Torrin Lawrence Again

Another busy indoor weekend - with a bit of outdoor action thrown in. The big mark was once again laid down by Torrin Lawrence. Previously Lawrence set a collegiate record in the 300, this time around he ran a sensational 45.03 in the 400. Not quite a record, but the mark makes him the #5 performer all time behind Kerron Clement (44.57), Michael Johnson (44.63), Lashawn Merritt (44.98) and Danny Everett (45.02) - all of whom have run under 44 seconds outdoors!

It definitely puts Lawrence in the spotlight in the 400 meters. Much the same way as Merritt's and Clement's times did when they were in college. BOTH went pro the same year they ran their marks. Merritt never even ran an outdoor race as a collegian, going pro as a freshman before the outdoor season began. Lawrence in now one to keep an eye on.

While on the topic of the 400, Usain Bolt started his season with an outdoor 400. A 45.86. A nice start to the season, especially for a 100/200 sprinter.

Wallace Spearmon, who just recently signed a deal with Saucony, found the going a bit tougher as he apparently pulled up with a bad hammy running a 200 indoors.

Makes me really start to question the whole indoor season. Seems to do well for the distance runners. They tend to be smaller and fit better on the small tracks. But things don't seem to translate as well for sprinters indoors.

For example, Dwain Chambers ran a world leading 6.50 in the 60 meters winning the British championship this past weekend. He was last year's world leader at 6.42, but was no where close to the top sprinters outdoors - Bolt, Gay, Powell among others. He will be among the favorites next month in Doha for the Indoor World Championships, however.

Another favorite for Doha could be Terrence Trammell who ran a world leader in the 60H with his 7.43 this weekend. He will make a worthy opponent for Dayron Robles who has run 7.48 this season and is #2 all time at 7.33. Should be a great race in Doha.

That said, the most news this weekend was in the distance events. A new European 500 record went in the books when Frenchman Bouabdellah Tahri ran a very nice 13:11.13 - making him #8 all time and the fastest non African.

The hot event, however, was the mile. At the Husky Invitational in Seattle FIFTEEN people ran under 4:00!

The indoor season is almost done. US Nationals will be held the weekend of the 27th, with the World Championships on tap starting March 13th. Then we head outdoors, for what should be an interesting non championship season.

British Suit Begs a Question

Former British Junior Athlete of the Year Richard Davenport has recently brought a lawsuit against his former coach. The reason? Well he says that his former coach, David Farrow, ignored his complaints of back pain, which in turn caused him to have surgery that in effect has put his career in jeopardy.

An interesting situation to be sure. Because with all the handlers and individuals that are involved with track and field athletes at the highest level, it begs the question, in my humble opinion: who is in charge?

Once upon a time there was the athlete and the coach - period. A very simple dynamic. But today in addition to the coach and the athlete, there are several individuals that exercise some semblance of control over the athlete's career.

For starters there is an Agent who for all intents and purposes is his/her booking agent - scheduling meets, appearances, commercial endorsements. Then there is a Shoe Company, if the athlete is fortunate enough to have a contract with a shoe company. Having paid a considerable sum to the athlete the shoe company also exercises some rights in terms of competition schedule and appearances.

This list doesn't stop there as there are also Meet Directors/Promoters that pay athletes healthy sums to compete in their events. Nutritionists and Nutritional Consultants that advise the athletes on the food, vitamins and supplements that they ingest. And Physical Therapists/Masseuses who advise on the physical fitness/physical preparation of the athletes.

All of which leads to the question of who is really in charge here? I've spoken with several coaches who say that they are at the bottom of the food chain. That they have little say in where and when an athlete will compete - nor influence over their diet.

It seems that while, on the one hand, we have this vision of a "coach" that is based on our knowledge of high school and college coaches that handle virtually everything for the athlete, the job of the professional coach is more the role of trainer - to prepare the athlete for competition. The professional track and field athlete having a "team" of other professionals that take care of the other varied needs of the .

