Asafa aims for 45, runs 48.76

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Monday 28 January 2008
World Championships 200m silver medallist Usain Bolt beat Asafa Powell in the men’s 400m, while Sherone Simpson ran a personal best in the women’s race at Saturday’s Queens/Grace Jackson Invitational Meet at the National Stadium east field (26).

In the men’s 400m, Bolt, running in the same heat as World 100m record holder Asafa Powell, won in 46.94 seconds to break the five-year-old meet record of 47.0.

Sherone Simpson (JAM)
(Getty Images)

Bolt, the national 200m record holder at 19.75 seconds making him the ninth equal quickest 200m runner in history, was pleased with his performance over double the distance.

“I have been training for the 400m this season, so I just went out there to see how fast I could go and so 46.94 is not a bad time,” said Bolt.

[b]Meanwhile Powell, who finished down the track in 48.76secs, the 12th fastest time of the day, admitted his approach was wrong.

“I went out a little too hard and was trying to run on in the last 100 metres, but I wasn’t strong enough,” explained Powell, who had targeted a 45 seconds run.[/b]

In the meantime, Simpson’s time of 52.21 seconds was brilliant, especially following a series of below-par performances last year on her comeback from injury. G.C. Foster College’s Anastasia Le-Roy, was the closest challenger to Simpson, and finished second in 52.57.

After the race, Simpson said, "training has been going very well; I’m just taking each race at a time and ensure what I need to do to stay healthy because I really want to do well at the Olympics.”

Anthony Foster for the IAAF

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Don’t you think AP training times would indicate he could go 45? Just seems like a huge difference.

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FROM THE JAMAICA GLEANER NEWSPAPER

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080127/sports/sports3.html
(THERE IS A LITTLE PHOTO OF BOLT WAY AHEAD OF POWELL - on the above link. kk)

Bolt steals show at Queen’s meet
published: Sunday | January 27, 2008

Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
Usain Bolt (left) eases down at the finish line to win the men’s 400m in 46.94, ahead of Annsert Whyte (47.29) out of picture, with world 100m record holder Asafa Powell (right) third in 48.76 at yesterday’s Queens/Grace Jackson Track Meet at the Stadium East field.

Robert Bailey, Freelance Writer

World Champion-ships 200 metres silver medallist Usain Bolt and Olympic relay goal medallist Sherone Simpson began the 2008 season with impressive runs yesterday.

Both scored wins over 400 metres at the eighth staging of the Queen’s/Grace Jackson Track and Field Meet at the Stadium East Complex.

Bolt won his event in 46.94 seconds ahead of Annsert Whyte (47.29), with world 100m record holder Asafa Powell third in 48.76. Powell was also competing in his first race of the year.

Simpson won the her event in 52.21, but had to fight off a tough challenge from G.C. Foster College’s Anastasia Le-Roy 52.57 and Kou Wright of Arkansas University 54.04.

Bolt, the national 200m record holder, took up the lead past the 130 metres mark and cruised home for an easy win. He was pleased with the run.

“I have been training for the 400m this season, so I just went out there to see how fast I could go and so 46.94 is not a bad time,” said Bolt.

“My plan was to go out hard because I know that Asafa (Powell) is very fast and once I reached the 150m before him, I knew I would bring home the victory,” Bolt added.

Happy with her performance

Le-Roy, who is a World Champion-ships relay’s silver medallist was happy with her performance.

“I happy with this time, but I am a bit disappointed with the way I executed the race because I know I could have won it,” said Le-Roy.

“I am just training hard and listening to my coach Maurice Wilson, because my main aim is to make the Olympic team this year,” Le-Roy explained.

Sonita Sutherland of G.C Foster College won the women’s 800m open in (2.11:27) ahead of Wright (2.13:95) and Nadia Cunningham of MVP track club (2.16:12).

Niesha Morgan of Manchester High captured the girls’ Class One 800m in (2:15:59) ahead of Nicola Edwards of St. Andrew (2.26: 22) and Jodyne Sterling of St. Thomas Technical (2.27:11). Misha-Gaye DaCosta of Immaculate Conception won the women’s high jump open with a leap of (1.75m), beating Wolmer’s Janelle Gordon (1.65m) and Rochelle Robb of Alpha’s (1.55m).

