OT - A name to watch

There is a local school kid who has tongues wagging in athletics circles. He just took out the 100m 200m double at the all schools aths championships, taking out the 100 in a wind assisted 10.1 s. This kid (Jack Hale) is only 16 but holds the world record for his age group & has run the fastest 100 in Aust this year.Amazingly he was a long jumper who only took up sprinting two years ago. I don't think he will ever challenge the likes of Usain Bolt, but with age & development he is certainly going to be a serious contender.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-06/jack-hale-100-metres-under-18-championship/5949010?section=sport

When was the last time a white guy won an olympic medal in either the 100 or 200 metres?

Henry wrote:When was the last time a white guy won an olympic medal in either the 100 or 200 metres?

Moscow olympics

I remember hearing a couple of years ago that over 80 men in the history of the sport have run a sub-10 second 100m, and only one of them (Christophe Lemaitre) is white.

Although it's not being "black" as such that provides an advantage, it seems to be more specific genetic advantages to those of West African background (the other side of the continent provides the distance runners of course).

fast twitch fibres

There must be an element of white people not believing they can make it to the very top in athletics so pursuing other sports instead these days.

There was an article in the Courier-Mail on Friday about Trae Williams who finished third. It said that he could have a big future in Rugby League. Apparently he is extremely quick over the first 60 metres.

Big Dog wrote:

Henry wrote:When was the last time a white guy won an olympic medal in either the 100 or 200 metres?

Moscow olympics

The Greek guy in Sydney.

Yeah, Kenteris, who was on drugs (or at least, did everything he could to avoid a test four years later, and never showed at the major meets in between).

I remember in Atlanta the only white sprinter to win a medal was... Roger Black!

Young Jack Hale goes like a scalded cat. Pity about the tail wind. A 0.3 sec improvement in on his previous best 100m would've been remarkable. Clearly it was a pretty helpful assistant.

beamer wrote:Yeah, Kenteris, who was on drugs (or at least, did everything he could to avoid a test four years later, and never showed at the major meets in between).

I remember in Atlanta the only white sprinter to win a medal was... Roger Black!

It's always intrigued me that whiteys rule the pool while AfAms & their WI/African/European brothers & sisters (would've been quicker to say darkies but that's non-PC ) rule the short track (<=400m). A body physics thing obviously.

Hale takes the treble at the Australian Juniors:

http://www.themercury.com.au/sport/tassie-sprint-sensation-jack-hale-in-action-at-the-australian-junior-championships/story-fnj4f7g3-1227263290903

Hale reaches the semi's at Stalwell

http://www.themercury.com.au/sport/hale-on-pace-with-second-spot-in-stawell-gift-heat/story-fnj4f7g3-1227291059139

Not bad for a 16 yo competing against the best professionals in the country.

he's running from scratch too?

Not from scratch, but most of the favourites have a distance advantage over him, if I'm reading this right:

Stawell Gift Market

(Sportsbet)

$3.25 Murray Goodwin (6.5m)

$4.50 Luke Houlihan (7.25m)

$6.00 Cam Dunbar (8.75m)
$6.00 Stuart Rooke (9m)

$9.00 Brandon Galic (5.75m)

$34 Jack Hale (2.25m)

Murray Goodwin?????
He must be nearly 50.


Stawell Gift Trivia - In 2002 the race was won by a resident of WideWallyWorld.

Different Murray I guess, not the Wozzie Zimbot Sussex man.

Hale finished third in his semi & was eliminated. Would be good experience for the youngster though.

Hale set a new Australian age record last night - 10.38 for the 100m.

Apparently* it makes him 7th fastest in the world for his age group.

He could be quite good once he gets on the juice.

They may as well either legalise it or run two seperate events for athletics. It's like watching the tour de france minus the scenery.

Hale once again qualified for the Stawell gift semi's. Running off 3.25m he overcame a poor start to storm home in 12.33. He has already qualified for the World Junior Champs & with a couple of good performances is a chance to make the 4 x 100 relay team for Rio.