Given that scenario, it would seem that the person most in charge of the athlete and his/her professional career would then be the agent who serves as the central clearing house of decision making for the athlete.

If this is the case, it changes many prevailing beliefs. For example, in the law suit of Richard Davenport, one could then question whether the coach "ignored" Davenport's back pain or if perhaps improper treatments were provided during his physical therapy - or even if his "team" saw fit to send him to physical therapy. One could then question the competition schedule of the athlete, and therefore the person responsible for the schedule.

In the case of doping accusations and/or convictions perhaps the coach is NOT the immediate fall guy. Because the question should be raised as to who is actually in charge of the athletes' diet/ medications/ supplements.

My point is that for eons it has been the coach that immediately has had the finger pointed at him/her whenever there is a problem with the athlete and/or the athlete runs afoul of the rules of the sport. Yet, at the professional level, the coach seemingly has the LEAST amount of influence over the athlete and what is going on off the training track - at least when you talk to most coaches.

As a matter of fact, those individuals that foot the bills - primarily shoe companies - often have influence over who the athlete selects as their coach. Or at the least make strong suggestions. Which actually makes the coach the employee of the shoe company and not of the athlete - and in many cases the coaches are on the payroll of the shoe companies. Leaving the shoe company in the lead position over both the coach and the athlete.

Certainly blurs the line when having a discussion on who is instructing / advising the athlete. The coach is looking at performance - but answers to someone other than the athlete in many cases. The agent is looking at earnings and how to achieve them. But he too answers to someone other than the athlete - typically a management group or a shoe company. The shoe company and meet promoters are looking at a combination of performance and appearances, with the goal being to make money off of the appearances and performances of the athlete. Physical therapists, nutritionists, masseuses are looking at how to affect physical fitness and therefore performance - and of course the better the athlete does the better they get paid.

All should be on the same page and operating with the same goals. But it is easy to see how, as in any organization, each "department" is looking at its needs and how best to achieve them, and not always at the "big picture". Which means that at times they could be at slight odds with each other. Or at least not working in concert with each other.

So who ultimately is in charge and has the final word - the lead role so to speak? Perhaps this case will bring that into focus and give us an answer. I think it's a pretty good question.

Spearmon Signs with Saucony

Wallace Spearmon, a long time Nike athlete, just announced that he has signed with Saucony. Yes I said Saucony. Known more for making distance shoes, they've made a major leap by going with one of the world's top sprinters.

This is the second shoe company in a week to make a major signing in track and field following on the heels of New Balance signing Jenny Barringer. This is great for track and field as it gets new money flowing into the sport - and the sport can always use more money.

I also think it will be a great move for Spearmon. It puts him front and center and the focus for Saucony. As he says in his Flo Track interview (see below) anything he wants they will provide. He gets to design his own line of shoes and clothing. He will be the face of the company when it comes to track and field. In short it takes Spearmon from being one of many at Nike to being "The Man" at Saucony.

A position that Spearmon has held often in his career, but has lost of late. Spearmon was "The Man" in high school in Arkansas. Then "The Man" in college at the University of Arkansas. It wasn't that long ago (2005) that Spearmon was the NCAA champion over 200 meters in a race that saw Xavier Carter, Tyson Gay, Walter Dix and Rodney Martin all finishing behind him. That same season he was the silver medalist at the World Championships in Helsinki - and his professional career was off and rolling.

Spearmon dropped his PR to 19.65 in '06 and was a regular conqueror of none other than Usain Bolt over 200 meters. He continued his domination of Bolt in '07 though Tyson Gay took a major step forward. Then injuries in '08 & '09 saw Spearmon "struggle" to compete with Gay and Bolt - though struggling for him still lead to times of 19.8x and bronze medal finishes in Beijing and Berlin (he lost the Beijing medal to a dq).

But Spearmon says that he is healthy again in 2010. So perhaps the change in shoe companies and his emergence to the top of the heap with Saucony, could signal a return to form for Spearmon on the track as well. In his Flo Track interview Spearmon says that he is working diligently on his start. A huge Achilles heel in his race as he often gives up 3 to 5 meters early in his 200 meter races while finishing like a house afire on his way to sub 20 second clockings. If he can maintain early with the likes of Bolt and Gay he may be back in the game over 200!

I'm looking forward to seeing the 2010 version of Wallace Spearmon. As with Barringer and her change of coaching, I think the changes that Spearmon is making this year may help lead him to the promised land. The duo of Tyson Gay and Wallace Spearmon was a hot one for several years. It would be nice to see them both once again leading US sprint fortunes.

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

Jenny Barringer Changes Coaches

The last few weeks have been busy ones for Jenny Barringer. On Janurary 22nd it was announced that she signed a multi year endorsement deal with New Balance shoes. No surprise that Jenny turned pro. She ended her collegiate career in awesome style last year setting personal bests over 800 (2:02.56), 1500 (3:59.90), 5000 (15:05.25), and the 3000 steeplechase (9:12.50). Collegiately her 1500 was a college record and she won the NCAA championship in the steeplechase. Internationally she was 5th in the steeplechase at the World Championships in Berlin and set an American Record in the process. She was more than ready for the next stage of her career.

Slightly surprising was that the deal was with New Balance since Nike and Adidas tend to get the bigger fish as they leave the pond and head to the professional level. Landing Barringer was a coup for New Balance who is obviously looking to broaden its appeal and move more aggressively into the shoe wars.

More surprising to me was the news yesterday that Barringer will be joining the professional ranks with a new coach, as she is leaving collegiate coach Mark Wetmore who guided her to the ranks of the elite while she was at Colorado University. Typically I get a little leery about athletes having success and leaving the one that "got em there". But this time I'm actually excited.

Excited because Barringer has chosen to be coached by Juli (Henner) Benson. Benson's pedigree is in the ranks of middle distance. She was a 1500 meter runner at James Madison University. She competed internationally over 1500 meters for the US and has coached 1500 meter runners Treniere Clement, Chris Lukezic, and Kevin Sullivan during coaching stints at Georgetown and as a personal coach.

This excites me because it indicates that Barringer is looking to perhaps focus her considerable talents on the 1500 meters - an event that I've felt for some time could be her best event. Its one of the sports highlight events and one in which we could use more exposure internationally.

So I think this is good news for Jenny and great news for the US track and field team.

Rivalries Drive Sport

Russell vs Chamberlin. Lakers vs Celtics. Ali vs Frasier. Rivalries create excitement, enthusiasm, passion and lasting memories, Boxing enthusiasts still talk about The Thrilla in Manilla. The Super Bowl was born of the rivalry between the AFL and the NFL. Magic vs Bird revived a then struggling NBA.

Track and field has had some very storied rivalries in its' past. Jim Ryun & Kip Kieno, Jim Hines & Charlie Greene, John Walker & Filbert Bayi, Steve Williams & Don Quarrie, Seb Coe & Steve Ovett, and Ben Johnson & Carl Lewis are just a few that immediately come to mind. One of the most hyped events in Olympic Trials history was the "showdown" between Maurice Greene and Michael Johnson over 200 meters at the 2000 Trials - a race in which both men ran each other to injury.

Rivalries bring focus to a sport - hype, tension, excitement, fans, and revenue. With it's individual nature combined with global nationalism, track and field is a sport that is perfectly geared towards rivalries. The hype of Lewis v Johnson in Rome 1987 was only surpassed by the rematch in Seoul in 1988. The 80's was also the decade that brought us Coe v Ovett and the anticipation of their racing each other as they traded mile/1500 WR's in the early part of the decade.

