Gay, Powell, and Bolt Breeze Through 100-meters Heats

For many of the sprinters, the first round of 100-meter heats, were a chance to shake off the rust. Many have not competed in at least two weeks and for Tyson Gay, it has been six weeks since he last ran at the U.S Olympic Trials.

The typical race strategy for champion racing is a combination of posturing and working on the different pieces of the race such as: the start and drive phase. Normally athletes do not like to show all of the stuff until the finals.

There were no major upsets in the morning, as The Big Three 100-meter runners easily made it through the first heat of the 100-meters rounds. Tyson Gay looked completely healed today as he was conserving energy and preparing for the next round ahead of him.

Times heated up a bit in the quarter-final heats that took place during the evening.

It appeared that Usain Bolt’s run of 9.92, was easy to him and that he burned very little energy. The world record holder maintains his status as the favorite to win gold, however history has shown that running the fastest times through the rounds is no guaranteed for victory in the finals. Veteran Darvis Patton (10.04) of the U.S. was second behind Bolt in that quarter-final heat.

Tyson Gay placed second in his heat (10.02), behind Former LSU runner Richard Thompson of Trinidad. In the final heat of the afternoon, Asafa Powell easily won in 10.02 seconds, followed closed by Walter Dix (10.08) of the U.S. placed.

Asafa Powell Hopes The Nike Aerofly Gives Him The Slight Edge In Beijing

In a race when .01 seconds means the difference between Olympic history and second place, sprinters are looking for every legal advantage in the 100-meter final. The three way race between Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, and Asafa Powell means that every precious millisecond really counts. All three sprinters will be sporting custom designed shoes.

In comes the Nike Zoom Aerofly, which is the spike of choice by Jamaica’s Asafa Powell. Having held the previous world record, the Jamaican born sprinter who is seeking to re-write the history books in Beijing.

The shoe is looks aggressive–which is the mentality he needs to win in Beijing.

The shoes construction and results are legendary. Imagine a paper-thin shoe whose only support comes from threads. This is Flywire. A revolutionary technology, its high-strength threads work like cables on a suspension bridge with support engineered precisely where a foot needs it.

Flywire allowed Nike to make its lightest and strongest footwear ever, transforming how footwear is engineered by reducing the amount of material required for the upper of a shoe to the bare minimum. Thanks to this innovation, track spikes with Flywire are now under 100g – a weight never before achieved – without compromising on durability or integrity and support.

Comfort is the number one aspect of a running shoe.

Powell recently said, “It felt fast. It’s very tight, but still comfortable. It wraps around my foot, yet its movement is not stiff and you don’t have to cramp your toes.”

Will these shoes deliver gold for Powell?

Monaco IAAF Super Grand Prix–Preview

Catch all of the action live on WCSN.com and Universal Sports TV.

-Monte Carlo - Don’t miss the last major action before the Olympic Games at the historic Monaco Super GP. How fast can David Oliver fly over the hurdles? The U.S. Olympic Trials champion headlines the 110-meter hurdles along with Americans Anwar Moore and Antwon Hicks.

Asafa Powell will take his last run prior to Beijing Olympic Games. Can anyone touch Yelena Isinbayeva? The Russian pole vaulter will take a stab at the world record.

The women will continue to duke it out on the 100-meter international scene. Torri Edwards (10.79) will take on Jamaica’s Kerron Stewart (10.80) along with compatriots Shelly Ann Fraser (10.85), Sherone Simpson (10.87), and USA’s Marshevet Hooker (10.93) in what is a class field. Kim Gevaert of Belgium, the European champion, makes another outing in her recovery from recent injury niggles.

IAAF Herculis Super Grand Prix on WCSN.com and Universal Sports TV.

Tuesday, July 29^th

Monaco, Monte Carlo

2:00-5:00p EDT- LIVE

Instant Analysis: Powell Brings Down Bolt in Stockholm!

Powell Is More Comfortable In the Shadows.

The day belonged to Asafa Powell (9.88) as he exacted revenge on Usain Bolt (9.89), the Jamaican countrymen who broke his 100-meter world record.

The press will have a field day with this latest turn of events. Powell won because he exploded out of the blocks in a near-perfect start and held on with a photo finish lean over Bolt.

The time marked the fastest run of the year for Powell and indicates that he runs best without any expectations or pressure. Going into the Olympics, Bolt is still as the favorite despite todays results.

Lolo Jones (12.64) is running with extreme confidence at this point in the season. Halfway through the 100 hurdles, she was in a fierce battle and closed the gap over the last hurdle to claim victory.

Dayron Robles (12.91) broke the stadium record in the 110-hurdles in his slim victory over David Oliver (13.04). Robles hit less hurdles and secured the victory.

For right now, the one lap race belongs to Sanya Richards. Richards (50.38) won today over Novlene Williams (50.85), and Allyson Felix (50.88) in a decent race.

Jeremy Wariner won a decisive victory in the 400-meter over Chris Brown of the Bahamas. Wariner’s race is coming together and today was preparation for Beijing.

Mavado’s Music Video About Asafa Powell Is Jamaican Culture!

Track & field is a way of life in Jamaica. Dig this video of the making of Mavado’s, “On The Go, Faster Than a Bullet” a tribute song to Asafa Powell and his homeland of Jamaica. The popular Jamaican dancehall artist dropped a hot song! The island of 2.8 million will be jumping if a Jamaican born athlete wins the gold in Beijing.

Jamaica “home of the fastest man alive,” loves their sprinters. Below are a pair of customized pair of Nikes in honor of Mavado and Asafa Powell and have 9.74 etched on the side.

