spike
Whether be it ARS or PJ or anyone else for that matter I could not care less. Both of them ran legit times - period.
All I am saying here is that the “Perth talk” gets mentioned quite often as no other track in AUS. Why?
Sydney is fast - but not as fast as Perth, I hear. Get this - I am not talking about any sprinter here - just the track! You have missed the point with MJ’s comparison. The same goes for Bolt.
The talk is about - the track in Perth. Cheers.
Johnson’s love affair with Perth continues
By Alex Malcolm
WA’s new athletics stadium is fast becoming a favourite amongst the nation’s best athletes after giving up two Commonwealth A-qualifiers on a cool and breezy Friday night.
Australian record-holder Patrick Johnson has set a blistering benchmark for the rest of the nation’s sprinters to chase by clocking an A-qualifier in stunning fashion.
Dane Richter ran a smooth 400m hurdles in 52.88 to show that it isn’t just the sprinters enjoying the perfect track conditions at Perth’s new stadium.
But the sprinters do love it. Johnson is contemplating permanent residency in Perth having now run four of Australia’s fastest six times at the venue in 2010. He will start a warm favourite at the national championships in April and he will receive a warm reception from the Western Australian crowd as well who have adopted him after the show he has put on in the last week.
3 cheers for Perth on having a world class track. Brisbane track is breaking up and in some places is down to the underlay, it has lost its MONDO, it is supposed to be getting relaid this year
So it is not surprising that PJ & MD ran faster in Perth.
Sevastocrator the Bolt and MJ reference was not in reference to your post but earlier ones…we posted at the same time. My question to you was in the second post and it still stands if your athlete/s run 0.2s faster as a coach how will you decide upon what has been the result of good preparation and the track being run on?
spike
As you know there are a number of different factors that can contribute to a personal best performance, including; preparation, peaking, track quality, location, wind conditions, quality competition, overall physical and mental conditions on the day, local competition, interstate or international competition etc. As a coach one would need to factor in all applicable factors and then make a call.
Sevastocrator,
and some people think coaching is easy…Well good luck with your athlete’s hopefully we see lots of great performances from both Track and Field and the results saturates the media over that time period.
Those runs were at the Olympics and world championships. That’s a little more reliable than some random meet.
spike
Thanks, you too.
I just happen to watch PJ’s 100m and 200m performances from Melbourne (SBS Channel). I have to mention him in this discussion because apart from him and Davies no other sprinter ran in Perth recently (and at that point in time). ARS has not run at the meet in Melbourne, and Lawal has not run in Perth yet. It leaves me with PJ only.
At this stage I’d like to think the track (and good tail wind) in Perth may largely contribute to some outstanding recent performances. If one thinks peaking and periodisation plays a major role, taking PJ’s example, I’d like to point out the following;
Now, Let’s take ARS and Lawal into consideration, as well.
If ARS repeats his performance at the Nationals (peak?) and runs faster or as fast (let’s take under 10.30) when having the best competition around himself, I’d say he is in a good form;
Lawal has not run in Perth yet and his best time (this season) is 10.33 (if I am right) - pretty much similar to ARS’s previous PB. I saw both of them last year when Lawal ran 10.29 (fastest in AUS last year) and on one more occasion (can’t remember the results anymore). Lawal seems to me a faster runner than ARS (or at least until now). Now, if Lawal runs in Perth at the Nationals and beats PJ and ARS in his PB time of anywhere from 10.10-10.20 (PB 10.29 - 0.20 the Perth track factor), it will only confirm that the track is the fastest in AUS. PJ and ARS would need to back up their performances (10.18 and 10.17) to make this argument valid.
If this eventuates, what I would like to see is any of the mentioned sprinters back up their performances at any other track anywhere in AUS or in the world.
Is this realistic to expect from the above athletes?
PJ is 37-38 y.o. and his clock is ticking away. Lawal is over 30 himself. So, it all comes down to Davies and ARS (youngest) to prove that they can run fast (qualifiers) on any other track. Once that happens - I’d say - $hit, it is talent, proper training and periodisation, indeed!
Until that happens, I will be looking forward for my athletes to run (fast) in Perth, too 
Just airing some wind.
should be more of it
Winding air or running in Perth?
Hows the Stawell gift going, anyway?
Both.
I am not at the Stawell Gift but I do have a certified steel tape measure. An epdm would be more accurate.
sounds like many sprinters/ coaches who haven’t posted fast times are jealous of the times posted in Perth, simple ego-protecting, anyone can find stat’s to support their argument by cherry picking.
no doubt Perth is fast, but everyone wont run a legit PB there.
Maybe they are suggesting there should be more fast tracks, I seem to recall that no athlete has run under 10s in Australia yet can on a regular basis in other countries. Wonder how many of those other countries have indoor tracks built to improve performanc.
I would suggest a windtunnel huilt into the track may have worked.
You cannot do something properly without first experiencing it.
What is it like having sex or having your arm chopped off, there are things in life you have to go through to feel what it is like.
Just harmless dribble.
Actually one of the coaches who has these views has an athlete that recently pb’d in Perth. And the only stats that have been posted on here have been high level stats (not picking and choosing low level ones that appear to support an argument), so I really don’t know what you’re suggesting.
I personally think that another Aussie track that can consistently produce fast times is an exciting prospect, and if correctly managed could help boost the profile of the sport in this country. However it may be a two edged sword; internationally, Australians have a (some might say well deserved) reputation of only being able to run fast domestically and as such can have difficulty getting lanes overseas compared with lesser athletes. One track that can consistently produce fast times may perpetuate, if not exacerbate, this. Similarly, if these times cannot be matched os, particularly at major champs, our own supporter base and media may see this as an easy generalization to make as well.
Let’s hope it’s managed well.
Dazed - Exactly right!
stilljd_5
Maybe they are suggesting there should be more fast tracks, I seem to recall that no athlete has run under 10s in Australia yet can on a regular basis in other countries. Wonder how many of those other countries have indoor tracks built to improve performanc.
We finally agree on something 
I heard Perth are bringing in the smartest guys in Stawell, you know … the guys who measured the track at Central Park, so that’ll sort out all of Perth’s issues. So much for a fast track. None of that chaps. Every track race from now on will be at least 3.2 metres per 100m too long. OK so the 400m is … (4 x 2.3m = 9.2) … now going to be contested over 409.2m. Don’t complain though, you may not qualify for the Commonwealth Games but you can make a claim for a world record at the new official distance. Ditto for the Stay Well gift. They can claim another world professional record for the official, though rarely run distance of 123.2m. Sorry Youngy but really … what a joke
I can think of an athlete you coached back in the day who has made a nearly identical claim (among others :rolleyes: ). Pretty funny stuff.
I know plenty of athletes who have been to Perth and not run PB’s- no doubt the track is good but you have to be good shape to make the most of the conditions.
From memory PJ ran 9.91,9.88 windy on the old perth track and still ran fast over seas(9.93 ) - same can be said for Shirvo.
A trip to Perth doesn’t = Pb, when you factor travel from the East Coast ( 14 hrs both ways ) and adjustment in time zones- etc athletes really sacrifice 5 days of training to race there and take a financial hit. If they do PB congratulations- balance of probabilities most athletes won’t PB there, especially when you consider all the other variables when racing in Perth.
And Perth’s current golden boy Ben Offereins has run his PB (for 400m, that’s his primary distance) on the weathered track in Sydney this year.