Tanya Bryan of St. Jago captured the girls 400m hurdles open in (1:05.75) ahead of Thaddesha Duncan of St. Catherine (1:05.83) and Queen’s Latoya Campbell (1:09.53).

Rohan Gooden of G.C Foster College won the men’s 400m open in (54.23) with Anthony White of Racers second in 54.44 and Hansley Parchment of Glengoffe, third in 55.56.

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I was about to mention that…
I think he could (should) go 46.5 at the least

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i dont even like the idea of him running 400s, its all about his 100m progression and him running enough of those to peak for beijing.

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Is he planning to do more 200s this year? O does Stephen Francis still see it as too great an injury risk?

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Limited concern on time at this point and the absence of anything approaching longer endurance makes the 400 particularly pace sensitive for him. I see no concern really- after all, look at Bolt’s time, relative to his known ability over the one-lapper.

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Usain Bolt (left) eases down at the finish line to win the men’s 400m in 46.94,
ahead of Annsert Whyte (47.29) out of picture, with world 100m record holder
Asafa Powell (right) third in 48.76 at yesterday’s Queens/Grace Jackson
Track Meet at the Stadium East field.

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piping 47 is nothing for bolt.

bolt has run as fast as 45.3 as far back as 2003 at age 16(it was a pr until last year), so as with powell its really hard to read into these races as anything more than two really fast guys showing up at a local meet and basicly giving back to the JA track and field world via their apperence in the meet, if someone is tallying up the meet/race total for asafa and bolt these type runs really don’t count.

honestly, bolt with his physical size and history ability to run fast 400’s should consider doubling, or at least doing a relay carry in bejing to challange the bahamians and austrailians for 2nd/3rd.

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Good grief man, don’t tell me they ran the first 60m and tempoed the rest! Castrate the bastards and add Josh Ross to that list…:eek: :stuck_out_tongue:

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Cam someone explain why AP is running 400s?

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i know, if you don’t give 150% effort 150% of the time your wasting your talent. thats what steve prefontante told me.

and as to why powell, and bolt as well, are running 400’s there are 2 good obvious explanations.

1 is that they are just running to show up and run and make an apperence in a local meet.

2, another poster in basicly this exact same thread last year, stated that some coaches. espically those from the islands had the philosphy that running a race like this(400m early in the season) would serve as a different type of stressor and put AP’s system under a “purification”( i belive that was their wording) type stressing, and that it would have an indirect carry over in the speed maitince of his marqee 100’s late in the year.

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400s for the 5’9 80kg 100m sprinter is a bad idea. However taller 100m guys, running 400s wont hurt them. They typically have more efficient stride patterns and technically they can run 400s without getting to messy. However shorter heavier pure 100m runners should avoid 400s because they will just grind away.

Obviously you will find excepts, Jon Drummond ran 45.5 from lane 8 and didn’t get messy. However the SE from the 400m didn’t cross over to the last 40m of the 100 for him.

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Of course Leroy Burrell ran a 400 at the start of every taper, esp in 91 when he ran a 100m world record and then broke it again in Tokyo in finishing behind Carl Lewis. They both ran a 400 coming up to Tokyo, I can’t remember who ran fastest but I think Lewis didn’t break 46 and Burrell I recall once not breaking 47, perhaps that was Tokyo too.

So far as it was explained to me by Tellez, little Joe and a number of (former) Caribbeans (including one guy who coached me) running 400 has nothing whatever to do with trying to develop any type of endurance.

It is purely on the theory that the stress of a 400 will force extra muscle tissue and extra motor units to activate and be available for use at the peak 10 days later for the 100m. This was a practise dating at least from the early 1950s. I don’t know whether it was a Carribean idea or American, but I’d be guessing it was sourced in the US. kk:)

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It was also explained by Payton Jordan and those fellows that by running the 400 and perfecting the “gather”, it would help the final 10 meters or so in the 100/200. Of course this was back in the day!

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The videos are at

http://folk.uio.no/perel/

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Thanks for the vid. I am not impressed even though Asafa could whoop me even with that effort:)

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He clearly doesn’t try that hard. It must have been fun for those guys coming 2nd and 3rd to beat him!

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Bolt looked very impressive. He is a potential 43s man. No doubt.

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it looked like bolt just casually jogged the last 100m