Christophe Lemaitre "White Lightning" 9.92 and 19.80!

Lemaitre last 100m is more powerfull than last years,he didn't improve his start who was his weak point,he improve his last meters who was his powerfull point:| but at least is better than nothing,i really hope he can be sub 20 and sub 10 at WC

ZELLGADISS said:

Yes elispeedster, the level is hight in 200m and Lemaitre probably should to be in 19.70 minimum for medal.
But for me it will be easier that in 100 because Bolt and Gay will be in 9.6-9.7 almost sure,Gatlin 9.8 low or 9.7 hight and Blake if he is more or less in good shape easily 9.8 low, and several runners sub 10.
Lemaitre for to get sub 10 is very hard.

Without doubt his chance for medal are a lot of higher in 200 than 100m

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I disagree as far as his 100 meter 'status'...there is a 9.8 sprinter in Christophe Lemaitre looking to break out, no question about it.

In his race in Morrocco, what I noticed is his top end speed was done without straining or break in form, the same with his 200 meter race in England where he came from behind, it looks almost as if he is not pushing beacuse he dosent have to. The problem with his start I think is more technical. There is something in his approach that his holding him back in regards to starting and accelerating quickly.

The added muscle seems to have effected his top end speed more than anything, which is rare. Developing top end speed is much hard to do, it can be done, but improvements are very minor. Either you have it or you don't. If anything, an increase in muscle may slightly inhibit top end speed, in Lemaitre's case, it seems to have benefited him. Starting speed is much more related to power than pure speed which can be developed easier with hard training; a lot of explosive weight training which is foundation of American football players looking to increase their 1st step and 40 yard time (short sprint speed).

I think Lemaitre is only at 70% his potential in both the 100 and 200.

Sorry but my opinion is not same.
For me Lemaitre is a lot of more talented in 200 than in 100.
In 200 i see him in peak 19.6 low while in 100 i only can see him 9.9 low with few wind or 9.8 high with a lot of wind in peak.

He will never be a good starter and with bad first 30m his progression in 100m never will be really great.
I dont see his last metres a lot of better that in the past, i see almost same really, very few improvement.

Sorry if im not so optimistic like somebody here, but i try to be more realistic.

Im great fan of Lemaitre but while i see him wonderful future in 200, in 100 i only can see him with good times usually 9.9-10.0 and perhaps in some great day with a lot of wind 9.8 high.

Regards :becky:

200m, July 6th, meeting AREVA, PARIS, diamond league.

This will be a very good test race for CL, to check his own form comparing to others top competitors aiming for a medal at next world champ.

check out the participant list:

- Usain Bolt, (19"19).
- Christophe Lemaitre (19"80)
- Warren Weir (19’’84)
- Nickel Ashmeade (19"85)
- Churandy Martina (19"85)
- Jason Young (19"86).

Yes LoLy, very good test for him.
The most of his rivals for medals.
Only Gay or any USA runner will not be there...

Amazing race without doubt and possible several sub20 in Paris

truth

CL. will break the european record this summer over 200 meters for sure !!!!..and i do think he can hit the high 9.8s ...remember this guy aint doping , so be patient.!!! last year was a good learning curve for lemaitre ...ie race when you can at the highest level , things can happen !!!, ie dont focus just on the 200 , lemaitre now understands having a world class 100 makes him a medalist over 200 !!! i also think having guliyev compete takes some pressure off him from a(dwf,s) media perspective ie the colour aspect . lemaitre has only raced in ****ty weather so far this year and still produced !!!

fact

fact is there is no european based sprinter who can live with lemaitre over 100 or 200 . vicaut still has to break 10 . he hasnt !!! .. lemaitre is an ultimate competitor ..ie he produces when he really has to . i mean **** me he beat gatlin after falling asleep in the blocks , then had a quick coffee , and then decided to run down justin " juicer " gatlin ...... i will say it again lemaitre is just on a different level to any european( based ):target::target::target::target::target::target: sprinter !!!!

This result is interesting: Collins, who CL made look like a girl in the final 30 meters of their last meeting, did well with a headwind against some tough opposition.

RACE 2 27 JUN 2013 WIND -0.5
POS ATHLETE COUNTRY MARK
1 Asafa POWELL JAM 10.06
2 Kim COLLINS SKN 10.08
3 Mike RODGERS USA 10.16
4 Adam GEMILI GBR 10.19
5 Jimmy VICAUT FRA 10.23
6 G MVUMVURE ZIM 10.41
7 Dwain CHAMBERS GBR 10.65
Kemar HYMAN CAY DQ

freddie said:

This result is interesting: Collins, who CL made look like a girl in the final 30 meters of their last meeting, did well with a headwind against some tough opposition.

