{"id":430,"date":"2011-01-01T07:58:00","date_gmt":"2011-01-01T15:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=430"},"modified":"2011-01-01T07:58:00","modified_gmt":"2011-01-01T15:58:00","slug":"ten-things-to-watch-in-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=430","title":{"rendered":"Ten Things to Watch in 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"float:left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/view.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/sports\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics\/image\/6089676?term=World+championships+of+track+and+field%2c+daegu\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view3.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/6089676\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics.jpg?resize=234%2C394\" border=\"0\" width=\"234\" title=\"12th IAAF World Athletics Championships - Day Six\" height=\"394\" oncontextmenu=\"return false;\" ondrag=\"return false;\" onmousedown=\"return false;\" alt=\"BERLIN - AUGUST 20:  The logo for the Daegu 2011 World Championshisp on display during day six of the 12th IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium on August 20, 2009 in Berlin, Germany.  (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein\/Bongarts\/Getty Images)\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:left;height:0px;overflow: hidden;\"><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/view.picapp.com\/\/JavaScripts\/OTIjs.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Goodbye 2010. Welcome 2011. Last year was fun, but there is something special about having a Major championship to look forward to. It makes the season seem more \u201cofficial\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The athletes seem to feel that way anyway. Last year saw many athletes take time off, and end season\u2019s early. We may see more athletes begin their seasons a bit later this year \u2013 as they extend their preparation for Daegu. But one thing is for certain \u2013 the competition should be fierce this year. <\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, here are 10 things that I think will bear watching in 2011.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The Collegiate Indoor Championships<\/h3>\n<p>The indoor season has lost much luster over the years. The number of top level meets has decreased, and the best of the elite athletes tend to avoid the \u201cboards\u201d and focus their efforts on preparing for the outdoor season. The one area of the sport that still regards the indoor season as \u201cserious\u201d is the colleges. And their focus during the winter is on winning indoor championships \u2013 individual and team. Watch the squads from Florida, Oregon, and Texas AM \u2013 annually the nations best \u2013 as their battle for collegiate supremacy begins with the indoor championships in Columbus Ohio.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Justin Gatlin <\/h3>\n<p>Gatlin\u2019s story is well known, so no need to repeat it here. Suffice it to say that his \u201ccomeback\u201d last year, though brief, was successful. At least I would say that 10.09 in a handful of races after a four year \u201clayoff\u201d was success. This year he has changed coaches and is working with veteran coach Brooks Johnson \u2013 the architect behind David Oliver\u2019s dominant 2010 season. Gatlin\u2019s journey will bear watching in 2011 as he attempts to make the U.S. sprint squad for Daegu. Once a double World Champion, it will be interesting to see how close he can come to the last two double World Champs \u2013 Tyson Gay (\u201807) and Usain Bolt (\u201809).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The Diamond League<\/h3>\n<p>I would have thought that the off season would have been the perfect time to debut the Diamond League. After all there was no Major to conflict with athlete\u2019s training\/competition schedules. If there was difficulty getting the best to go head to head last year, it will be more difficult this year, as these meets may take a back seat to the athlete\u2019s focus on Daegu. After all, the need to rest, rehab, or get in additional training time will supersede potential meet commitments. Not to mention that for over a decade now, many of the top stars have taken the approach of avoiding \u201ccontact\u201d until The Big Meet. Let\u2019s see how the Diamond League deals with the issue of presenting high level match ups in a championship season.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The USATF CEO Hire<\/h3>\n<p>This could be the most important hire for the sport here in the US is several decades. The issue here is not about how many medals we win in London, Moscow or any other championship. Rather it\u2019s about what role the US will play in the sport globally as we move forward. Will we host a Major? Will we develop the infrastructure necessary to bring the sport back to prominence here in the US? Will we increase the number of \u201celite\u201d level meets held here in the US and will we get greater exposure of meets on TV? The answer to these and other questions will lie in the success or failure of this hire. USATF says that a new chief will be hired by the end of the first quarter \u2013 in time to monitor preparations for Daegu.