{"id":502,"date":"2011-06-13T18:01:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-14T01:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=502"},"modified":"2011-06-13T18:01:00","modified_gmt":"2011-06-14T01:01:00","slug":"time-to-start-looking-forward-to-nationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=502","title":{"rendered":"Time to Start Looking Forward to Nationals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh4.ggpht.com\/-mxBjmX1BKUU\/TfbA2uZHn3I\/AAAAAAAAANc\/jDCVahe5HbY\/s1600-h\/image%25255B2%25255D.png\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px\" title=\"image\" border=\"0\" alt=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh5.ggpht.com\/-I98Xgm09ySQ\/TfbA21oDEcI\/AAAAAAAAANg\/U8ovxRTi8is\/image_thumb.png?resize=152%2C244\" width=\"152\" height=\"244\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>After a week that left me wondering what the heck is going on, it\u2019s time to start to attempt to look at some of the National Trials that are coming up to try and gauge what Daegu is going to look like. And after Des Moines and New York that may not be easy at all! <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve already talked in depth about what happened in Des Moines \u2013 a lot of bad weather and a lot of Texas A&amp;M in the end. The college kids put forth some sterling efforts, but there was a lot of \u201cweirdness\u201d going on \u2013 especially for athletes considered favorites. I mean, would you have bet that even one of the following occurrences would have happened?&nbsp; <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jeff Demps didn\u2019t qualify for the 100 final.<\/li>\n<li>Neither did Jeneba Tarmoh who didn\u2019t even get to start her semi after getting dq\u2019d for a false start.<\/li>\n<li>Omo Osaghe only cleared one hurdle before crashing out in the final.<\/li>\n<li>Jordan Hasay appeared tired. I\u2019ve watched her since she was a high school freshman and she\u2019s never looked tired.<\/li>\n<li>Kirani James was supposed to win going away, but instead found three others within .08 at the line! He won by mere thousandths over Gil Roberts who was then dq\u2019d for a lane violation! (Talk about bad luck for Texas Tech \u2013 the home of both Roberts and Osaghe.)<\/li>\n<li>Bad Luck, the song by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, must have been the theme music for Florida this past weekend as not only did Jeff Demps (defending champion) not make the 100 final, but the 4&#215;1 didn\u2019t finish the race, Christian Taylor didn\u2019t make the LJ final, Terrell Wilks didn\u2019t make the 200 final (but finished 5th in the 100) yet they still finished 2 points away from the team title \u2013 the third year in a row that they were 2 points or less away from the trophy!<\/li>\n<li>Florida State, after being on a roll all meet, entered the final event in the lead for the team championship but WITHOUT a team in the relay even though they have a 4&#215;4 squad that has run 3:02.41 this season! Had they been in the race they would have been guaranteed the one point they needed to hold off Texas A&amp;M!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Was there something in the air other than lightning and rain? Then there was New York \u2013 same day different time zone \u2013 and there was weirdness there too!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rain and headwinds were once again the rule of the meet \u2013 in June.<\/li>\n<li>Jeremy Wariner, who earlier this season appeared to be headed back to the zone of \u201cYou Can\u2019t Catch Me\u201d found himself struggling to win over Germaine Gonzales and Rondell Bartholomew by .03 &amp; .04 \u2013 and Bartholomew seriously ran him down!<\/li>\n<li>Half miler Kenia Sinclair put a beat down on a 1500 meter field that included Gelete Burka, Jenny Simpson, Shannon Rowbury and Sally Kipyego.<\/li>\n<li>Half miler Abubaker Kaki, fresh off a SB in Oslo, just pulled up while running the 800. No jostle, no acceleration, just went down around the first turn and stayed down while the others circled the track. He was still there when they came back to mount their finishes.<\/li>\n<li>Lolo Jones, who looked like she was ready to take the hurdles and run away and hide just two seasons ago, was beaten yet again \u2013 this time into 4th place \u2013 as she looked hesitant and unsure of herself.<\/li>\n<li>Allyson Felix won the deuce (her pet event) with what finally looked like a decent turn for her as she outran speed demon Carmelita Jeter in the first 100, yet found Bianca Knight closing on her like a freight train in the final 50 meters as Felix won by only .04. <\/li>\n<li>The men\u2019s 100 saw THREE men dq\u2019d (one at a time) before they finally got the race off. Then Tyson Gay finds himself down some 3 to 4 meters on a blazing Steve Mullings only to come back and lose on the photo. And if having three athletes thrown out in the same race isn\u2019t weird enough, in spite of that huge discrepancy at the start Gay and Mullings had the exact same reaction time (.154)! <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And that\u2019s just what happened this past weekend! I haven&#8217;t even mentioned Bolt being only 9.91 &amp; 19.86 and it\u2019s mid June. Or Sanya Richards not being able to get out of third gear.Or the cooling off of L.J. Van Zyl after a blistering early spring. The bottom line is this season has been CRAZY, and nearly unpredictable. One thing is clear, there is going to be change this year. I\u2019m expecting some old names to just not make it, and some new names to make some serious inroads towards the medal stand. I just have to figure out who \u2013 that\u2019s going to be the hard part. <\/p>\n<p>So I\u2019m going to spend the next couple of weeks trying to handicap our nationals as well as a few events at some other nationals. Really with the hope of trying to get a bead on Daegu \u2013 which I think may end up being the most unpredictable major in quite some time.