ELLINGTON GOES STRAIGHT WHILE TS1 GO ROUND THE BEND!

Jaysuma Ndure is the fourth fastest man of all time in Europe with a best of 19.89, and third-fastest over 100m with 9.99s, yet Trackspeed1 sprinter James Ellington took him to within the thickness of his vest in a special 200 metres race, in Manchester City Centre, on Sunday.

James Ellington shone over 200m against
world class opposition on Sunday.

Competing in the somewhat unique Manchester City Games event, the two lined up for a 200m set on a completely straight track set up in the streets of the Lancastrian capital.  The Gambian-born Norwegian won in 20.63 seconds, but James clocked 20.65s to impress in front of a packed crowd and national television cameras.

The event held on a completely straight track arguably provides less of a challenge to the normal format of bend into straight, but as coach John Powell explained, the straight has a far from positive psychological effect:

"It looks like a marathon when you are staring down the straight at the start," he said, "and it's terribly difficult to judge .  James executed the race brilliantly despite being up against world class opposition, and I am personally delighted with his performance.

"What the TV commentators didn't know on Sunday is that a week ago, James was flat out with a nasty flue bug that seems to have hit at least four of my squad, including David Bolarinwa and Ed Harrison.  A virus like that can take alot out of you, and in training on Thursday he was clearly not fully recovered, so Sunday's run was fantastic."

The event over-shadowed the annual Loughborough University International meeting on the same day where John and other members of his squad spent the day in just as cold conditions as were facing the athletes in Manchester.  This said, Trackspeed1 continued to underline individual potential for 2012 summer.

Top performer was arguably David Bolarinwa, who notched a creditable 10.49s run despite farcicle circumstances surrounding the start.  Tremayne Gilling, drawn in lane two, committed a clear false start and was into his first stride before the gun had fired, leaving Bolarinwa in lane one thinking he had suffered the worst reaction of his life!

To the fury of John Powell and many others, the race was allowed to go on without recall, although both eventual winner Adam Gemilli and David hauled Gilling back to finish ahead of him - just!

"It was a ridiculous false start, and the more I played it back on the camera afterwards, the more people laughed at it," said John who recorded the whole event.  "It's a pity that sort of thing is allowed to happen, because it detracts from other people's performances.  Simeon Williamson finished fourth in 10.70s, and nobody can tell me that is reflective of his ability!"

David Bolarinwa was left to cope with a farcical false start at
Loughborough - pictured here last year after his European Junior 200m
Championship win, in Estonia.

The Trackspeed1 'dark horse' of the 2012 season who had PB's notched in every outing so far this year, wasn't quite able to continue that record, although it was almost certainly the 2.0m/s headwind that prevented it.  Edmond Amaning clocked his second fastest ever 200m of 21.50s in winning one of the men's invitation races - albeit running the traditional bend rather than the Manchester straight!

Bolarinwa, unlike training partner Ellington, clearly wasn't over the flu bug when the longer sprint kicked in, and he faded badly to 21.4s in the 200m finishing a disappointing fourth behind Chris Clarke, Deji Tobias and Luke Fagan.

"David will be fine after a couple of track sessions and a gym workout this week," said Powell, who takes Bolarinwa, Ellington, and Amaning through the Channel Tunnel on Saturday to a European International in Oordegem, Belgium on what is reportedly that country's fastest Mondo track.

"We went to Belgium last week as well," said John, "but the conditions were poor and there were no fast times in the entire meeting, so we are looking for far better this time round."