Run-Down Forums

Conway · Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2002 12:39 pm Post subject:

OK ... The question is still on the table ... What do you do with Chambers if you are the British reps ... You have a top 3 in the 100 of 10.06/10.11/10.13 ... These guys ran very well and proved they belong .. Ditto in the 200 as the results up above show ... Add to that the fact that Chambers didn't run the 100 and was miserable in the 200 !!!! Based on the 200 one could easily assume that he would not have been in the top 3 in the 100 !!! Plus he had the opportunity to run the 100 and chose not to ...

Could be a question for the general group ...

Dan · Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2002 12:49 pm Post subject:

I think you have to leave him out. Like you said, the problem(s) is that the others ran deserving times and Chambers obviously did not. Also, what competition will they be facing that a 3rd man of 10.1x can't handle?

The problem is, we had a similar discussion regarding Mo and MJ for the Sydney 200. The 3 that made the time were very deserving as of the Trials, but it was a different case once the Olympics rolled around...

Dan

Conway · Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2002 1:08 pm Post subject:

I hate to say it but Mo & MJ were different animals ... They are proven commodities ... They have shined under the bright lights of World competition ... As of yet Chambers has not ...

And as for our results, that was the strangest race on record ... Had Capel not rocked in the blocks (had the starter done his job) we would be having a completely different conversation ...

As for the Brits, I see nothing that could prevent them from having 3 men in the final without Chambers .... And with Boldon a shell probably not competing, the only for certain person ahead of the Brits would be Fredericks, and that is a maybe in the 100 .. Kim Collins is solid but beatable ... And the Canadians are not yet at that level ... And to top it off I woule have to say thta MLF would be the prohibitive favorite anyway ...

Bottom line, Chambers took a gamble that didn't pay off for him ... Soooo ...

Justin · Varsity Joined: 08 Oct 2001 Posts: 312 Location: London

Hi All

The team for the European Champs was announced today:

100m - Chambers, Lewis-Francis, Campbell
200m - Devonish, Campbell, Malcolm

The story of the trials was as follows:

The selection policy is first two guaranteed, third team spot at the complete discretion of the selectors. Chambers was keen to run 100m and 200m at the EC but felt that running three rounds of the 100m on the Saturday would leave him too tired for three 200m rounds on Sunday, so he dropped out of the 100m. Lewis-Francis for one was angry about this and made some unflattering remarks about Chambers' attitude.

There was never any doubt that Chambers would be given the discretionary third spot in the 100m team. Even if the first three had run under 10.00, Chambers is clearly the UK #1 and would have been chosen. So it was effectively a race between MLF, Gardener and Campbell for two places. MLF had a false start and a mediocre getaway second time but was much too powerful in the middle of the race. He didn't run away from them though, and Campbell just got ahead of Gardener in the last 5m. So Gardener was out.

The 200m was impressive and I'm not sure Chambers would have got up to the first 2 or 3 anyway. However, at the start he stopped, thinking there was a false start, and gave up perhaps 15m to the field. He ran well enough once he got going but pulled up and jogged across the line when he realised it was pointless. Certainly no question of being unfit or hurt.

It was a very good run by Devonish, very controlled. The wind was 2.2 so it was just windy. Malcolm finished like a train and looks like he might be getting back to his best - I hope so.

Final thought - a relay team of Gardener, MLF, Campbell and Chambers (with Devonish and Malcom as reserves) would be a match for anyone in the world right now. I don't think Greene would come by Chambers the way he did in the WC a few years ago!

Justin

Dan · Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2002 9:20 am Post subject:

That explanation of Chambers' 200m "woes" makes a lot more sense and would probably sway my opinion of whether or not he should be on the 100m squad. Thanks for clarifying that.

Let's hope we get to see that 4x100 matchup some day...

Dan

Dan · Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2002 9:26 am Post subject:

This from an HSI press release:

Conway · Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2002 9:46 am Post subject:

Interesting Justin ... I listened to the meet on the computer and they never mentioned any of those things ... I also have read elsewhere on the net that he suffered from cramping due ot dehydration and that that was why he ran so poorly ...

