TRACK PROFILE REPORT
#31, 06-Feb-2003
[ The TRACK PROFILE REPORT is written, compiled and edited by Bob Ramsak.
Copyright (c) 2003 by Bob Ramsak and TRACK PROFILE. ll rights reserved.
Reproduction, republication and retransmission in any form is strictly
prohibited without express permission from the editor. Small portions
may be reproduced only if accompanied by source citation and notice in
writing to Track Profile.
---------------
INSIDE
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01. $13.5 Million in Prize Money Awarded in Track & Field in 2002,
Track Profile's Inaugural Prize Money Survey Shows
02. Kevin Toth's 71-2 ½ Bomb: "By no means a peak."
03. From the Shadows, Block Quietly Leads the World
04. A "more focused and relaxed" Trammell Emerges in 2003
05. Ottey (the Slovenian) Still Undecided on World Indoors
06. Briefs - Justin Gatlin, Maurice Greene, Miguel Pate, and
Savante Stringfellow
07. About TPR
------------------------------
[01] - $13.5 Million in Prize Money Awarded in Track & Field in 2002,
Track Profile's Inaugural Prize Money Survey Shows
-----------------------------
More than $US 13 million in prize money and bonuses was awarded in
track & field competitions in 2002, a year-long survey by the Track
Profile News Service revealed.
Based on information received from 55 major international indoor
and outdoor meetings, at least $13,568,466 was awarded last season
--$7,410,812 for men, $6,157,654 for women. Not surprisingly, the
four IAAF Golden League jackpot winners - miler Hicham El Guerrouj of
Morocco, 400 meter hurdler Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic,
Olympic and World Champion sprinter Marion Jones and 400 meter
specialist Ana Guevara of Mexico, who each won a chunk of gold worth
$140,388 for their perfect seven-for-seven GL seasons -- top the
respective men's and women's tallies. 12 women and nine men earned
more than $100,000 in prize money, while 27 women and 32 men earned
more than $50,000. At least 596 men from 70 countries and 484 women
from 66 countries earned prizes in 2002.
While not entirely inclusive -of the 77 meet directors, media
contacts and athlete liaisons contacted, 55 provided insight into
their prize money and payment structures- figures for the top 10 prize
earners can be considered fairly accurate, as virtually all of their
2002 appearances are accounted for in the data.
While the tallies don't include confidentially negotiated appearance
fees and other performance bonuses and incentives -the "real" money
earned by the sport's top stars- they do offer some insight into the
gradual progression of many major meets to a more prize money-oriented
approach. Thirty of the 55 meets that responded to the survey offer
a specific prize money structure, in addition to appearance, bonus and
incentive payments. Another 14 offer a combination more heavily
weighted towards appearance and performance incentive payment to
athletes. Moreover, the data provides a glimpse into the prize money
available in track & field to the majority of athletes who cannot rely
upon appearance fees, large endorsements or sponsorship arrangements.
It is important to note that these figures do not represent annual
earnings by the sport's athletes. As in other sports, many track & field
athletes supplement their incomes with endorsement contracts, a variety
of sponsorships, and in many cases, assistance from their national
federations or governments. Additionally, road races and marathons
offer significant prize money and incentives to distance runners,
figures that are not included here. But while other sports routinely
publish prize money earnings of their associated athletes, such figures
are not readily available for track & field, the marquee Summer Olympic
sport. While professionalism officially entered the sport two decades
ago, there is still a widely held perception, one that is particularly
strong in the United States, that track & field is still an amateur sport.
With its annual prize money survey, Track Profile hopes to help change
that perception.
MEN's Top 10 Prize Money Earners ($ US) -
413,455 Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)
386,410 Felix Sanchez (DOM)
338,500 Tim Montgomery (USA)
134,000 Bernard Lagat (KEN)
110,500 Benjamin Limo (KEN)
109,500 Jonathan Edwards (GBR)
106,100 James Carter (USA)
104,000 Dwain Chambers (GBR)
103,850 Jeff Hartwig (USA)
99,000 Michael Blackwood (JAM)
Prizes By Event Grouping ($ US):
2,512,259 Distance (distances of 800m or more. Track & field
competitions only.)
