The American always looked in complete control against Usain Bolt, who was straining to keep up with Tyson Gay by the end of the highly anticipated race. Bolt was second in 9.97.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk93CrXcnOM
Difficult to tell from the camera angle and distance; however, it appears as if Bolt tightens up/shows significant strain around the 20-25m mark.
From watching it live on the net and from the replays I have to say I’ve never seen Bolt run without relaxation to the degree he did today. Of course being behind will cause many to do the same.
Yeah. Gay’s face always shows a fair amount of ‘strain’ and heavy breathing, but I’ve never seen Bolt tighten up or strain like that before.
Edit: Watch the video from universal sports that RB posted, there’s a head on view of Bolt and Gay.
Yes - Usain ran very tight in that race. One big mistake that he made, I think, is when he was coming out of his drive phase… He prematurely stood straight up. It was very noticeable.
Gay ran a strong focused race.
Just a passing thought, but was Charlie helping with Usain’s training before he passed?
If he was (and I think it’s pretty unlikely based on comments here) I doubt it will ever become public info. If he wasn’t, we stand a much better chance of finding that out.
Why would Charlie be helping with Usain’s training?
I think it is plausible that Glen Mills has read some of Charlie’s books, but to think he asked Charlie to help with his program…I doubt that. It’s not like Mills has not been doing this a long time with Raymond Stewart, Kim Collins, and now Bolt and the rest of the Racers group. If you read Mills and Francis seminar info and interviews and Bud Winter’s book So You Want to be a Sprinter you will notice similarities, i.e. the drills, the one peak philosophy and some of the technique stuff.
I’m still wondering if Bolt isn’t 100% healthy or he missed too much training and knows he isn’t close to 9.5x strength or shape yet. In the US broadcast Ato commented right before the race that Bolt looked nervous and was standing up near the blocks ready to go, when everyone else was hanging back by pylons, something he never does.
You know he’s been partying and taking care of puma bolt brand. He has talked about how he wasn’t going to train as hard this year. Not like his talent has eroded or disappeared.
Hmmm, I guess… I just thought it was curious how Bolts deterioration in performance seemd to coincide exactly with the time Charlie passed. And while Mills may have coached other top talents, none of them has come anywhere near the level Bolt was at the past 2 years and the very beginning of this year. He looked very good at Penn and his opening 200 in Jamaica but after that all his performances wer sub-par for his standards and they are getting worse. I think it is just as plausible that Charlie may have been serving as a consultant to Mills/Bolt to get him to the level he reached. But like I said, this is all just speculation… but an eerie coincidence nonetheless.
in reference to gay…hes looking superb and at 20m hes bouncing of the track. watch this space for gay
No one has coached a talent such as Bolt.
Mills has been coaching since he was 14.
Bolt stated numerous times that this season is the season to beat him and that he is taking it less serious. Also, it is really clear that every where he goes he is all about promoting and not necessarily competing.
Mills is coaching Blake, who almost ran down Tyson in the 200 and PR’d, he’s coaching Gonzalez who just PR’d in 44.40, and he’s coaching Ricardo Chambers who just PR’d in 44.54 all happening after Charlie passed. Mills program and coaching seems to be doing just fine for them. He does give credit to his assistant Bert Cameron for working with Gonzales and Chambers.
Not buying the black helicopter theory.
I’ll bite.
What’s with the black helicopter?
Prophet is saying he thinks Charlie was helping with Bolt’s prep and now that Charlie passed he thinks that may be a reason why Bolt has floundered recently. As opposed to the more realistic theory that Bolt is just not taking it as serious as he did last year and that he is distracted and not training as much/as hard. Of course Bolt confirms in interviews that he is slacking this year. Plus there is zero evidence that Charlie has ever had anything to do with Bolt and it is borderline arrogant and disrespectful to insinuate such.
Not so fast my friend, do you know something we don’t? It’s easy when you get your ass beat to say “I’m not training - BS - if you not ready don’t step your ass on the track” - if you do - it’s all game.
I’m a bit with lr1400.
Let’s not subscribe to any far fetched conspiracy theories.
Bolt has taken it a little more casually this year and no doubt will return to his best shape & form in 2011.
He’s clearly in good hands with Mills.
In reference to the final, I find it interesting that Bolt’s 10.1 in the heats looked very routine (not to take away from the fact that he was working to make up for his start) and demonstrated such forceful grimacing, shoulder elevation, and over all tightness to run the 9.97 in the final.
A few things come to mind:
- the 9.97 is 96% and change of 9.58. Granted he is not in 9.58 shape; however, that’s nearly 4 tenths to the hundredth- slower
- he’s always been tremendous in the final of a multi-heat competition. thus it’s interesting to note how strenuous the relatively poor performance of 9.97 was in comparison to the Sunday jog 10.1 in the heats (barely a tenth difference for someone who, when in top form, has to run sub 10 flat just for it to qualify as +95% speed work)
Before I get too academic, I, for one, am more interested in how poor his technical performance of the race was in addition to the discrepancy in form/relaxation between the heats and the final when the actual time difference between the two was almost negligible relative to his top form potential.
He’s clearly no where near 9.58 shape, however, to struggle to run 4 tenths slower less than a year after the 9.58 (where he cruised a 9.89 in the heats) in addition to the 9.84 and 9.82 he’s already ran this year (post injury and within the last couple of months)- is curious to say the least.
Yes sir. Thought you knew, it’s all in the yams…
Just what he said earlier before the season started and what I have read from those who said he’s been carousing more than normal. Could be many things including what you allude to.