Uncertainty is athletes’ enemy says sprint champion’s coach
The coach of South Africa's fastest man says uncertainty over when athletes will be able to officially compete again is a huge obstacle in their preparation plans for the future.
South Africa’s foremost athletics coaches are uncertain as to what to do in light of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
The indications are that it could be a considerable time before any athlete is allowed back on the track to train or compete.
“It creates a unique challenge. Not knowing is any athlete or coach’s worst ‘enemy’,” said Werner Prinsloo who coaches the South African 100m record holder Akani Simbine.
As things stand, Prinsloo don’t believe there is any chance of any international athletics meetings taking place before August. Wimbledon has already been cancelled. It stands to reason that World Athletics might consider to postpone or cancel the Diamond League Meetings in Oslo (11 June), Paris (13 June), London (4 July) and Monaco (10 July). They have already done so with the first five meetings.
The question is whether the athletes should continue to hope of maybe competing sometime after May. It boils down to them in the meanwhile needing to try and find innovative ways to keep fit.
“Another option would be to call it a day and instead start to refocus on next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games. The risk of a too-long ‘winter program’ is that an athlete might lose focus and motivation. An athlete’s reward for long hours spent training is competition. They need to run at least one good race to realise what is expected from them during practice works,” said the Tuks based coach.
According to Prinsloo, the COVID-19 pandemic caught the whole international sports community off-guard.
“None of us saw it coming. The reality of sport is that some athletes might not ever find the same form again. It is even going to be a challenge for Akani and me. Judging by his performance during the Gauteng North Championships where he ran 9.91s in the heats we were on track for a good season. It, however, does not help to ponder on what could have been,” he concluded.
Prinsloo said he is trying to make the most of lockdown by trying to find ways to gain Simbine that extra few hundredths of a second over 100 metres. Experience has taught him it is all about marginal gains.
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