Thie “dialogue” has been interesting and entertaining. I agree with Charlie & PJ, but in some respects I don’t disgaree with Sev. I’ve been fortunate enough to speak with Bolt and Powell (several times) and by comparison, Asafa is a child. By that I mean I think it would be a lot cheaper to rent space in Asafa’s head than in Bolt’s which may be an issue if gamesmanship or other kinds of negative distractions have played any role in Powell’s big race disappointments to date.
There was that great quote from Asafa’s coach, Stephen Francis, early last year relating to Powell growing up in the countryside a fundamentalist Christian, his mother actually telling him he didn’t even need to train because his speed was a “gift from God”. Now there’s a head case scenario if ever I’ve heard one. That, along with his immaturity (he’s just a really lovely big kid) may account for some of these continual accidents (pec rupture most notably).
But my own experience coaching at every level with athletes with a disability through to Olympic finalists has proven to me that “confidence comes from performance” - be it in training, time trialling or racing. If all the right work has been done and all the racing and resting has been slotted into place, the mental strength will be developed in synchrony with the physical.
Agreed. Confidence comes from performance and performance comes from preparation!