Trackspeed1 UK sprinter Kieran Daly grabbed the headlines yet again today as he took the England National Championships by storm. Clocking 10.18 seconds in the under-23 100m metres final he became one of the fastest ten men in the United Kingdom!
Kieran's improvement this year has been phenomenal, beginning the season with a 10.58 personal best over the distance. As an athlete who had never even medaled in a major championship in his life before, the last eight days have seen him take both the Southern and National 100m titles, and there could be a lot more to come.
Tomorrow sees the second sprint event at Bedford, when he will contest the under-23 200 metres. His best pre-2014 for that event was 21.69. That has already improved to 21.00 this summer, and both he and coach John Powell are convinced he can go a lot faster than that.
"This is Kieran's last year as an under-23 so I totally understand his desire to run the 200m as well tomorrow," said John," but in the normal way I would have advised against it. He's got the British Championships and European Championship trials next Friday to Sunday, and that will be a real test. This week's training will be focussed totally on recovery."
Only a week ago at Crystal Palace did Powell forecast that his protégée could run exactly 10.18, and with the wind well within the legal limit at Bedford, that is exactly what he did, but now his coach has altered his prediction:
"Kieran could certainly run 10.15," said John, "if he tidies up his start. His drive phase is definitely work in progress, but we will both settle for these sorts of performances for now - good start or not!"
Kieran's performance at Bedford now really puts him among the country's elite sprinters, and nobody can say it has been a fluke, as he has proved time and again he is in 10.2 form this year. The 200m at Bedford tomorrow (Sunday 22nd) will be another spectacle to see for sure!
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