TRACKSPEED1-UK CLOSE TO ANOTHER SUPER SEASON

As the domestic season is soon to give way to the World Championships in London, Trackspeed1-UK are already reflecting on another hugely successful season for the majority of their athletes.

Trackspeed1-UK Head Coach John Powell (centre) welcomes members of the
Maldivian delegation, competing in next month's World Championships, at Crystal Palace.

As Head Coach John Powell hosted the Maldivian sprinter Hassan Saaid and coach Ahmed Faail at Crystal Palace ahead of the global event next month, many of his squad were signing off their competitive season on a high.

The Loughborough European Athletics Permit meet on Sunday (22nd) saw Ishmael Smith-John crack the 11-second mark for the third time with a 10.92s sprint in cold and rain, while Cameron Starr's 10.82 was a likewise solid performance given that the English summer had abandoned the meeting!

Dean Hylton, whose year had seen him run faster than ever before came to a close at the British League event a week ago, while David Bolarinwa clocked a healthy 10.51 at the Loughborough meet, and is now looking ahead to a race in the Olympic Stadium on August 2nd before his final couple of meetings later in the month.

Brandon Murray was the first athlete to make a huge breakthrough taking his lifetime best down from 11.12 to 10.71, with training partner Ishmael Smith-John following suit, annihilating his previous fastest 100m of 11.14s with a 10.79s effort at a Rochester open meeting earlier this month.

Ishmael Smith-John - in the form of his life this summer!

Early season also took 400m sprinter Niclas Baker into new territory with a 47.05m run in the USA, while newcomer Reon Wade took to the track for the first time at Newham in early July and clocked a shock 11.05s on the back of very little preparation, earning him the label of 'surprise package' for 2018!

"We may not have anyone at the World Championships," commented John Powell, "but we have had some really significant breakthroughs this year, which have lined up a potentially very high standard for 2018.  I really believe we have a few guys this year who could be turning heads next!"

ISHMAEL SHATTERS HIS LIFETIME FASTEST!

Yet another lifetime best mark has been annihilated by a trackspeed1-UK sprinter - this time it was the turn of Ishmael Smith-John to produce not one, but the two fastest 100 metre sprints of his life at the weekend.

Ishmael Smith-John's PB at the weekend moves him to
within 8 places of the top 100 sprinters in the UK for 2017!

The 21-year-old Blackheath and Bromley AC athlete began the year with a 2016 best ever of 11.12 seconds, but at the Medway track in Rochester on Sunday all of that changed

First he cracked the infamous 11-second barrier with a wind-legal 10.92s, but then in the second round of the open meeting, he switched on the after-burners up the home straight to record another wind-legal time - this time of 10.79 seconds.

Ishmael - one of Trackspeed1-UK's most dedicated and hard-working athletes, having barely missed a training session since he joined the group back in 2014 - now rates as one of the most improved sprinters in the country at this level, with a host of new opportunities now available as a result.

When he began with the Crystal Palace-based training group he had a recorded best of 11.32s over 100m, but improved that pretty quickly to 11.17 in 2015, albeit levelling out a little in 2016 with a slightly improved 11.12s.  2017, however, has launched him into a different stratosphere of sprinting.

"I'm looking to compete in the European Athletics Permit meeting at Loughborough in a couple of weeks now I have the entry standard," he said after his achievement on Sunday, and coach John Powell endorsed his athletes new pitch:

"These were outstanding performances by Ishmael," he said, "and it is only right that he takes advantage of some good quality races now - not necessarily to set more new PB's, although we obviously hope he does, but to gain more experience of running at this level and above."

Ishmael joins training partner Brandon Murray as another hugely improved athlete this year, having moved his best 100m time down from 11.16s to 10.71s this year.

Meanwhile, their coach is doing his bit to add to the Trackspeed1-UK list of 2017 achievements, having been asked to act as team coach for the South of England Junior team competing in the home international in Cardiff on Wednesday (12th July).

HYLTON'S BREAKTHROUGH SEASON

Trackspeed1-UK sprinter Dean Hylton is enjoying his most successful season yet in his illustrious if a little turbulent track career.

Dean Hylton at Newham after he destroyed the opposition
to record a lifetime's fastest 21.29s over 200 metres.

Running at Newham Leisure Centre on Sunday he destroyed his lifetime's best 200 metres time with a 21.29 second run (wind speed +2.0m/s) that obliterated the opposition.. And that came after a thoroughly decent 10.60 100m sprint a couple of hours earlier.

Hylton, a former Jamaican Junior International, has struggled to find his form the last couple of seasons, and has suffered his fair share of injuries, but 2017 has seen the breakthrough he has threatened for so long, and he is confident there is more to come.

"I could have run faster in the 200m at Newham," he said, "but I haven't run any 200's this year and I'm a bit rusty.  The 100 has been better this year too though, so I am slowly getting it together."

Dean levelled with his fastest ever 100m a week ago with a 10.56 effort at Lee Valley, but already has one eye on next year, with clearance to apply for a British passport expected this Autumn.

Yet again this summer, Trackspeed1-UK athletes have been bus setting personal best times in the sprints, and most now have improved on their 2016 marks.  The newest name to the squad, Reon Wade, wasn't planning to run this year having done very little fitness work, but after impressing his coach in training he was persuaded to run at Newham.

He duly obliged with a lifetime's fastest 11.05 seconds over 100m, having had no blocks practice and precious little technical work.  It was a performance that underlined coach John Powell's aspirations for him in 2018.

"Reon is going to be a real talent if he puts the work in over winter," said John, "and I have every confidence he will turn a few heads next year over both 100 and 200 metres."

Meanwhile in Birmingham, David Bolarinwa was contesting the 100 metres at the British Championships, and ran well to reach the semi-finals.  He clocked 10.56s in the heats, and 10.50 in the semi's, finishing 6th in the latter in an extraordinary race containing ten athletes.

"David is work in progress," said John Powell.  "He proved his worth a few weeks ago with a windy 10.29s 100m at Lee Valley, and as long as he sticks with it, he can easily surpass the lifetime best wind legal 10.29 he set several years ago."

With no sponsor to prop the group up the squad's competitive agenda has been restricted to the UK and mostly London-based competitions, but that is not preventing a capable group of sprinters improve steadily through the summer.

One of the most spectacular improvements on 2016 is Brandon Murray, who has taken his 100m time down from 11.1 to 10.7 this season, although his hamstring strain in a race surely destined to beat even that mark at Lee Valley 10 days ago, will mean he has to wait a little longer before he has the chance to edge in to the 10.6's!