles. Like Wariner - seemed like a sure gold last year; now less sure, but still a possibility. Nobody else in contention.

400H - Van Zyl has looked good recently. Could be a medal contender. The other South Africans have been lagging. Iakovakis and Plawgo need to really improve over the next month if they want to be in the hunt for the medals.

LJ - Tstoumas from Greece, plus Rutherford from Britain, and Evila from Finland are possibilities.

HJ - Stefan Holm has the best jump of the year. He is also the most consistent HJer. I hope he gets gold - he deserves it.

 

[mastermulti]

BTW, has anyone youtubed Stefan Holm and looked at the plyos he does?
EG, 160 cms (5'3") hurdle repeats as easy as you like........

hell, here I am aiming for that in the high jump this year and this guy just
"walks" over them one after another no problem

 

[waterbed]

Dwain Chambers not going to the olympics

Does this mean Craig Pickering will go to the Olympics?

 

[Angelcynn]

Yea I also just heard the news that the courts rejected Chambers bid to go to the olympics (and rightly so). This means Craig 'will' be going to Beijing! HOORAH!

 

[white lightning]

This makes my weekend. It's been a good year at stopping some of the cheats. Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery both went to prison, Justin Gatlins ban from the olympics was enforced and now Dwain Chambers losing his appeal. I love it.

I really think that now, the British Fans and media can get back to talking track instead of drugs. I belive it has even effected Craig. He just has not been himself and was very uncomfortable around Chambers obviously because he was very outspoken against him. Pickering was on an island all by himself fighting for a life time ban on any athlete that tests positibe for roids. I admire his courage.

Now he can get back focused on training for one of the biggest stages of his young life so far. He has the perfect dress rehearsal next weekend in England. He will get to line up against some of the fastest guys in the world. A good building block for the olympics.

Just when I start to lose faith in athletics, they bring some sanity back. I'm so happy about this verdict. Don't feel too bad for Chambers. He is actually eligible for the World Champs next year if he wants. This is only an olympic ban. I do hear rumors though that the UK wants him out of track.

 

[Van_Slyke_CF]

White Lightning wrote:

"This makes my weekend. It's been a good year at stopping some of the cheats. Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery both went to prison, Justin Gatlins ban from the olympics was enforced and now Dwain Chambers losing his appeal. I love it."

Yes, and the icing on the cake will come at a later date when Usain Bolt gets caught.

 

[albinosprint]

yeah, its only a matter of time before that undetectable PED that Gay, Bolt & Powell are shooting turns up in a test. it could take years, but it will happen. look a Greene, its finally coming back to bite him on the ass. back to Pickering, I really hope he gets back on track and drops some nice times at the Olympics. besides being healthy he really needs to handle the pressure. if he can do that the time will come down.