• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Click here to download the  free ebook of Alberto Juantorena’s  detailed training workouts leading up to the 1976 Montreal Olympics

SpeedEndurance.com

Success in Track & Field ... and Life

  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
  • Track & Field
    • 400 meters
    • 800m & Mile
    • 1/2 & Full Marathons
    • Long & Triple Jump
    • Hurdles
  • Training
    • Weight Training
    • Abs & Core
    • Injury Prevention
    • Shoes & Spikes
    • Masters
  • Coaching
    • Freelap Friday Five
    • Interviews
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Sport Psychology
  • Archives
  • Shop
    • My account
    • Checkout
    • Basket

Great Britain and the 4x100m Relay

You are here: Home / Coaching / Great Britain and the 4x100m Relay
8
SHARES
FacebookTwitter

August 19, 2014 by Jimson Lee Leave a Comment

Last Updated on January 10, 2015 by Jimson Lee

It was 10 years ago in Athens 2004 when Great Britain upset the Americans at the Olympic 4x100m Relay.

The original 4 from that group, Darren Campbell, Mark Lewis-Francis. Marlon Devonish and Jason Gardener, were at London’s Battersea Park for a community volunteering event to re-live the best moment of their careers.

Here is the full article on the The Telegraph.

The focus was teamwork and practice.  Years of it, not some relay camp.

Q. How hard can it actually be to get a baton all the way round a track? <snip>

MLF: That’s what happens when coaches put people together who have had no training. That’s why people mess up.

JG: We were the by-product of years and years of work. We could pretty much do the changeovers with our eyes shut. I would call “Hand!” to Darren, and I knew where I was going to catch up to him. These are things you just get to know by working with people.

DC: Marlon’s hand always went to the same place. That’s how I could do it with my eyes closed. You have to let your subconscious take over. We practised and practised, so thought process didn’t come into it.

MD: Elsewhere, the baton being dropped started becoming an issue. It became hard-wired. People were thinking “we mustn’t drop the baton”, which shouldn’t be the thought process whatsoever. Not once did we discuss the baton not getting around. It was always about how quickly.

It’s hard to think a low 38 would actually win an Olympic 4x100m, but this was before the Jamaican explosion where a 37 second result is “disappointing” in favour of a 36-point World Record!

See also  Darren Campbell Diet vs. Peter Radford Smorgasbord

Here is the video on YouTube (embedding disabled)

Onwards to 2014 European Championships

Team GB 4x100m relay 2014 European Championships

So Team GB ran the Men’s 4x100m  without running…

  • The British Champion (Dwain Chambers)
  • The European Champion (James Dasaolu)
  • The Fastest Britain In 2014 – 9.96 (CJ Ujah)
  • Adam Gemili, sub-20 200m winner the day before

The only change they made was the finals were Adam Gemili ran the anchor.  Note the other 3 who did NOT run are sub-10 sprinters.  So to leave off your best individual 100m sprinters in favour of teamwork and practice worked out well for Team GB.

When you think of it, so much can go wrong in three 20m exchange zones when running at 12 meters per second.

So as a Coach, you have to go with your gut instinct and name 6 to your team who know each other very well.  Don’t take off too soon, and keep your arm and hand steady.  The incoming runner will be tiring and decelerating, just like any 100m sprinter at 100 or 110 meters.

It should be that easy, no?

Category iconCoaching,  Track & Field Tag iconDarren Campbell

About Jimson Lee

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xbs-aWxyLk

Shop Our Store

  • Bud Winter (9)
  • Championship Productions (6)
  • Clyde Hart (2)
  • Derek Hansen (1)
  • Electrical Muscle Stimulation (2)
  • Jim Hiserman (6)
  • Jimson Lee (4)
  • Uncategorised (0)

Articles by Category

Products

  • Jim Hiserman - Developing 800m Runners: Identifying, Categorizing and Developing 400m-800m Type Athletes $42.99 $39.99
  • Private Coaching - Monthly Plan $600.00 $525.00
  • Jim Hiserman - Developing Distance Runners Volume 2 Jim Hiserman - Developing Distance Runners Volume 2: A Systematic Approach to Developing Individual Success within a Dynamic Team Culture $34.95 $29.95
  • Feed-the-Cats-Clinic-3-Pack-701 'Feed the Cats' Clinic 3-Pack $64.99
  • Tony Holler's Feed the Cats": A Complete Sprint Training Program Tony Holler's "Feed the Cats" Complete Sprint Training Program $49.99
  • Bud Winter and Speed City presents Arthur Lydiard 509x716 Bud Winter & Arthur Lydiard MP3 [Download only] $9.99

RECENT POSTS

  • Here is our 400m Discussion Recording… over 2 Hours Long
  • The Best Free Coaching Book – post Beijing 2022 Olympics
  • The Ultimate 400m Track Webinar for Coaches & Athletes
  • NACAC Athletics Coaching Science Series 2022
  • Top Six 400m Predictor Workouts (Number 4 is my Favourite)
  • Best 6 Podcasts for 2021 (and Beyond)
  • Why Karsten Warholm’s 45.94 400mH WR is my Highlight of 2021
  • Sprinting: 10 Research Articles for Effective Sprint Training [Part 23]
  • Pressure in Sports – Reflections from Tokyo 2020 Olympics
  • 2021 International Festival of Athletics Coaching [Nov 5-7]

Copyright © 2022. SpeedEndurance.com is owned and operated by Aryta Ltd. Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy