A sideways take a look at the ladies’s 100m hurdles
I’ve all the time been fascinated by the ladies’s dash hurdles, and so they have by no means been higher than they’re now. What has significantly struck me is how vacation occasions have developed during the last two Olympic cycles.
In 2015, Danielle Williams received the world championship with a time of 12.57. The next 12 months, Brianna Rollins received Olympic gold with a time of 12.48. Sally Pearson received the 2017 world championship with a time of 12.59. Since then, instances have simply gotten sooner and sooner.
In 2021, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn took Olympic gold in 12.37, a time which in Paris three years later wouldn’t even have gotten you on the rostrum, with Masai Russell successful in 12.33 and the bronze medalist ending in 12.36.
The identical development could be famous on this planet championship, with Pearson’s 12.59 for gold in 2017 not adequate to get one of many medals in any subsequent World Championships. In 2019, Nia Ali grew to become world champion, working 12.34. 2022 could be discounted because the medalists’ instances of 12.06 and 12.23 had been wind-assisted. 2023 Daniel Williams received a Second World title in 12.43, working in lane 2. Profitable a championship is about progressing via the rounds and producing the wanted time. In these 2023 World Championships, Keni Harrison ran 12.22 in a prelim however solely 12.46 within the closing. However, Williams confirmed glorious competitors administration, working 12.50 within the prelim and 12.51 within the semi – sufficient to succeed in the ultimate, the place she discovered the time she wanted to win.
It’s not simply in championships. The instances are going mad. Take the 9 Diamond League 100h races. The early season races had been one in instances 12.45 to 12.63, However because the season progressed, We noticed Jasmine Camacho-Quinn when in 12.35, 12.36, and 12.38, and Ackera Nugent successful twice, in 12.24 and 12.29, phenomenal instances.
In Brussels, I took the chance to ask double-world champion Danielle Williams what was taking place on Earth.
“ I might undoubtedly agree that there are extra quick hurdlers now than a pair years earlier than. However the 100m hurdles have all the time been extra about velocity than method. As a result of the hurdles are all the time so low, it’s all the time about how briskly you can run. ‘Run’ will not be the precise phrase since you don’t normally run between hurdles, however whoever can transfer the quickest in between. So the sooner you’re on the flat, the faster you possibly can escape not being nearly as good a technical hurdler as a result of it’s not about technical however about how rapidly you will get again to the monitor and run. There are a variety of hurdlers today who can run a quick 100 meters, and that’s why you’ve seen the instances getting a lot sooner. A few years in the past, 12.5 would win any given race, however now, with 12.5, you’re ending within the second half of the race.
“I’m the runner who generates a variety of drive on the monitor. And so that’s counter to what I’m attempting to do within the hurdles as a result of I don’t need to generate drive between them, or I’ll begin crashing into them, which is able to gradual me down. However for a lot of hurdlers, with their method and the mechanics once they’re working, they’ll scoot alongside the ground or the monitor and never generate as a lot drive, so it really works for them that they’ll do each. I can’t do each, so I’ve to do both.
“The game has advanced quite a bit, and a few could be footwear or the surfaces we’re working on which can be making instances sooner. But in addition a variety of it, I feel, is because of having much more schooling when it comes to restoration and learn how to plan their season in addition to higher coaching athletes vitamin”.
Simply maintain anticipating the hurdles to get sooner and sooner!
