DAVID BLASTS TO ALL-TIME NUMBER TWO!

Trackspeed1 teenage sprints ace, David Bolarinwa, switched into overdrive last Sunday and notched the equal second fastest time over 60 metres by a 16 year-old in the UK - ever!l


Competing in a low key Sutton open meeting at the Greenwich Leisure arena in Surrey, the Cambridge Harrier from Thamesmead clocked 6.84 seconds to put down the fourth fastest time of the meeting.


Bolarinwa had begun the competition in the first round with a modest 7.08 second run, which prompted coach John Powell to deliver a few stern words of motivation for the second run - and they obviously worked!


David won both races, beating senior counterparts in the latter, and posting the fourth fastest time of the entire meeting.  It will be a performance which will be a small but nevertheless significant contribution toward his staking his claim for a place in the team competing in Moscow in May.  These are the trials for the World Youth Olympics, being held in Singapore in the summer.


"David is keen to be part of the Moscow event," said John Powell, "but he is a year young and there is a long way to go before we get there, He obviously has a great chance, but when you have a talent like David, it is easy to get carried away, and that is exactly what I do not intend to do."


David now remains unbeaten in eight races in what has been his first season running indoors, and he will be hoping to continue that into the London Indoor Games at Lee Valley Athletic Centre this weekend (30/31st).

"DB 7" - BOLARINWA PROVES HE'S MORE THAN NAME AND NUMBER!

David Bolarinwa steamrollered into the record books at the weekend with two golden sprints that has established him as one of the fastest teenagers ever in Britain.

The sixteen-year-old Trackspeed1 starlet proved that his initials - and competitor number (7) - at the South of England indoor Championships, stretched beyond a certain celebrity's exploits on a football field!

Gold medal number one! David (below) is all smiles after the 200m!

David clocked the three fastest times of the meeting over 200m, recording 23.02s in the heats of the 200m, 22.56 in the semi-finals, and 22.34 in the final remaining unbeaten on day one (Saturday).

In the 60m on Sunday however, he impressed right from the off. In the heat he clocked 7.10s, the semi-final still faster at 6.97s, and in winning the final, recorded the sixth fastest time by any 16-year-old Briton over the distance, 6.87s.

Arguably, David produced two of the leading performances of the weekend at the Lee Valley Athletic Centre, and the World Schools 100m silver medalist has certainly lined himslef up for the next couple of seasons as one of the most exciting teenage sprint talents around.

His 60m time has coach John Powell convinced that he can improve by the time his protegee reaches the national indoor championships in Birmingham on February 27/28th. Already though, the Cambridge Harrier from Thamesmead has his performances rubbing shoulders with the likes of British Senior International Craig Pickering and others.

"David coped with what was, remarkably, his first ever indoor competition, very well indeed," said John Powell. "Coming to grips with the sharp bends and ramps that typify an indoor arena is not easy, but David adapted phenomenally well.

David leads the 200m final home at Lee Valley

"He is a very raw talent indeed, and has an awful lot to learn, but equally as importantly, I learned alot about David at the weekend, and there is alot we can now do to improve toward the summer season. It's exciting times for sure."

David competes again this Sunday at Sutton's indoor track over 60m, and then returns to Lee Valley the weekend after to contest the London Indoor Games when he will again double up over 60m and 200m.

Also competing at Lee Valley in the South of England event was Dwayne Grant in his first indoor contest for some time. He recorded a respectable 6.81s in the semi-final, although his main focus remains on events later in the year. Femi Olowade was also a semi-finalist in the 200m but failed to make the final after a nightmare draw in lane one made qualification a virtual impossibility having misjudged pace in the first round.

POWELL FURY AT 'SHAMBOLIC PALACE'

Trackspeed1 coach John Powell has slammed the capital's sports facilities as 'seriously sub-standard' and, in the case of his home venue, Crystal Palace, 'shambolic'.

His words came as the big freeze added insult to injury, consigning his squad of talented internationals to a single 60 metre straight in a squalid indoor facility in south east London.

What was formerly the shining star and spiritual home of track and field in the UK, Crystal Palace 'National Sports Centre' is left to languish under inches of snow.

"What is even worse," said Powell, "is that the indoor track has doors with hinges hanging off hence allowing pigeons to seek refuge from the cold. The soiling all over the track has to be seen to be believed. But I've been using the facility since 1975 and I can't recall the indoors ever being cleaned.