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The Men\u2019s 110 Hurdles<\/h3>\n<p>You want a story\/rivalry\/marketing opportunity, it\u2019s all right here. The three fastest men in history \u2013 all from different parts of the world. David Oliver just dominated 2010 and set his AR. Dayron Robles dominated 2008, won Olympic gold and set his WR. Liu Xiang was the Athens (\u201804), Helsinki (\u201805) and Osaka (\u201807) champion, and twice a former WR setter. All three should be healthy and in their prime in 2011 \u2013 and love to compete when healthy! The all time list in this event could take a beating in 2011, and the final in Daegu should be a barn burner. 12.85 could be in the offing this year.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The NCAA Outdoor Championships<\/h3>\n<p>What started the year off indoors will culminate with the outdoor version \u2013 annually the world\u2019s best team oriented championship competition. Last year\u2019s meet saw the men\u2019s championship go down to the very last event \u2013 and Texas AM scoring a 1 point victory over Florida. They should both be in the mix again this year \u2013 along with the squad from Oregon \u2013 as the nation\u2019s best collegians will gather in Des Moines for the seasons&#8217; final battle. It should also give us a glimpse into Daegu as many international stars hone their craft at US colleges. And I have a feeling we will see several members of the US team for Daegu warming up in Iowa.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Yelena Isinbayeva<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s not often that an athlete at the top of their game just walks away from a sport, and then walks back in. Back in 1993 Michael Jordan announced his \u201cretirement\u201d saying that he had lost his desire to play. A year and a half later, in 1995, he returned to the game he had once dominated \u2013 and picked up where he left off. After failing to medal at the outdoor World Championships in Berlin and the indoor World championships in Daegu, Isinbayeva announced on April 10th that she was going to take an \u201cindefinite\u201d break from track and field saying &#8220;At this moment I cannot exactly say when I will return to competitions.&#8221; Well that moment appears to be at the Russian Winter Meeting in Moscow on Feb 6. We will see if the Double Olympic Champion will take up her WR setting and title winning in 2011.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The U.S. National Championships<\/h3>\n<p>Always a major event, this time around should pose many questions? Will Tyson Gay come through healthy on his way to sprint showdowns in Daegu \u2013 after all his last full championship did not end well. Will Allyson Felix attempt to double in the 200\/400 \u2013 if she does we could see a Felix v Sanya Richards showdown over 400. Which Walter Dix will show up \u2013 the sizzling sprinter that double medaled in eijing and defeated Tyson Gay in Eugene this past season, or the injured half interested sprinter who sometimes just seems happy to be there? Does Gatlin make the squad? How will our middle distance runners perform \u2013 will anyone emerge from this group ready to compete for medals in Daegu? And aside from our shot putters, long jumpers, pole vaulters, Chaunte Howard Lowe and Kara Patterson will we see any other field eventers step up to the plate and look podium ready? For the answer to these and other questions we look to Eugene once again \u2013 Jun 23 \u2013 27.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The Jamaican National Championships<\/h3>\n<p>According to the media, there is a rivalry brewing between the US and Jamaica. It\u2019s mostly a 100 meter rivalry (men &amp; women) combined with Usain Bolt\u2019s double medal winning performances in the last two Majors that has the media talking. But heading into Daegu it\u2019s really a two man race in both short sprints with Usain Bolt &amp; Tyson Gay going head to head for world sprint supremacy. The Jamaican Championships, coupled with the US National Championships, will tell us if anyone else on either side is ready to step up and be counted as podium material behind the mercurial duo. And whether or not there is health and depth behind Jamaica\u2019s Veronica Campbell Brown. After this weekend, the wagering on the Daegu sprints will escalate dramatically.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The World Championships \u2013 Daegu South Korea<\/h3>\n<p>This is the big one! The meet we will all be awaiting with baited breath. Where all the questions will be answered. Will we see a sub 1:42 in major competition (David Rudisha)? Will the US get the baton around the track in the 4&#215;1\u2019s? How will their layoffs affect the performances of Justin Gatlin, Yelena Isinbayeva, Shelly Ann Fraser and Lashawn Merritt? Is Christphe Lemaitre ready for the big time? Who gets gold, Oliver, Xiang or Robles? Chris Solinsky, finalist, medalist? And who is the world\u2019s fastest man, Gay or Bolt \u2013 or do we get a split? Daegu will hold all the answers!<\/p>\n<p>2011 has the potential to be the most exciting season in history. It\u2019s got every kind of story imaginable as we begin the journey. It should be a track fans nirvana! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Goodbye 2010. Welcome 2011. Last year was fun, but there is something special about having a Major championship to look forward to. It makes the season seem more \u201cofficial\u201d. The athletes seem to feel that way anyway. Last year saw many athletes take time off, and end season\u2019s early. We may see more athletes begin [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-6W","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}