JASON BRAVES THE COLD!

It was squad stalwart Jason Hussain who again grabbed the headlines at the annual Loughborough University International meeting on Sunday (17/5), as his performance topped those of the six Trackspeed1-UK athletes selected to take part.

The 28-year-old got off to a disastrous start in his 200 metre race, but recovered to trounce the rest of the field, finishing in a time of 21.32 seconds to win outright.

Stumbling out of the blocks on a bitterly cold day, with the temperature making the going far from ideal for sprints events, his bend could have been, by his own admission as well as that of his coach, "a lot better", but his surge onto the home straight, and strength in holding on over the final metres, still took him to one of the fastest times of his life.

"I know I can run under 21 seconds this year," he said afterwards, "but it was so cold, and my bend wasn't good at all this time round.

Jason Hussain - continued his outstanding
early-season form in Loughborough
despite freezing conditions

"It's frustrating, because he produced a couple of block starts during warm-up that were about the best I've ever seen from him," said coach John Powell.

It wasn't the best day at the office for the squad on this occasion, although Dean Hylton, suffering from missing months of training time during the winter, still produced the second fastest 200m of his life, finishing 6th behind training partner Hussain in the same race.

"I'm getting faster every time I race," said Dean - "trust me - I'll be putting down some times this year despite all the training I've missed, and next year - you see!"

Emmanuel Stephens had a miserable day with a poor 10.80s performance over 100m, later being forced to drop out of the England relay team due to a recurring knee problem.

The group are hoping for a sack load of medals during the coming weekend when the various county championships take place all over the country.  The main focus will be on the Surrey event, at Kings Meadow, Kingston, although some of the squad will be contesting titles in Sussex, Essex and Middlesex.

SIX OF THE BEST IN LOUGHBOROUGH

Trackspeed1-UK's extraordinary number of lifetime bests so early in the year have seen no fewer than six of the squad accepted to run in the annual Loughborough International meeting tomorrow (Sunday 18th May).

It's quite a few years since the group had so many athletes selected to take part in the opening showcase meet of the UK domestic season, reflective of the depth of talent the group have developed over the past winter months.

"We started with 29 athletes after something of an exodus over the previous 2 years," said coach John Powell, "but I knew full well we wouldn't have close to that number by the end of the winter, and sure enough we are down to about half that now, most of whom have shown well in the early weeks."

Leading the squad's charge up north will be Emmanuel Stephens, whose slightly wind-aided 10.42s 100 metre effort in the United States last month earned him a call-up to the England senior team's 4x100m relay squad for the meet.  He also contests the guest's A-race over 100m.

The meeting will open though with the women's guest A race, where Trackspeed1-UK's Tope Nuga, already in the form of her life, will look to improve her 11.67 100m windy mark also set in the States.

The personal bests set on Wednesday night also saw a late opportunity come Dean Hylton's way with a lane in the men's 100m, while the 200m charge is, not surprisingly, led by squad stalwart, Jason Hussain, who celebrates 10 years under John Powell's tutelage this year.

Jason Hussain (28) runs in the 200m
chasing another early season personal best.

Jason's 21.21s run in Gainesville, Florida, was the 28-year-old's fastest ever over the half-lap sprint, and all the signs this year are that he is capable of significantly faster.  Loughborough will be the first opportunity, especially with a lane 6 B-race draw on the day.

Also going in the 200m will be Oweka Wanogho, who is running faster now than he has in three years, while former Loughborough student Matthew Threadgold will contest the longer 400m event.

"We never aim to peak before the June/July championships," explained John Powell, "but I don't think I've got it totally wrong this year so, going by early performances, and with at least another two very talented athletes to fully recover from injury niggles, this could be a pretty good year if we play our cards right!"

IT JUST GETS BETTER AND BETTER!

It's official - Trackspeed1 UK athletes are on fire this year, with another four lifetime best marks set tonight (Wednesday May 13th), and a new England Senior International christened just for good measure!

On a night that was supposed to feature athletes competing in preparatory low-key open meetings around London, three put down fastest ever marks over 100, 200 or 400 metres, just 24 hours after Emmanuel Stephens had celebrated his first senior international call-up.

