Walter Dix vs. Usain Bolt

When you look at what they are saying more closely, their "smack" isn't worth crap.

It doesn't reflect a TRUE belief that they will win--it is always qualified:

Powell says he will "try"

Dix says "if" he can be even at 40

Blah, blah, blah...That's not smack, it's b.s.

They demonstrate to me that, in their heart of hearts, they still don't believe that they will win.

Not "CAN" win, but "WILL" win.

Sprinting needs a Cassius Clay.

Sprint Geezer wrote:

When you look at what they are saying more closely, their "smack" isn't worth crap.

It doesn't reflect a TRUE belief that they will win--it is always qualified:

Powell says he will "try"

Dix says "if" he can be even at 40

Blah, blah, blah...That's not smack, it's b.s.

They demonstrate to me that, in their heart of hearts, they still don't believe that they will win.

Not "CAN" win, but "WILL" win.

Sprinting needs a Cassius Clay.

Cassius could back it up.

And Dix doesn't get to hit him.

I am sure that if Dix could punch him, he'd win

"Sprinting needs a Cassius Clay."

Yeah. They have one. His name is Usain Bolt.

"Cassius could back it up."

That, of course, was the whole point.

Not at all.

I don't even know how you can make the comparison.

Do you even know Clay?

Not Bryan Clay.

Sprint Geezer wrote:

Not at all.

I don't even know how you can make the comparison.

Do you even know Clay?

Not Bryan Clay.

I assume he was simply saying that Usain Bolt is the Cassius Clay of athletics.

Seems reasonable to me.

It could be a poor comparison if one presupposes that Bolt will never be dumb enough to allow the Black Muslims to take control of his life and end up a punch-drunk object of behind his back ridicule.

I’m a bit concerned about Bolt.

Historically, his fastest runs have come middle August - only a month away - and there’s precious little signs of him reaching anywhere near his Berlin form yet.

WTC wrote:

I’m a bit concerned about Bolt.

Historically, his fastest runs have come middle August - only a month away - and there’s precious little signs of him reaching anywhere near his Berlin form yet.

This is what I'm watching. In 2009, Bolt ran 9.78 I think at this time of the year, so Monaco as the last 100 before WC is going to be interesting. There is now an anti-doping agency in Jamaica, and if he can't match his 2009 performances at close to his peak years, I think we will be able to logically conclude that 9.58 and 19.19 are drug assisted. If Bolt is legitimate, we should see sub-9.8 in Monaco and a 200 time that Dix and others can't match in Stockholm. Of course, it's debatable whether there's any kind of useful test for SARMS and HGH to begin with.

As far as Dix' and Asafa's comments, have you ever run in a race where you felt "I'm just happy to be here" that you ended up winning?

Me neither.

I honestly believe that Dix is racing for silver (and he could get both) but Dix and Powell have to feel that they are as good or better than Bolt this year to have any chance against him.

Wow, I didn't realize this would be Bolt's last 100 before WC's--that sucks.

Is he race sharp for the 100? How could he be?

If he had run at Jamaican nationals, just to be in the race and came, say, 5th place, he would still have his automatic spot at WC's, right? Maybe he should have run.

It's great for him that Gay isn't around this year.

And d, of course 9.58 and 19.19 are drug-assisted. Just repeat those times over and over, and you will slowly realize their magnitude ...9.58...9.58...9.58...9.58...19.19...19.19...19.19...19.19.........

d, nine-point-FIVE-eight

Not nine-point-seven-eight, or even nine-point-six-eight, but nine-point-FIVE-eight.

FIVE.

I don't think Dix will figure in the 100, although it is hard to tell considering his meet schedule thus far. It will be very interesting to see what he does in Ottawa and Halifax over the next while. I think he's playing it smart--familiar people, language, time zones, food, adequate but not threatening competition, able to sharpen his racing skills.

I like the way Dix runs, I think he's got a 9.85 or 9.86 in him, but I don't think he'll ever go faster, and I'm not sure why.

Well all I know is that if I was a step ahead of Bolt at 99 meters I could beat him. I mean he really isn't that good.

