ASTONISHING LATE SEASON FORM FOR TS1-UK

It was bound to happen.  A blog published here highlighting a late season personal best, and then within 24 hours came four more spectacular sprints from a Trackspeed1-UK squad who have quite literally been on fire this year.

Headlining the performances at Lee Valley Athletics Centre on Wednesday evening was again Niclas Baker, who shattered his previous lifetime best over 200m with a 21.33s run.

Having been discussing training for the coming winter with coach John Powell online only hours earlier, and his need to improve basic speed for running 400m next year, he clearly decided to start early!  He had two 21.41s runs wind aided to his name before that, but otherwise had run only 21.99 legally.

Chaka Maillett - sub-11 at long last! 

It was an inspirational performance which followed three other super sprints over 100m by Tracksped1-UK training partners.  Chaka Maillett had been tantalizingly close to cracking the 11-second barrier at Bromley some weeks earlier when he clocked 11.00s, but at Lee Valley he broke through at last with a fastest ever 10.92s.

Also, running the shorter sprint was Nima Jam, whose form this year has seen a modest club level sprinter convert to a potentially classy act, and he produced the second fastest time of his life with 11.36s

Meanwhile, back in the 200m, former European Junior Champion David Bolarinwa cracked 21 seconds for the first time in 3 years, clocking an impressive 20.97s.

“I nearly fell over when I was messaged these times,” said coach John Powell who was away for this meeting.  “We have had some great results this year – no championship medals, but it is a squad rebuilding now, and poised to compete with the best again.

“I’ve been again taking ideas from literally international sources, and the programme I am already putting together for this winter’s training phase is very exciting indeed, and elaborates on what we have been doing this past 11 months.  Everyone should be resting up now for most of August, and then getting back into the groove with renewed vigor after this season in September.

“We have a terrific group of athletes in Trackspeed1-UK again now, and there are many who are poised to turn heads in 2017, assuming the vultures stay away!”

GREAT-ISH' AND A WINDUP TO COME!

With the domestic season all but done, Trackspeed1-UK athletes cannot stop improving their lifetime best performances, as demonstrated recently by Blackheath and Bromley Harrier, Ishmael Smith-John.

The 21-year-old has consistently sliced fractions off his personal best over 100m this year, and signed off from his 2016 campaign with another improvement at Hendon last weekend.

Ishmael Smith-John put his pre-season training in the US
(above) to good use this summer with PB's in abundance!

Competing in the London Inter-Club Challenge meeting, he also improved his 200m best, with both performances wind-aided, but with the 100m legally so, and the 200m only just over the limit at 2.2m/s.

“It’s been a great season in terms of improving times,” commented Ishmael afterwards, “although I have to say my targets were a little faster, but it’s always good to aim high, and I just have to stay patient - I know it will come in the very near future.  Meanwhile, it’s time to rest up and be ready to go again for 2017.”

Coach John Powell, abroad for the meeting, sent a message of congratulation to his protégée, commenting:

“It’s been a truly fantastic year in many ways.  Ishmael’s late PB is in many ways the icing on the cake, but it’s not just that – the squad have gelled so well as a group.  The focus is there, the work ethic is there, and the humour is there too.

“We aren’t allowed to say too much right now, but people need to keep a look out on Channel 4 this autumn – and when we know it’s being broadcast we will advertise on this blog.  It’s a tongue-in-cheek programme that provided me the opportunity for the wind-up of a lifetime for 6 of our athletes earlier this summer.  I’ve barely stopped laughing now!”

SQUAD GATHERS TO MAP OUT A GOLDEN FUTURE!

The biggest ever one-off gathering of Trackspeed1-UK athletes - all its 25 male athletes - got together at coach John Powell's home last week to debate a future that surely promises much after huge personal progression in 2016.