Stephens was not in action, but is lined up not only to run the 100m in the Loughborough International meeting on Sunday, but also will represent England in the 4x100m relay in the same meeting.

His preparations for that occasion will be bouyed now as he sees several of his training partners improving their best marks at what is still a very early stage of the summer outdoor season.

Arguably the best of the bunch was from Dean Hylton, who clocked a massive personal best 21.76s 200m at an open meeting in Newham, with a zero wind.  That lopped over half a second off his previous best.  The 100m also saw improvement from an existing best of 10.76 to 10.70 (wind: +2.0) and 10.74 (wind +1.2) in the heat and final respectively.

Dean Hylton posted two lifetime bests at Newham

At the same meeting Oweka Wanogho didn't quite beat his fastest ever 100m, but he did run faster than he has since 2012, clocking 10.85 (wind +2.0) and 10.82 (wind +1.2).

Meanwhile 19-year-old Ishmael Smith-John cracked his personal best over the 200 metres timing 22.41 (wind -0.2) - a performance praised by coach John Powell:

"Ish' has worked as hard as any of the squad this last few months, despite not being one of the highest profile athletes, and this is now the beginnings of a reward for that graft, and I'm delighted for him" he said.

John had spent the evening at Battersea Park witnessing the opening Rosenheim League fixture, and saw one of his squad's PB's first hand.  Despite all sorts of injury issues over recent months, Nic Baker again improved his 400m time, clocking 50.24s, and decided to celebrate 30 minutes later by winning a 200m race in 22.47s (wind -1.1).

"It was a good night," said John Powell, who has still not collated all the results around the Capital from his athletes, "it's very early in the season, but that is a positive thing as we have a lot of work yet to do in order to really produce peak performances."

In action at the Loughborough International on Sunday will be Jason Hussain (200m), Tope Nuga (100m), Emmanuel Stephens (100m and relay), Matthew Threadgold (400m) and Dean Hylton (100m).

SIX LIFETIME MARKS ALREADY!

Trackspeed1-UK athletes rightly plan their peak performances for the vital championships later in the summer so, the fact that already six lifetime bests have been posted in barely two meetings, augurs incredibly well for the rest of the 2015 season.

The early domestic fixtures continued yesterday (Saturday 9th May) with British League meetings dotted across the country, and it was at sunny Crawley that two more best ever times were posted.

Eighteen-year-old Fred Afrifa has had something of a torrid time over the last couple of seasons with injury wrecking plans, but his 200m on home soil for his Crawley AC team was his fastest yet, just a fraction over the 22-second mark with 22.08.

That was whilst being hampered by a -1.7m/s headwind though, and so if that had been reversed, he would easily have cracked the 22-second barrier for the first time.  It comes only a short while after his super debut over the longer 400m distance where he posted 50.2 - surely an indication of a shift in event in the future with a sub-50 run only a matter of time.

Jason Hussain takes over in the4x400m relay from
clubmate and training partner Fred Afrifa at Crawley.
Both posted lifetime best marks in the individual events.

Also in action in Crawley was one of the squad's most impressive performers already this year, Jason Hussain.  His fastest ever 200m in the USA last month was impressive, but this time he showed he is in the form of his life over 100m as well.  He clocked 10.65s in the A race running into a -1.7m/s wind - again an indication that he can run well down into the 10.5's without the breeze in his face!

In the 200m, Hussain was disappointed with his 21.57s into a 1.3m/s headwind, but as coach John Powell pointed out afterwards, a year ago, he would have taken that as a positive performance:

"Jason has opened up incredibly well this year," he said.  "The fact that he is this year disappointed with runs that less than 12 months ago he would have been reasonably satisfied with is an indication of how far he has progressed in the last year.  He is with out doubt good for a sub-21 second 200 metres this season - we just need decent conditions without a headwind!

Essex Ladies sprinter Tope Nuga ran faster than ever before in the USA last month too, albeit with a little wind assistance that time (11.67s over 100m) but could not reproduce that sort of form in Crawley, albeit faring well in the UK Womens League A race, clocking 12.08 into another headwind.