"The corrugated plastic windows have pulled away from the walls, so we freeze in there anyway, and if it rains, the roof leaks so badly the bottom half of the track floods. There are disgusting fluid stains all over the place, it's revolting."

As London prepares for the 2012 Olympics it might not be entirely unreasonable to expect some investment in legendary iconic venues such as the Palace, but Greenwich Leisure, the current tenants, don't see it that way, and actually shut the place down out of hours for two weeks over Christmas and the New Year.

"I couldn't believe it,"said Powell. "We all have to work during the day, so can't train 9-5. They actually closed for 2 weeks in the evening, although credit where it's due that they gave in to our complaints and extended the track hours on 3 nights, but I've already been told it'll be shut at the end of 2010 because of lack of use. Just when athletes are trying to prepare for the indoor season. The attitude to our sportsmen and women in this country really defies belief - and then we wonder why we can't compete on the world stage!

"I've seen how the other half live in the States, and it puts us to shame. The only decent facility we have n London is at Lee Valley and that's way too far to go for my group. Sutton's got a decent indoor straight, but it has almost no local public transport and is a nightmare to drive to unless you are local."

Powell, who has the experience of having coached US athletes in California, Massachusetts, Florida, and New York, met with Crystal Palace management recently but they were unrepentant, citing business priorities that come before cleaning the indoor track or, much less, sweeping snow off the stadium area.

"There needs to be some political will to reinvest in the Palace. If I were Mayor Boris Johnson, I would be intensely embarrassed," said Powell. "A little investment in the place, and a bit of a clean up, and I'm sure you would get alot more use and, with 2012 not so far away now, it would provide an outstanding training base for some visiting teams."

Meanwhile, Trackspeed1 got its indoor season off to a modest start at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre on Sunday (10th). Samuel Adeyemi shattered his previous indoor best over 400m with a semi-final 51.19s effort that only just evaded qualification for the final. He had timed 51.45s in the heat, slicing a healthy second off his then best performance on the boards.

Ellie Doel was also in action, but disappointed with a 61.12s run in her heats, and which was insufficient to progress to the final.

"Ellie would rightly be disappointed with that," said Powell, "because she has been training way faster and is worth two or three seconds better. She'll improve next time though. Sam did well - a very smooth runner who, when he gets stronger, could switch up a gear and turn a few heads in the next 12-18 months."

SNOW PROBLEM FOR TRACKSPEED1 IN 2010 !

Although the extreme weather may have interrupted Trackspeed1 operations briefly this week, the prospects for a seriously successful 2010 have far from receded, according to coach John Powell.

Training was suspended for the first time in 34 years today due to the elements, but Powell remained totally upbeat around how his squad were developing toward the 2010 indoor and outdoor seasons.

"We have some serious talent in the squad this year, and I really believe we are going to turn heads in 2010," said Powell, "although an increasing issue is being able to fund our activities. Warm weather training is key to our preparations for summer, but alot of athletes simply can't afford it, so we have to settle for second best.

Left: Trackspeed1's Jason Hussain will be one of the few attending the squad's pre-season training camp in Orlando.

"That said, we have Britain's number one 15-year-old from last year, some leading seniors including World Cup Gold medalist Dwayne Grant, along with World Trials bronze medalist last year Set Osho, not to mention various other huge potential talents who could make a really big impact this year.

"Some will have to stay at home pre-season because they can't afford the trip to the US, which of course is a tragedy, but we will be taking a select few out to our camp in Orlando."

Included in the party traveling to the US in April will be 2009 UK number ten 100m sprinter James Ellington. His stay last year shaped his season after a very frustrating winter that kept him away from the track for several weeks.

"James went over 10 weeks without track training last year, flew out to the US, and progressed to a lifetime's fastest 100m within 2 months," said Powell, "and that simply goes to show just how valuable the trip can be to athletes at that level.

"That said, we know that many athletes will not be able to afford the trip, and so we will be putting as robust a programme as possible together to work on back home in London, in order to give them the best chance of preparing well for 2010's outdoor season."

TRAINING SUSPENDED!

Trackspeed1 coach, John Powell, suspended training for the first time ever today, due to the extreme weather conditions enveloping the whole of the south east.

"Crystal Palace is on a very steep hill, never gets cleared of snow, and the whole scenario is so treacherous it would be ridiculous to expect athletes to struggle in," he said. "Even if they got there, freezing after dark would make a journey home perilously dangerous. Transport networks locally are virtually at a standstill anyway."