Every fit athlete has chalked up at least one lifetime best performance this summer, many more than that, with some pretty impressive slices being taken off previous record marks.  To top off all of that was also a prestigious club award from Crawley AC won by Jason Hussain as their "Athletes Athlete of the Year 2015"

Jason Hussain proudly displays his Crawley trophy

The forum, hosted by John, the group's home physio', Grace Newton, Strength and Conditioning consultant Mark Stanton, and longest ever serving athlete Jason Hussain, proved a tremendously upbeat environment in which a season review and new ideas for the next training cycle were debated.

Whilst things can always change late season or during the rest period in August/September, a survey of all the athletes suggested that 2016 could be the first year that sees zero departures from the group to pastures new- a statistic that buoyed coach John Powell's enthusiasm for the 2016-17 cycle.

"It would be a first for sure," he said, "because the vultures usually swoop toward the end of the year, but there is no suggestion that may happen again this year, in fact I have already had a number enquiries from athletes seeing to join us!

Trackside physio' is a huge bonus from Trackspeed1-UK
athletes training at the Palace

"That of course is greatly flattering to all of us, but we must ensure numbers remain manageable so that standards of excellence continue to rise.  To that end I am setting up an Academy group again, and will be splitting mainstream sessions to daytime and evening to accommodate both athletes working or studying, and those who have time on their hands earlier on.

"It's really exciting times for us really, and with no athletes involved in the Rio Olympics it means we can wind up the season in good time in August so we can have a really good run at things for 2017 with effect from mid-September."

For those who decide they want to try out the Trackspeed1-UK experience at Crystal Palace next year, they will not be short of privileges, not least trackside physio' as illustrated above...

FASTER AND FASTER - PB CITY!!

Trackspeed1-UK are simply getting faster and faster, and they can't stop - as illustrated by yet another five lifetime best performances last week.

Nima Jam - phenomenal improvement
over 100m this summer, who set another
lifetime best at Lee Valley last week!

It now means that only Jason Hussain, who recently underwent surgery on a long term Achilles tendon injury, has not improved a lifetime best mark, with some having improved by up to 0.8s over 100m, and 2 seconds over 400m!

Highlight of a Lee Valley open meeting last Wednesday (22nd June) was another massive improvement by Nima Jam.  A personal trainer by trade, the 30-year-old's obsessive attention to detail on his technical ability has seen him slice almost half a second off his previous 100m best.

Then there was Piers Chen who had struggled to dip under his best ever mark this year, but he did that in style at Lee Valley with an improvement of just over half a tenth of a second.  With Nima also improving his 200m mark by just over a tenth, the chips were down for other squad members competing on a night where all following winds were within the legal limit.

Jerome Lule again improved his 100m time - now almost half a second better than 2015 - and then 18-year-old South London Harrier Brandon Murray saw his personal best 100m improve by a solid two tenths of a second.

"These are very significant improvements," said Trackspeed1-UK coach John Powell.  "There is no secret formula for these results this year either - they are as a result of a serious amount of hard graft by most, although I have to say that the current group generally have an excellent work ethic, and huge camaraderie, which is a huge asset, and feeds inspiration and motivation.

"We have already had enquiries about joining the group for the coming 2016-17 year, which is of course flattering, but candidates will have to persuade us they are coming to graft and work and not just take a ride!"

Former Trackjspeed1-UK sprinter James Ellington, who reached the London 2012 Olympic Games under the tutelege of John Powell, joined the elite group of sprinters to dip under 10 seconds on Saturday at the British Championships.  "It was a lump in the throat moment," admitted John - a huge achievement!  Ellington is now coached by Linford Christie.

Trackspeed1-UK's current representation at the Championships, in Birmingham, which were also the trials for the Olympic Games, was a modest one this year with all three competitors still coming back from either injury or outside commitments that had severely curtailed their preparation.

David Bolarinwa produced a highly respectable 10.47s 100m run in the heats, but failed to progress past the semi-final, while Oweka Wanogho didn't make the cut from his heat, nor did Niclas Baker after his 400m heat.

"It was frustrating to watch," said John, because had Nic not fallen down the stairs at home and twisted his ankle a few weeks ago, his form before that would have got him into the final.  But that's life!"

HUSSAIN'S MISSION '20-POINT' STARTS HERE!

