World champion Tyson Gay has pulled out of a meeting with world record holder Asafa Powell over 100m in Friday’s Golden League meeting in Brussels.
“The American is feeling too tired after the world championships to face Asafa Powell on Friday,” race organisers said in a statement.
Gay won gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay in Osaka.
Powell was third in the 100m but set a new world record of 9.74 seconds at the Rieti Grand Prix in Italy on Sunday.
Race organisers said that they had also tried and failed to tempt Gay into a 200m race against the other Osaka medalists and compatriot Xavier Carter, who missed the World Championships.
Carter looked impressive at last week’s Golden League meeting in Zurich, winning the 200m in 19.92 seconds.
World sprint champion Tyson Gay plans to run three times in Asia this year but will not compete in Friday’s Golden League meeting in Brussels, a spokeswoman for his management company said on Tuesday.
American Gay won the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100 metres relay at the world championships in Osaka, Japan, which finished last week.
“Tyson is taking a break as he recovers from the world championships and will not run in Brussels,” Barbara Huebner said from Boston.
“But he is planning to compete in meets at Shanghai, China, Yokohama, Japan and Daegu, South Korea.”
The Shanghai meeting is scheduled for September 28 with Yokohama on September 30 and Daegu on October 3.
Gay has competed only in a 4x100 metres relay at Zurich since his gruelling world championships schedule.
“He just needs a break,” Huebner said.
Gay’s withdrawal from the Brussels meeting ended hopes of a showdown with Jamaican Asafa Powell, who on Sunday lowered his own 100 metres world record to 9.74 seconds.
I woulld NOT change the approach overall but the risk of injury is directly related to the DURATION of the phase, so an early comp period would split up and shorten the phases and reduce the risk.
I’d like to see Asafa get out of there- it’s too soon for another 100 IMO unless the 100 field is weak. The 200 is stacked but at least he doesn’t need to win anything there.
If AP is doing a L-S, then Indoors dont really Gell to well do they?? By the timing of indoors, would he not be “more” ready to run 150’s or even 200’s perhaps? We dont have Indoor meets here in Aust so i dont know their programs at all…
It looks like he had at least 6months from last races in 2005 to 1st race in 06, (if you look at 06 as AP best of best yrs). So, should he stop this yr now… its already half way Sept, good time to finnish when on the Top??
That leaves till approx March 08 for his 1st race of some sort. A short 4 wk stint to get his race fitness up. Then training for 6-8wks, then some Grand Prix, then back to training, then some races to lead up to the Oly games, with Race “18” being the Oly final.
Thats 4 100m races at Oly games (after that is relays)
training
4-6 races Leading into the Oly games
training
4-6 races in Grad Pix meets
training
4 pre season meets, ie, indoo
rs or Aust summer
I remember seeing a video this year, I believe, of Powell’s early season training in very humble conditions. There were suggestions in the presentation that hinted towards laziness and a lack of motivation. Perhaps a start in different surroundings will help in that area.
Certainly with no major championships to-date, perhaps some change to the initial third of the training year might be of benefit to the overall season. And not just the workouts.
The most important things in Asafa’s career now is a victory at the Beijing Olympics.
He needs to survive this year without an injury.
If he wins in Beijing, any money he passes up at the tailend of this season will be more than recouped for the rest of his life.
But if his preparation for the Olympics is set back by yet another injury now, his Olympics will be finished - or at least he will be doomed to relive Osaka at best.
So who is handling his manual therapy? I would be interested to know who he has working on him day-in, day-out. If I were him, I’d find the best therapist in the world and employ him/her for the next year. Or at least a team of therapists with proven track records.
Having said that, I’d also contact Charlie about how to make sure I peaked for the right goddamn meet.
The kinds of injuries Asafa has had have been minor- it’s the timing of them that’s been the worst problem, so:
1: Minimize the risks by the right timing and selection of meets.
2: Shorten the phases so as not to get so far away from speed that injury is as likely (see point one)
3: Get therapy every day twice a day!!! Whatever it takes orcosts is worth it!
4: I’d like to know if high step ups are contributing to anything here. I never allowed anyone I worked with to step up with the knee above the hip. Just a question because I’ve heard the description but not seen enough to know.
it has to be all about short-term thinking, make money while the sun shines (because you never know when the axe might drop). he could argue he’s building his brand in Asia. and no doubt he’s making sure to avoid anyone fast enough to take him out of his comfort zone.
He might also say he’s using Asian meets to drop by Beijing and check it out as a reconnoitre for next year.
but it wasn’t it in one of those purposeless Asian meets (without prupose except for the pay) last year that Jeremy Wariner got injured?
If Wariner had not been injured, maybe he would have been sufficiently advanced in his training for Osaka to have been ready for a world record. Who knows.
A man’s gotta make a living and there is guaranteed money on the line in these Asian meets for Gay, but let’s hope for his sake he doesn’t overcook things and damage his prep for the Olympic season.
The charts are compelling evidence of what has been said. They show a clear trend/relationship between number of competitions, length of competitive periods and level of performance.
It is evident that the long off season/training phase between 2006 and 2007 played a role in the results achieved at the WCh and might also have played a role in AP earlier injury.
262 days off is by any measure too much time without competitions for a top level athlete. And it takes, as the evidence shows a number of races for him -or any other athlete for that matter, to perform at peak level.
As an athlete you know the “rusty” feeling when you try to do some higher intensity work after long periods of “prep phases”. Needless to say the levels of frustration build up and you “try to run” instead of just run. This leads to lack of confidence, thightening up and in some cases injuries.
Hopefuly this experience serves to fine tune his plan towards the OG.
It makes complete common sense to me. This is akin to almost all sports, even team sports. How many American Football teams are at their best after only a few games? Everything has to be honed.
Also observe how well a wide receiver plays after he has missed much of a competitive season. How is his confidence when he first steps onto the field?
I remember seeing a video this year, I believe, of Powell’s early season training in very humble conditions. There were suggestions in the presentation that hinted towards laziness and a lack of motivation. Perhaps a start in different surroundings will help in that area.