1,685,148 Sprints
1,325,534 Jumps
1,046,976 Hurdles
818,587 Throws
WOMEN's Top 10 Prize Money Earners ($ US) -
482,388 Marion Jones (USA)
318,410 Ana Guevara (MEX)
242,500 Svetlana Feofanova (RUS)
233,000 Gail Devers (USA)
143,500 Tayna Lawrence (JAM)
136,000 Maria Mutola (MOZ)
127,022 Gabriela Szabo (ROM)
126,500 Osleidys Menéndez (CUB)
110,900 Debbie Ferguson (BAH)
106,000 Berhane Adere (ETH)
Prizes By Event Grouping ($ US):
1,883,070 Distance (distances of 800m or more. Track & field
competitions only.)
1,804,107 Sprints
905,695 Jumps
817,434 Throws
740,040 Hurdles
-------------------------------
[02] - Kevin Toth's 71-2 ½ Bomb: "By No Means a Peak."
------------------------------
When Kevin Toth opened his 2003 campaign with a massive 71-2 ½
(21.70m) indoor PB at Kent State's Black Squirrel Classic on January
11, no one was as shocked as he was.
"That was a hell of an opener, I didn't expect it," he said of his
last round toss that added almost 18 inches to his previous indoor best
from 1994. "But by no means was Kent State a peak."
For Toth, who moved all the way up to No. 10 on the all-time indoor
performers list, that's a very good sign indeed. No shot putter has
ever thrown so far so early in the year.
But rather than attributing his early season form to momentum from
his 2002 season, in which he ranked No. 2 in the world, his highest ever,
the 35 year-old Ohioan credits a new training regimen formulated by a
new coach - former discus thrower Mike Mielke.
"He thinks I can be No. 1 in the world, if not break a world record.
And he's right. I'm a believer now. To see the result in the first
meet of the year is just mind-boggling."
Toth met Mielke at the USOC Olympic Festival in 1991, but the two
never associated much off the track. "He called me in November, and
told me, 'You've got all the tools, you just need some tune-ups here and
there.' " After two back surgeries, Toth says he was wary of letting
anyone in. "My recovery [from training] is totally different. If I
don't have a good enough recovery, I have dead legs because I've had
so much nerve damage. But he was so confident and understood my handicap.
So I let him in the door, and in eight weeks the guy has turned me into
a machine."
Mielke has added an emphasis on cardiovascular development,
flexibility and endurance, adding an hour to the 305-310 pound Toth's
daily training routine, work that Toth says is making him a better pure
athlete. Mielke also stressed some technical details in the back of
the ring. "I'm using power that I've never used before."
Even more encouraging to Toth was that both his big throws -a fourth
round 70-5 also bettered his previous indoor best-were just flat palm
speed throws. "I didn't get any finger pop on either of those throws,"
an element, he says, that could add from one to three feet to a throw.
"I could have gone over 73. It's going to take a thousand throws, but
right now, the thought patterns are in the right direction to where I
can get big throws off. Once I get the technical aspects down and get
in better shape, the sky's the limit. I couldn't even tell you how far
I'm going to throw, but I know it's going to be far. And if you think
about it, the indoor shot is a different ball, it's not a steel ball,
so you can add 18 inches to your outdoor throw. So that's already my
outdoor PR."
"I'm so confident right now. Even after the meet, it didn't sink in
for two days that this is real. That this is going to happen."
But just a few years ago, he was on the verge of quitting. While he
made regular appearances in the seasonal top-ten world lists for much
of the past decade, his 2000 and 2001 seasons were the first since
1992 that he did not earn a top-10 world ranking from Track & Field
News. Something was clearly wrong. Was his competitive fire waning?
Or was he preparing for the slow road to retirement, making room for
the younger corps of US throwers?
Actually, neither. He underwent back surgery 15 years ago, and those
same back problems resurfaced at the most inopportune time - the 2000
Olympic Trials, where he finished fifth. "I had inconsistent training,
and a lot of weakness in my legs because of the damage I had to nerves
in my back," he said last year. "I tried to make it through (competitions),
but it didn't really work." Inconsistency that season --from an early
season 70-5 (21.46m) to only 66-3 (19.58m) at the trials- coupled with
his worsening back actually led him to retire following his 2000 campaign.
