By Louis Ritchie
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, also known, as the POCKET ROCKET and one of the greatest women sprinters of all time, I think, needs to get back her explosive start, to compete against the likes of Blessing Okagbare, Tori Bowie, Elaine Thompson and Jenna Prandini.
Every rocket has to have its Booster Fuel to get off the ground and it’s the same thing with SAF-P. If she doesn’t have that fast explosive start of hers, she’s going to have a hard time winning the 100 meters this year at the World Championships and it could carry over to the Olympics next year. The reason SAFP has been winning her races, is when she explodes out of the blocks, (like a pocket rocket) she separates herself from the rest of the field by about 4 to 5 meters and she usually can hang on to the finish line. But lately, she seems to have burnt up all of her booster fuel!
SAF-P, is not tall enough to come from behind to catch the taller world class sprinters. She’s what I call a “catch me if you can” runner, because of her start. But when it comes to trying to catch people from behind, she’s not built that way (standing only 5 feet tall). That’s why you usually never see her come from behind and pass people! If you watch her run anchor leg, in the 4×100 meter relay, and she’s behind, how many times have you seen her catch and pass anybody? That’s another reason why SAF-P, should never run anchor leg! She’s only good at the anchor leg, if she has a lead by at least 4 or 5 meters! Her strongest leg on the 4×100 meters is her explosive start!
Just like Jesse Owens did in the 1936 Olympics, when the U.S. had him run the starting position in the 4×100 meter relay, to take advantage of his starting ability, and they went on to set a new world record. I know SAF-P wants to run anchor leg, (what some people call the glory position), but that’s not her strong suit. Maybe by the time the World Championships comes around, she’ll have that Booster Fuel she needs to win another World Championships. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Good luck SAF-P, we want to see you compete again!
**The views expressed in this article are those of the author (Louis Ritchie) and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, TrackAlerts.Com