I think Bolt will win at the Worlds. It seems to me the major champs are all he cares about; not training, competing regularly, or even the sport in general. He's been tied in knots by sponsors and it's taken away that youthful enthusiasm. He'll go on winning major meets and not bothering with anything else until someone talented but also extremely hard-working comes along and puts him out of his misery. Somebody like Asafa Powell or Tyson Gay of this generation, Michael Johnson of a past generation, or someone we haven't heard of yet in the next generation. Walter Dix probably won't even medal in the 100, he might get silver in the 200.

The OP says:

"Last time I checked, Bolt has run 9.58 and 19.19"

Last time I checked, Bolt ran 9.91 and 20.09

Sprint Geezer wrote:

The OP says:

"Last time I checked, Bolt has run 9.58 and 19.19"

Last time I checked, Bolt ran 9.91 and 20.09

I agree, Bolt isn't in top form yet. Be interesting if he gets there. But I like this from Walter Dix. I'll admit I don't think Dix has a chance to beat Bolt, since a top form Tyson Gay is the only one who can beat Bolt.

But I think track and field needs this. Other sport fans would be more willing to watch track if track athletes tweet away and make comments like this.

Some people say that is unsportsmanlike, but ya know what? Those same people wonder why track has no fans in America. Plus, to me sportsmanship is saying nice job after the race and good luck before the race.

Yes there's significant chance that Bolt is using PED's but is he any different than the myriad other sprinters out there?

What makes Tyson Gay's turnover so ridiculously quick and his speed endurance so good while being average height and a slight(by sprinter standards) build?

What of Asafa Powell who has pretty much the best first 50m of anyone in track and field while being close to 6'3" and 190 pounds?

I agree that Bolt is remarkably off form this year (or as some have intimated off-cycle) but to say he's different than any of the myriad competitors he's up against is unfair I feel.

As for Dix saying if he's with Bolt at 40m then he think he can do it. All I can say to that is fat chance. Bolt's last 60m are far and away the best of anyone in the world not named Tyson Gay and he has a start about equal to Powell.

If Dix can get a good start he can win. His final 40m in Toronto is amazing!

His 10.18 (-2.0) is a 10.06 corrected.

The finish was very nice, very Dix-esque--but I think it looked better than it actually was given the weakness of the competition.

Wind will affect top speed more than acceleration, of course, as the wind resistance rises with the velocity cubed. So, given that there was a stiff headwind, I'd have to agree with you that the end of the race was run very nicely, if not amazingly.

I still think that Dix will get crushed in the 100m.

Even out-of-shape, Bolt can jog a 10-flat, he is THAT good.

(I think.)

And it appears difficult for Powell to run OVER 10.00 right now.

Sprint Geezer wrote:

The OP says:

"Last time I checked, Bolt has run 9.58 and 19.19"

Last time I checked, Bolt ran 9.91 and 20.09

9.91 with horrible form into a slight headwind in early season and 20.03 easing way up with 15m to go and with the flu(could have gone about 19.7 I reckon if he was not sick and didn't ease up(and didn't have a slight headwind). I would even say as low as 19.5 high in that race with a +2.0 wind and a bit more competition(plus the other factors).

And I suspect Bolt could go ~9.80 flat right now in a 100m. And remember humidity helps sprinters a good amount, and Daegu has plenty of that, so with a little sharpening I think Bolt can run ~19.30 and ~9.65. I don't think he'll get his WRS, but I think it'll be very, very close.

My prediction is Bolt for gold in Daegu, Powell for silver, Mullings for Bronze. and Blake for close fourth. Dix struggles to even make the final and finishes in 5th-6th behind the Jamaicans.

"Reckoning" "thinking", and "suspecting" are fine, I do them myself.

He can have all the excuses/reasons he wants, what matters are recorded performances.

It is, of course, too early to get much information from those performances. Heck, for all we know, Bolt's "flu" could

B*tch please!

Any comparison is absurd. Bolt could wear swim fins and beat Dix.

Dix is a MONSTER. He recently ran 9.78 in training from a standing start. Lecky timing and everything.

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