Bolt in The Gleaner: ""Definitely, my start is still not as consistent as it should be. This is the key for me," he stressed."
Totally correct.
In sprinting, the best you can really train towards is a "good" start, which means a consistent start.
If Bolt gets what is for him a sub-standard start, he grips in the middle part of a race and doesn't allow the speed to flow normally. Why? Because he wants to WIN--that is, to beat the other runners in the race. It's the same reason he shut it down in the Beijing 100m--by 75m, he had already won.
So many times in sprinting, the mantra is: "run your own race. ignore the other runners."
This is exceedingly difficult to do, unless you are out in front. It must be remembered that, in the vast majority of races ever run during the lifetime of any elite sprinter, they have been the one out in front, and therefore have seen nobody else, and have been able to run their own race.
They get used to winning. When all of a sudden they come upon somebody who is better, or as good, the desire to BEAT the other person dominates.
But how? By TRYING harder. By gripping, by tightening up. You see it all the time, especially at the highest level. Bolt beaten by Gay. Powell beaten by Gay. Lewis beaten by Johnson. Surin beaten by Greene. Darvis Patton beaten by anybody. etc.
The only guys who do alright are those with consistently slow starts, so they are used to being behind--this is why I predict Yohan Blake to do well; and guys who are too dim to really be aware of anybody like themselves (Ben Johnson comes to mind, and I think Nesta Carter falls into this category).
Unfortunately, the elites' answer to this is to not race head-to-head unless they absolutely have to. They all run their best races when out in front.
Too bad. maybe if they raced head-to-head say 10 times a year, they would all get accustomed to the conditions, and would adapt accordingly. Only through this conditioning mechanism could we actually see a race where all of the top 3 run their best race.
Until then, it will generally be the guy with the best first 40m who will win. That is usually Bolt. If Gay is ahead of him at 40, Bolt will grip and Gay will win.
THAT is why all these guys need to work on their starts. Gay doesn't really seem to grip if he's down; I think he's the only one who's gotten used to it. But his start is only OK, and in order for him to win, Gay needs to have gotten a less-than-OK start, something Gay cannot count on.
GREAT starts are not really something you can aim for, unless your name is Ben Johnson. Bolt and Powell are capable of occasional GREAT starts. If there is one of the top 3 who could aim to great starts consistently, I would say it would be Powell. That is why he especially needs to work on his starts.
Anyway, somehow track governing bodies should require top racers to show up regularly so that they can get experience head-to-head. Then and only then could we get truly great races between them, otherwise there will only be great individual runs by whomever is ahead at 40m.