posted Sep 11, 2007

Being the fastest man on earth is no mean achievement. Winning gold must be a great pleasure BUT NOT COMPARED TO A WORLD RECORD. At Osaka the mens marathon gold was won at a speed slower than the women's marathon world record. Many of the mens races were easy tactical jogging followed by a rush for gold at the end. To run a WR you will need to produce your best at most stages of the race. There will be no comfort of tactics etc. If athletics was all about medals and no emphasis on records few would remain interested in the sport. On the other had, if WR were set and broken, am sure many will love to watch the sport even more.

I respect Asafa for doing what no one else (alive or dead) has ever done. Thats what genius is sometimes about.

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posted Sep 11, 2007

The article we've all been commenting on clearly shows the world record since 1968 at 9.95 seconds. These people are truly greats.

9.74 A Powell, Rieti 2007
9.77 A Powell, Athens 2005
9.79 M Greene, Athens 1999
9.84 D Bailey, Atlanta 1996
9.85 L Burrell, Lausanne 1994
9.86 C Lewis, Tokyo 1991
9.90 L Burrell, New York 1991
9.92 C Lewis, Seoul 1988
9.93 C Smith, Colorado 1983
9.95 J Hines, Mexico 1968

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posted Sep 11, 2007

I beg to differ here, in any event there is, at least of Olympic status, the ultimate title is and will be that of Olympic Champion, followed by that of the World Champion, and finally of that of the world record holder.
It is not an easy feat to break a world record in any event, even if it looks begging to go, but provided you are in the shape to do it you can pick a race on a certain track, picking out the opposition you like as well. Most of all, you can do it at any given time provided you find a race.
To become an Olympic, or a World, Champion you have to face off the best the world has to offer at their peak and you have only one chance in four years (or two at the Worlds) - you can 't afford to miss, and you have to rise to the challenge and above yourself if need be.
The pressure to win an Olympic or World title is tenfold to turn in a world record. He/She who can cope with that large amount of pressure is the very best...

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posted Sep 12, 2007

I wonder if there is a more important issue that should be surfaced here. It's the concern that Powell only sets world records at insignificant meets. The conjecture is that he loses focus at big meets. Another hypothesis (that, admittedly sounds like conspiracy theory) is that he is being controlled. Perhaps, Powell has agreed to keep a lower profile (unlike the way Gatlin handled himself) so that the public focuses on sprint times, rather than use of banned substances. It is possible that substance testing is highly 'regulated' by a group more powerful than WADA.

Speaking of which, has anyone considered the dominance recently exhibited by Allyson Felix? It is hard not to compare her with Flo-Jo, a woman who died young for obvious reasons. Supposedly, Felix improved her deadlift from 125lbs to 300lbs in a single year, a few years ago. Ask any olympic lifting or powerlifting coach and s/he will tell that you such feats require more than human will. It's funny how track athletes almost always mention having the right 'nutritionist' when asked about their gains. Bodybuilders just say that they are eating more...and none of us believes that.

In the end, I suppose that it's important to show clean athletes to the world in the time frame leading up to the next Olympics. You don't want the fans to get too jaded at this point. In fact, you want them chomping at the bit for incredible track and field rivalries.

I apologize if the nature of this comment is a little off topic. Still, We must ask ourselves if we are just insignificant pawns in an elaborate game crafted by an elite group to keep us entertained and off the scent of behind-the-scenes trickery and deceit.

...of course, T&F isn't the only sport with such problems!

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posted Sep 12, 2007

Actually, Allyson Felix is the leanest sprinter there has been around for years, and she could easily be taken even for an 1500m runner! Sorry, but I find nothing suspicious about her and I really relish her running!

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posted Sep 18, 2007

After watching Asafa Powell for the last few years I have come to understand why he runs as he does.
It is evidently an attempt to lower the world record in manageable increments, in much the same way as the ladies Pole Vault has played out over the last few years.
It was obvious to me watching Powell break his world record the other week that had he run at full throttle through the line he would have not just broken the world record but ‘smashed’ it. He (and his ‘handlers’) are fully aware that he can lower the WR considerably, so they must be advising him to throttle back with 10 or so meters to go lest he break the record by too large a margin.
I believe that he will break the world record in increments netting himself a huge payout in return. I’d certainly do it!
Regarding Gay, Gay is understandably afraid of facing Powell, if Powell were to 'let lose' and run as fast as he can, he would humiliate Gay (and anyone else on the track). It will become evident in the Olympic year that Powell is supreme.

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posted Sep 22, 2007

I agree with Isabre. If a sprinter or any runner or athlete, for that matter, wins gold medals in major championships, the primary being the Olympics, then you have to regard these people as true greats. Carl lewis, Maurice Greene, Michael Johnson, Bekele, Gabresellaise(spelling), Eljerrouj(spelling), Ed Moses, Seb Coe, Bob Hayes, Daley Thompson etc.. all come to mind not to mention many more. What do they all have in common? As well as being great athletes, they are also great competitors. There are other atheletes such as Leroy Burrell, Henry Rono and so far Asafa Powell, who broke records but did not do so well at the Major meets. Being able to produce the goods in the biggest pressurised atmosphere. This is what sets them apart. Leroy Burrell broke the world 100 metre record on two occasions, but how often is he mentioned when the topic is about atheletic legends?

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posted Oct 1, 2007

IT WILL NEVER GO BELOW 9 SECS THATS A FACT THE LOWEST POSSIBLE I THINK IT COULD GO IS 9.3 THAT WILL BE A FAB EFFORT

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posted Oct 3, 2007

Ignoring the 9.95 Jim Hines effort in Mexico City (which was at altitude), if you plot the times and the year they were achieved in, then extrapolate that plot forwards in time (using a logarithmic curve which most world record histories approximate), you get the following interesting (and completely conjectured) times!

2010: 9.71
2015: 9.67
2020: 9.63
2030: 9.55
2040: 9.47
2050: 9.38

The 9 second barrier isn't beaten until 2098!

Now I can only guarantee the last 2 predicitions, so if I'm wrong, come back on here and I'll give you a 10p prize

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posted Oct 21, 2007

The FASTEST man in the WORLD is: Michael Johnson (200m). At 28mph he's faster than Powell.

Check the facts if you want - the info is freely available.

If he's not the fastest in your opinion then why wouldn't the indoor 60m record holder be the champion?

and in case you're wondering you can't maintain maximum velocity for 400m so that's why that record holder isn't the fastest!! Lol, just love informed debate.

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