<\/p>\n<p>I want to start by taking a look at the speed events, which have been experiencing a lot of volatility since Berlin. Below is a chart I\u2019ve started that I\u2019m calling Speed Watch. Basically a snapshot of what\u2019s going on in the speed events. Over the next week I hope to take these names and put them into a meaningful Preview of the U.S. and Jamaican Trials \u2013 and eventually the World Championships, which is why you will see a few names on here already that are separate from the two major powers. I will also take a look at the middle distances this week, as we have had a lot of movement there as well. <\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Speed Watch <\/h3>\n<table border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" width=\"518\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\"><strong><br \/>Athlete<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\"><strong><br \/>Season Best<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\"><strong><br \/>Last Mark<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\"><strong><br \/>Comments<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Tyson Gay<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.79<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">10.26<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">WL in the 100, Says he\u2019s not running deuce, horrible start in New York saw first loss of the season to Mullings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Michael Rodgers<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.85<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">10.36<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Rodgers has been consistent under 10.00, New PR in Eugene, but terrible race in an ugly New York 100<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Darvis Patton<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.94<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">9.94<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Back under 10.00 after a year\u2019s absence, 9.89 in \u201808 &amp; \u201809<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Justin Gatlin<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.97<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">9.97<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Post ban PR in Eugene, first sub-10 since June \u201806, steadily improving<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Travis Padgett<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.99<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">10.02<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Back under 10.00 (w max wind) after 3 year absence, f\/s in New York<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Walter Dix<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">10.00 \/ 20.06<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">20.19<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Only 3 races this year, seemed sluggish early in Eugene 200<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Ivory Williams<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">10.02<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">10.02<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">A sub-10 performer who isn\u2019t there yet this year <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Wallace Spearmn<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">20.18<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">20.18<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">3rd in only outing so far this year behind Ashmeade and Mullings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Mookie Salaam<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.97 \/ 20.05<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">9.97<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">First sub-10 at NCAA\u2019s, steady improvement this year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Maurice Mitchell<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">10.00 \/ 20.19<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">19.99w<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">3rd in NCAA 100, won NCAA 200, looks ready to emerge this year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Jeff Demps<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">10.16 (9.96w)<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">10.40<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Bad race in NCAA semi after dominating collegiate competition all year, will he compete or go back to football<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Usain Bolt<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.91 \/ 19.86<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">19.86<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">WL in the 200, starting year much slower than \u201808\/\u201909\/\u201910<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Nickel Ashmeade<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.96 \/ 19.95<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">9.96<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Lead world in 200 until Bolt in Oslo, new to both sub-10 &amp; 20, find of year so far<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Steve Mullings<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.80 \/ 20.15<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">10.26<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Blazing all year in the 100 with 5 sub-10s, PR in Eugene, edged Gay in New York<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Yohan Blake<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.95 \/ 20.33<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">9.95<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Started year w windy 9.80 but has cooled off since<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Nesta Carter<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.92 \/ 20.25<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">9.92<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Last year\u2019s revelation in limited action so far, just pulled out of New York<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Asafa Powell<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.93 \/ 20.55<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">36.13<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">That 36.13 is for 100 not 300, Powell felt something in Rabat, back home til Nationals<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Michael Frater<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.94<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">9.94<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">PR run in Eugene, just pulled out of New York<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Christophe Lemaitre<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.96<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">9.96<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">With marks of 10.08, 10.00 &amp; 9.96 appears settled in at elite level<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Ngoni Makusha<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">9.89<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">9.89<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">NCAA Champion, twice under 10.00 this year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Carmelita Jeter<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">10.70<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">10.70 <\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">WL 100, four times sub-11 in five races, fourth behind Felix over 200 in New York<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Allyson Felix<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">22.38 \/ 49.81<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">22.92<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">WL in both 200\/400, dominant in 400 until Eugene, won 200 in New York into strong headwind<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Marshevet Myers<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">10.86<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">10.86<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Big PR behind Jeter in Eugene, better start &amp; better close this year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Alex Anderson<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">11.01<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">11.02<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Running well, horrible start in Eugene (hesitated at start as did a couple others) yet still nearly went sub-11<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Shalonda Solomn<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">11.98\/10.90w<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">23.03<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Three of four races have been windy so far in the 100, Third in New York 200<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Lauryn Williams<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">11.15 \/ 22.65<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">11.19<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Solid but unspectacular season so far<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Kimberlyn Duncn<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">11.31 \/ 22.24<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">22.24<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">NCAA 200 Champion who seems to be peaking<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Jeneba Tarmoh<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">11.27 \/ 22.34<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">22.34<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">F\/S NCAA 100, NCAA 200 runner up, also seems to be peaking<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Veronica C-Brown<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">10.76 \/ 22.95<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">10.76<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">PR 10.76 to win in Ostrava, has been hot in the 100 in limited action<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Kerron Stewart<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">10.87 \/ 22.74<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">10.87<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">Very limited season so far, SB in hot Eugene race behind Jeter &amp; Myers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Shelly F-Pryce<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">10.95 \/ 22.69<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">10.95<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">100 mark is only 100 of the season, beat Campbell Brown in 200 w windy 22.10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Sherone Simpson<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">11.00 <\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">11.00<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">SB came in taking 5th at Pre, also 5th in Shanghai<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">Shillonie Calvert<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">11.05<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">11.13<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">PR in Hengelo win, third in Ostrava behind Campbell Brown\u2019s 10.76<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"114\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"91\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"42\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"269\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a week that left me wondering what the heck is going on, it\u2019s time to start to attempt to look at some of the National Trials that are coming up to try and gauge what Daegu is going to look like. And after Des Moines and New York that may not be easy at all! I\u2019ve already talked in depth about what happened in Des Moines \u2013 a lot of bad weather and a lot of Texas A&amp;M in the end. The college kids put forth some sterling efforts, but there was a lot of \u201cweirdness\u201d going on \u2013 especially for athletes considered favorites. I mean, would you have bet that even one of the following occurrences would have happened?&nbsp; Jeff Demps didn\u2019t qualify for the 100 final. Neither did Jeneba Tarmoh who didn\u2019t even get to start her semi after getting dq\u2019d for a false start. Omo Osaghe only cleared one hurdle before crashing out in the final. Jordan Hasay appeared tired. I\u2019ve watched her since she was a high school freshman and she\u2019s never looked tired. Kirani James was supposed to win going away, but instead found three others within .08 at the line! He won by mere thousandths over Gil Roberts who was then dq\u2019d for a lane violation! (Talk about bad luck for Texas Tech \u2013 the home of both Roberts and Osaghe.) Bad Luck, the song by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, must have been the theme music for Florida this past weekend as not only did Jeff Demps (defending champion) not make the 100 final, but the 4&#215;1 didn\u2019t finish the race, Christian Taylor didn\u2019t make the LJ final, Terrell Wilks didn\u2019t make the 200 final (but finished 5th in the 100) yet they still finished 2 points away from the team title \u2013 the third year in a row that they were 2 points or less away from the trophy! Florida State, after being on a roll all meet, entered the final event in the lead for the team championship but WITHOUT a team in the relay even though they have a 4&#215;4 squad that has run 3:02.41 this season! Had they been in the race they would have been guaranteed the one point they needed to hold off Texas A&amp;M! Was there something in the air other than lightning and rain? Then there was New York \u2013 same day different time zone \u2013 and there was weirdness there too! Rain and headwinds were once again the rule of the meet \u2013 in June. Jeremy Wariner, who earlier this season appeared to be headed back to the zone of \u201cYou Can\u2019t Catch Me\u201d found himself struggling to win over Germaine Gonzales and Rondell Bartholomew by .03 &amp; .04 \u2013 and Bartholomew seriously ran him down! Half miler Kenia Sinclair put a beat down on a 1500 meter field that included Gelete Burka, Jenny Simpson, Shannon Rowbury and Sally Kipyego. Half miler Abubaker Kaki, fresh off a SB in Oslo, just pulled up while running the 800. No jostle, no acceleration, just went down around the first turn and stayed down while the others circled the track. He was still there when they came back to mount their finishes. Lolo Jones, who looked like she was ready to take the hurdles and run away and hide just two seasons ago, was beaten yet again \u2013 this time into 4th place \u2013 as she looked hesitant and unsure of herself. Allyson Felix won the deuce (her pet event) with what finally looked like a decent turn for her as she outran speed demon Carmelita Jeter in the first 100, yet found Bianca Knight closing on her like a freight train in the final 50 meters as Felix won by only .04. The men\u2019s 100 saw THREE men dq\u2019d (one at a time) before they finally got the race off. Then Tyson Gay finds himself down some 3 to 4 meters on a blazing Steve Mullings only to come back and lose on the photo. And if having three athletes thrown out in the same race isn\u2019t weird enough, in spite of that huge discrepancy at the start Gay and Mullings had the exact same reaction time (.154)! And that\u2019s just what happened this past weekend! I haven&#8217;t even mentioned Bolt being only 9.91 &amp; 19.86 and it\u2019s mid June. Or