Trackspeed1-UK sprinter Jason Hussain has written off the 2016 summer season and resorted to the operating table in a bid to achieve his ultimate target of running inside 21 seconds for the 200 metres ("Mission 20-point" as he likes to call it!).

Jason Hussain gets an initial post-op' assessment
from top UK physio', Dr John Allen

The squad's longest-serving athlete who joined coach John Powell back in 2005, has always had a sporadic Achilles tendon problem, and it flared up again early this year.  Finally resorting to advice from the country's leading medic's, he underwent surgery 2 weeks ago to finally resolve the issue.

"I had the Planters tendon removed," he explained.  "It had apparently attached itself to the Achilles tendon, and there was a fair amount of scar tissue that was also taken away, so I'm really hoping this will finally sort things out and I will be able to train properly once it has healed."

Aged 29, Jason has plenty of time to recover and yet produce his best over either 100m or 200m, with his aspirations underlined by his coach as totally achievable.

"Jason has always had something that has prevented him from going that extra mile toward achieving his goals," said John Powell.  With luck, he's sorted a major problem out now, and that will allow him to train at full capacity.  He knows what he has to do now, so we will just have to  see how things go."

Hussain isn't the only Trackspeed1-UK star who has been frustrated by injury this year.  Niclas Baker opened his season with a phenomenal lifetime best mark of 47.41s over 400m, and then promptly fell down the stairs at home and injured an ankle that, five weeks down the line, is only just recovering!

Sam Imhogiemhe was another superb lifetime best performer when he won the Essex 100m County Championship, clocking 10.74s to rubbish his previous recorded best of 11.5!  A hamstring tendon injury, however, then kicked in, and he is only just returning to training!

"We all live on the edge in this sport" commented John Powell, "and to achieve our best we have to push our bodies to the limit.  The trouble is, neither coach nor athlete always know where that limit is, and if you exceed it, or try to something at the wrong time or in the wrong way, it can be curtains to such a lot of hard graft.

"It is incredibly frustrating, but we have a very mature group this year and they know where they are at.  If we can hold on to the majority for 2016-17 then I think could have a pretty impressive season next year.  That said, there are several weeks left in 2016, and I am sure there are impressive shows yet to come!"

LIFETIME MARKS CONTINUE TO FALL

With the exception of three long term injuries, and two other athletes yet to crack their best, and one of those not yet fully back from injury, the whole of Trackspeed1-UK have improved personal records already this season!

Ishmael Smith-John smashed two lifetime best sprints over 100m and 200m

 Two more records fell this weekend (5th June) with Blackheath and Bromley's Ishmael Smith-John improving over both 100m and 200m, and Shaftesbury Barnet's Jerome Lule slashing his previous 100m best mark by over three tenths of a second.

The performances came as the busy June schedule kicks in, with the South of England Championships next up this coming weekend 10/11th June.  Following that the England National under-20 and under-23 Championships take place in Bedford, and then the Olympic Trials and British Championships round off a chaotic month.

Some of the most notable performances this year have emerged early in the season, raising hopes that more may be to come in the championships and later season meetings.

These include Niclas Baker's phenomenal best 400m run which took three seconds off his fastest at this time last year, while David Bolarinwa's return to the group after a four-year absence, saw his fastest 100m time in 3 years recorded in April.  Even Chris Pope, out through injury for virtually two years, returned this weekend to the sub-11 second range over 100m in only his second outing of 2016!

Jerome Lule shattered his 100m best as Trackspeed1-UK athletes continue
to hit the form of their lives this year!

Another quite remarkable achievement was Sam Imhogiemhe's improvement from 11.5 to 10.74 over 100m this year, the only frustration there being that he has since suffered a hamstring niggle that has prevented surely inevitable consolidation on already spectacular improvement.

Niclas Baker has likewise had his progress suspended with a fall at home sidelining him with an ankle injury.  He hopes to be back in training this week after three weeks out - a break that cost him  selection for the England team competing at the Loughborough International last month.

