Bolt is more competitor than narcissist

Upon reflection, I've changed my thinking:

Bolt & Gay, Bolt in front: If they run head-to-head and Bolt is out in front, it is a great race. Bolt runs well in front, and Gay doesn't really seem to grip when down.

Bolt & Gay, Gay in front: Great race from only Gay, crap race from Bolt, gripping because he is down.

Bolt & Powell, Bolt in front: Great race from only Bolt, Powell grips and runs a crap race.

Bolt & Powell, Powell in front: Crap race. Bolt grips when down, Powell has inconsistent top-end mechanic & runs a slower time in victory than Bolt would have had Bolt been in front.

Gay & Powell, Gay in front: Great race from only Gay, Powell grips.

Gay & Powell, Powell in front: Great race from only Gay, Powell has inconsistent top-end mechanic & loses the race to a non-gripping Gay who comes from behind to beat him to the finish.

Powell? He still needs work on his top-end mechanic to not lose to Gay, although he can still get the better of Bolt if he is ahead at 40m.

So out of these options, the only great race will be one between Bolt and Gay, in which Bolt is in front at 40m. If the difference at 40m is only slight, it will be an epic race.

My apologies for not including other elites who may factor into the top 3 next year.

I don't think that will ever happen, even when Bolt is on the downslope--instead of buckling down, he'll just switch events to, say, LJ, where it will all be new again and he'll be on an upslope.

When is he going to get serious about the 400?

hey look, I can do it too wrote:

Sadly, I always wonder what he could do if he dropped the stupidity and starting approaching it like Gay.

He might do a hell of a lot worse. What works for one may not work for another. You could also argue it would be cool to see what Gay could do if he would loosen up and have some fun.

Benny H wrote:

He's the 100/200m world record holder. Why would he? He's still pretty young to start stepping up.

If he never runs another 100 or 200 I'd still be comfortable calling him the greatest short sprinter of all time, and I don't think anyone else has a particularly good case when put up against him. The only reason he would look toward the 400 is because he thinks he has done all he can in the 100 and 200, which I don't think has happened yet. I would love to see him in the 400, because I think if he could get that world record too it would be very entertaining. From his perspective you are right, if he can stay at the level he has been he will be the best sprinter in the world for a long time. From my perspective, I think he has already proven everything he can possible hope to prove in the short sprints, and moving into the long sprints would be more amazing.

I'm torn now, if I would rather see him lower the 100/200 WR or just set the 400m would record. If it is a one or the other situation I might prefer to see him set the 400m WR, because I think his 100 and 200 records are "safe" from the current crop of runners, and will probably still be his when he retires.

Benny H wrote:

He's the 100/200m world record holder. Why would he? He's still pretty young to start stepping up.

True, but he started out running 200/400. His transformation into a 100m man also has shocked Sprint Geezer into denial of his natural development.

J.O., you make the classic mistake of assuming what you set out to prove.

I think I'd also rather see him get the 400WR not just because the 100 and 200 WR's will be tough for even him to beat, but because Michael Johnson would then no longer hold the 400WR.

Given the two, I'd rather have Bolt as the WR-holder.

Also, there has never been a 1-2-400 holder, it would be another thing for the history books.

Would the viewing public be more or less interested, or the same, to see Bolt run 400 than 100?

I think it would be more interesting--more drama, the race lasts longer, there are more phases for development of drama, there are entirely different competitors, etc..

What would be AWESOME would be if both Bolt AND Gay moved up to the 400, and still threw in an occasional 100.

Although I personally like the 100 more, i think that the one-lap race should rise to the pre-eminent position in track.

Several things here.

First, Bolt IS working on his start this year, because that's the primary thing he can improve. And face it, if you're racing a guy who can lay down 0.80s, and you don't get ahead of him by 60, you're not going to catch him. Gay of course knows that.

A bad start is only a bad start when compared to your frame of reference. If you're Francis Obikwelu and you KNOW that your start is bad--but you also know that you are lethal after 50--being behind isn't going to bother you. Same if you're Mo Greene behind Surin even at 90. If you're Tyson Gay, and you're used to running people down off 200m strength--and then, suddenly, there's a guy (Bolt) that you can't run down, THIS is a problem--so you get going on your drive phase so you have a more complete race.

Remember that Bolt isn't the first person to set the world on fire in the 100 after a 200/400 background. Flojo, not anything like Bolt in stature, was NCAA champion at both 400 and 200, and she did this before hardly anyone outside UCLA even heard of her. She put in one or two seasons of weights and basically one season of 100 training...and her records still stand.

See budwinter.com. Both Steve Francis (MVP) and Glen Mills come from this. Francis is pure long to short, and Mills is short to long with Bolt (after general prep really). The simple truth is that those 9.6s and 10.49 were built with 100m speed training AFTER gaining the speed-endurance of world class 400 runners. If you want to win at a high level, this is the new normal, and if you don't have THIS, you can have Ben Johnson's start, you can be 6'5", and you'll still get your butt kicked.

Remember that Bolt used to get run down from behind by Wallace Spearmon race after race. According to Asafa Powell, Bolt got sick of losing and decided to work harder. That's exactly what people trying to catch him have to do (and Gay has done).