POWELL'S ULTIMATUM TO CLASS OF 2011 !

Although still on vacation in the U.S., Trackspeed1 coach John Powell today fired a warning shot across the bows of all his squad of 2010-11, saying that they need to be fit to stay with the group past day one!

Squad training restarts on Thursday October 7th, although it is highly likely that Powell will call together the considerable number of new faces a couple of days before that.

Trackspeed1 coach John Powell takes time out on holiday to relax as
well as have a bit of fun before the serious business of winter training,
which begins early next month.

"We have become quite popular of late," said John who is currently in Las Vegas, " and I have had to turn a number of athletes down who have approached us.  Numbers are in fact a little higher than I would have liked, but that is fine as long as every last one of them realise what is expected.

"We begin with a fitness test and anyone failing to impress will get their marching orders.  If they can't be bothered to get fit to train, then I can't be bothered to invest the time and effort needed to see them through our winter programme.

"All the new faces will be required to meet at Crystal Palace on Tuesday 5th for a meeting where I will spell out very clearly where the goalposts are in terms of continued association with the squad.  After that, it is up to them.

"We have massive potential for 2011 now both among the younger ranks and the seniors, and I would even ay we have at least 2-3 candidates for potential contention for 2012.  But potential means nothing until it is realised."

John has stamped a new motto on every page of the squad's new winter training schedule which reads: "Train hard, win easy".  It was the trademark of World under-18 100m number one David Bolarinwa this year, but both agreed it could be adopted as a simple but most effective motto for all.


Are YOU new to Trackspeed1 this winter?  Make sure John has your mobile number and email address or you won't get squad / training updates over the coming weeks!

Trackspeed1 September News

Trackspeed1 athletes have now all completed another great summer season and are taking a well-earned rest before winter training begins.

The winter schedules commence on Thursday October 7th, when the new-look squad will gather at Crystal Palace and face immediate scrutiny buy their coach with a fitness test.

"I'm not interested in athletes who sit on their backsides completely during the rest period," said John powell, "and everyone is expected to be 'fit to train' on 7th, and a little test will show exactly who is and who isn't.

It's a great squad for 2010-11 and if everyone works together, we could see some really dramatic headlines on this site next year!"

SQUAD 2011 TAKING SHAPE

Trackspeed1 coach John Powell has revealed that the training squad that will carry the group's label into 2011 is finally taking shape after an unprecedented number of requests from new joiners.

Several athletes, many as a result of visiting this site, have expressed interest in training at Crystal Palace this winter, but only a very elite few have been given the nod.

"It's great that people want to join us," said John, "but quite apart from keeping numbers down to a practical level, Trackspeed1's reputation revolves around international athletes or young athletes who have developed to a high standard, many internationally, from novice.

"I always want to keep my feet on the ground with young blood, but I have to respect my senior athletes whose lives revolve around their success or otherwise, and their training environment is of paramount importance.

"This said, we have some outstanding talent joining the squad this winter, and probably now have one of the strongest squads we have had for a while.  The new year could be very exciting indeed."

Joining the likes of Youth Olympic Games double medalist David Bolarinwa, former Olympian Dwayne Grant, and British number four over 100m, James Ellington, will be another English Schools 200m Champion, Edmond Amaning.  Bolarinwa, Grant, and Ellington all won schools titles on their way through the sport.

In addition, Lawrence Wooldridge, a 21.5 / 48.2 200/400m sprinter joins the Palace squad and will be excellent company for the Trackspeed1 seniors.  And then there is the potential dark horse of junior sprinting fo[r 2011, 17-year-old Reyss Albert.  Reyss is in town from native Grenada, but is a British citizen, and has two years as an under-20 to go, with a pb of 10.66s over the 100m sprint.

"Reyss is far from in shape at present," said John, "but if he works hard he could really turn heads next year."

John has also admitted two or three younger athletes to wrap around his younger squad members this year which, he says, "adds a really good balance" to training for this winter.  "I hate saying no to athletes," he went on, "but you've got to be practical.  I just hope the guys we have taken on prove they were worth it!"

SATURDAY SHOWDOWN FOR BOLARINWA

Trackspeed1's David Bolarinwa faces a Saturday evening showdown with his Jamaican rival in the first ever Youth Olympic Games 100 metres final, 2110hrs local time (1410 UK).