The race sounded magnificent ... The three that took the medals sounded simpy awesome ... And I dare say that only Fredericks among non-Americans would be better than they are right now ...

I like the sound of the relay squad ... It has mid 37 written all over it, which would be a new British record ... I think only the US could counter ... Just not sure which foursome as we have a lot of stretch runners ... Possibly Drummond, Williams, Montgomery, Greene ... Although Montgomery is not really a turn runner ... But neither are Williams or Greene ... Though Greene may be the best at it of the 3 ...

Paul · Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2002 11:18 am Post subject:

Justin, you may have just been promoted to Jr Varsity because of the number of posts (100) but in this index you are defnitely world class . Anytime I see your name attached to a post, I know we are in for some info that was just not available to the rest of us through the regular media outlets. I am sure I speak for more than just myself when I say I look forward to your input. Thanks

Paul

Conway · Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2002 1:51 pm Post subject:

I concur ... I wish Justin wre around more often ...

Justin · Varsity Joined: 08 Oct 2001 Posts: 312 Location: London

<blushes>

Very kind, thank you. Glad I'm no longer a Water Boy at least...!

I am reporting what I saw on TV and what the commentators said. Chambers stomped off without doing any interviews so he may have had cramp, but...it sure didn't look like it - he tore up the middle 100m once he got going, then jogged home. I've not read of any injury. - I certainly hope he's OK!

Justin

Dan · Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2002 5:45 pm Post subject:

Feels good to be wanted, eh? Smile

Dan

Conway · Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2002 10:04 am Post subject:

Question for Justin (or anyone for that matter) ... As good asthe British men have become over the past couple of decades in sprinting, what has happened to the women ??? Reason I ask is that typically where there are strong men's sprint teams there are also strong women's teams (although the reverse is not necessarily true) .. US, Jamaica, Canada (for a while), Carribean as an area as the countries are very small, Soviet Union (stated as the area that comprises that former country) ... But as string as Britain has abecome they have only one female that I would consider and she is in the 400 (Katherine Merry) and I must say is one of my favorites ...

So why the drop off on the women's side ?? And I suppose we could applly that to Canada as their reign of competing females ended with Ben Johnson's conviction ...

Dan · Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2002 10:18 am Post subject:

Sally Gunnell probably deserves to be added to the admittedly short list. I don't know what the female/immigrant sporting culture is like in the UK, but it seems the countries you mentioned (Britain and Canada, primarily) that are dependent on Carribbean sprinters for their male depth just don't have the accompanying women. With such a high percentage of the top sprinters for both countries being of Jamaican descent, it would seem more indicative of who they have available to compete than the male/female development process. Just a guess...

Dan

Justin · Varsity Joined: 08 Oct 2001 Posts: 312 Location: London

Well there are just as many women as men of Caribbean descent in the UK so the relative lack of female success must have some other explanation.

I think the problem is simply that society still encourages male sporting participation more than it does women's. Sports are seen as competitive and therefore male; among boys there is kudos in beeing speedy; I suspect that dedication to sport requires a greater sacrifice for a young girl than for a young boy.

The dropout rate for teenage girls in athletics is over 90% per year, ie only 10% of the 13 yr olds continue to compete at 14, 10% of those continue to 15, and so on until you get one world class 21 yr old every decade.

The UK 100m/200m/400m records are 11.10/22.10/49.43, all set by Kathy Cook (nee Smallwood) from 1981-1984. Katherine Merry got close enough to the 400m record to breathe on it, but that's the only challenge these records have had in 20 years.

We do have one outstanding young sprinter - a 17yr old called Venecia James who has run 22.80 and is among our best female sprinters. She sure has some attitude - she's had to have, to pursue her sprinting while still being a normal teenage girl.

Justin

Conway · Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2002 7:31 am Post subject:

I've always wondered why you guys had no more Kathy Cooks ... She was very good and seemed indicative of what the UK could produce .... And there have been plenty of women competing in track and field in the UK so I had never thought about the discouragement factor .. DoesLinford have any other females in the fold aside from Merry ??? He seems the most likely to develop any kind of cadre of female sprinters ...

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