"I was just emotionally, mentally and physically kaput. I just had it."
He took a job at a salt mine in Cleveland, spending his days deep
beneath the calm waves of Lake Erie. After three and a half months, his
competitive fire began to reemerge. "It gave me a lot of time to think,
there in that big hole in the ground. I was still training in the weight
room, but hadn't done any throwing. One day, I told my wife that I was
going to take the day off to throw, and if I could throw over 60 feet
18.30m), I was going to go back to throwing." He threw 62 feet (18.90m),
effectively putting a hold on his retirement plan. "So I decided to stick
with it. I went back into training and things were going well." Then,
he says, "I blew out my back," ultimately leading to a second surgery in
February 2001 when, he says, a "horrendous" amount of scar tissue was
removed. Toth emerged a new man. He chose not to publicize the surgery
at the time, opting to take the quiet and patient road back to form.
While certainly pleased with his #2 world ranking last year, Toth said
his 2002 season, in which he extended his PB to 72-9 ¾ (22.19m), was but
a stepping stone to an appearance on the podium in Athens next year. "The
biggest thing is next year. That's what all this is for. This is going
to be kind of a learning year, a year that I'm going to progress and build
on last year. And to make that first Olympic team --which I know I will
do now. And definitely be on that podium for gold."
In the meantime, Toth, who renewed his contract with Nike in December,
says he would like to see shot putters given more opportunities to strut
their explosive stuff, particularly on the lucrative European circuit.
He's convinced the absence of his event stems from C.J. Hunter's drug
positives made public during the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
"The reason is because, unfortunately, C.J. That killed us. That
deflated the balloon, the excitement. Nobody wants to have throwers in
their meet that could possibly test positive." Toth said he was tested
seven times in 2002. "We're doing everything we need to do. I just know,
that given the opportunity by these meet directors, that we can put on a
heck of a show and bring the shot put back to the highest levels it's ever
been at. You don't see that kind of thing like we -Adam, John and myself-
have done. We've brought the event to a new level. We need the
opportunity over in Europe to bring it over there."
Adding to Toth's excitement in 2003 was the birth of his first child,
Kevin Junior, on January 21. "I'm just so fired up right now. With
everything going on, I've got so much inspiration and motivation, and
my heart is there. I'm working harder than I ever have, and my little
baby. Everything is just clicking. It's one great feeling. With so
many years in this sport, and being mediocre, being good at certain
times of the year and not at the right times. I think someone up there
is looking after me. The missing piece is installed now. You're going
to see me at the top pretty much all the time."
Toth competes again this weekend (08-Feb) at Kent State's Doug Raymond
Invitational.
----------------
[03] - Still in the Shadows - Zhanna Block Quietly Leads the World
----------------
Whether it was meant that way or not, Zhanna Block's season opener,
a world-leading 7.09 to win last Sunday's Norwich Union 60 meters in
Glascow, sent a strong signal that the reigning World 100 meter champion
has not been in the least bit distracted by the tempest surrounding her
chief rival's highly publicized coaching situation.
Indeed, while virtually everyone in the track world has been forced
to weigh in on the Marion Jones/ Tim Montgomery/ Charlie Francis story,
Block didn't really have much to say, and seemed to care even less.
"What can I say?" she told TPR in late December. "I'm very surprised
about this, but it's her decision. If I was in her place, I wouldn't
have done this. She probably has her own reasons why she's doing this."
But most telling about the 30 year-old Ukrainian's debut in Scotland,
a performance just two one-hundredths shy of her PB set ten years ago,
is that it came merely on the heels of early season strength and endurance
conditioning, boding extremely well for her bid to defend her World title
in August.
In addition to heavy base weight lifting and endurance running, Block
said her current training consists mainly of "a lot of high volume stuff -
200s and 300s, repeats, 7-8 times. "Usually in spring it starts changing,
less volume and more intensity. Usually by May it's 100 per cent intensity."
