Sunday, 12 June 2011

TRACKSPEED1-2 IS SPOT-ON !

It simply doesn't get any better at this stage of the season - a squad one-two, in the showpiece race of the meeting at the Bedford International Games on Sunday!


James Ellington - aching for races at world class level, but currently having to settle for domestic bliss with a zero budget - was in a class of his own ahead of current and past internationals in the race of the day.  He clocked 10.41 seconds in dreadful conditions, pulling training companion David Bolarinwa (still only 17) into second behind him.

It was a class run - there is nothing else that can be said.  He beat everyone, and even afforded the luxury of shutting down well short of the finish line.  James is the interloper this year - a real inconvenience to those already ear-marked for World Championship selection, but he is now making it consistently clear that selection for the sprints in the World Championships in Korea in August, will be anything but straight forward this year!

David Bolarinwa - by far the country's best junior sprinter in years, and already being labelled the next Mark Lewis-Francis - was second behind his training partner, clocking 10.52s in the rain.  He now travels to a European meeting in Bilbao, Spain on Saturday, confident that there is at the very least a 10.2(lows) ion the tank over 100m.

Trackspeed1 coach John Powell is usually pretty reserved after races, but was screaming after the Bedford showpiece.  It wasn't the World final, but he knew a one-two at this level was some achievement:

"I was again impressed with James, but he's got to produce a real time in good conditions.  The weather in the UK is so frustrating, it's unbelievable.  But it will come.  Everyone can see the sort of form he'd in, and he will produce something very special in the very near future.

"David is obviously on terrific form, but again he needs to remain very focussed and realise the real challenge of the year will be in the trials for the European Junior Championships in 2 weeks' time, and then of course in the European Championships themselves.

"The one-two though was absolutely terrific, although we now have to search for a race for James after he comes back from the European Team Championships this weekend.  He's in the GB relay team, and has been banned from running as an individual because they want a world top 16 time to quaify for the World Championships.  I understand that, but James needs races, and now we have to look for something a week later.  It's a challenge because, without funding, flights and travel are a huge problem for him."

The Bedford fixture - held in the cold and pouring wet conditions that created the nightmare for most, let alone the headwinds in the sprints straight, also saw Trackspeed1's Jason Hussain produce a very positive 200m performance.  He finished second in his race but had to settle for a very modest 22.22s, with training partner Lawrence Wooldridge a shade behind in 22.23s.

In another 200m race, 17-year-old Edmond Amaning produced an outstanding 22.30 run - his opening race of the season after no fewer than three hamstring injuries in quick succession over the past 3 months,.

John  Powell commented: "These were great performances on the conditions, and Edmond was far better than he thought immediately after the race.  Lawrence especially should have been heading back south full of confidence."

Now John will fly to Bilbao with David Bolarinwa this weekend, while the rest of the squad contest the South of England Championships, at Ashford, Kent.

"It's a joke having the Southern Championships in Ashford,", said Powell.  "Apart form the geography, the conditions there are always poor for sprinters, and there are many more far better options than deepest Kent.  But hey, why should the athletes ever matter!"

This weekend also saw the London Schools Championships staged at Battersea Park.  Anton Daley took second in the intermediate Boys 100m with a lifetime best 11.1s - pretty impressive given he suffered a cramp twice on the way up the straight!  All first 3 finishers were recorded at 11.1s.

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