John's message to his athletes though this website is as follows:

"Training tomorrow (Thursday 7th) is cancelled. If you can access a local gym, do some tick- over work, then fine. If you are due to compete at Lee Valley on Sunday, I strongly advise you to check relevant websites to ensure it goes ahead. Please contact me for individual sessions meanwhile.

"At present training at Crystal Palace on Sunday morning for those not competing is still taking place. I will update via text or this website if that changes."

BOLARINWA TAKES WORLD SILVER

Sixteen-year-old wonder-kid, David Bolarinwa, grabbed a superb 100 metres silver at the World Schools Championships, in Qatar last week. And his time of 10.76s was the second fastest of his life, despite the event coming in December when most sprinters are grafting through speed endurance and conditioning work!

He was beaten by fellow Brit, Jordan Arthur (10.67s), but with Arthur entering the under-20 ranks in 2010, and David still an under-17, David's performance simply underlined his immense promise as a real contender for honours in the not-too-distant future.

"There's no two ways about it," said coach John Powell, "David is a talent, and his silver medal at the Worlds was very well deserved, but he knows he has a very long way to go to break through to the big time in the real world.

"He hasn't been in Trackspeed1 for long to be fair, but I can say that he has already shown huge potential, and some of the seniors are already beginning to take him under their wing. He has big issues with his start and drive phase that need alot of work, but that is great news, because with a few basics being sorted pout, he can obviously run alot faster."

David is hoping to go warm weather training with his new squad to Florida in April, and that would represent a massive opportunity for him to prepare perfectly for his summer season, but that will depend on whether he gets funding to support him or not. He has already been rejected for Lottery funding, so only time will tell !

POWELL SCOOPS PRESTIGIOUS COACHING AWARD

Trackspeed1 coach John Powell scooped a high profile award at the recent Sportscoach UK coaching awards night, in Old Billingsgate, London.

The prestigious award, made at a glittering ceremony MC'd by BBC presenter John Inverdale, recognised John and the three other coaches who had been instrumental in guiding Triple Jumper Phillips Idowu's career to his World Championship gold in 2009.

The rewarding coaching excellence 'coaching chain' award was presented by Phillips on stage in front of a 600-strong audience, to his school teacher Humphrey Long, John Powell, who coached him as a junior, and John Herbert plus current coach Aston Moore.

Phillips spent four profitable seasons with Trackspeed1, peaking with a fourth place in the European Junior Championships, in Slovenia, in 1997. He improved from 12.32m to 16.36m bneforr moving on to John Herbert as a senior athlete.

Kevin Tyler, Strategic Head of Coaching and Development for UK Athletics, said: "This was a well deserved award. This is a great example of four coaches working unselfishly to help shape Phillips' life and athletic career. All (sic) are to be commended, the sport is fortunate to have you".

John Powell said: "I was delighted we won the award, it was a lovely evening, and great to have it presented by the athlete. Phillips is a superb example of what young athletes can achieve even if they aren't majopr medal winners in early years."

TRACKSPEED1 TURN UP THE HEAT IN WINTER

Trackspeed1 are back on the track after the hard graft of hill running and base training, and things are beginning to look decidedly positive for 2010.

The initial squad list has, as always, been adjusted by either athletes not reporting back for training, or failing to measure up in the early stages of the athletic year, but coach John Powell reckons now he has the hardest working group of athletes he has ever worked with.

"We've gone through significant change over the past year or so," said John, "and we have lots of new faces, but I am really enjoying working with them because the vast majority really do want to put in the work and are a truly fantastic bunch to be around.

"There have been some tough decisions and changes of late, but I have made it clear that there are minimum standards you have to adhere to if you want to be part of Trackspeed1 now, and if you don't measure up you are out, and some athletes have sadly gone that way. But the result is a diverse but cohesive unit of real talent that is working incredibly well together.

"The indoor season is not so far away now and, although not everyone will be competing on the boards, there will be one or two TS1 athletes who really do promise to send a shiver up the spine of the opposition."

John Powell is pictured above with some of his senior athletes, Set Osho (left) together with Jason Hussain and James Ellington (right).

The competitive season begins exceptionally early though for new teenage prospect David Bolarinwa, who travels to Qatar in early December to compete for England Schools in the World Schools Championships, an event that has incensed John Powell:

"It is madness sending speed athletes out to a competition this time of the year", he said. It completely disrupts the winter training programme, and without adequate preparation presents a huge injury risk. I totally understand David wanting to take advantage of the opportunity such a trip presents, but in relation to longer term objectives it is crazy."