Somehow track and field lost its sense of "rivalry" in the 90's. A trend that continued into the New Millennium. Possibly because there was so much focus on singular individuals - a la Michael Johnson and Marion Jones. But the rise of Maurice Greene in the latter stages of the 90's lead us to the inevitable "showdown" between he and Johnson at the Trials of 2000. And once again the sport felt the power of what a rivalry can do for the sport.

Anyone that was in the stadium that week heard the talk, felt the electricity and anticipation of these two sprinting titans going toe to toe. As both sprinters went to the track in pain, however, so did the essence of rivalry in the sport. Because not until the rise of Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay in the past couple of seasons did we see anything truly approaching a true rivalry during the past decade.

But while theirs has become the most easily identifiable rivalry out there, there are several others that the sport should take advantage of as it looks for ways to sell the sport to the public. Following are some rivalries in the making that I feel the sport would do well to capitalize on.


Blanka Vlasic v Arianne Friedrich - Women's High Jump

Vlasic has a flair for showmanship to go along with her high jumping. Friedrich is just a tough competitor. Together they are nearing Stefka Kostadinova's twenty two year old WR of 2.09 (6' 10.25"). The sport could do more to headline its female competitors, and the sport is sorely in need of women in pursuit of its records. Vlasic and Friedrich are capable of headlining any meet.


Lashawn Merritt v Jeremy Wariner - Men's 400

This is a natural as these two men have dominated the event since 2004. Between them they have won every gold medal at the Games and Worlds from '04 to present as well as the last three silvers. They are also the only sub 44 performers since the retirement of Michael Johnson. A really down season by Wariner last year put a damper on this rivalry last year, but if both athletes are running low 44s or into the 43's this is a race that can bring fans to the stands.


Carmelita Jeter v Shelly Ann Fraser - Women's 100

This pairing takes one of the sports glamour events - the 100 - and adds the US v Jamaica aspect a la Bolt v Gay. Jeter became the second fastest woman in history last year while Fraser won her second gold in a row in the event in Berlin and became the #5 all time performer. Makes for another female match up worth highlighting. And traditionally the sport has been able to capitalize on its female sprint stars with the American v East German Women carrying through the 70's, 80's and into the early 90's. With both the US and Jamaican men and women at the top of the sprint charts, there are several ways to market this rivalry.


Dayron Robles v Liu Xiang - Men's 110 Hurdles

Talk about a match up with pedigree. Robles is the current WR holder and defending Olympic champion (Beijing). Xiang is the former WR holder (only .01 slower), former Olympic champion (Athens) and a former World champion (Osaka). No other pairing of athletes in the sport brings together the last two WR holders AND Olympic champions! And at only 23 (Robles) and 26 (Xiang) they both still have prime years ahead. Possibly the best match up out there.


Allyson Felix v Veronica Campbell Brown - Women's 200

Another US v Jamaica pairing with four time World champion Felix against two time Olympic champion Campbell-Brown. These are two of the fiercest competitors in any event - male or female. Both step on the track to win and their races against each other tend to be epic events. Campbell Brown is =8 all time and Felix #14 all time. Given their competitive nature getting the two on the track against each other a bit more often that in majors could get them both further up on the all time list.


Dwight Phillips v Irving Saladino - Men's Long Jump

One of the advantages of the field events is that they get multiple attempts. Anyone that saw Carl Lewis v Larry Myricks in San Jose in '87 or Indianapolis in '88, or Carl Lewis v Mike Powell in Tokyo in '91 understands just how electric an elite long jump competition can be. Both men have won Olympic and
World Championship gold. Phillips in '03. '04, '05, and '09. Saladino in '07 and '08. Both have bests over 28 feet with Phillips moving into elite territory last year with a huge 28' 9" bomb that took him to =5th all time. Here is a rivalry definitely worth cultivating.