Tope Nuga ran well again in Crawley after
her fastest ever 100m in the USA last month

In another British League clash, Oweka Wanogho clocked his fastest time since 2012 over 100m of 10.87s, but was kicking himself after not dipping at the line, losing the race overall by one hundredth of a second!

"Oweka has much to learn about his event, but the fact that he has regained his form of 3 years ago already this year shows to me that there is lots more to come," commented John  Powell.

The next landmark event for Trackspeed1-UK athletes is Sunday May 17th when some will be invited to take part in the annual Loughborough international meeting in the East Midlands.  Already invitations have been extended to Jason Hussain (200m), Tope Nuga (100m), Emmanuel Stephens (100m) and Matthew Threadgold (400m).

HUSSAIN IN THE FORM OF HIS **LIFE**

It's been ten long years in Trackspeed1 UK for 28-year-old Jason Husain, and he's improved well in that time, but nothing will have given him more pleasure than his lifetime best 200 metres at Gainesville, on Friday, where he clocked 21.21 seconds - the fastest time of his life!

Jason Hussain - the longest serving member of Trackspeed1 UK ever,
cracked his lifetime best 200m Stateside on Friday (24th)

The Tom Jones Memorial track and field meet in Central Florida provided the stage for Jason to produce the most impressive sprint of his life, and yet it came from lane nine - a hugely wide bend which, physiologically could be said to pose an advantage, but with nobody ahead to focus on, a significant psychological impediment!

"Jason has shown every sign of being in seriously good shape this year," said Trackspeed1 UK head coach John Powell.   "He didn't execute the race particularly well, so there is definitely more there, and if he doesn't run sub-21 seconds this year, I will be very surprised indeed!"

It was the highlight of another good day for Trackspeed1 UK, who  produced a second personal best performance through Niclas Baker, whose 50.74s 400m cracked his previous best by nearly a second - all the more impressive after an injury-torn winter prevented him from training for long periods.

Elsewhere Dean Hylton produced the fastest opening 100 metres of his life for any one season, indicating greater things to come,  and Matthew Threadgold gritted his teeth in the 400m as a huge blister formed on his foot half way round, but he held on too clock 49.73s, just inside his performance at Clermont 6 days earlier.

Possibly the most impressive of the short sprints was again Emmanuel Stephens.  He would have been expecting a better performance than his 10.42s at Clermont a week earlier, but his 10.64s wind-legal time was a walk in the park as the opposition melted behind him in what was effectively a solo effort.

Emmanuel Stephens decimates the field in Gainesville
to cruise to a 100m victory

Nathan Gilbert and Chris Pope both also competed in the 100 metres, but were clearly not ready to return from injury as both broke down in their relevant races, but in the words of John Powell, are "95% ready to get back into things within the next 2 weeks".

"It sounds like a cop-out," said John, "but the heat has to be experienced to be believed, and it had a massive impact on athlete performances.  I am completely confident that we have a group now ho are posed to deliver some very impressive stuff this summer.

Trackspeed1 UK return to the UK on Tuesday, and will continue their preparations for the summer season at their London base at Crystal Palace.

PASSED WITH FLYING COLOURS

Trackspeed1 UK's training programme went full steam ahead on Saturday into their first test competition of 2015, and the 6 participating sprinters passed with flying colours.

Leading the charge was a superb performance in the 100 metres by Emmanuel Stephens, who was making a track comeback after an absence of 2 long years due to injury.  His 10.42s sprint, aided by a slightly illegal wind of +2.9, was marred only by his subsequent false start in the final.

As the gun went, Stephens flew out of the blocks in the first round and, by 50 metres, had gapped the rest by a clear three metres, but was caught on the line to eventually secure second in the race just one hundredth of a second behind the winner.

In the Women's 100m, Tope Nuga ran the fastest time of her life, albeit again wind-aided (+3.8), timing 11.67s in the final, having qualified with a 11.85s run, aided by a slight +2.3m/s breeze.

