Got a message that at one of the Sydney (Australia) interclub 400m races Beijing Olympic semi-finalist Joel Milburn stepped out against former long jumper and 200m man (21.1pb) Matt Lynch (part of the NSWIS 400m Fast Track project). In the first official 400m race of his life, Lynch 46.61 bt Milburn 46.78. Interesting result. 
Lynch took 3m out of Milburn between the waterjump and the home straight, Milburn cut about 1m back over the final 120m.
Lynch you say? I’ll see what i guy i know (same name) has to say about him. Could be brothers?
Brothers? Twins? Pretty bizarre to name both brothers Matt.
Oh, you mean you know someone of the same surname?
1 803 Lynch, Matt 23 Mingara Athl 46.61 1
2 1 Milburn, Joel 23 Asics Wests 46.78 1
3 16 Brandwood, Danny 27 Sydney Pacif 47.57 1
4 1972 Gurr, James 26 U.T.S. North 48.86 1
5 668 Roff, James 23 Randwick Bot 49.19 1
6 1945 Mitchell, Henry 23 U.T.S. North 49.76 1
7 2144 Bradcock, Mark 28 University o 49.78 1
At the same meet:
1 2556 Fakiye, Patrick 18 Sutherland D 10.38 3.2 1
2 475 Hammond, Jake 18 Illawong & D 10.40 3.2 1
3 1480 Gunasinghe, Ruwan 17 Campbelltown 10.73 3.2 1
4 1945 Mitchell, Henry 23 U.T.S. North 10.74 3.2 1
5 8000 Keita, Bangalie 23 Unattached 10.78 3.2 1
6 1063 Hough, Nicholas 16 Hills Distri 10.81 3.2 1
7 289 Baskin, Robbie 20 University o 10.84 3.2 1
8 571 Eyears, Gregory 28 Bankstown Sp 10.95 3.2 1
Pretty good runs from the teenagers.
tHANKS rOBIN,
Henry Mitchell used to be a regular on this forum. Not sure where he’s been but it’s interesting that he has taken a crack at 400m. I guess he wouldn’t be too thrilled with 49.76. Hopefully he’ll stick with it. I heard he may have joined Joel Milburn’s group. It’s a very strong squad from what I’ve heard.
Interesting, keep an eye on this Matt Lynch.
Yes, it is interesting that the 100m race on the same program had +3.2m/s. That suggests headwind for the backstraight and possibly/probably the 3rd 100m. So if there was a big headwind around the waterjump, all the more impressive strength expressed by Lynch who made his “move” there - and on debut. Shows a level of maturity advantageous for the tactical side of 400m racing.
Yes and tactical aspects are guided by sense of pace and training approach (optimal use of speed reserve) so obviously this guy is doing a good job.
Yes, I agree with you: Speed Reserve is a HUGE factor in the 400m…
Some day you should do some research and write a commentary on this topic. You are sooooo lazy … 
Do you know if Lynch is part of that group too?
Big change from LJ to 400m.
As I understand it, Lynch has his own personal coach of many years (Larry Spencer) and lives about an hour drive north of Sydney. Spencer has an “elite” squad plus a nursery (coached by a friend). Spencer brought some of his 200m sprinters to the try-outs for a new 400m development project initiated by the NSW state government’s elite sports arm, the NSW Institute of Sport which is based at Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush (home of the 2000 Olympics).
The NSWIS project is called the 400m Fast Track program. There is a panel of formerly/currently successful sprints/hurdles/400m coaches who are the advisory committee and these four senior coaches mentor the personal coaches and co-design training programs (with the specific personal coach) for the athletes accepted into the project.
Some of the senior coaches have their own athletes who occasionally work at the same venue as the project athletes and therefore sometimes they do the same session or similar.
This project has had no public profile as yet. Not sure why. But other than schoolkids who seem to compete non-stop :), Matt Lynch appears to be the first of the older athletes at the top end of the project who has set foot on the competition track. Presumably that’s because he has remained injury-free and therefore able to stick to some sort of proposed time-line for the season in Oz.
