Why is it so common that world class sprinters pull up in a race?

I have been a dedicated track fan for a long time. I have noticed that it is pretty common to see world class sprinters pulling up in their races. If you are a world class sprinter specifically training to sprint all out and assuming that you warm up well before very competition I don't see why it happens so often. Just this weekend new world record holder Asafa Powell pulled up in his match up against Gatlin. Who could forget the match up between MO Greene and Michel Johnson in the 200m where they both pulled up in the race. (Michel Johnson still went on to win the Gold that year). Would I be mistaken to kinda suspect that there is some wimping out going on there? Granted it doesn't apply EVERY time of course. Or is it that the stress of sprinting is so great that the probability of pulling something is really high?

a little from column A, and a little from column B

high physical stress = higher risk of injury.

high mental stress = higher chance of guys pussying out.

Yeah it probably is a little bit of both. For me its just a little irritating when some sprinters show boat around all the time when they win but come up with 1000 excuses when they lose. Not to mention that as of recently many sprinters have been caught of cheating. When guys like Dathan Ritz is running through the race on a stress fracture it just seems rediculous that a guy can't finish a 100m race.

because hamstrings are tight, and these are very ballistic events

What's the deal? wrote:

When guys like Dathan Ritz is running through the race on a stress fracture it just seems rediculous that a guy can't finish a 100m race.

That's just plain stupidity.

In addition, pulling a muscle in an explosive event, or any event for that matter, is significantly more limiting than a stress fracture. I will agree that sprint guys shut it down when out of contention on occasion.

(By the way, your grammar and/or spelling sucks.)

Or when guys like Dathan don't run a race because they hurt their foot? Or they jog the 10k at nationals? Or drop out at the Olympics.

That statement isn't meant to be taken seriously, obviously. Sometimes, believe it or not, you can injure yourself so badly that there is no possible way to finish. Sometimes, your instinctual reaction is to not take the next step, and by the time you "decide" to keep going, you're out of the race.

you suck

just kidding.....I didn't know that I had to run everything I type on a message board by you to make sure it sounds ok. I'm just typing without checking. I'm sure you are intelligent enough to figure out what I mean/meant anyway so there really is no need to mention it. With that said I do think I have a point. True Ritz running on a stress facture can be argued and was an extreme example. But Sprinting is what these athletes do. Don't you find it weird at all that if they can't win they just pull up? Come on! IT's 100m!

you ever tried running with a pulled hamstring before? how about crawling? get back to me when you have.

sorry let me clarify. I don't mean that they should finish the race if in fact they have actually pulled something. I mean that they shouldn't pull up because they are losing.

Not to drag out the drug bunny but...

When you train while on steroids, or another anabolic agent that aids muscle growth, your muscles will grow faster than your connective tissues can adapt to. Just another explanation to throw out there. I think in this case it's just a case of tight hamstrings. Now if he goes and pulls a quad off the bone then we can throw the drug monkey around.

Alan

Powell is concentrating on worlds. every step he took today could further bring further damage to his groin.

Now if you pop a hammy it's like getting shot in your leg. So you think Dathan would finish if he got shot?

Plus sprinting is decided by tenths sometimes hundreths of a second - any injury is going to hurt enough to lose badly. sprinting is not like running a marathon. As you said anybody could go 100 meters - there is no pride in the distance only in the speed. no speed - why finish.

My sense is Asafa just didn't get out as well as the rest of the field, and he just bailed. It appears that he has a psychological thing with Gatlin, who beat him in Athens and also beat him in Pre this year.

Also for these guys, it's really all about the Benjamins: If you're going to lose, better to pull up injured than to actually get beat.

The Mo-MJ thing in the 200 was largely expected to be caused by cramping due to creatine and brought on by dehydration. Multiple heats had been run in hot conditions (one reason NOT to hold the Oly Trials in Sacramento).

But 60/100 running IS a lot more on the hairy edge that distance runners are used to. Block starts at 100% are very stressful (you can get injured just by not striking the track right on your very first step). There are many more opportunities for minor injuries when most workouts are run at 95-100% speed, and 0.05 sec can be the difference between winning and losing. Personally, I can't go for a long (2+ hour on my feet) walk or shopping trip with my wife within a couple weeks of a 60 or 100 race (it costs me 0.5 sec out of blocks--compromised explosive power--and the stopwatch doesn't lie). There are all kinds of little things that a Ritz wouldn't even notice, but DO matter in an event that is over in 10 seconds.

I can accept some of that logic. But why is it that a sprinter who supposedly "pulls" something is racing just fine later. I'm saying that they puss out...plain and simple. I'm not out to bad mouth all sprinters. But lets face it, even at the world class level you will see some sprinters bitch out of a race.

when are they racing fine later? what do you mean? i don't see guys pulling up and then racing later that week. give me some examples.

Both Mo Greene and MJ after they "pulled up" in that 200m went on to win Gold Medals soon after. Asafa Poweel had an injury in a race a couple weeks ago and raced this week. If he was reallt injured then why did he race? Mo Greene has done the same thing several times. I know I've read at aleast a few times that MO Green had some kind of "mid race" problem explaining his poor performance in a race.

Too much EPO.

soon after? the 200 race was at the oly trials - july 25th to be exact. the olympics opening ceremony wasn't until sept. 15th of that year - meaning track didn't start until the 22nd probably.

that is 2 months to recover.

in any case, johnson cramped, didn't pull - better to shut it down in a "meaningless" race than risk further injury and lose a shot at a gold medal.

http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/special/usolytrials2000/results/men/200.html

go away, you troll.

What's the deal? wrote:

Both Mo Greene and MJ after they "pulled up" in that 200m went on to win Gold Medals soon after. Asafa Poweel had an injury in a race a couple weeks ago and raced this week. If he was reallt injured then why did he race? Mo Greene has done the same thing several times. I know I've read at aleast a few times that MO Green had some kind of "mid race" problem explaining his poor performance in a race.

how long do you think it takes to recover from muscle strains? as someone pointed out, mo and MJ had months before they won gold and neither raced for at least a month, if my memory serves me correctly. these guys are not magically recovering in a week.

and it seems rather apparent that powell actually wasn't fully recovered. sprinters often come back too early - and reinjure themselves - because it's hard to gauge when you're totally recovered because they rarely press themselves to full explosion during practice.

your lack of knowledge abouting sprinting surely makes 'troll' an apt title for you.