Initially, her plan was to skip the World Indoor Championships,
indicating that the mid March event is too late in the indoor season,
conflicting with her early season training regimen. "To prepare for a
championship, you have to cut the base training early, and focus a lot
on sprints and short stuff. You will definitely pay the price at the
end of the summer at outdoor Worlds. We prefer to prepare better for
outdoors rather than indoors." But husband, coach and agent Mark Block
indicated on Tuesday (04-Feb) that with her strong start, they will keep
that option open.
In addition to a title defense in the 100 meters, Block said she is
aiming for a double sprint win in Paris, planning to reclaim the 200 title
she won in 1997. "It's pretty much decided," she said. "I will probably
compete in two to four 200 meter races during the summer, and it depends on
what kind of shape I'm in in the 200. But right now, yes." Her schedule
will include eight-to-ten 100 meter races, in addition to three or four
indoor 60s.
Reflecting on her 2002 season, in which she was ranked No. 2 in the
100 and No. 4 in the 200 by Track & Field News, Block has few regrets.
"It went pretty well for me, except for a few races. I wish I had more
opportunity to run in the Golden League in the early season." But, she
added, alluding to the complex negotiating practices in the world's major
meets, "That's something that was not up to me."
Husband Mark told TPR that, despite her World title and world-leading
performances, she was generally offered only ten percent of what Marion
Jones received on the Grand Prix circuit last year. Jones reported
appearance fee is widely believed to be upwards of $75,000 for the Grand
Prix meets.
While Block had the fastest 100 meter performance in the world last
year (10.83), her 2002 season may be most remembered by her second false
start and subsequent disqualification from the GP Final in Paris.
It's one of those things," she said, with a laugh tinged with some
resignation. "The first false start was actually pretty close, and I
was thinking it wasn't me, and I guess I just lost my focus for a second.
I don't know how it happened, because I don't typically false start."
What did she learn from the false start that her husband described as
one "a blind man in Kyiv saw while listening to the radio?" "To stay
focused," she said, again laughing. "You can't prepare [for something
like that]. In sports those things happen sometimes. On one day you
can just have bad luck. Athletes - we're just human, and those things
can happen."
Though a seasoned veteran of the sprint wars, she admits that she's
always learning her event. She believes that the strongest aspect of
her race lies in its second half. "I'm pretty get in the last forty
meters. My start is pretty decent, but my acceleration is so-so. It's
improved, but it's still not ideal. I'm pretty solid technically, but
I'm always searching for little things."
Immediately after her narrow win over Jones in Edmonton, perhaps the
largest upset of the 2001 World Championships, Block viewed her 10.82
national record as a perfect race. "At that point, I thought it was close
to a perfect race. I didn't make any major mistakes. But now, coming
back and watching the tapes, me and Mark, we found two or three, not big,
but not so small mistakes."
She also believes she's capable of going faster than her Edmonton PB.
"I hope I can go sub-10.8. My goal is to break the European record,"
Christine Arron's 10.73, set in 1998. "It could happen any day. It could
have happened last year in the right place under good conditions." Flo
Jo's 14 year-old 10.49 is a different matter, though. "You don't set
your goals but so far. I'm not talking about world record yet."
While some athletes couldn't bear the idea of training with a spouse,
the Blocks seem to have a workable arrangement. "On a good day it's good,"
she said, again laughing. "You know, you try to separate the family stuff
from training stuff. Sometimes it comes across. If you have a bad day on
the track, you're going to bring this home." But the pluses outweigh the
minuses. "But in the meantime, I can tell Mark everything about how I feel,
and he understands. He knows everything (that's going on in my life) both
on and off the track, so that is actually helpful. Overall, it's more good
than bad."
But the arrangement (they married in 1999) did take some getting used to.
"The first year was the hardest one," she remembers. "We come from different
schools - I come from the East European school, and he comes fro the American
school. It was a big adjustment. But now it's actually easier, He understands
me better and I understand Mark better. And we've adjusted a lot of stuff
in the training."
Her competitive and training schedule only allows about six weeks of down
time each year, spare time that's enjoyed by doing not much at all. "We have
a place in Miami, where I stay on the beach and do nothing." She said she
goes home to Ukraine fairly often, is based there for much of the summer,
and plans to spend most of this month there.
