Many of these so called standing 40m tests these footballers do are not true 40m tests. That is they usually start 30cm or 50cm behind a timing gate that is set off when the athlete breaks the beam set at 0m. This in effect would add 0.30 - 0.60s off the time before even adding reaction. I doubt there would be very many if any who would go under 5s for 40m fully electric. Lets keep in mind that by the time you add a reaction to a gun there would probbaly be none (standing or not). If we say it takes around a minimum 10m/s + to break 11s. Someone like Sally would at her best go 5.15-5.25s for her first 40m fully electric which would be competitive against most of them (assumming her usual reaction of 0.14). Now if Bolt goes 4.60 with reaction to a gun and around 4.45s without and we did have one of these footballers going sub 5.00s (which I highly doubt this from a gun) Bolt would be from 4.5-5m in front at 40m. In 100m terms somone going sub 5.00s for the 1st 40m is probably capable of a 10-6-10.8s 100m. (PS…No disrepect to Mr Palmer as I am not sure of his experience with other sports but thats a big call that they are the fittest players on earth). Come to think of it maybe Bolt should race these footballers, so once and for all we can explain in a practical sense just how far off the mark they would be…and please throw in some locals just so they get some respect to…
Christian Blum, one of Germany’s best sprinters (6.56, 10.26 and 20.85), lost a 30m sprint against a German football/soccer player running on grass and in soccer shoes. A lot of things can happen when a sprinter is made to run under unfamiliar circumstances and the race distance is short enough.
Firstly: Fitness is specific to the event/sport you play. Bolt would have trouble getting up time and again after being smashed in tackles, jogging backwards, wrestling an opponent to the ground etc.
Second: IF - and it’s a big question mark - Bolt sprints against any footballers in Oz he will be wearing spikes and they will all race on a synthetic track over 100 metres. He will not be wearing footie boots.
My mail is that Fabrice Lapierre, JOhn Steffensen, Dani Samuels and some other very good Aussies have committed to this Sept 15 meet. Don’t know who the heck they’ll compete against - maybe more footballers LOL.
If I remember correctly…he was 18…and the start was…standing with a voice signal…I think I saw a footage.
Makes my heart grow fonder to train harder.
I give myself a shout too, BUT at the finish line of a 100m, its apples & oranges. Its a country mile in terms of distance.
He was 19 and had run 60m in 6.59s two days earlier, but yes, he mainly lost because of a delayed reaction to the unfamiliar start signal.
Off Topic…but as KitKat mentioned fitness is sport specific. This is simply unbelievable…
John Isner and Nicolas Mahut locked at 59-59 in epic Wimbledon marathon
From correspondents in London, England
June 24, 2010 Play has been suspended in the longest tennis match ever played as France’s Nicolas Mahut and American John Isner came off court at 59-59 in the final set at Wimbledon.
“Nothing like this will ever happen again, ever,” said an exhausted Isner.
“I don’t know what to say.”
Isner had match point at 59-58, but Mahut fired down an ace to take it back to deuce, before going on to win the game.
At 59-59 and 9:10pm (0610 EST) with the light fading fast, match officials tried to suspend play, though Isner wanted to carry on.
The decision was finally made to suspend play exactly 10 hours after the first serve of the day was struck.
Spectators yelled “We want more” on Court 18.
“Ladies and gentlemen, due to darkness, play is suspended,” the umpire announced.
A drained Mahut said: “We played for too long, I don’t know how many hours we played.”
Tennis fans packed out the 782-capacity show court, with people lining the roof of the Wimbledon broadcasting centre several deep and fans outside peering through gaps to catch a glimpse of the epic match.
The previous record of six hours and 33 minutes was set at the 2004 French Open, when Fabrice Santoro beat fellow Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 16-14.
“It is reasonable to say that it is the longest official tennis match in history,” International Tennis Federation spokesman Nick Imison told AFP, adding that it was certainly the longest in the Open Era records.
“There are not any records to suggest otherwise.”
The record number of games in match - previously 112 in singles and 122 set in a doubles match - was also shattered, as was the figure for the most aces served by one player in a match since records began.
Defending men’s singles champion Roger Federer thought he had seen just about everything the sport had to offer in a career which has brought him a record 16 grand slam titles.
But the six-time Wimbledon champion admitted he was stunned by the epic nature of the clash.
“This is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. It’s absolutely amazing,” Federer said.
“I have almost no words anymore watching this.
“I don’t know how their bodies must be feeling. This is incredible tennis. Someone has to lose but in this match both will be winners.
“I love this. I know they’re maybe not loving this, but I guess this is unheard of in our game.
“It’s so impressive to see. When I was watching this I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was too much.”
The encounter certainly put the exploits of Federer comfortably in the shade.
Federer edged into the third round with a 6-3 6-7 (4/7) 6-4 7-6 (7/5) win over Serbian qualifier Ilija Bozoljac.
Federer needed to reassert his authority at the All England Club after he was forced to come back from two sets down and break to save the match in his first round clash win over Colombian Alejandro Falla.
But the Swiss did just enough to see off the unheralded Bozoljac, ranked No.152 in the world, and the air of invincibility that usually surrounds the world No.2 was absent.
Last year’s beaten finalist Andy Roddick also made it through to the third round.
No.5 seed Roddick came back from a set down to beat France’s Michael Llodra in four sets.
The three-time Wimbledon finalist was making his first appearance on Centre Court since his epic 16-14 last set defeat to Federer in last year’s final.
The American No.1 beat Llodra 4-6 6-4 6-1 7-6 (7/2).
“That was as tough of a second round as there is in this tournament right now,” Roddick said.