Nike sponsored the project which looks like fun times were had by all, especially Asafa. The song is also available for purchase on I-Tunes, as well as Asafa’s Train For Speed Workout Playlist.

The 30 minute soundtrack includes hits by Sister Nancy, Sean Paul, Wayne Wonder, and of course Mavado. You can check out Asafa’s Train for Speed soundtrack at I-Tunes.com.

Click here to watch the official music video on youtube.

By Jay Hicks.

Women’s 100 World Champion Fails To Make Jamaican Olympic Team!

There are no guarantees in track and field, and even the best of the best runners have to earn an Olympic spot. In a shocking development, reigning 100-meter World Champion Veronica Campbell-Brown (10.88) did not earn an automatic bid to the Olympic Games.

There was incredible sprinting Saturday night in the Caribbean. The Jamaican nationals saw four women dip under 10.90, with winner Kerron Stewart fighting to victory in 10.80.

The top three winners of Stewart, Shelley-Ann Fraser (10.85), and Sherone Simpson (10.87) will compete for Jamaica in Beijing.

Campbell-Brown will try to qualify in the 200-meters on Sunday.

Those looking for major fire works in the men’s 100-meters will have to wait until Beijing. Usain “Lightening” Bolt jogged a 9.85 to victory, ahead of Asafa Powell (9.97) who reportedly shut it down at 80-meters.

Small Package, Big Time Results in Jamaica!

In other track news, do you remember again when we stated that Asafa Powell needs to bring the heat? Well last night the former 100-meter record holder Asafa Powell dropped 9.90 in the semifinals of the Jamaican National Championships.

Can he deliver a noteworthy performance in the finals against world record holder Usain Bolt? Powell is showing the kind of heart that his competitors have criticized him for lacking in the past but there is more work to be done.

The women’s 100-meters in Jamaica is shaping up to be a fierce competition. Kerron Stewart (10.99) ran her third career sub 11-second race at 100-meters. This makes for a huge drama in the finals as the reigning Olympic and World Champion Veronica Campbell-Brown is bringing the fire at this point in the season.

By Jay Hicks.

All Kidding Aside

Where is Asafa Powell? Over the last month Powell has been demoted from the 100-meter world recorder holder to second fastest of all-time by his countryman, Usain Bolt. Bolt may have also won over the hearts of the Jamaicans. Phrases like “people’s champion” have been used to describe him. Yeah man, proud Jamaican fans could be heard cheering wildly in New York for the new champion Usain Bolt as he reigned in true Jamaican style.

In the lead up to Beijing, it has been Usain Bolt, Jeremy Wariner vs. LaShawn Merritt, and Veronica Campbell getting all the attention, not the former 100-meter world record holder. Can you remember the last major race he has competed in during this 2008 season? Was it the race to recovery from knee stitches due to falling up the stairs or the race to recovery from a strained pectoral muscle? Who knows. The point is that Powell needs to find his way to a track meet and drop the mother of all bombs in the 9.85ish range to let competitors know that underestimating him at this point could be bad for their careers.

Speaking of running, Asafa is slated to appear next at the Trinidad and Tobago National Championships later this month. This is a tune up before Bolt and Powell are expected to clash for the first time in the 100-meters at the Jamaica Trials. Powell has not run competitively since his 10.04 opener in Melbourne, Australia in February.

By Jay Hicks.

Usain Bolt Nears World Record in Jamaica!

The times coming of the Jamaican Invitational are jaw dropping. Incredible. Jamaica’s Usain Bolt redefined this seasons outlook for the 100-meters. He won in 9.76 with 1.8 wind, nearly breaking his countrymen Asafa Powell’s world record of 9.74. The time is stunning. The performance is sure to get Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell, and the world’s attention.

Second in the race was America’s Wallace Spearmon in 10.08 and Antiguan Daniel Bailey placed third in 10.12.

Sanya Richards crossed the line first at the 400-meters in 50.60. The top three finishers ran personal best times in the women’s 100. Kerron Stewart wons the women’s 100m in 10.96, Marshavett Hooker ran second in 11.01, 18-year-old Bianca Knight took third in 11.11. The wind measured +.9 during the women’s 100 making it a legal race.

Kerron Clement won the men’s 400 hurdles in 47.79. In another amazing race, newcomer Bianca Knight won the women’s 200 in 22.62 in her first professional meet. Knight beat veteran Veronica Campbell on her home turf. Campbell placed second in 22.9.

American champ Tyson Gay continued his winning steak taking the men’s 200-meters in 20.00.

Jay Hicks

100-Meter Debate May Be Settled Soon!

Since last summer fans and pundits alike have been debating who will prevail in a 100-meter show down between reigning 100 and 200-meter world champion Tyson Gay of the U.S. and current world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica.

What’s fueling the debate is that Gay beat Powell head-to-head in the 100-meter finals at the 2007 world championships last summer in Osaka. It was clear to most fans that Powell tensed up and panicked in the final 40 meters, finishing third behind Tyson Gay and Derrick Adtkins of the Bahamas.

Despite blazing times, Powell has struggled at major competitions, missing a medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The 2007 world championship race again called into question his ability to win the big races. Then one month later, Asafa went to Rieto, Italty in a meet that didn’t matter much and broke his own world record in 9.74.

Hopefully, the speculating will end soon. Talks are currently under way between the sprinters’ agents and meet directors to solidify at least one, or possibly two, clashes between the track giants. The sprinters are likely to meet after the Olympic Trials and before the Olympic games, which leaves them meeting in July in Stockholm, London, or Monaco.

The debate, however, will not end until after Powell and Gay race at the 100-meter finals in Beijing.  This star studded rivalry is good for track and field.

Jay Hicks

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