Is Yoshihide Kiryu the next Usain Bolt?
Yoshihide Kiryu recently ran 10.21 & 10.19 for 100 meters as a 16 year old. Next year he’ll still be considered a Youth (16/17 year old)!
To put it in comparison, Jeff Demps ran 10.25, Ivory Williams ran 10.27 and Quincy Watts ran 10.30 all at the age of 17.
For Juniors (18/19 year old), Adam Gemili ran 10.05 as a rookie 18 year old, with the record going to fellow countryman Mark Lewis Francis with his 9.97 at age 19.
Here is Yoshihide Kiryu’s race video on YouTube:
Talent Identification
One has to look at the comparison between Asafa Powell vs Usain Bolt.
Can you imagine having a 17 year old male sprinter on your team who runs 11.45 for 100 meters, then the following year as a freshman Junior he runs 10.50. 10.18 and 10.24 are the IAAF “A & B” standard so do you dare to write him off as “Nah, he’ll never be a world class sprinter” kind of attitude. Would YOU write him off?
It was only in his 5th year where he broke 10.00 in 2004 followed by his 9.77 WR in 2005 in Athens.
Even Michael Jordan was cut from his HS basketball team. Billionaire Richard Branson was labeled a “low achiever” because of his dyslexia.
Remember, Dallas Cowboys’ Emmitt Smith was 1st round but 17th pick! But Blair Thomas was 1st round 2nd pick and 1st running back! Where is Blair in the all time greats?
On the other hand, Usain Bolt was discovered early in his youth (we know his story by now). Yoshihide KIRYU is in that same class. Or is he?
Performance vs Potential
You can’t confuse performance vs potential.
One has to look at the NFL Football combine, and what you see is not what you get, in hindsight.
We have several examples from Youths who never live up to their expectations, and…
Remember Obea Moore? A 45.14 400 meters as a 16 year old!
And then there are late developers like Asafa Powell.
You can’t judge potential by numbers alone.. just ask any Venture Capital firm doing their due diligence when investing in a company. They go beyond the resume. Beyond the numbers. Beyond degrees and MBA’s.
In track, don’t go on certifications or degrees in coaching. For athletes, don’t rely on performance tests like the NFL combine.
Never underestimate training facilities. Stephen Francis’ MVP club has very poor facilities compared to a NCAA Div 1 school. The Rocky IV movie was a great example how crude facilities can win (thought it was just a movie).
Never underestimate character and mental toughness…
Stephen Francis said the performance environment is not designed for comfort. Hunger rules! Because the most important thing in an athlete is what he’s NOT telling you. What’s the drive? The hunger? The motivation?
Someone simply has to remove the obstacles so your true potential will shine.
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Great post, its always easy to proclaim great young talents as the next big thing, (and dismiss other athletes that don’t perform as well really early) but often we neglect the myriad of factors that affect becoming a truly elite level athlete in any sport. Hopefully this kid can continue to develop and become a great sprinter. It would be awesome for the 100m to have a Japanese superstar
Yes… Yes… YES!
Loved it!
I expect to make some articles about this japanese sprinter in next future. As always, data about Jimson Lee are very nice to see!
Past days I’ve putted an article about Churandy Martina who I consider him as a great competitor in major events. I put the link if someone want to see it.
http://radunga-dejandohuella.blogspot.com.es/2012/11/churandy-martina-el-nomada-de-la.html
@radunga, thanks for sharing! Yes, Martina is one of my favorite athletes… a class act.
obviously great young talent … what will be interesting is to see not only how he ..but also his compatriots develope over the next couple of years.. with this kind of speed so young he obviously has huge potential ,way more then any of his jamaican or US or european age equals….lets see if he can develope into top under 20 ………
whats interesting is that neither mark lewis francis or harry aikenes arytee, have really hit the heights of their junior performances , even though both are of jamaican ancestry neither are comparable to sprinters from the mother country , even though they regularly beat everybody as juniors ….is there more to developement in the caribbean then meets the eye ???? or do michael jonhsons questionable theories hold sway ???…..
Re Michel Jordan – It’s a myth that he was cut – he was placed on the JV team for developmental reasons – MJ’s talent was well recognized and appreciated http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1193740/index.htm
@Clarence, thanks for clarifying!
He just ran 10.01 today in Hiroshima. Very impressive considering its still early in the season
in basketball , being put on a developemental team is a nice way of being cut . regardless mj went on to be one of worlds greatest ever proponents of basketball , and an idol for millions , even if i was a john stockton fan :::))))
Yoshihide Kiryu just ran 10.01 (+0.9) today, age 17, exciting prospect!