My understanding is that NSWIS will conduct an annual try-out (consisting of numerous physiological tests and other evaluations) in late January to find the next induction of athletes.
The first try-outs were early this year (March?). More than 80 athletes aged 15-21 attended and these were invited to train a couple of days per week on the NSWIS program. Then after about two months, there were some more tests and the group was culled to about 40 or so. Then after another training block of at least six weeks, there was another cull (mosty of athletes who showed no commitment to attending).
Then the remaining group of about 30 were split into three tiers (groups) based mostly on age because it was apparently problematic for 15-year-olds to train with 20-year-olds.
I think the concept is interesting. The implementation for something like this would always dpend upon the relationship and personalities, the professional respect and the goodwill generally between the advisory panel and the respective personal coaches.
So I guess there would be some talented athletes who may be interested in stepping up to 400m, but whose coaches may have issues preventing them committing to a companion coaching scenario.
I am just speculating on that, but human nature being what it is I could see that as a bridge too far for some of the egomaniacs in the sphere of “coaching”.
In any case I think it is an interesting initiative and a promising adventure into Talent ID & Development (if the Matt Lynch debut is anything to go by). kk.
KK on the money.
Just read, on another forum, that the headwind was ‘intense’ on the backstraight and last bend for the 400m
Good to see them being proactive and doing some talent id. I’m guessing 400m was chosen as it is relatively the weakest of the sprints and their are some pretty good 400m coaches in NSW? 
I understand they thought the 400m was a good option because Australians in recent times have a record of doing quite well internationally in the event (Rick Mitchell, Darren Clark, Mark Garner, John Steffensen, Joel Milburn; Maree Holland, Cathy Freeman, men’s 4x400m silver in Athens OGs, bronze in Berlin WC etc); that Australians have no recent record of success intenationally at 100m or 200m (Peter Norman’s NR 200 dates back to the 1968 Mexico Olympics); that moderate 400m performances can create medal-contending 4x400m Relays; that moderate 400m flat performance can be the basis of medal-contending 400m Hurdles (Jana Pittman 2x WC gold; 2 x CG gold); and also that 400m performance coming from the endurance end of the training process can contribute to success at 800m.
Australia has quite a number of 400m guys who have dipped into the 45sec zone and all of them come from different coaching groups, so the necessary pre-requisits for success appear to be in place already.
The NSWIS project was just an attempt to harness the knowledge, experience, talent and desire for success and provide it with some direction and co-ordination, plus enough funding to keep the supervising coaches working over a meaningful period of time (a year, minimum?) sharing their information in a mentoring program.
From what I understand, there are at least another three guys who train fulltime or occasionally with Matt Lynch who have the potential to follow him into the 46sec zone and faster, although perhaps not this Australian season due to their youth or injury setbacks, or because their own personal coaches or the athlete’s circumstances (geographic, financial) have restricted their ability to work close enough with the project to actually fasttrack them in time for this summer Downunder.
I had a little chat to the guy with Same last name, no relation, but he does know of him. Says its the Culture where he is to do 400’s.
Matt’s a good kid been around for a very long time and was a talented junior jumper / 100m sprinter with a 10.6 to his name.
yes NSW does have some of the best 400m coaches in australia - in fact THE BEST 400m coach by far lives in NSW 
We’ve been praising Matt Lynch, but it was also a promising performance by Joel Milburn because he is buried up to his ears in general preparation-style, high volume, long reps kind of training at the moment.
which makes it interesting he even raced. A lot wouldn’t at that stage.
Joel also competed on the weekend in a 300m at the Homebush warm up track. Leading clearly to the top of the home straight, but then pulled up. Not sure of the extent of any problem.
https://console.clubsonline.com.au/customitem/attachments/skinsresults.htm
He was seen running the hills next day. May have been a bit scared of getting injured. Coach was O/s understudying Tom Tellez in Texas, but she said it must have been a bit of neural twinge or old scar tissue loosening up??