“He was playing flawless tennis. He played an almost perfect first set.
“It took some of my best stuff to get through that. I thought I played really well. I think I had to.”
Meanwhile, Serbian No.3 seed Novak Djokovic beat Taylor Dent of the United States 7-6 (7/5) 6-1 6-4.
Elsewhere in the men’s draw, seeds Tomas Berdych, Jurgen Melzer, Gael Monfils, Feliciano Lopez, Albert Montanes, Philipp Kohlschreiber and Victor Hanescu went through.
Agence France-Presse
That would depend on how you measure the fitness component (anaerobic v aerobic). The earlier comments indicate that NRL players need to have diverse fitness components, speed, strength, aerobic capacity etc! Due to the lack of development in one specific fitness component NRL players wouldn’t be trained to score particular high in one specific fitness component therefore you would envisage that NRL score moderately across a wide range of fitness components.
Tennis is $hit.
yup… Wish I had his job.
I know, it’s like a Ferrari racing a Honda. We all know who would win, but people will still pay and watch because it’s “entertainment.”
On a side note, I wish they would just turn Bolt lose and just let him put it to the floor T Gay style. Who knows, he may get an off the track career ending injury and we may never get to see how fast he can go. That almost happened with his BMW accident.
Seems to me that his hole persona is to milk his career for all that it’s worth then mabe in the end give it 100%.
Yes, that happened to me…
I came off a track season was talked into racing a 5’11 215 lbs D1 running back for about 40 meters on asphalt and he beat me.
I was not on the CFTS at the time and I was weak as ###! But still, I did it because I thought I could beat the short stocky (almost fat) dude.
This running back was pretty strong (pure mesomorph), at the time he had a 585 squat and about a 380 BP. Anything after about 60 meters the guy would be done however…lol
The posters are finally out, I have one in the window of my shop at Sydney Olympic Park.
for more information visit www.athleticallstars.com.au
Let’s just say that at a recent workout for a professional football team, a certain former Aussie sprint champ was slower over 40 yards than a few guys weighing over 215…
I’m also sure that mr Ross is no longer in 10"08 shape…maybe 10"50/60?who knows…
The Pirtec Allstars is on the 15th September, gates open 5.30pm.
The tickets are available at http://www.ticketek.com.au/
Spend over $30 at the Kings Sport Store and pay $60.00 for a grandstand ticket.
Usain Bolt takes adoration in his stride
Jarryd Hayne was awestruck, Lachie Turner took in every word, and Greg Inglis was all ears, too. When Usain Bolt gives you tips on how to run, you listen.
Besides, the Jamaican is so magnetic you wouldn’t look anywhere else.
Even if Bolt didn’t compete in the main event at Sydney Olympic Park last night, he was always going to be the centre of attention. He has the remarkable ability to make everyone in his presence fade into the background. On and off the track, he is the ultimate showman.
Two years on from his record-breaking feats at the Beijing Olympics, people still flock to see him, to have their curiosity satisfied. Everyone wants a glimpse of the world’s fastest man.
Eventually, Bolt did emerge for the punters to get a look at him. He was driven into the middle of the home straight in a Rolls-Royce and, on cue, emerged from the back seat to perform his signature pose, as if holding a bow-and-arrow, tilted at 45 degrees.
He then stood to the side of the track before a troupe of break-dancers unleashed all manner of moves. Bizarre, yes, but this was no ordinary athletics meeting.
Diplomatically, Bolt - who ran a leg of the celebrity relay at the close of the night - declined to offer a choice for a winner of the much-hyped 100 metres four-code race. But he didn’t like the look of diminutive Central Coast midfielder Matt Lewis - some 20 centimetres shorter and 42 kilograms lighter than Inglis.
‘‘It’s all about power, and these guys have got a lot of power. I don’t think a footballer has a chance, though,’’ Bolt joked. ‘‘It should be fun though.’’
While Bolt reaffirmed he wouldn’t be running at the Commonwealth Games next month, he made no bones about his next goals: to defend his 100m and 200m world and Olympic titles. ‘‘I want to be a legend. Both are my priorities, to defend my titles at each,’’ he said. ‘‘But the Olympics will always be the most important because it’s the biggest event for every athlete to compete at.’’
Bolt aside, the quad-code race offered another good reason for fans to head to the shadows of ANZ Stadium. Promoter Hayden Knowles had pieced together a crack field in an effort to see which ‘‘football’’ version boasted the fastest athlete, dangling $20,000 in front of the winner.
However, just hours before the race - in keeping with the tradition of athletics in the country - politics found a way to intervene. The 10-man field was reduced to eight when the AFL decided to ban its two players - Carlton’s Kade Simpson and Essendon’s Courtenay Dempsey - from the race due to a clash of sponsors.
Wallabies winger Lachie Turner came home strongly to finish in 11.1 seconds, ahead of another rugby winger, Eastwood’s John Grant, and Hayne. Grant clocked 11.15s while Hayne finished in 11.2s. Inglis was last in 12.4s.
The ride for the speedster Turner will continue over the next few weeks when he represents Australia in the Commonwealth Games rugby Sevens tournament in Delhi.
Turner said Bolt’s pre-race advice was, ‘‘Don’t look at the guys around you, just keep going and stay relaxed as you get over that line.’’
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/4134376/Bolt-takes-adoration-in-his-stride
Bolt could have run backwards with these guys and still manage to win!
Is that what we have come to, Turning a “C” grade performance from a bunch of footy players into what looked like something bigger than the Australian Champs! It looked and sounded like a commonweath games final… Except that it was slow…
Was this time Electric of HH?
The caller at the track was claimed it at 11.14.