Trackspeed1-UK coach John Powell was cautiously optimistic about his charges' prospects for the remainder of the season:

"It's been a great year so far," he said, "and with everyone setting PB's that is naturally very satisfying for a coach.  The injuries to Sam and Nic have been frustrating, and it's a real pity Jason Hussain has been taken out for the year with ankle surgery imminent, but it's clear the programme is working for most, so that has to be good!"

CHAKA'S ZERO ZERO HOUR!

Lifetime best performances continue to fall in abundance already this season for Trackspeed1-UK athletes, but the latest did not come without a hint of frustration for a hugely-improved Chaka Maillet.

Competing in a local open meeting in Norman Park, Bromley tonight (Monday 23rd) he lopped a healthy two tenths of a second off his fastest ever 100m, but clocking exactly 11.00 seconds was tantalisingly close to the elusive 10-point bracket hotly pursued by so many!

Chaka Maillet was in the form
of his life at Bromley tonight

"There are some significant barriers for a progressing sprinter," said coach John  Powell, "and eleven seconds is one.  A 10-point for Chaka will come for sure, but we all laughed out loud when the time was read out at Bromley, because for the sake of one hundredth of a second, Chaka has to wait until next time for his big breakthrough.  But let's not forget though, it was a great personal best anyway!"

Just 24 hours earlier training partners David Bolarinwa and Dean Hylton were in action at the Loughborough University International, and both posted hugely encouraging times.

Hylton set a season's fastest by three tenths of a second with a 10.72 second sprint, while Bolarinwa clocked 10.59 seconds.  The latter was slower than his opening 10.35 blast in the USA a few weeks earlier, but having been buried in final university exams ever since he flew back across the Atlantic, coach John Powell, as well as his athlete, was more than happy.

David went on to time 21.18s with a really positive 200m - his opening performance over the distance this season, and his fastest since 2013.

"There is far more to come from  David, we know that," said John Powell, "but he's got to finish his uni' course, then we can get back to business on the track."

It was an encouraging finale to a frustrating week for two other squad members, with Niclas Baker especially aggrieved after a twisted ankle sustained at home falling down the stairs prevented him from being able to accept a call-up to the England senior team for the Loughborough International clash.

It was yet another international born within the group, but on this occasion, it will be at least a few weeks before any second chances.  As this blog was published, Nic' was cautiously optimistic of getting back into training this week, and getting competition fit for the South England Championships, at Lee Valley, on June10/11th.

The vast majority of Trackspeed1-UK athletes have already surpassed their personal best times this year already, and that even stretched to the youngest member the group has had in several years.  Princess Manning, just turned 13, clocked 13.60s at Bromley in her first ever race in any competition. catapulting her into the top 80 athletes of her age in the United Kingdom.

SAM SPEARHEADS A GOLDEN WEEKEND

Sam Imhogiemhe triggered a golden county championship weekend for Trackspeed1-UK as he stormed to the Essex 100 metre title in one of the most spectacular lifetime best performances ever recorded!

Newly crowned Essex County 100m Champion Sam Imhogiemhe
is rightly all smiles after a massive personal best 10.74s sprint.

The 21-year-old sprints hopeful joined the squad last year as a modest 11.5 second athlete, and put down a decent 60m pb indoors during the winter months.  Saturday, however, saw him enter a new stratosphere with a phenomenal 10.74s win to clinch gold and wipe almost a second off his previous fastest time.

Yet more impressive though was the fact that he had been hospitalised after a car crash less than 2 weeks earlier and hadn't been able to train at all before his Essex outing!

It was the first of a clutch of medals for Trackspeed1-UK athletes competing in six different county championships.  Piers Chen took off to a nightmare start in the Oxfordshire 100m final, but recovered to run the second fastest time of his life to take gold.

In Middlesex, Niclas Baker started the 400m as hot favourite after his huge personal best 47.4s a week earlier, and duly obliged with a solo run that clocked 47.91 in the final.

Niclas Baker ran solo for the most part of the Middlesex 400m final,
which he won at a canter in 47.91s.

