After watching the Men’s and Women’s 4x400m relay over the last few days I was struck by a few thoughts:
1. Allyson Felix split an incredible 47.8s – This in a year when she has returned her focus to the shorter sprints (PR’s in both 100m/200m) Last year she moved some of her attention to training for 400m, and with that, came a loss of speed in the 200m and although she ran a PR in the 400m individual (49.5) her relay split in Daegu (49.3) suggests she is a better athlete from 100m-400m this year. A great reminder that speed should always be the priority.
2. Following on from this Great Britain made the decision to bring World Champion 400h and 4th place finisher in London, David Greene onto 3rd leg, instead of an athlete with a PR of 45.11 (Greene’s best is 45.8) Greene ended up splitting a 45.5 on 3rd leg. Contrast this with his training partner Jack Green, who on 2nd leg split a 44.4 (his 400h PR is nearly a second slower than David Greene’s) Highlighting that you can be be a world class hurdler without the corresponding flat speed and vice versa.