Asked who he thinks could impress in the New Year either indoors or out, John was reluctant to commit:

"It's early days, and everyone is looking good, but I do think that Femi Owolade could be a dark horse next year, James Ellington is heading for the shape of his life, and Jason Hussain is well on the way back to former glories after some challenging times. Combine that with the younger talent of David Bolarinwa and Omari Carr-Miller, and we could be looking at one of the best years of the decade!"

Trackspeed1's new look squad roll is as follows:

Samuel Adeyemi Senior Men 100/200m County level

Alex Blair Senior Men 400m County level

David Bolarinwa U-17 Men 100/200m International level

Omari Carr-Miller U-17 Men 400m National level

Ellie Doel U-23 Women 400m County level

Danny Doyley U-23 Men 100/200m National level

James Ellington Senior Men 100/200m International level

Frederica Foster Junior Women 400m National level

Kobie Fuller* Senior Men 400m Regional level

Dwayne Grant Senior Men 100/200m International level

Layla Hawkins Senior Women 400m National level

Jason Hussain Senior men 200m National level

Jack Miller Junior Men 100/200m County level

Jer O'Donoghue** Senior Men 100/200m National level

Dele Onifade U-23 Men 100/200m International level

Set Osho Senior Men 400m International level

Femi Owolade Senior Men 200/400m National level

Gavin Selway Senior Men 400m National level

Bukola W-Dyer U-17 Women 100/200m County level

* Based in Boston, USA

** Based in Ireland, but visiting London throughout winter

TRACKSPEED1 EVER STRONGER

Trackspeed1 confirmed who coach John Powell suspects will be the final new face to join the group this winter, as former Trackspeed1 multi-events teen, Layla Hawkins.

Layla had been waiting patiently to make a comeback into the sport after stress fractures in both feet sidelined her long term after a successful teenage contesting heptathlons.

Now 23, Layla (pictured here back in 2004) is serious about her training and is delighted to be back in her old training group.

"I really want to work hard," she said, "and see what I can achieve. I'm not one of these people who is simply social athlete."

"Layla always was a real talent," said John Powell, "and she never came close to her true potential. I just hope this time she can use a less fragile, adult body constructively toward success next summer."

Layla will focus on the 400m, which pitches her alongside new training partners Frederica Foster, Ellie Doel, and Savannah Echel-Thomson. She will also renew acquaintancs with athletes who were part o;f Trackspeed1 when she was last training, including Dwayne Grant and James Ellington.

"We really do have an amazing group now," said John, "made even better by the fact that everyone, irrespective of age, has an incredibly mature and hard-working approach to what is a really tough time training-wise. If it is maintained, people are going to fly in the New Year!"

TRACKSPEED1 OFF TO A FLYER

Trackspeed1 2009-10 has been hailed by coach John Powell as the most focussed yet, as training speeds through week two. And with the surprise return to the squad of British Olynmpic sprinter Dwayne Grant, the quality of this group is improving all the time.

"It is great to have Dwayne back," said John, "He returns after a seven-year absence. He is an immensely experienced athlete, will be a huge asset to the group, and hopefully we will also be able to get him back to his best next year."

Grant began his running days with John as his coach when he was an under-13, and went on to earn his early Junior International honours with him, including a European 200m bronze medal, and a gold at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Chile (4 x 100m relay). He also won numerous domestic titles.

Both athlete and coach have remained the firmest of friends since his move on to pastures new in 2002 however, and now both are hoping they can recapture the kind of form both know the athlete is capable of, in 2010.

"It has been quite incredible how the group has turned around in the last twelve months," John went on. "We had a small squad in 2009 who worked incredibly hard and competed outstandingly well, but we have now grown back to a group of around 20 athletes, the vast majority of whom are or have been internationals.

"I even had a text out of the blue this week from another high standard ex-athlete who is looking to make a return, and she is meeting us to discuss things next week.

"But where we are now is that we have a group of athletes who are really grafting in every session, and the levels of motivation are immense. Even athletes like James Ellington, who joined the squad over ten years ago, admits that levels of enthusiasm and morale are at an all-time high."

To track the group's progress through the winter months, log into this blog which will be updated with any news of developments at the Palace.