Three more medalist performances were to come over the weekend, with Ishmael Smith-John taking bronze in the Kent 100m final, and Oweka Wanogho clinching another bronze medalist in the Surrey 200m, albeit with a surprisingly below-par time.

Overall it was another series of outstandingly positive performances for the Crystal Palace-based squad, although the weekend ended with some concerns over injuries that hit no fewer than three of the group.

Niclas Baker fell on the stairs at home and twisted an ankle, Oweka Wanogho pulled up with a groin problem in the Surrey 100m heats after a scintillating first 40 metres, and then Yomi Adeyemi fell at the line in his Surrey 100m heat sustaining a suspected broken shoulder!

"The injuries were phenomenally frustrating," said coach John Powell, who visited the Middlesex meeting on Saturday and Surreys on Sunday.  "Oweka looked terrific out of the blocks in the 100m, but he was absolutely right to pull up when he felt a sharp pain in his groin.

"The situation with Niclas was a bit bizarre and he will need treatment this week.  What makes things worse is that Oweka and Niclas had been selected to compete in the Loughborough International next Sunday (22nd) and they now have to be real doubts.

"At this stage of the season though, you simply can't take any risks, and if they're not fit then they don't run.  There is far too much lying ahead for them to compromise the summer now.  By and large we have started really well this year and everyone is in the form of their lives, so we need to manage any hiccups like this shrewdly."

Oweka Wanogho exits the Surrey 100m as he pulls
up in the heats with what turned out to be
a very slight groin strain

It wasn't only medalist performances that impressed at the weekend though.  The squad produced five other sprints finalists, and in most cases performances were better than or at least very close to lifetime bests.  The 2016 season moves no next weekend  to the Loughborough International with David Bolarinwa, Niclas Baker, and Dean Hylton in action, with Sam Imhogiemhe waiting in the wings to see if he can grab an eleventh hour lane.

Others will be in action at the Blackheath and Bromley Open meeting on Monday 23rd, with the cancellation of this year's Bedford International Games leaving the bank holiday weekend a potential training weekend as things stand.

NINE PB'S, BUT NIC STEALS THE SHOW

Trackspeed1-UK athletes opened up their domestic season in East London today just 12 days after their return from their Stateside training camp, predictably impressing with nine lifetime best times.

Niclas Baker stole the show at Newham to record a massive
lifetime best time over 400 metres

Stealing the show though was 21-year-old Niclas Baker, who tore his previous 400 metres best time to shreds on the mondo surface that is the Newham Leisure Centre track, with an outstanding 47.41s lap, catapulting him into the top 25 in the UK.

A perfectly paced race saw him take control from the off, cruising the home bend, and holding strong on the home straight to win the race outright.  His performance cast into the shadows his existing best ever over the distance of 49.06s, set last year.

Leading short sprints performer was David Bolarinwa whose 10.66s into a -1.9m/s wind may have seen him beaten by the majority of an international class field, but it augured well for his season after a stressful week of university exam's and very little training.

Elsewhere it was a few of the largely unsung heroes of the squad who shattered previous best marks.  Emmanuel Adeoye took nearly two tenths off his 100m best, and then made a joke of his 200m fastest time with a performance well over half a second superior at Newham.

Jerome Lule, 19, ran his fastest 100m ever although was slightly wind-aided with a +2.4m/s breeze, while his 200m was another best ever, this time despite a -1.7m/s headwind.  Piers Chen equalled his fastest ever 200m after the second-fastest 100m of his career.

Chaka Maillet was forced to run into a gale of -3.1m/s in his 100m, but still came to within a tenth of a second of his fastest time ever, but then went on to crack his fastest ever 200m by a quarter of a second with a negligible +0.5m/s breeze behind him.

Coach John Powell who witnessed all the performances was more than pleased with the majority of his charges on the day.  He commented:

"Niclas was obviously outstanding, and should go faster this year.  He is a class act and could well turn some heads over the next 18 months.  It was good to see the PB's so early in the season, and from a coaching perspective I learned a fair bit about the group in a competitive environment.

