I will take a stab at this, and my answer is no. Here’s why…
I’m no expert in this field and you’re point of view is probably more mainstream than mine, but I’ll respond to your points to extend the discussion, because I really see holes in this point of view that I can’t fill.
-Flight time is same across all speeds, but
-Stride frequency increases as speeds get faster because
-Ground contact times get smaller.
Much of the data I have seen indicate stride frequency correlates poorly with velocity when you look at Max V among sub-elites to elites. In other words, the feature that changes as an athlete becomes faster is stride length, not stride frequency. Again, GCT is easily explained as an artifact of speed, and not a cause.
Also
-Increased force production isn’t most important to increase vertical displacement
-Vertical force production is most important because it allows athletes to overcome bodyweight faster.
-Thus vertical force allows faster strides via decreased ground contact time
I haven’t really seen any indication that, for one specific athlete compared only to himself, when that athlete improves from say 10.5 to 9.8 secs in the 100m, that his GCT initiates any further under his body or terminates any closer to his body at toe off. If this is the case, then GCT is soley a function of horizontal speed and not directly dependent on the force imparted to the ground. This is must my humble opinion and I realize the current trend in thought is similar to what you have outlined, but too many things just don’t add up in my mind.
Lastly, the only complete studies, IMHO, involve treadmills where forces are measured on an athlete across a spectrum of speed. I know many do not like the treadmills, but I feel the slight differenes they may produce in terms of mechanics don’t mask the relative changes of the forces measured. Studies like Weyand (J Appl Physiol 108:950-961; 2010), Nuumela (Int J Sports Med 2007) and others that show that beyond a certain point, vertical forces no longer corrlete with the increase in speed. IMHO, this begins in what we call the Max V phase, but prior to actually entering Max V. The sprinter is now actually in a Max V posture and the only changes in force you see beyond this point that correlate with increasing speed, and the only changes you see in stride patterns is an increase in stride length, not stride frequency. And I while I believe higher stride frequency is a gift, I also feel that we have little ability to improve it, whereas we can do things to improve stride length. GCT, as I always say, will take care of itself as a result of higher speeds, but is not a real factor in improving speed. Reducded GCt is a measurealbe effect, not a cause, of highe velocity….IMHO.
I realize Weyland and others are not the trend de jour and Mann seems to hold sway nowdays, but I just can’t get past the treadmill data that I believe holds some really good information.