Trackspeed1's James Ellington made a very clear declaration of intent at the London Indoor Games on Sunday (30th January) as he powered to a lifetime's fastest 6.70m 60m sprint.
He left in his wake some of the most established British International sprinters, including Harry Aikines Arieetyey and Craig Pickering, as he made it clear his intentions with the European Championships in Paris in the not-so-distant horizon in March.
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Ellington''s first round 6.74s run - his second fastest ever over the distance, was a warning to his rivals that he is well and truly back from the serious hamstring injury last June that threatened his career, and the under-23 European gold medalist lived up to expectations in round two with a superb lifetime's best 6.70s performance.
Coach John Powell was of course delighted with his protegee's efforts, and was quick to highlight that his achievements had been reached the hard way:
"James has been off funding and any kind of support for years," said Powell, "and he has had to fight back to form without any kind of support. The athletes who have had medical and financial support throughout recent years were staring at his backside this afternoon, and that is a very satisfying feeling!
"James is a world class athlete, and he is on the brink of proving that. He ripped his hamstring last June and we were all terrified that it might just be a step too far to come back from, but James is one of the most determined athletes I have ever coached. He rightly has immense self belief, and he has massive talent, and is potentially one of the most under-estimated athletes in track and field."
Catford-born Ellington, now living in Addiscombe, Croydon, recently became a father and had 3-month-old daughter India at the Lee Valley complex for moral support, along with other family members.
"James has had a massive few months," said John Powell. "He has become a dad for the first time (and boy, has he taken to that well) and he has got back from a potentially career-terminating hamstring injury to the form of his life. I've been working with him for all but 2 years of the last 12, and seeing him at last break through to the senior elite where he belongs will mean the world to me, let alone himself."
Trackspeed1 sprinters in action at Lee Valley chalked up further lifetime bests (see rankings lists on this website). Jason Hussain shaved a hundredth off his fastest ever 60m with 7.11s, while Omardo Anson put the jet lag of his return from the States a few days earlier behind him to equal his best ever 60m mark of 7.05s.
On day one, Omari Carr-Miller fluffed his lines on the second lap of his 400m event, getting boxed in for much of the second half of his race, but still managed to squeeze home in a lifetime's fastest indoor time of 50.89s.
"Apart from the injuries we have suffered, this has been a superb indoor season so far," said Powell. I just wish that those of our lads who have learned life the hard way could have been part of this season. The likes of Tunde Judun, Edmond Amaning, David Bolarinwa, and Ellis Zorro could have combined to make this an absolutely amazing winter season.
"One day," he continued, "athletes will realize (maybe!) that conditioning and strength work really are essential in preventing injury and preparing an athlete to run fast, especially during the cold winter months. But we have a fantastic squad, and I just know that, in 2011, we are going to seriously turn heads!"
The next significant date in the Trackspeed1 diary is the European Indoor Championship Trials, i Sheffield, in 2 weeks' time on February 12/13th, when the likes of James Ellington, Dwayne Grant, Jason Hussain, Lawrence Wooldridge and others will be in action.
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