See his blog for a full report on today's heats, and how Britain's world leader in the event at the moment qualified for the final as the fastest in all five heats...

DAVID READY TO ROCK!

Trackspeed1 sprinter is ready for the off in Singapore as he completed his final preparatory training session today at the Anglo-English Independent School facility.

See his regular daily update at the link top left of this site's home page.  He starts the 100m in the first ever Youth Olympic Games on Wednesday as the fastest under-18 in the world...

BOLARINWA TO MAKE HISTORY IN LEADING TEAMGB IN FRONT OF MILLIONS!

Trackspeed1 sprinter David Bolarinwa is to make history in Singapore as he leads TeamGB out in front of a multi-million worldwide TV audience, at the opening ceremony of the first ever Youth Olympic Games.


See our dedicated blog top left of the home page on this site for pictures and daily updates from the Far East...

DAVID ARRIVES IN SINGAPORE AS WORLD NUMBER ONE!

David Bolarinwa landed in the Far East yesterday as the world number one over 100 metres after his sensational sprint double at lee Valley last week.

See his Singapore blog on this website for his progress.  His 10.39s sprint in the north London open meeting took him to the summit of the 2010 world lists as he prepared to travel east to Singapore for the first ever World Youth Olympic Games.

Watch this blog for updates as to how David progresses after landing in the Orient!!

BOLARINWA CHASES HIS (YOUTH) OLYMPIC DREAM

Sixteen-year-old Trackspeed1 sprinter, David Bolarinwa, unbeaten over 100m this year, and Europe's number one under-18, faces the race of his life later this month in the World Youth Olympic Games.  But he will have to complete last minute preparations without the coach that has taken him to the brink of Youth Olympic glory.

David wins the European 100m Olympic Trials in Moscow

Coach John Powell, who has remortgaged to travel out to Singapore so he can support his protégée - a real TeamGB medal hope - says that he could be twiddling his fingers in a hotel room rather than helping the Thamesmead-based Cambridge Harrier prepare for the event of a lifetime.

"UK Athletics warned me there may be a problem," he said, "and it appears that the organising committee in Singapore have said that there will be no accreditations for personal coaches.  At one stage I wasn't even going to get in to see David compete, because all the tickets were sold out, but then thankfully the British Olympic Association stepped in and said they could sell coaches tickets for sessions relevant to their athletes. The journey has cost me a fortune, but I want to see a fantastic season through to its climax."

"We won't know for sure whether I can access the training track before the Games begin.  The very idea of possibly not being able to coach David for the final ten days before the event is quite bizarre.  David will have a detailed training programme, and I'm sure the team staff will do all they can to ensure he completes it if I can't.  

"Having seen him through his first serious winter of training, followed him to the European title in Moscow, and overseen an outstanding unbeaten season in the UK to date, I would of course rather like to finish the job!  I can't criticise the British authorities though - UKA and the British Olympic Association seem to have done everything they can, and the flow of information on the event throughout the season has been really helpful in guiding David's preparations."

David is all smiles as he meets leading USA sprints coach Brooks Johnson during pre-season training in Florida

Bolarinwa starts as a strong favourite to medal in the blue ribband event of any Olympics.  This is the first ever 'Youth Olympics' and will take on the format of a full Olympic Games incorporating all sports, but aimed at participants from all over the globe aged under 18.

The South East Londoner is ranked second in the world at present, a fraction behind a Jamaican rival whose best currently stands at 10.46s.  But TeamGB's brightest young sprints prospect in years remains a firm hope for a medal on the day - which colour remains to be seen!  

Bolarinwa has won the English under-20 title as well as the English Schools under-17 championship, not to mention the international schools crown.  His fastest 100m time came in the English under-20 final when he clocked a wind legal 10.47s, after timing a slightly wind-assisted 10.43s in an earlier round.

"I'm going out to Singapore to win," he said, "but as long as I bring home a medal, I guess I'll be fairly happy.  The whole trip's going to be amazing, but I'm going to have to really get it together to achieve my goals there.  I want two golds ideally - with Europe winning the relay too!"