While she's been among the world's fastest sprinters for more than a decade,
Block has no foreseeable retirement plans. "I hope to make it 2008," she said.
"You have to take one year at a time, but definitely until 2005. If I stay
fast enough and can compete with the rest of those girls, I will try to make
it through 2008."
Her outdoor debut, still undecided, will most likely come in late May or
early June. Her next race is the 60 meters at the Energizer Euro meet in
Gent, Belgium, on Sunday (09-Feb).
------------------------------
[04] - A "more focused and relaxed" Trammell Emerges in 2003
------------------------------
With a few races under his belt this season, reigning World 60 meter
hurdle champion Terrence Trammell's road to Birmingham begins in earnest
this weekend at the Verizon Millrose Games in New York City, where he will
attempt to win an unprecedented sprint/hurdle double in a span of just 25 minutes.
"My training's going pretty well these days, I feel a lot stronger,"
the 24 year-old said, quite confident that he's up to the task on Friday
evening. "You know, it's a challenge, but I feel that I'm able to compete
well in both events and I'd like to try my hand at it."
With early season bests of 6.61 in the flat race and 7.53 in his
specialty -races he described as "tune ups"-Trammell seems poised to return
to the form that led him to the top of the podium in 2001.
While a strong competitor at the collegiate level, Trammell burst onto
the international scene in 2000, first with a third place showing at the US
Olympic Trials, and then with a surprise 13.16 performance to strike Olympic
silver in Sydney behind Cuban Anier Garcia. Six months later in Lisboa,
Trammell overcame a horrendous start to out-lean Garcia in 7.51, beating back
the Cuban by three one-hundredths to claim World Indoor gold. But he struggled
later that year and in 2002. He managed to make the US squad for Edmonton,
but missed a spot in the final by one one-hundredth of a second, finishing
third in his semi-final behind eventual bronze medallist Dudley Dorival.
Those struggles, Trammell believes, are behind him, now that he has completed
his degree in Retail Management from the University of South Carolina.
"I'm very relieved, that was big weight off my shoulders." Figuratively,
it seems, as well as literally. "This is actually the first time that I've
been able to go to a track meet and not worry about carrying three or four
textbooks."
And, he says, it'll be a more focused athlete that defends his World Indoor
title on March 15. "I'll be able to focus and relax more. The past two
years I've been a full-time student as well as an athlete. On this level,
with these caliber athletes, you can't really afford to have too many things
take you away from the track. I felt kind of like I was at a disadvantage for
a while, but I understand, and I value my education very much. Now I'm able
to train and take in little things that I wasn't able to take care of when
I was in school."
While such a double win would be unprecedented at the prestigious Millrose
event, Trammell has some experience with the short recovery the meet schedule
imposes. At the 2001 adidas Golden Spike Invitational in Pocatello, Idaho,
he managed a 7.66 and 6.45 double victory, the latter a personal best, after
17 hours of airport delays forced him to compete on just four hours sleep.
"It all comes down to the fitness level of the athlete," he insists. "I just
want to go out and execute my technique."
That technique has come a long way, thanks to his relationships with coach
Curtis Frye and training partner Allen Johnson.
"It's an extreme asset to train with someone like Allen," he says of the
three-time World Champion and Olympic Gold Medallist from Atlanta. "I mean,
I think Allen can run until he's forty or 45. He's that caliber athlete.
Just the knowledge and the wisdom he's passed on to me has been instrumental
to the way I've been able to compete." Theirs is a competitive attitude, he
says, that can be likened to "going against an older sibling."
Is he still learning from the Johnson? "I don't think you can ever know
everything about hurdling. It's such a unique event. The amount of technical
knowledge and skill you have to portray on the track takes a lot of
concentration and focus. I think it takes quite a while to maximize the
potential. They always say, 'you can never run a perfect hurdles race',
although that's what all hurdlers try to do."
As the defending national champion in the 60 meters, Trammell said he
would like to aim for a double at the national indoor championships in early
March, but such an attempt is "still up in the air," something he and Frye
will determine in the next few weeks. "We're trying to determine if that
will be feasible. That would be a pretty big challenge, though I would like
to be able to do so."
