I was reading a quote from Ato Bolden today and he was talking about Tyson Gay and how he feels he wont beat Mr. Bolt because of his race model.
Well, my question is who has multiple race models for the 100-200 meters? I mean, the shorter the race the less time you have to make adjustments because the pace is too fast.
Also with multiple guys going 9.9 or better the only way to win the race seems to be to lead the pack from the 30m on because EVERYBODY is fast now! If you look at MJ, Bolt, Merrit, Powell, and others, when they win they are winning from the 30 meter mark TO the finish line.
The ONLY guy who trails from the back and still comes back as a solid contender is Wallace Spearman; if that guy gets a good start and gets more serious starting by getting that chain out his mouth I believe he could be the first man to go 18 sec in the 200m.
I think you might be misunderstanding what he is saying (from the other stuff I have read from Ato). A number of people have criticized Gay’s start as it sets him behind significantly (not saying he is voluntarily going slower than he is capable of, but that it might not be adequately addressed in training and what not). He runs quite a bit slower than people of comparable levels in this area, which is an area where criticism might be valid.
Spearmon is not going to take a full second off his current time. You must have been brought up reading Trackshark or something.
When Tyson Gay won his world championship 100m, he only led about the last 1/3 of the race.
When Tyson Gay won his world championship 200m, he was behind Bolt after the curve.
But is a “finisher” just someone who cant start, and therefore doesnt stress the CNS as much at the start, wheras a “starter” can start well, but stresses the CNS early on, and is therefore more fatigued at the end?
I find that in races where I start really really well, my last 40 is weaker.
Spearmons PR is 19.6. If he works on is start and gets out like bolt does I believe he can go 18.9 or at the least break the WR but thats a whole different topic.
Everyone talks about how the start can just be improved dramatically, just like that, no question. But I believe starting strength and accelaration are also innate characteristics… so the starters, or finishers, are born starters or finishers… for the most part.
Ben was born a starter, but was never going to have the last 20m Lewis had… Lewis was born a finisher and was never going to have the first 50 Ben had.
And now the top guys, Bolt and Powell are both starters and finishers… Bolt’s 40m is electric and Powells tops speed and SE is also electric on his day.
It’s 19.65, which he has not come close to before or since.
He hasn’t run faster than 19.90 in almost two years, which means he needs to take off a full second from his current condition. It is simply impossible for him to take off a second from his start. He tends comes through in some “pedestrian” 10.3 or 10.4, perhaps slower, depending on how fast he’s running that day. So, not only does a notoriously poor starter need to break the 100m world record on the curve of a 200m, he needs to do it by at least 2 tenths of a second, then continue with his strong finish.
Spearmon’s start is slower than Bolt’s.
Spearmon’s top speed is slower than Bolt’s.
Spearmon’s finish is not faster than Bolt’s.
Please tell me how he can break the world record, by improving his start?
Spearmon last 50m during 200m is actually faster than Bolt, but that doesn’t mean he is going to run 19.30. Spearmon’s 100m PB is 9.96, some 3 tenth slower than Bolt, and incidentally the time Bolt did in curve during his 19.30.
Different people do different things, but generally, that is not the consensus of how to run a 200m. Ato Boldon’s explanation if available on youtube, something like “Ato Boldon explains the 200m”, and it’s also in one of the “Inside the HSI” series, though I don’t know which one.
I believe there have been threads on this topic here.