It was overall a really encouraging opener for the Crystal Palace-based squad, who have not been without their injury issues through the winter.

Jason Hussain, celebrating his tenth year in the group, opened with one of his fastest April efforts with a 21.66s run in the 200m, after a fine 10.77 in the 100m.  As the sun beat down, the wait for his 200m amid significant heat made his 200m performance all the more impressive.

"I simply had nothing left in the last 50 metres," he said, "I was worn out waiting over 40 minutes for my race to go off.  I'm in pretty good shape at the moment and I know I'll go a lot faster this year."

Coach John Powell was full of praise for the two therapists who have been working tirelessly with his athletes since arriving in Florida:

"John Allen is known as one of the best physio's in the business," he said, "he's been to Olympic Games and World class meetings all over the world, working with British teams, over several decades.  It's a massive compliment to have him with our group out here.

"Amara Tapson is our masseuse and she has really impressed both the athletes and myself with her work ethic and effect.  Together these two have bolted together a group who came out with some significant issues.  Now we have all but two athletes ready to roll in the next week or so."

The squad next compete this Friday at the Tom Jone Memorial Meeting, in Gainesville.

ATHLETES FACE THEIR FIRST TEST

Trackspeed1 UK haven't had the  best build-up to the summer season, but many of their number are looking pretty impressive just short of the first 2015 outdoor meet in the USA this Saturday - their first test of the year.

They open their account at their pre-season training venue, Clermont National Training Center, on Saturday.  Conditions are likely to be challenging with the Florida heat peaking mid-meet, but with a classy line-up from both Europe and the USA, the opportunity to perform will be ideal.

"It's very early in the day", said 'Trackspeed1 UK' Head Coach, John Powell, and I have emphasised to all our guys that this is very much part of their training programme only, but there again it will be a great indication as to where some athletes are at the moment.

"Not everyone is competing - some have rightly elected to wait until the following week when we travel to Gainesville for the annual Tom Jones Memorial meet, and there are likely to be a couple who won't open up until they get back to the UK.

"It's been a harsh winter, and residual injury issues have been rather stubborn in a couple of cases, and the last thing an athlete should be doing is looking to compete until he or she is fully fit."

The group return to London at the end of the month, and competition plans are already in place that indicate a very busy time in May for most athletes.

The opening British Athletics League fixtures are rapidly followed by the Loughborough International fixture.  Then there are meetings in Europe as an option to the County Championships, and the Bedford International Games round off a hectic start.

Meanwhile the training camp in the South East corner of the United States continues to progress well.  In addition to the climate and excellent facilities at the Clermont NTC, the group have the privilege of Dr John Allen as the group physio' - one of the most accomplished in his field in the UK, along with  masseuse Amara Tapson who, in the words of John Powell, has been "worth her  weight in gold" to the athletes between workout days.

Trackspeed1 UK masseuse, Amara Tapson, offers essential
massage therapy between sessions in Florida.

IT ALL STARTS STATESIDE!

A large contingent of Trackspeed1 UK athletes have begun pre-season training in the United States, and already coach John Powell can't wait for the season to begin.

"It's been a difficult winter in more ways than one," he explained, "and it's just great to be training in the warm, and leaving behind various challenges that have beset us this last few months.  We've suffered badly from injuries training in very cold conditions, and all the uncertainty around the future at Crystal Palace hasn't helped."

Early sessions at the group's National Training Center, Clermont, base in Florida have been very positive, although the squad still have a month there, which will also see them compete in two pre-season meetings at both Clermont and Gainesville.

Day one Stateside - Trackspeed1 UK athletes ease into their
pre-season training programme at Clermont.

"We have the majority of the squad out here this year," said John, "which makes for a really good quality preparation phase for summer.  Some are only with us for part of the trip, but it will still be hugely beneficial to the 13 making the trip."

Among the athletes training Stateside are British Junior International Emmanuel Stephens, South of England medalist Dwayne Dowding, British Trials finalist Tope Nuga, former Junior international Jason Hussain, not to mention Christopher Pope, Nathan Gilbert, Oweka Wanogho and Dean Hylton, all of whom hold the potential to turn heads in the sprinting fraternity this year.

