EDMOND SOUNDS HIS BATTLE CRY

Trackspeed1 UK's Edmond Amaning kicked his season off in style today (Saturday 25/5) with two gold medals, two personal bests, and a battle cry that will put the sprints world on alert!

Competing in the Middlesex County Championships, at Lee Valley Athletics Centre, Edmond secured gold in both 100m and 200m, cracking lifetime best marks in both events in the process!

Edmond Amaning (right) on his way to 200m gold

The 100m came first, and a pedestrian 10.86s heat demolished the opposition despite a helpful following wind, but the final saw him switch into overdrive.

Running 10.44s took him to a new lifetime best mark, and saw the rest of the field trailing in behind.  As his number two event, it was a more than encouraging start for both athlete and coach, John Powell.

In the 200m later the same day, Edmond opened up with a 22.0s hand-timed performance that saw the rest of the field trying in vein to cling on to his shirt tails.  This time there was no following wind, but that was academic as Edmond proved he was in a different class to the rest.

There was little doubt a to the ultimate result, and the only issue was how fast he would run.  In the event, he won the final in 21.10s - just inside his 2012 personal best mark of 21.13 to complete a highly satisfactory first day of the 2013 outdoor season.

Competing in the same meeting, Trackspeed1 UK's Nathan Gilbert was contesting the under-20 men's 100m, and he too left with a medal around his neck.

After a miserable last 2 months of winter that saw a hamstring injury refuse to budge as it should have done, and a warm weather training trip in the States where he could barely run close to flat out, personal best times were not a priority.  But that is exactly what he produced!

In the heat he was aided by a following wind of +3.9 to cross the line in 10.82s, but in the final that abated to +2.4 when he timed a fastest ever 10.73s to silver.

"The wind may not have been quite legal in the final," said coach John Powell, "but he was way ahead of his 10.9+ PB from last tear and it won;t have helped him that much.

"Overall it was a great first day for both athletes and I am very proud of their efforts.  We have to move on though, and we will need more from both lads if they are to come close to their personal goals for 2013."

SPRINTERS HEAD HOME

Trackspeed1 UK's longest pre-season training camp, in Florida, USA, ends this week as the squad head homeward after what coach John Powell described as "by and large a pretty solid trip consisting of some pretty impressive focus and hard work!"

Apart from this who have already stretched their legs in either Gainesville or Orlando at US meetings, Trackspeed1 UK athletes have a varied race plan this year, and are looking to open up their summer programme at various stages this month.

Currently, Julian Thomas intends to begin his 2013 campaign in Lockeren, Belgium, on May 19th, whilst England 200m Champion Edmond Amaning will probably wait for the Middlesex County Championships at the end of the month to begin his campaign.

Former European under-23 400m hurdles champion, Lloyd Gumbs, may well use the Loughborough international meeting to launch his attack on his specialist 400 m hurdles event, while training partner Matthew Sinclair will be hoping to be at the same venue in the 400m.

Kieran Daly, described as a real dark horse this year by his coach, picked up a groin strain in Florida, and is leaving his campaign until the end of this month, but fellow sprinter, 16-year-old Frederick Afrifa, may be flying to his native Italy to compete in a youth meeting in Bressanone on Saturday 18th.

"Everyone who travelled to the US camp will be returning in way better shape than they left the UK," commented John Powell, "and although Kieran has a niggle to deal with he will be fine come the major meets of the year.

"It's been a very productive few weeks here, and with a largely new squad this year, I am looking forward to seeing people do justice to a lot of hard graft through the winter months."

Trackspeed1 UK coach John Powell hinted at the end of
his squad's Florida training camp that a late training
performance promises great things for at least one of his
stable this summer.  Watch this space!

BACK IN ACTION AND PB's ALREADY!

Trackspeed1 UK sped back into track action on Saturday (20th), ironically in the coldest and wettest conditions of the Florida Spring so far, but there were still PB's set on day one of their season!

Predictably it was Kieran Daly (20) and Frederick Afrifa (16) who improved lifetime sprint marks after some very focussed training during the squad's first couple of weeks Stateside.

Daly, whose 200m best remained static last year due to the lack of outings over the distance, reduced his 21.9 best to 21.69s, but clearly has far more to come.

Afrifa, the youngest in the America party, took a tenth off his 200m best to record 22.51s after struggling to an 11.27s 100m which coach John Powell said was well below what he is capable of.

"These best times were well deserved by two guys who have worked very hard in training," said John Powell.  "The most encouraging thing though is that Kieran has much more to offer as he steps his training levels up, and Fred at only 16 will progress significantly."

Afrifa's 200m was a World Youth Championships qualifying mark for his home country of Italy, and so puts him n pole position to represent his country in Donetsk later this year.

Other Trackspeed1 UK performances were all encouraging given it was the first competition day of the year, and that the conditions hardly promoted excellent sprinting.

Julian Thomas stretched is legs with an opening 100m in 10.66s burst, but will be looking to improve on his 21.57s 200m.  Remaining results are below...

Ed' Amaning	Did not compete
Frederick Afrifa	100m – 11.27 +1.4; 200m – 22.51 +1.6 PB
Julian Thomas	100m – 10.66 +0.8; 200m – 21.57 +0.4
Kieron Daly	100m – 10.82 +0.2; 21.69 +0.8 PB
Lloyd Gumbs	200m – 22.57 +0.8; 400m – 49.52
Matthew Sinclair	Trained, did not compete
Nathan Gilbert	Trained, did not compete

FAWWAZ OFF TO A FLYER!

Fawwaz Okunola was the toast of the newly formed Trackspeed1 UK Academy this week, as his season got off to a flyer at Crystal Palace.

The 15-year-old, who joined the new Academy earlier this year, opened his 2013 account with two blistering sprints that will already feature among the fastest in his age group in the UK.

The first race of the day was a heavily wind-assisted 100m, which he completed in a personal best 10.89s ahead of a +3.6m/s gust.  However, the later 200m was not similarly affected, and a virtual zero wind reading meant his lifetime best of 22.37s (win reading -0.1m/s) now presents a bit of a decision as to which sprint he focuses on most later in the season.

Fawwaz Okunola clocked 22.37s for the 200m at
Crystal Palace, still aged just 15.

Speaking from the senior squad's pre-season training base in Florida, USA, Fawwaz's cash John Powell was complimentary on his charge's opening effort of the year:

"Fawwaz has terrific leg speed and I knew he was going to run fast over 100m, but I wasn't too sure of how much speed endurance we had managed to put into his legs since he joined us.

"His 200m time is excellent, and now he has a few decisions to make ahead of the main championships this year as to which sprint he wants to prioritise."

In the same open meeting at Crystal Palace, the squad's main training base, another Academy member Phillip Robinson, set a lifetime best finishing second to Okunola in 23.01s.  It was a fine run, although he had earned a dressing down from Powell's number two, Johnathan Regis, for turning up just 20 mites before his 100m event!

Back in the USA, Julian Thomas grabbed the headlines at last weekend's Lake Brantley High School meet.  Competing in the Florida Gliders Spring Classic, in Altamonte Springs, he clocked a healthy 21.29s to finish second to fellow Brit Dannish Walker-Khan.

All the Trackspeed1 UK performances of the season so far, in the UK and the USA, are updated on the squad rankings lists, the link for which is on the home page.