by Larry EderIn a race where Tyson Gay was dead last for the first 25-30 meters, the American record holder at 100 meters called on serious muscle memory to first reach Justin Gatlin, then defeat him. Gay’s win at the 2012 AREVA Paris meeting is proof that Mr. Gay’s body and mind are furiously improving as we come to less than one month before London 2012.
Here is Tyson’s story…..
Tyson Gay, 2012 US Olympic Trials, by PhotoRun.netTyson Gay had taken nearly a year away from sprinting. Since July 2011,
Tyson Gay had two surgeries, and just began running in April. He is
coming around, now that he is healthy, in leaps and bounds.
Recently I spoke with Jon Drummond, one of Tyson Gay’s advisors, who
made me aware of the fact, that for the past two years, Tyson Gay has
not been able to use the blocks properly, due to his injuries. (Tyson also works with Lance Brauman, who Tyson has worked with since his college days).
Just before the 2012 US Olympic Trials, Tyson Gay told a group of media that he felt good, and wanted to see how where he was. On June 9, Tyson Gay had run his first 100 meters in nearly one year, running 10.00 into a negative 1.5 m/s head wind, winning the B race at the adidas Grand Prix. Many in Gay’s camp sighed a deep breath of relief.
At the US Trials, Tyson Gay ran well in the rounds, after a typical slow start, and made his presence known in the middle of the race. As Justin Gatlin won the Trials in 9.80, a personal best for Mr. Gatlin, Tyson Gay ran 9.86, the first time that he had let his freak fly in a 100 meters in more than a year. Gay had a slow start, but moved up to contention with Gatlin, it was just that, well, Justin is strong and in shape.
Move from June 24 to July 6. Now, on the cool, damp track at the Stade de France for the last event of the evening, the men’s 100 meters.
The race goes off, and Tyson Gay is way back, like last. For the first thirty meters, Tyson Gay was fighting to get into the race. Or perhaps, the better comment might be, that Tyson was just getting into form. We first saw Tyson about fifty meters, and by seventy meters, he was in second. Tyson later told the media, ” I was trying to be patient.”
Over the final thirty meters, Tyson Gay showed, once again, that he is the same guy, but different, who won the 100m and 200m at the Osaka Worlds in 2007. Tyson Gay is fitter, stronger and is getting into race shape the closer we get to London.
Prone to analysis, Tyson noted this about the AREVA race: “The U.S. Trials was a faster
race but here was a better one for me technically.”
Gay ran 9.99 to take first. Justin Gatlin took second in 10.03 and France’s Christophe Lemaitre took third in 10.08.
The soft spoken sprint warrior is just that, make no mistakes. Tyson Gay has the ability to turn his controlled aggression off when he is not on the track. When Mr. Gay hits the blocks, that means that he is ready to race. And on Friday night, July 6, 2012, at the AREVA Paris meeting, Tyson Gay gave the sprint world a wake up call. Tyson Gay is back.
Men’s 100 meters, AREVA Paris: 1. Tyson Gay, US, 9.99, 2. Justin Gatlin, US, 10.03, 3. Christophe Lemaitre, France, 10.08, 4. Nickel Ashmeade, JAM, 10.14, 5. Michael Frater, JAM, 10.14, 6. Michael Rodgers, US, 10.16, 7. Trell Kimmons, US, 10.18, 8. Richard Thompson, TRI, 10.20, 9. Calesio Newman, US, 10.32, wind was 0.0 m/s