Asked about the issues surrounding the future at Crystal Palace, where John has coached for the past 39 years, he was scathing of the way things appear to be going:

"The indoor track looks certain to go with no replacement," he explained, "and the outdoor track will have very little stadium facilities attached to it.  I really do despair.  I mean, how on earth do speed/power athletes train in a British winter outdoors?

"Anyone who knows London realises that Lee Valley or Sutton are not realistic alternatives for South/East London-based athletes.  It's absolute madness. "Legacy"?  What legacy?  The Mayor keeps talking about investing millions into making London a massive sports city.  Really?  Like.... REALLY??!!  

"Next year sees my coaching career reach the 40-year mark.  To be honest I was quite looking forward to making the big five-zero, but what chance of that now?  This will be a hammer blow to athletics if it goes ahead, yet whenever you try to engage with any politicians, doors suddenly slam shut in your face.  Hidden agendas here?  Go figure!"

John currently chairs the Crystal Palace Sports Partnership Board - an increasingly influential stakeholder group attempting to work with the powers that be to arrive at a satisfactory plan for a sustainable future at the Palace.  Only time will tell how effective his and that of his colleagues turns out to be!

NEW YEAR, NEW SQUAD!

Trackspeed1 UK takes on a different look in 2015 to this time last year, but enters the New Year with plenty of hope and ambition.

The squad depleted quite a bit during 2014, and coach John Powell has happily waved farewell to a few who decided to explore pastures new over the last few months, but that has been more than compensated for with several new faces.

"We've been in a bit of a transition over the last year or so," explained John. "As usual the vultures have circled, but also I have been quite picky on who has come in and who hasn't.

"I had to decline several requests to join last summer, because I really didn't think they would fit.  On the other hand, one or two departures have probably not been a great loss if the truth be known."

The squad, whose winter efforts this time round, have been under the shadow of talks regarding the future of their training venue at Crystal Palace, saw some of their number open up their indoor season last weekend (4/1/15) with some creditable results.

British Junior International Emmanuel Stephens clocked 6.89s over 60m, and Matthew Threadgold won the 400m clocking a healthy 50.05s - despite an official walking out in front of him on the final straight!

Matt' Threadgold opened up on Sunday
with one of the fastest 400m in the country.

"We operate at the coldest indoor track in the country," said John," so we don't have a great record indoors over the years, although I like to think that is more than compensated for during the summer!  Just think if the powers that be gave us a decent facility one day!

"I was pretty impressed overall with the opening day - we've focussed a little more on block work this year, and it was great to see all the 60m guys and girls get out of the blocks well at least once across the two rounds.  I'm really hopeful of a terrific outdoors this year."

Trackspeed1 UK athletes were competing at the Metaswitch Games, at lee Valley Athletics Centre.  Some of their number are next in action at the same venue when the South of England Championships are staged this next weekend 17-18th January.  It could be quite a challenging weekend with the event not beginning until middle day, and continuing well into the evening!

COMMONWEALTH FINALIST JOINS TS1

Trackspeed1 UK received an unexpected boost last week as Commonwealth Games 110m hurdles finalist Alex Al Ameen joined the party.

Alex Al Ameen - British born, but took advantage of his Nigerian
family  links to qualify for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games

Alex and coach John Powell were already very well known to each other, and in fact share a very long history of connections within track and field spanning 30 years-plus.

"Alex has been a first class coach on my Met-Track scheme," explained John, "and in fact his uncle, Robert Farish, was a hugely talented member of my early Blackheath Harriers youth team sides!

"Seeing his mum, who I knew then in her infancy, and realising that Robert has moved on so far in life (now living in Moscow), is a serious wake-up call to how time flies," he went on, " but, most importantly, Alex is a massive talent, and I'm delighted he has joined the group.  Hopefully we can help him move on to the next level, and progress an already outstanding career."

Al Ameen, from Bromley, Kent, has trained in the past along British hurdles legend Andy Turner among others, sharing various foams into the USA to work alongside world class talents such as David Oliver.