I really think Jamaica could have won that. Bolt switched hands down the back straight, so the second exchange was right hand to right hand which lost them a lot of ground. Powell ran a good leg. Note that the frist 5 finishers was quicker than the winning time in Athens!!! Good standard! Thoughts regarding the relay??
Personally, I would have made Bolt run the curve with tyson gay.
Powell ran good, but he lacks the overdrive from last year. Usually he would have pulled ahead of the others right trough the finish.
Leroy Dixon is the man.
I agree with Maris. Bolt - leg 3 passing to Powell. Powell has got the quickest start/acceleration. Bolt ran into the third leg guy loosing valuable time.
Powell was more then impressive.
Not as much as Spearmon ran into Gay.
If someone sorts out Jamacia they will beat the USA.
Jamaica ran a national record like that, crazy!!! I think that race also demonstrated Spearmon’s ability, his 200 didn’t do him justice, much as Asafa’s 100 didn’t do him justice. Spearmon and Bolt were neck and neck the whole way down the straight. I think Gay should have perhaps been on anchor, as the US’s reasoning as I understand it, that Spearmon and Gay are used to that exchange, didn’t seem to hold water as it was a poor change. That way you can keep Darvis Patton on 3rd, and put Martin back in. I do not know much about Leroy Dixon, but I would say he was perhaps the weak link on that team. However, he held off Powell, and not many men could do that. Does anyone remember last year’s Commonwealth heats where he ran down Ambrose Ezinwa of Australia??? Also Jamaica’s sprinting depth was a litle weaker than a couple of years ago. If you have a fit Frater and Thomas to put in with Bolt and Powell, and slicken those changeovers up, that’s got to be a team that can challenge the world record.
Well Gay likes running the turn and is considered the best turn runner, so I think that is why they had him run it, though your reason is good, too.
You have to also remember the #2 and #3 guys in the 100m in the US did not go to Osaka.
While the running was excellent, the passing by USA and Jamaica was pretty poor. Look how close GB came with much less speed.
Yeah, GBs changeovers were as good as their gonna get them I think. I think the teams foot speed will be stronger next year, bar injury. I think Pickering will go from strength to strength as will Edgar, bring in a stronger faster Williamson. However, as I said, Jamaica’s team was sub par, and they can improve their changeovers. I would say Dix may well progress, so bring in another 9.8/9.9 guy for the USA and give them some good changeovers and I would say the WR is beaten by both teams.
USA had like 3 sub 9.9 guys in 04 and lost, the problem isn’t with the footspeed for anyone but GB, JA and USA had change overs much rougher than some high school meets, albiet with alot more speed, but still, they could have both gone a bit quicker.
Yes, I remember that leg against Ezinwa. However Ezinwa was in 10.4 because of achilles problems. He has subsequently had achilles surgery. In the final he was replaced with another runner. In Osaka Asafa was giving a start to guys who where much closer to there best.
cREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE THEN: not only and especially of course to the sprinters in the squad (even despite some good uns having been left at home), but also congratulations to Michael Khmel who was (I’m told) given the task of preparing the British men’s 4x100 squad. A medal has got to please everyone there.
I understand that footspeed wasn’t a ‘problem’ for the US or Jamaica, but I’m saying they have the potential to go quicker, as both teams didn’t have their strongesy individuals available in terms of footspeed, so it’s just another area where potentially they cango quicker. I did not realise that with Ezinwa, I thought he was in 10.2 shape as I believe he had run a 10.26 in the lead up to the Commonwealths, still look remarkable from Powell that day. Yes, it was Khmel who was in charge of the GB team, and he has demanded a lot of time from the guys for relay camps and it seems to have paid off, although sometimes I question his methods. The GB womens’ 4x1 team did surprisingly well to finish 4th considering we only had one semi finallist, who was lucky to get through due DQs in her 2nd round. Roger Walters is in chare of that team.
JA changeovers were an absolute catastrophy. It’s a shame, we can only guess what would have been possible…and Asafa still looked sub-optimal afte 70, 80 meters, bit still cought a lot of guys…let’s see what Bejing 08 brings.
Anyhow, today a 4x400 WR by the US guys is a must!
The depth in the US 4x4 squad is unreal, a WR is definitely a possibility. As for the 4x1 I agree totally, and I think it will be good the event to have 2 nations running so well in that event, and it could take to another level, having had that WR standing for 16 years now!!! Remember what MJ did to the long standing 200m WR? Is it possible to see something like happen in the 4x1??
On BBC they just said Asafa split through in 8.84 in this 4x1 leg. I know Bob Hayes reportedly split through in 8.5-6ish, and Lewis and Gilbert have gone under 9 seconds on splits. How do you think this compares, and given what he have discussed, how fast can Powell go in a relay leg?? Any split for Gay??
They also said the split of Gay but i can’t remember it, but yes it was slower then Asafa, prolly due to the bend.
We have to be careful with these split-times…how wel is it recorded, did the runner start at the start of the zone or about the middle…maybe it’s better to judge with what we saw, a nice acceleration of Asafa, where he keeps on running till he reaches the finish line, confident in knowing that he is the fastest of those man who are running in front of him. I hope Asafa (and his coach) learned his lesson…in 2 weeks Asafa will compete (let’s hope it will be ‘competing’ instead of ‘running against’) Gay in Brussels…
Are they not both matching up in Zurich??