THE remarkable Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ascended back to the throne of world sprinting in Doha and, in her wake, followed a woman who many will now see as her successor.
Dina Asher-Smith’s star has been on a steady rise for some time now but the 23-year-old moved into a new stratosphere altogether by taking 100m silver at the Khalifa Stadium.
She lowered her own British record to 10.83 (0.1 m/sec) to land her nation’s first ever individual women’s medal at the distance in world championships history behind the remarkable, world-leading 10.71 performance of a Jamaican who has made a spectacular return to the sport since becoming a mother two years ago.
Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast took bronze in 10.90, while Olympic champion Elaine Thompson finished out of the medals in fourth place after clocking 10.93.
Two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands did not contest the final due to an adductor problem she felt after qualifying in the semi-finals.
On the evening Tori Bowie was sprinting to 100m gold at London 2017, Fraser-Pryce was going into labour but, in 2019, she wrapped her arms around her son Zyon on the track in Qatar as she celebrated the capture of her eighth world title – four of which have come over 100m.
She had gone into the final looking like the favourite, having been fastest throughout qualifying and laying down an ominous marker of 10.80 in the opening heat (the fastest ever recorded at this stage of the event) and 10.81 in the semi-final.
After the spectacular light show, she made her trademark lightning start, the 32-year-old quickly established a lead and could not be caught.
Denne historien er fra October 03, 2019-utgaven av Athletics Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra October 03, 2019-utgaven av Athletics Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Carbon Footprint
You'd have had to have been running on a different planet to miss all the recent debate about carbon-plated shoes. The talk of bans and performance enhancement has been so widespread that even non-runners are asking their running friends about the potentially magical footwear.
Trail time
WHEN looking for a trail or off-road running shoe, it’s often all about the grip. However, given that no two paths are the same, careful consideration is required. What’s the terrain like where you’ll wear the shoes the most? If you’ll be negotiating soft, wet and muddy conditions then look for deeper lugs. For tackling gravel tracks and forest trails then more evenly spaced lugs will work better. When it comes to cushioning, consider how hard the ground will be; if it’s soft then you’ll be fine in low-profile shoes, but on those firmer tracks reasonable cushioning will be called for.
Stay neutral
EVOLVING every year, if not month, neutral cushioned shoes are seeing developments in cushioning materials and dynamics at a pace which is nothing short of astonishing. The latest models feature new polymers in the midsoles to give them a cushioned feel while at the same time keeping their weight to a minimum. Give them a spin and choose the most comfortable for mile after mile of shock absorbing running.
Support network
WHEN it comes to ‘over-pronation’, a common question is ‘how much is over?’. With no hard and fast rules, it’s best to choose a shoe that instinctively feels right. Gait analysis can often assist in helping you make this choice and your specialist running store is always a good place to start if in doubt. To help you make that choice, here’s a selection of some of the best ‘support’ shoes around.
Need for speed
THE racing shoe segment of the market is becoming somewhat split. This is partially due to the rise of carbon-plated footwear but also the fact that many shoes are becoming much lighter. Here we take a look at some of the leading contenders to toe the line in.
Gadget show
WITH technological products to enhance every area of life, running is now no different. From headphones to treadmills, the devices to aid performance and recovery are endless. Here we take a look at some of the latest gadgets and gizmos to enhance your training.
What's in a shoe?
We bust some of the jargon around footwear
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