David Rudisha v Abubaker Kaki - Men's 800

Kaki set a huge World Junior record of 1:42.69 just two seasons ago (=13 all time). Last year David Rudisha moved to #4 all time with his sizzling 1:42.01 in Rieti. They are already among the best ever and are only 21 and 22 years old! Among the records of the sport that have seemed nearly unapproachable Wilson Kipketer's 1997 mark of 1:41.11 has seemed one of the most daunting. Yet we have two young men who clearly have the potential to give chase. Getting these two on the track against each other in pursuit of one of tracks most elusive marks should be a priority for meet promoters around the world.


The excitement of Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay is proof that this sport is starving for high level match ups. The above are just a handful of potential, elite match ups available for the sport to highlight. This sport has star power that is waiting to be unleashed upon the rest of the world. We have more top level elite athletes than ever before. We just need to get them on the track and make the presentation.

An Identity Crisis, Not a Paradigm Shift

It happens every once in a while. The greatest sprint force on the planet loses its way and forgets who it is. We get complacent. Someone rises up and knocks us down. We get up dazed and shaken - and have to remember who we are. Then we get back to basics and come back better than before.

That's the pattern of US sprinting in the modern era.

Jim Hines, Charlie Greene, Tommie Smith, John Carlos, Lee Evans and crew were the dominant force in the late 60's.

The early 70's saw the rise of Eddie Hart, Rey Robinson, Marshall Dill, Larry Black, Willie Turner, John Smith, Vince Mathews and Wayne Collett among others. Then came our first memory loss with Valerie Borzov and his double sprint victory in Munich.

But after a couple of very strong seasons by Borzov we saw the rise of Steve Williams, Reggie Jones, Fred Newhouse, Maurice Peoples and others in the mid 70's. And we reclaimed dominance. But in spite of the additions of James Sanford, Clancy Edwards, Millard Hampton, Dwayne Evans, Billy Mullins, Maxie Parks, Willie Smith, Harvey Glance, Steve Riddick and Houston McTear in the mid and later stages of the decade, Montreal wins by Hasely Crawford, Don Quarrie and Alberto Juantorena combined with a boycott of the Moscow Games created another memory loss regarding the power of US sprinting.

But, once again we rose up from the ashes, shook off the soot and watched Carl Lewis, Calvin Smith, Stanley Floyd, Mel Lattany, Kirk Baptiste, Mike Roberson, James Butler, Michael Franks, Sunder Nix, Alonzo Babers, Joe Deloach, Butch Reynolds, Danny Everett, and Steve Lewis bring sprint supremacy back to US soil in the 80's.

Yes, we had another hiccup with Ben Johnson as for a two/three year period he grabbed the headlines, the records - and eventually a ban - but we were just fine. Even with the emergence of first Britain's Linford Christie and his gold medal run in '92/'93, then Canada's Donovan Bailey and his gold medal run in '95/'96, our forces were still strong. Yes we lost both the WR in the 100 (to Bailey) and the 4x1 (to France) not to mention the infamous 4x1 gold to Canada in Atlanta. But gold medal runs by Quincy Watts and Mike Marsh early in the decade were followed by the development of two of the sports all time greats during the decade as first Michael Johnson, then Maurice Greene brought sprinting and all the records right back to the US! And we closed the 90's with a flourish and headed into the New Millennium right where we had always been - as the preeminent sprint power on the planet.

Just how have we done in the New Millennium? To read most press clippings lately you would think that US sprinting was absent this past decade. I suppose that when a man wins the Olympic sprint double in double WR fashion and then returns to do the trick yet again in the World Championships that the shock might cause some memory loss among those that follow the sport.

There is no denying that Usain Bolt has definitely had a two year run unlike any other we have seen in the modern era of the sport. And coming like it has during the age of the internet, YouTube, streaming video, and tweeting it's easy to understand how some may have forgotten what transpired during the other eight years of the decade. Because the battle that everyone is calling Jamaica vs the US has been quite lopsided - and not in the direction of most advertisements.