Hale finished third in the final of the gift after earlier winning his semi.

Controversy in the chicks' race:

Stawell Gift 2016: Isaac Dunmall and Talia Martin win Gift
Date

March 28, 2016 - 4:35PM

Fifteen-year-old Talia Martin controversially won the Stawell Gift and was fined $2000 by stewards who said her form improved more in two weeks than most athletes improve in a lifetime and challenged confidence in the race.

Martin improved by seven metres in her heat on Saturday from a run at the Ararat Gift just twelve days ago. Stewards fined her for an improvement of extreme range.

"I would say it definitely does (damage confidence in the race and the result). No doubt." chief steward Brian Marantelli said.

"As I have said it is like, in the horse racing game, getting beaten in a maiden at Pakenham and twelve days later wining the Cox Plate or something. That might be a bit over the top."

Martin was called in by stewards on Sunday because of her improvement of extreme range – which is anything more than four metres in a short space of time.

"When she got here she ran seven metres quicker than in Ararat which is more than most runners improve in a lifetime," Marantelli said.

"In our sport that is called improvement of extreme range. Extreme range stops at four metres so she was well off the chart for improvement in a short space of time."

Marantelli said her father and coach Peter O'Dwyer admitted Martin had done the wrong thing and appealed the severity of the $2000 fine but not the verdict. The appeals panel reduced the fine from $2000 to $500 but also imposed a fine of the first $1500 of any prize money she might win.

"She hadn't done anything illegal as far as her handicap goes. The only reason she could get pulled (back in her handicap) is if she had run a PB somewhere that we didn't know about and she hadn't done that she had just run poorly," Marantelli said.

The rapid improvement would not have changed her handicap as that is based on her best performances but the poor recent form is significant for the track betting and the spirit of competition.

The controversy overshadowed the performance of the slightly built schoolgirl from Ballarat who is trained by Peter O'Dwyer who coached his daughter Grace to victory last year.

Martin said after the race she had been emotionally overcome by her aunt's death prior to the Ararat run.

"From Ararat Gift I didn't run my best, it was kind of when my aunty Barb died so I was really emotional and I just had to get past that and it obviously shook me up a bit," she said..

"I just have so many emotions running through me. I am excited and happy and overwhelmed. I can't believe it has happened. Aunty Barb always came down to Stawell with us and it's been really hard without her.

"Hopefully she is watching me from up in heaven and she is proud."

Martin was the quickest of the women in the semi final and carried that form into final holding on to out last fast finishing Tierra Exum – the sister of basketballer Dante – who ran second.

O'Dwyer, who is expected to be quizzed by Victorian Athletics League officials over the extreme improvement controversy said he would not appeal the stewards decision citing the emotion of Talia's situation in Ararat.

"We will live with it, she has got $40,000 (prize money) why create any more controversy?" he said.

The $40,000 winner's cheque – last year prize money for the race was increased to parity with the men's gift - will be well spent Martin said.

"I have always wanted a hover board but I have never been allowed so hopefully a few hundred goes towards that and I will save the rest,:" she said.



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/athletics/stawell-gift-2016-isaac-dunmall-and-talia-martin-win-gift-20160328-gnscxr.html#ixzz44AsCO9Ze
Follow us: @smh on Twitter | sydneymorningherald on Facebook

Hale took silver at the Aust Athletics Championships 100m final with a time of 10.40s.
Running against older & more experienced rivals he edged out pre race favorite Aaron Stubbs. The race was won by Alexander Hartmann of Queensland who won in 10.35 seconds.

Big Dog wrote:Hale took silver at the Aust Athletics Championships 100m final with a time of 10.40s.
Running against older & more experienced rivals he edged out pre race favorite Aaron Stubbs. The race was won by Alexander Hartmann of Queensland who won in 10.35 seconds.

So only 10% slower than Bolt.