Sanya Richards not being able to get out of third gear.Or the cooling off of L.J. Van Zyl after a blistering early spring. The bottom line is this season has been CRAZY, and nearly unpredictable. One thing is clear, there is going to be change this year. I\u2019m expecting some old names to just not make it, and some new names to make some serious inroads towards the medal stand. I just have to figure out who \u2013 that\u2019s going to be the hard part. So I\u2019m going to spend the next couple of weeks trying to handicap our nationals as well as a few events at some other nationals. Really with the hope of trying to get a bead on Daegu \u2013 which I think may end up being the most unpredictable major in quite some time. I want to start by taking a look at the speed events, which have been experiencing a lot of volatility since Berlin. Below is a chart I\u2019ve started that I\u2019m calling Speed Watch. Basically a snapshot of what\u2019s going on in the speed events. Over the next week I hope to take these names and put them into a meaningful Preview of the U.S. and Jamaican Trials \u2013 and eventually the World Championships, which is why you will see a few names on here already that are separate from the two major powers. I will also take a look at the middle distances this week, as we have had a lot of movement there as well. &nbsp; Speed Watch Athlete Season Best Last Mark Comments &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tyson Gay 9.79 10.26 WL in the 100, Says he\u2019s not running deuce, horrible start in New York saw first loss of the season to Mullings Michael Rodgers 9.85 10.36 Rodgers has been consistent under 10.00, New PR in Eugene, but terrible race in an ugly New York 100 Darvis Patton 9.94 9.94 Back under 10.00 after a year\u2019s absence, 9.89 in \u201808 &amp; \u201809 Justin Gatlin 9.97 9.97 Post ban PR in Eugene, first sub-10 since June \u201806, steadily improving Travis Padgett 9.99 10.02 Back under 10.00 (w max wind) after 3 year absence, f\/s in New York Walter Dix 10.00 \/ 20.06 20.19 Only 3 races this year, seemed sluggish early in Eugene 200 Ivory Williams 10.02 10.02 A sub-10 performer who isn\u2019t there yet this year Wallace Spearmn 20.18 20.18 3rd in only outing so far this year behind Ashmeade and Mullings Mookie Salaam 9.97 \/ 20.05 9.97 First sub-10 at NCAA\u2019s, steady improvement this year Maurice Mitchell 10.00 \/ 20.19 19.99w 3rd in NCAA 100, won NCAA 200, looks ready to emerge this year Jeff Demps 10.16 (9.96w) 10.40 Bad race in NCAA semi after dominating collegiate competition all year, will he compete or go back to football &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Usain Bolt 9.91 \/ 19.86 19.86 WL in the 200, starting year much slower than \u201808\/\u201909\/\u201910 Nickel Ashmeade 9.96 \/ 19.95 9.96 Lead world in 200 until Bolt in Oslo, new to both sub-10 &amp; 20, find of year so far Steve Mullings 9.80 \/ 20.15 10.26 Blazing all year in the 100 with 5 sub-10s, PR in Eugene, edged Gay in New York Yohan Blake 9.95 \/ 20.33 9.95 Started year w windy 9.80 but has cooled off since Nesta Carter 9.92 \/ 20.25 9.92 Last year\u2019s revelation in limited action so far, just pulled out of New York Asafa Powell 9.93 \/ 20.55 36.13 That 36.13 is for 100 not 300, Powell felt something in Rabat, back home til Nationals Michael Frater 9.94 9.94 PR run in Eugene, just pulled out of New York &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Christophe Lemaitre 9.96 9.96 With marks of 10.08, 10.00 &amp; 9.96 appears settled in at elite level Ngoni Makusha 9.89 9.89 NCAA Champion, twice under 10.00 this year &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Carmelita Jeter 10.70 10.70 WL 100, four times sub-11 in five races, fourth behind Felix over 200 in New York Allyson Felix 22.38 \/ 49.81 22.92 WL in both 200\/400, dominant in 400 until Eugene, won 200 in New York into strong headwind Marshevet Myers 10.86 10.86 Big PR behind Jeter in Eugene, better start &amp; better close this year Alex Anderson 11.01 11.02 Running well, horrible start in Eugene (hesitated at start as did a couple others) yet still nearly went sub-11 Shalonda Solomn 11.98\/10.90w 23.03 Three of four races have been windy so far in the 100, Third in New York 200 Lauryn Williams 11.15 \/ 22.65 11.19 Solid but unspectacular season so far Kimberlyn Duncn 11.31 \/ 22.24 22.24 NCAA 200 Champion who seems to be peaking Jeneba Tarmoh 11.27 \/ 22.34 22.34 F\/S NCAA 100, NCAA 200 runner up, also seems to be peaking &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Veronica C-Brown 10.76 \/ 22.95 10.76 PR 10.76 to win in Ostrava, has been hot in the 100 in limited action Kerron Stewart 10.87 \/ 22.74 10.87 Very limited season so far, SB in hot Eugene race behind Jeter &amp; Myers Shelly F-Pryce 10.95 \/ 22.69 10.95 100 mark is only 100 of the season, beat Campbell Brown in 200 w windy 22.10 Sherone Simpson 11.00 11.00 SB came in taking 5th at Pre, also 5th in Shanghai Shillonie Calvert 11.05 11.13 PR in Hengelo win, third in Ostrava behind Campbell Brown\u2019s 10.76 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_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-502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-86","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":350,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=350","url_meta":{"origin":502,"position":0},"title":"Oliver &amp; Spearmon End Nationals with a Bang","author":"CHill","date":"June 28, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"This year\u2019s US Championships has been a nice display of both old and new talent, but Sunday\u2019s closing day definitely belonged to the veterans. As time and time again familiar faces stepped up to bat and hit it out of the park. The best of these was David Oliver who\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Jun 26, 2010; Des Moines, IA, USA; David Oliver runs 13.58 for the top qualifying time in the 110m hurdles in the USA Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium. Photo by Image of Sport Photo via Newscom","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view3.