An additional pressure on David will be documentary cameras from CBBC's Blue Peter programme, who are filming him and three other TeamGB athletes from airport to track and home again for footage that will go out early in the New Year.

"This will be a great adventure for David," said Powell, "but he must remain incredibly focussed throughout the trip if he is to get even close to the winners' rostrum."


Check out this website for up-to-date news on how David's preparations go and then how he deals with the world's most talented teenage sprinters in Singapore!

Apprentice David learns from senior international training 

partner James Ellington as they review training video footage

HUSSAIN SPEED RETURNS

A chequered season for Trackspeed1 sprinter Jason Hussain picked up again on Saturday when he clocked a lifetime's fastest 100m of 10.85s.

Competing for Belgrave Harriers in the British League Premiership clash in Windsor, he took advantage of a 1.9m/s following wind, although having been promoted to the A-race after the late withdrawal of Wade Bennett-Jackson (ill) he wasn't able to make an impression in a race that saw the local ground record and League record broken.

Jason Hussain recovered his basic speed to record

 a lifetime's best 100m at Windsor

"Jason has been exploring the idea of moving up to 400m this year, but he has returned to speed work this last week or so, and it's clearly paid off," said coach John Powell.

The latest addition to Trackspeed1, Loughborough University student Matt Threadgold, clocked the second fastest 400m of his life in the same fixture, timing 49.18s with a gutsy B-race effort, although both athlete and coach were insistent there is far more to come.

"I know I am worth at least 48.mid's right now, and reckon well under 48 is easily on the cards next year," he said after the race.

Meanwhile, further north, David Bolarinwa was busy maintaining his sensational unbeaten record this year over 100m in Leeds, competing for Cambridge Harriers in their British League division 3 fixture.  David clocked 10.70 to win, following up with a winning 21.57s 200m.

The meeting marked the beginning of the most important period of the talented young sprinter's life.  On Wednesday he runs at Lee Valley in an open 100m trial, and then travels to Singapore on Monday 9th for the World Youth Olympic Games.

"It's really exciting times for David," said Powell, "but it's all about keeping your feet on the ground right now, because no medal is guaranteed - it has to be earned."

OMARI SUB-50 AS BOLARINWA STRIKES GOLD (AGAIN!)

Fifteen-year-old Omari Carr-Miller, whose winter training was wrecked by a potentially career-threatening stress fracture in his shin, shattered his lifetime best 400m performance in Birmingham on Saturday (10/7).

Competing in the semi-finals of the intermediate boys English Schools Championship, the Croydon Harrier  dismissed the disappointment of being drawn out in lane eight with a superb 49.60s run, his first ever under 50 seconds.

Meanwhile fellow Trackspeed1 squad member, David Bolarinwa, was up to his usual tricks, strolling to victory in the inter' boy's 100m.  His 10.77s run in the final was a far cry from the 10.47 he had chalked up in winning the under-20 national title a couple of weeks earlier, but it was enough to see off the rest of the field in Birmingham by a clear margin.

Coach of both athletes, John Powell, who travelled to Birmingham to watch his two youngest charges battle it out with the best England could muster, was hugely complimentary to both athletes:

"Omari had never run in lane eight in his life, and called me after he saw the draw to ask how on earth he should run the race," he said.  "We talked it through, and he ran it by the book, with a fine finish that saw him scrape into the final by three hundredths of a second.

"Omari has endured a nightmare this last nine months.  He had a classic injury caused by overuse, in other words doing far more physical activity than his body could take.  He is so talented that there are huge demands on him, and with a slender frame it all proved too much.  Not being able to run at all during the winter was sending him round the bend at training.

"I was delighted for him running under 50 seconds at last - he will be so much better next year though.  He was immensely disappointed with seventh in the final (50.33s) where he landed lane eight again, but this summer was always going to be difficult, and simply being there was a huge achievement."

Bolarinwa heads now to Scotland this Saturday (17th) for the schools home international, although his training now will be solely focussed on the World Youth Olympics, in Singapore, next month.

"David will compete in the English National Championships for his age-group on 7-8th August in Stoke before flying out to Singapore on 9th," said Powell. "There is alot to be done between now and then."

Another gold for David Bolarinwa