For all of Bolt's heroics during the past two seasons, Jamaica won a total of 5 medals in the 100 during the decade. Two gold, one silver, and two bronze. In the 200 the tally was 3 medals - two gold and one silver. In the 400 there were two bronze medals won by Jamaica during the past decade. That's a total of 10 sprint medals during the oughts for Jamaica.

The US had a total of 10 medals during the decade - in the 100 meters. Five gold, two silvers and three bronze. That included a sweep of the medals at the World Championships in Edmonton. In the 200 meters there were 16 medals won. Four gold, five silver, and seven bronze. That includes two medal sweeps - in Athens and Helsinki (the Helsinki sweep being a rare gold, silver, bronze and fourth place sweep). The medal haul in the 400 was 17 total. Seven gold, seven silver, and three bronze. Including medal sweeps in Athens, Osaka and Beijing. The total medal haul in the sprints for the US during the oughts - 38.

So the death of US sprinting during the decade has been sorely exaggerated. Yes, we lost the WR in the 100, 200 and 4x1 during the decade. And Usain Bolt has been beating athletes like a drum. But we've been here before - Ben Johnson, Linford Christie, Donovan Bailey, France AND Canada in the 4x1 - and emerged stronger, better. As General George Patton said: "Success is how high you bounce after you hit bottom". Borzov lead to Steve Williams, James Sanford and Carl Lewis. Ben Johnson lead to a resurgent Carl Lewis, and Michael Johnson. And Christie and Bailey lead up to Maurice Greene!

Competition is what makes this sport so great. It's what gives it excitement. But the US and sprinting is like the Lakers and Celtics in basketball. There are down periods, occasionally the rare losing season. But the base is always there. A little tweaking here and there, and the occasional reload, and a return to the top of the heap.

Besides, one man does not a paradigm create. Ben Johnson. Linford Christie. Donovan Bailey. Usain Bolt. We're never more than one man away from reclaiming the throne. Our sprinters just have to remember who they are - their history. And that success is how high you bounce after you hit bottom. We were the most dominant sprint force in the oughts - and will be in the teens. It's simply time for the next star to step up. Carl Lewis. Michael Johnson. Maurice Greene. Next?

Collegians Shine During Busy Weekend

Pre weekend hype was focused on international competitions in New York and Germany, but collegians competing in the Texas A&M Challenge laid down some impressive marks of their own.

Oregon's Ashton Eaton started things off nicely with a collegiate record 6256 points in the Heptathlon - making him the #14 performer ever in the event. Eaton was over 700 points ahead of the competition and looks primed for good things later this season. The long sprinters were also impressive with world leading marks by Tabarie Henry (TxAM, 45.81) and Curtis Mitchell (TxAM, 20.69). The men's 4x4 was also a hot affair as TxAM (3:04.86), Baylor (3:05.52) and Florida (3:06.72) gave what should be a preview of three of the best squads in the country.

The pros put on a show this weekend too, however. In Millrose we got world leaders from Terrence Trammell (7.49, 60H) and Christian Cantwell (72' 0.50", shot). Cantwell was quite impressive with a series of marks in excess of 70 feet.

On the other side of the Atlantic there was a lot of hot action in Karlsruhe Germany. Laverne Ferrette lowered her world lead in the 60 with a 7.09 dash down the track. Also performing world leading efforts were Lolo Jones (7.90, 60H), Saif Shaheen (7:43.44, 3000), Silvia Kibet (8:41.24, 3000), Gelete Burka (4.03.92, 1500), Gideon Gathimba (3:37.0a, 1500), and Yuriy Borzakovskiy (1:45.94, 800). And though her 2.00m clearance was not a world lead, Arianne Friedrich's winning jump was only a centimeter off rival Blank Vlasic's yearly leader from last weekend.

This week will be VERY busy with meets in Goteborg (Tuesday), Dusseldorf (Wednesday), Stuttgart & Boston (Saturday), and Moscow (Sunday).