RACE 2 27 JUN 2013 WIND -0.5
POS ATHLETE COUNTRY MARK
1 Asafa POWELL JAM 10.06
2 Kim COLLINS SKN 10.08
3 Mike RODGERS USA 10.16
4 Adam GEMILI GBR 10.19
5 Jimmy VICAUT FRA 10.23
6 G MVUMVURE ZIM 10.41
7 Dwain CHAMBERS GBR 10.65
Kemar HYMAN CAY DQ

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Saw the race, more surprising is Vicaut who ran a 10.28 into -4.1 wind last week, could only manage 10.23 with a slight headwind...Chambers was running well, and all of us sudden he looked right and pulled up to last place? I wonder if these guys are taking bets? lol

collins has been dirty for years , how else can one explain a 37 yr old being able to sprint 10 flats , he is not a freak ......these guys are milking as much as they can while they can ... also vicaut is not there yet and i think overrated.. still hasnt broke 10 ....i gaurantee yee guys when moscow comes ...its lemaitre and guliyev who will be making the rest of them nervous .....still think richard kilty has something big in him if he can put it together.....new british u20 100 m champ called josh cox .. watch out for this guy !!!!

Thanks for letting us know about Josh Cox. I need to go look up some more info on him and see if I can find some videos of some of his races. To win the under 20 champs in England takes a heck of alot of talent so it's a great confidence booster for the kid. We have seen Craig Pickering, Andrew Robertson and Richard Kilty all have great success at the junior level. It's time for some of these guys to take it to another level on the senior level. It's a whole different level of competition and you have to take sprinting seriously. That means giving up hanging out with friends most of the time, getting to be early, not getting too distracted by pretty girls, eating right, proper supplementation, a get sport massage person, dietician, strength trainer and a very good coach. You can get away with alot of things not on this list as a teenager but the senior level is the big show. You have to be 100 percent committed. Hopefully Josh Cox can be the man along with Gemeli down the road.

I haven't give up on Richard Kilty yet either. He has all of the talent in the world but I still think Linford Christie is not a coach who will take him to the next level. If I were him, I would get a new coach before next track season. One thing I love about Kilty is that he has very good speed endurance which can really help his 100 times. The kid has been overraced this year similar to Tumi. Both of their coach's do not impress me. You have to make sure your sprinter gets enough rest. Too many races and or overtraining lead to burn out and injuries.

Really Kemar Bailey runs in 100m almost same that Lemaitre.
Very slow first metres and strong in the final part.
He is training with Mills and he is starting very bad yet.

Perhaps for Lemaitre is really hard to start strong and it is harder that we imagine... hwell:

your more than welcome WL. note next week is world uni. games . highlights on eurosport. dont know who is going yet... and indeed lemaitre will run into the low 19.9s or high 19.8s in paris .......bolt has yet to be tested and CL will test him,

good position for CL

could have been better if ashmeade in front and bolt in back

with warm weather we have right now, I see 4 sub 20

1. Bolt 19,73 S.
2. Weir
3. Lemaitre 20,07

The last 100m very good, but the first 100m very bad

Christophe just finished 3rd at 20.07.

I watched it live and saw the replays.

As always CL started horribly and ran a dreadful curve. He might have been last coming out of the curve. Jason Young to his inside had made up the stagger within the first ten steps. But once he came out of the curve, Christophe just started legging it out and passed nearly every runner, one by one--and this was a great field, too. No patsies in this field. Christophe annihilated Vicaut, for example.

Worth noting. I got to watch an extreme slow-mo close up of the start featuring Bolt and LeMaitre. LeMaitre's first three footsteps hit the ground at the same time as Bolts. By the fourth footstep, LeMaitre's foot hit the ground BEFORE Bolt. And yet...Bolt was way ahead by that point. Obviously, he just can't get as much push off each stride. But man Christophe can finish a race as good as anyone who ever wore spikes.

being passed by ashmeade after 30 m is something I don't understand. awfull start and incredible finish. Like against gatlin, it seems his extra muscled don't help him at start, but improve his end speed.

watched live....agree with previous comments....would be interesting to see his second 100 split...i do think he may have been nervous ...his first 100 certainly showed it ..

trackster said:

Christophe just finished 3rd at 20.07.

I watched it live and saw the replays.

As always CL started horribly and ran a dreadful curve. He might have been last coming out of the curve. Jason Young to his inside had made up the stagger within the first ten steps. But once he came out of the curve, Christophe just started legging it out and passed nearly every runner, one by one--and this was a great field, too. No patsies in this field. Christophe annihilated Vicaut, for example.