"David has had a very difficult week, and was pitched into a challenging field which, if I were honest, wouldn't have helped at such an early point in the season, but he still faired really well, and will run a lot faster this year.

"There are several athletes in the group who are in their first year with me, and it's always an education when they first pitch into competition.  There was only one false start and subsequent disqualification too, which was pleasing, although that one culprit will be hearing from me next week!"

The next stop for Trackspeed1-UK athletes will be next weekend's County Championships at various venues around the home counties, and then that is followed by the annual Loughborough University International on Sunday May 22nd.

SENSATIONAL OPENER - GAME ON FOR 2016!

David Bolarinwa European Junior Champion in 2011, and World Junior finalist in 2012, is back!  A sensational 10.35 (wind +0.4m/s) opening 100m run yesterday (22/4) was his fastest in three years, and spurred training partner Oweka Wanogho to his first lifetime best since 2012.

David Bolarinwa is all smiles after his season
opening 100m shot him into the top five
rankings in the UK, his fastest sprint since 2013.

Wanogho clung to David's coat tails until around halfway when the former world class junior pulled away to decimate all but one of the field, while Wanogho hung on to third with 10.69s, shattering his previous fastest ever time.

It was a huge boost for the whole of Trackspeed1-UK who were eagerly awaiting news from the rain-soaked Percy Beard track facility, in Gainesville, Florida.  The meeting had been suspended for almost two hours, putting their record-breaking performances on hold, and adding to the pressure of a season's opener.

It is of course, early days, but after three seasons away, David's first year back with Trackspeed1-UK since 2012 would appear to hold great promise.  His run was his fourth fastest ever, and ranks as fifth fastest in the UK.  Wanogho himself crept into the top 10 in the UK for the first time ever.

Conditions ultimately were pretty good despite torrential rain holding up proceedings for a substantial period, which won't have helped preparations, with a season's opening competition always an added pressure.  The rain returned for the 200m later in the day, but the meet pushed on, and duly produced another lifetime best for John Powell's squad.

A double rainbow decorates a rain-soaked Gainesville
track where Trackspeed1-UK athletes completed
outstanding season debut performances

Nic Baker had never gone under 22 seconds in his life, but braved the wet to record 21.83s, one hundredth behind Wanogho, who is clearly destined to go much faster this year.

The results triggered a host of messaging within the remainder of the group who were unable to compete, with recent internal time trials suggesting that most athletes are on course for lifetime best performances this year, and that the coach's timing in training might have been accurate after all!

"It's incredibly early days," said John Powell who couldn't help but punch the air when Bolarinwa's time was revealed, "but it's great to get an endorsement of someone's form so early on.  We know what David is capable of, and we know that both Oweka and Nic are in the form of their lives.

"Now all we have to do is ensure the rest of the group prove that they are too!"

Virtually the whole squad will open up their UK season at Newham on May 8th.

40 YEARS A COACH

It was 40 years ago today that Trackspeed1-UK head coach, John Powell took his first coaching badge at Crystal Palace, with coach Ron Roddan, coach of eventual Olympic and World 100m Champion, Linford Christie. 

A montage of some of John's international athletes since the turn
of the century including Chris Lambert, James Ellington,
Dwayne Grant, Jason Hussain, and Wade Bennett-Jackson

During the ensuing four decades, what he describes as an "unimaginable rollercoaster" shaped his life and formed a sporting community that he sits at the centre of today.

Speaking from his squad's warm weather training camp in Florida, USA, he reflected on a voluntary career that shadowed but supplemented what most would see as one of the more challenging professions:

"Many thought that coaching and the Police would clash big time," he said, "but in fact they complemented each other really well.  I learned people management skills in the Police, but adapted them to a massively diverse audience - many young - in athletics.

"I liked to think I could actually relate to young people far better as a result.  As time went on, management and organisational experience in athletics definitely helped in various ways through the ranks in the Met'.  The combination, I strongly believe to this day, made me a better coach and a better Police Officer."