------------------------------
[05] - Ottey (the Slovenian) Still Undecided on World Indoors
------------------------------
For 42 year-old Merlene Ottey, masters or age-group records are apparently
not much to get excited about.
After her low-key season opener in Vienna on January 28 --7.30 in the
60m and 23.93 in the 200, both world bests in the 40+ category-- the native-born
Jamaican who acquired Slovenian citizenship last year said she was not at all
pleased with her debut for new country.
The Slovenian daily, Delo, reported that Ottey admitted that she has quite
a bit of work to do before she decides to try to add to her collection of 34
World Championship and Olympic medals. But long-time coach Srdjan Djordjevic
expects significant improvement in the coming weeks leading up to a possible
appearance at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England.
"Merlene had very intense training in the past ten days, and was feeling
jet-lagged after a recent trip to Los Angeles," Djordjevic told Delo. "Her
start was not very good, and technically she had some problems." The 1997
World 200 meter champion was "very tired" after her two rounds in the 60,
Djordjevic said, but she decided to compete in the 200 as an afterthought.
Djordjevic said that if she makes it to the starting line in Birmingham,
it will only be in the shorter sprint, and only if she lowers her time to
about 7.15. "If she doesn't, then there will be a question as to whether she
can compete in a demanding competition such as the World Championships."
Ottey, who turns 43 on May 10, set the still-standing world indoor record of
21.87 in the 200 ten years ago, and had her 2002 season shortened by arthroscopic
surgery early last summer. Her personal best in the 60 meters is 6.96 from 1992,
making her the fourth fastest ever over the distance.
Djordjevic said that Ottey's ambition is not only to compete, but to compete
well. "Merlene has high aspirations," he said, and she has indicated that she
plans on competing through 2004. Maybe then, she'll consider her onslaught of
masters' records noteworthy.
Ottey will compete in the 60 meters in Sunday's (09-Feb) Energizer Euroseries
meet in Gent, Belgium.
-----------------------------------
[06] - Briefs - Justin Gatlin, Maurice Greene, Miguel Pate, and Savante
Stringfellow
-----------------------------------
~ One of the highlights of tomorrow's Verizon Millrose Games in New York
City will be Justin Gatlin's highly anticipated professional debut. Gatlin,
who ended his brief collegiate career with six NCAA sprint titles, left the
University of Tennessee in September to train with Trevor Graham in in Raleigh,
North Carolina.
"It's all about bettering myself," he told TPR in early December. "It's
all about getting to that next level. And that's why I'm here in Raleigh right
now." [ for more, read my article for the IAAF at
http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=20152.html ].
Gatlin served a brief suspension for amphetamine last year, a prescription
medication he'd been taking for Attention Deficit Disorder. Not in the least
bit bitter about his ban, Gatlin, who turns 21 on Monday (10-Feb), plans to use
his experience with the condition to help youngsters coping with the condition.
"I do want to help people out there who are ADD/ADHD," he said. "To work
with kids and give them moral support. It really can be a self-estemm situation.
For kids with it, you don't have high self-esteem. You feel like you're not
a normal kid and you want to hide it. And that's what I did for a long time.
I want to tell'em 'It's OK, you're better than that. Don't let something like
that stop you.' "
He's also using his short-lived ban as a motivating force. "A lot of people
can't come back from something like that," he said. It hurts them mentally and
physically. I want to prove to everyone that I'm a strong person and that I
have what it takes to be one of the best in the world."
~ In its endless pursuit of TV time, should track & field have to resort to
spectacles similar to Fox's Man Versus Beast? No way, says Maurice Greene.
"You won't see me racing any animals," the 2000 Olympic and three-time World
100 meter champion said. "I think it's degrading to us as sprinters."
Last month, world indoor 200 meter champion Shawn Crawford went head-to-head
with a giraffe and a zebra, easily beating the former, but losing out to the
latter.