Worth noting. I got to watch an extreme slow-mo close up of the start featuring Bolt and LeMaitre. LeMaitre's first three footsteps hit the ground at the same time as Bolts. By the fourth footstep, LeMaitre's foot hit the ground BEFORE Bolt. And yet...Bolt was way ahead by that point. Obviously, he just can't get as much push off each stride. But man Christophe can finish a race as good as anyone who ever wore spikes.

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Not happy about this race. Having Weir beat him is not good for Moscow. He will face Bolt, Weir, Ashmeade, Tyson Gay, Walter Dix in the 200. He he may have a hard time to place in the top 4.

I dont understand why his first 100 is always so poor? He was not the slowest 100 meter man in that race. Except for Bolt, the other runners where either on par or less faster in the 100 than Lemaitre. I am tired of hearing how the curve is too tight, blah blah...Lemaitre is the same height as almost all the other runners. Bolt is 6'5, Weir is about 6, Vicaut 6'2, Ashmead 6'2...Leamitre is 6'3...so the too tall to turn is BS. It comes down to proper training and technique.

The comment on how bolt was ahead at the start even though he took less steps is due to Power. Muscle size does not always equate to Power. The fact Lemaitre hit the weights and added size is a good step, but what are his strength levels? If his strength to bodyweight ratio did not increase with his weight, he will not produce the necessary Power. Power=explosive strength. This is most important than pure speed in the short sprints, 50 meters and less.

It's really discouraging that Lemaitre's start seems to have gone from bad to worse.
Yes, his one fast motherfxr, but he will not medal at the World Championships or Olympics with a start like that.
It's really almost unbelievable how poor his start still is, considering that this is something he's needed to work on for years.
Unfortunately his potential may never be fulfilled because of this.

Very horrible first 50m for Lemaitre.
After he ran more or less good.
Really it is a big problem his first 50m.
If he does not improve it in 1 month, medal out...

in 100 his options are 0%, but he will run good , i wait it, and perhaps he can to get a good final and perhaps sub10.

In 200 he has some options but Bolt is impossible of course.
Gay is very strong , although i have doubts that he runs 200 if he finish 100 tired....
I see Weir a step up to Lemaitre.
I see Lemaitre winning to Ashmeade, although they have almost same level in my opinion.
Martina will be in the fight too...

If Gay is in good shape and runs 200, very hard medal for Lemaitre.

The target for Lemaitre is to get sub10 in 100 and sub20 in 200.
After if he has "luck" we will see if he can get some medal in 200...

elispeedster said:

Not happy about this race. Having Weir beat him is not good for Moscow. He will face Bolt, Weir, Ashmeade, Tyson Gay, Walter Dix in the 200. He he may have a hard time to place in the top 4.

I dont understand why his first 100 is always so poor? He was not the slowest 100 meter man in that race. Except for Bolt, the other runners where either on par or less faster in the 100 than Lemaitre. I am tired of hearing how the curve is too tight, blah blah...Lemaitre is the same height as almost all the other runners. Bolt is 6'5, Weir is about 6, Vicaut 6'2, Ashmead 6'2...Leamitre is 6'3...so the too tall to turn is BS. It comes down to proper training and technique.

The comment on how bolt was ahead at the start even though he took less steps is due to Power. Muscle size does not always equate to Power. The fact Lemaitre hit the weights and added size is a good step, but what are his strength levels? If his strength to bodyweight ratio did not increase with his weight, he will not produce the necessary Power. Power=explosive strength. This is most important than pure speed in the short sprints, 50 meters and less.

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Good post, i agree with a good percent of this, especially what you said about weight training, it will be frustrating if he isn't working with a proper knowledgeable Olympic lifting/Compound strength and conditioning coach but instead in Pierre Carraz's run down garage with pink dumbbells doing Bodybuiling style Isolation exercises. At least Lemaitre is heading in the right direction with the weight involvement, If we have to put up with a few poor performances while he adapts to his new body, I'm willing to support him through it.

right now, he has the 8th time at 200m without Dix that hasn't run a ggod 200m yet (but still a pajor competitor).

that just mean that this year the 200m at world champ will be very competitive.

With his current form, CL migh not even reach the final.

Dix is NOT rival for Lemaitre.
1st, he did not run 200 trials because he was injuried.
2nd, he is injuried, he is not running well, no rival in this moment.

The rivals are(Bolt is in another galaxy).

-Gay(very very hard defeat him if he is healthy)
-Weir(in this moment i see him 1 step up of Lemaitre, he is very well)
-Ashmeade(He has more or less same level of Lemaitre, but i see Lemaitre more consistent, he can win him sure)
-Martina(Perhaps a little bit "worst" that Lemaitre but he is good rival, but if Lemaitre is in good shape i can see Lemaitre defeating him)

No more rivals