Of the many highlights during the last 40 years, the early days saw arguably the most successful youth scheme in British Athletics created at then Blackheath Harriers, winning five national titles under John's management.  That then formed the trigger for an international coaching career that saw him travel worldwide, developing contacts and coaching partnerships all over the globe.

John's squads were highlighted by athletes taking part in Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, World and European Championships, along with innumerable World and European Junior Championships.

David Bolarinwa became only the third British junior to win three medals at a European junior championships under John's tutelege, while Chris Lambert won gold in the European under-23 championships 200m in a record time that stands to this day, along with the 4x100m relay, and then the World Student title over 100m all in the same year.

In 2013 John was presented with the MBE for services to Athletics by HM The Queen - a moment he described as more thrilling than any track success by any of his athletes ever!

The biggest moment of his coaching career - HM The Queen rewards John
with the MBE for services to Athletics.

On the day that he celebrated his 40 years holding a stop watch, his squad produced a mass of personal best times at pre-season time trials at their US base - and to cap it all, Head of Performance for British Athletics, Neil Black, put in a surprise appearance!

In what he describes as "life-part 2" John still has many challenges ahead, not least his currently 2 and 4 year-old daughters!  He is currently Chairman, Life Member and President of his club, Belgrave Harriers, and remains hugely ambitious to be part of the international athletics scene in the years to come.

Just a few moments from the later days of his coaching career are captured hereunder...

A spot interview on Australian TV during a training trip in Queensland

Bronze for athlete Wade Bennett-Jackson in the World Junior
Championships 4x100m relay in  Beijing 2006

Chris Lambert celebrates his World Student 100m title in South Korea, 2003

John talks through a training session Stateside with
Olympic sprinter James Ellington

This Trackspeed1-UK relay quartet sent shockwaves through some
top American college teams with a 40.12 4x100m in Orlando

John stands in front of the Harvard University track and field records
board which show Chris Lambert's college records which stand to this day.

John with European Junior 200m Champion, David Bolarinwa, 2011

John meets a track legend - former world 200m and 400m
record holder Michael Johnson

Another liaison with one of the world's all-time great sprinters - Don Quarrie

John shakes with British Athletics Head Coach Charles Van Commenee
whilst at the holding camp in Portugal for the London Olympics

Congratulating eventual Dame, Kelly Holmes, after her first
gold medal in the Athens Olympics, 2004

Carrying the London Olympics Torch at Crystal Palace 23/7/12 

Another shot of that big day with longest-serving
 athlete in the squad, and who led the nomination,
Jason Hussain

Another international and Olympian, Dwayne Grant.

TRACKSPEED1-UK READY TO ROLL STATESIDE!

Described as one of the most focussed groups at a pre-season training camp, by head coach John Powell, Trackspeed1-UK athletes cannot wait to open up their outdoor programme Stateside this year.

Flying out of the blocks - some of the squad in training at Clermont today

Based at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida, rep' times, technical work and general focus on the tasks at hand are on a real high.

"Olympic year always gives that extra thrill to track and field," said John, "and this group are very motivated - not to mention confident - to get going this season.  It's only the elite few who actually get to a major Games, but the sense of excitement is very contagious at every level in the sport.

"As usual we've had a couple of niggles this time round, but the support we have here is exceptional with physio' Dr John Allen, and Strength and Conditioning guru Mark Stanton, who also provides soft tissue treatment.

"That said, unlike previous years, there has been minimal  demand for massage therapy, and most of the group are in pretty good shape, so all the indications are good for a summer season.  We have only 8 weeks when we return to the UK before the Olympic trials and British Championships!"

More images from today's session...

David Bolarinwa (left) and Oweka Wanogho in action
during Stateside training

Niclas Baker is back with Trackspeed1-UK after studying in Leeds
University for the past year, and looking like
a great prospect over 400m!

Coach John Powell gives video feedback during a session at Clermont
this morning as the group gradually gear up for summer.

Piers Chen in action earlier today

Sam Imhogiemhe is quickly overcoming an initial hamstring
niggle to rejoin mainstream training next week.