Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

At this past Olympics, Jamaica put on a show. The tiny island with a population of less than 3 million people won more Olympic medals than every other country not named USA, Russia or Kenya. And when you consider the QUALITY of their medals, things are even more astounding. Consider these points:If we use the point system I described HERE, Jamaica (24 points) is actually the 3rd best track and fie
 
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Awesome blog!

I think their success ties a lot into what Vern was talking about in one of his more recent blogs. The children of Jamaica are not spoiled with internet, fast food and video games. Most of them play in the street and are running soon after they walk.

It certainly cannot just be genetics or we’d have the best sprint schools in HS coming out of the mid-atlantic or northeast year in and year out.

Lets look how far men’s US track has fallen.

Going into the World Athletics Finals.  The US has zero 100m sprinters qualified on points (top 8) based on Grand Prix, Super Grand Prix, and Golden League meet performances.  The point system is heavily weighted towards Super Grand Prix and Golden League performances.  The top ranked American 100m sprinter in points is Michael Rodgers at #9.  That’s right Michael Who?  2nd best is a guy who decided stop running as a collegian 1/2 way through the summer in Travis Padgett.  The top 2 are Bolt and Powell, Nesta Carter is 3rd and at #6 is Michael Frater.

Even a healthy Gay would have had to have a run a top 3 in at least one of these meets between the trials and the Olympics to make it, not something that was unlikely but probably the best he could put forward is 3rd.

While the WAF is not in the same league as a WC or OG, they are certainly a part of why Grand Prix races are raced at a high level approaching Super Grand Prix’s and GL meets.  What’s at stake in the WAF, well it’s $30,000.  If you score enough points to make the WAF and finish in the top 5.  It’s likely you scored over 100 grand in prize money.  Give 25% of that to your coach and agent you have 75G’s, use another 15G’s to pay off your sponsors for travel and you have 60G’s to live, train, and pay for therapy.  What you have is a sustainable livelihood as a sprinter even if you did not have a shoe contract.  So lets look at the last WAF after an OG in the 100m in 2004.

We had 4 sprinters in the 100m, Capel, Brunson, Scott, and Johnson.  In 2004 we only had 1 in 200m as compared to the 2 this year.  That’s a change of 5 to 2.  Sure some of this can be attributed to the influx of collegiate sprinters this year into the US Elite, but not anymore than 2004 offered in say (Spearmon and Gay) compared to Padgett and Dix this year.

Well at least we have 5 qualified in the shot compared to 2004.

Jamaica has always been fast but i think that this Olympics is what really put them on the map….college coaches go to the boys and girls champs to scout athletes and the athletes know if they run good they will get a scholarship and an education in an American college (for the poorer children this gives them even more drive to succeed)...which is a bigger deal than an American might think ....now theres more athletes staying in Jamaica and getting their training.. the success of usain bolt will help that even more…..the Penn relays has forever been Jamaica vs the US….you’ll find that sometimes only 1 or 2 US teams make it to the final…its been a long time coming….and the thing about it is the weather is good and all the kids do is sprint in the sprint capitol…

I have to say I think its quite strange that shelly fraser from jamaica had a PR of 11.3 one yr ago and then this yr she ran 10.7 to win the 100m. Jamaica has always ran their whole lives and that didnt make them a threat in the sprints. The internet was out, and kids were lazy back in 2004 when america went 1234 in the 200m at teh osaka world championships. Usain Bolt is a real talent BUT lets not act like nobody is asking themselves the question, IS HE DOPING? PROBABLY SO. Thats kills all conversation of them being the sprint capitol. Also who runs professional for yrs and then just a .3 dropoff in their 100m times. Also its strange that back in december victor conte accused the Jamaicans of doping during the preseason and WADA never investigated after dick pound resigned two weeks later. Then here comes August and the Olympic games and who comes dominating the sprints? No one other then the Jamaicans. They’ve always been a decent sprinting country but lets stop trying to be scientific for a second and just use common sense. In track and field everytime its been too good to be true it has. I honestly think most of the new crop of US sprinters are competeing clean and the Jamaicans aren’t. I mean 2 hurdlers have already been caught. I guess the roles have switched.

400m runner - 11 September 2008 10:47 AM

I have to say I think its quite strange that shelly fraser from jamaica had a PR of 11.3 one yr ago and then this yr she ran 10.7 to win the 100m. Jamaica has always ran their whole lives and that didnt make them a threat in the sprints. The internet was out, and kids were lazy back in 2004 when america went 1234 in the 200m at teh osaka world championships. Usain Bolt is a real talent BUT lets not act like nobody is asking themselves the question, IS HE DOPING? PROBABLY SO. Thats kills all conversation of them being the sprint capitol. Also who runs professional for yrs and then just a .3 dropoff in their 100m times. Also its strange that back in december victor conte accused the Jamaicans of doping during the preseason and WADA never investigated after dick pound resigned two weeks later. Then here comes August and the Olympic games and who comes dominating the sprints? No one other then the Jamaicans. They’ve always been a decent sprinting country but lets stop trying to be scientific for a second and just use common sense. In track and field everytime its been too good to be true it has. I honestly think most of the new crop of US sprinters are competeing clean and the Jamaicans aren’t. I mean 2 hurdlers have already been caught. I guess the roles have switched.

Good points….

yea…I suspect Jamaica’s Sprint Capitol isn’t much different from Trevor’s Sprint Capitol.  Oh wait, I forgot the way that they are brought up and their religious beliefs ensure that they would never dope.

I wonder how much, if any, would have been changed for Sanya Richards (athletics wise) had she remained in Jamaica?

Price - 12 September 2008 01:04 AM

I wonder how much, if any, would have been changed for Sanya Richards (athletics wise) had she remained in Jamaica?

Or Donovan, or Ben…

track in jamaica is the equivalent to football and basketball in America…soccer is a popular sport but the most success has come from the track athletes so that is who the kids will look up to and try to be like..alot of children go towards track rather than cricket similar to how youd be more likely to see an inner city kid playing basketball than tennis….the way that nbc portrayed how china felt about liu xiang dropping out…jamiaca is just as if not more passionate about the sport as a whole…..let anyone accomplish something and the streets are locked down because of the celebration…

Mike Young - 12 September 2008 01:23 AM

Price - 12 September 2008 01:04 AM

I wonder how much, if any, would have been changed for Sanya Richards (athletics wise) had she remained in Jamaica?

Or Donovan, or Ben…

and linford!