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9235264\/track-and-field-usa-track\/track-and-field-usa-track.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":347,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=347","url_meta":{"origin":502,"position":1},"title":"US Nationals \u2013 Keep an Eye on the Collegians","author":"CHill","date":"June 21, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Without a World Championships or Olympic Games berth on the line, this year\u2019s national championships could see a number of individuals choose to focus on things like making money, letting nagging injuries heal, or simply train through nationals while focusing on meets later in the season. If so we could\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 4 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 4 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=347#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jun 12, 2010; Eugene, OR, USA; Queen Harrison of Virginia Tech defeats Ti'erra Brown of Miami to win the women's 100m hurdles, 12.67 to 12.84, in the 2010 NCAA Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field.Photo by Image of Sport Photo via Newscom","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view1.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9097513\/track-and-field-ncaa\/track-and-field-ncaa.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2396,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2396","url_meta":{"origin":502,"position":2},"title":"USATF Championships Review","author":"CHill","date":"July 31, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"For four days America's best track and field athletes got together in Des Moines Iowa to decide who would represent the US at the World Championships. Lots to say, some good, some bad, so let's start with the bad. I'm not sure what the selection process is for championship sites,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Benjamin\"","block_context":{"text":"Benjamin","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=benjamin"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Placeholder_thumb-150x141.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":499,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=499","url_meta":{"origin":502,"position":3},"title":"Bolt Wins Oslo, Lightning Delays NCAA\u2019s","author":"CHill","date":"June 10, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Thursday was the \u201clull\u201d day in this weeks track and field action. In a week sandwiched between the awesome Pre Classic and will end with NCAA finals and what is promising to be an exciting meet in New York, yesterday was rather lacking. We did get Usain Bolt\u2019s seasonal 200\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.ggpht.com\/-nGwHYSLCxDM\/TfJrMmiCIuI\/AAAAAAAAANI\/p4qjS2Lpt7g\/image_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":354,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=354","url_meta":{"origin":502,"position":4},"title":"Track Town USA","author":"CHill","date":"July 5, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The National Championships were recently held in Des Moines Iowa. This year\u2019s NCAA Championships were held in Eugene Oregon. Prompting a bit of back and forth between the media of the two towns as to which played the host role best. It was actually nice to see them \u201cfighting\u201d over\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":412,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=412","url_meta":{"origin":502,"position":5},"title":"US Athletes of the Year for 2010","author":"CHill","date":"October 28, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Having named the World Athletes of the Year, next on the list are the US versions. And as with the global AOY\u2019s the choice for the men is fairly easy while that for the women is a little closer to call.For the men, it\u2019s as easy as selecting the runner\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 9 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 9 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=412#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"ZURICH, Aug. 20, 2010 David Oliver (C) of the United States celebrates after the men's 110m hurdles final at the IAAF Diamond League athletics meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, Aug. 19, 2010. Oliver clocked 12.93 seconds to win the title. (Xinhua\/Yu Yang.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view3.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9569645\/switzerland-zurich-iaaf\/switzerland-zurich-iaaf.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502","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=502"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}