Greene, who opened his season in earnest at last weekend's adidas Boston Indoor
Games with a 6.52 win in the 60 meters, will compete tomorrow night at the
Verizon Millrose Games, the third competition in what will be his most extensive
indoor campaign since 1999. [ For more on Greene, see my article for the IAAF at
http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=20301.html ]
~ Four-time NCAA 100 meter champion Angela Williams began her first full
professional season with a 7.19 performance in the 60 meters at the adidas Boston
Indoor Games, finishing second. Williams, who turned 23 last Friday (30-Jan),
trains with Greene as part of the HSI training group, and Greene had nothing but
praise for the young sprinter.
"I've always thought she was a tremendous athlete," Greene said. Right now
she's learning a lot of things, so she's very confused because she's doing things
that she's never done before. I think it's going to take her a little while to
catch onto it because she's thinking a lot. I think it's going to take her at
least a good two months before she gets the hang of everything and let her true
talent really show."
~ 2002 saw a strong resurgence for US long jumpers, led by World Cup winner
Savante Stringfellow and the latest member of the 28-foot club, Miguel Pate.
And, just 24 and 23 respectively, the best may still lie ahead for the duo.
Pate remembers quite well a Track & Field News critique of the US long jump
scene a few years ago, and described it as unwarranted.
"They dogged us," he said. "We were young. We were doing good in the
situation where we were supposed to do good. We weren't supposed to be doing
good in the international scene. But when it came to be our time, we stepped
it up, and accepted the challenge. They just didn't give us the time, they just
dogged us before we got a chance to prove ourselves."
While it might take some time, neither considers Mike Powell's 29-4 1/2
(8.95m) world record, set 11 years ago, unreachable.
"It's going to take a battle," said Stringfellow. "It's going to be the
person who's mentally ready. Now, I think we're in the shape where we probably
could jump that far. But age and experience in the sport comes with that. I've
only been doing this six years. Mike Powell, was I want to say, a little bit
older than me when he did it. He had Carl Lewis battling every meet. Every
meet he had someone there who he knew was going to push him. And, I think when
he realized how to handle that, that made it --I'm not going to say it made the
record easier-- but that gave him something to push for every time he competed.
And I'm pretty sure that when he went out [and broke the record] he wasn't
trying to do it, it's something that happened. He knew that he had to beat
Carl Lewis. So it'll come like that.
Neither will go on a limb and predict a record. "It's not going to be
planned," said Stringfellow. "I'm not going to be like Tim Montgomery and
predict it, but I think it'll come from one of the young jumpers."
Ironically, Pate too mentioned Tim Montgomery. "I don't want to be like
a Tim Montgomery and put added pressure on myself, because that just adds
stress. If you go out and tell everyone you're going to break the WR this
year, then you have to go out and do it. I want to be the type of guy, that
if it just happens, it happens. I don't want any added stress on myself."
Stringfellow offered some suggestions on how to bring track & field into a
somewhat brighter limelight. "I think you have to market the young athletes,"
he said. "Right now they market two or three people, and that's it. And they
only market them around the Olympics. I have a lot of people asking me, 'What
do you do?' And I tell them I long jump. And their response is, 'So you're
just training for the Olympics?' I think that if they understood that this
is a job, that it's something that goes on every year, that they'd really have
an understanding of it. Marion Jones is marketed, Maurice Greene. But outside
of those two, there's really not a lot that people know about track and field."
The two have become friendly rivals, both on and off the track, since their
freshman year in college. "We didn't know then that we would turn out to be
one and two in the world," Said Pate. "We've both come a long way. Our
relationship has grown now, since we're on another level. He helped me through
when he was already on the scene, and he helped me get through my first year.
That helped us grow closer."
Stringfellow debuted indoors in Stuttgart, Germany last Sunday (02-Feb),
finishing third with a 26-4 1/2 (8.04m) leap, while Pate makes his first
appearance at the Tyson Invitational on February 15 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
[ For more on Stringfellow and Pate, see my article for the IAAF at
http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=20137.html ]
-----------------------
[07] - About TPR
-----------------------
The TRACK PROFILE REPORT is a news and feature-oriented bi-weekly newsletter.
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TRACK PROFILE REPORT
#31, 06-Feb-2003
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