Historically this meet has produced some fast times & the athletes that have competed here before have all commented favourably on the experience. However, as we arrived at the track in the late afternoon, the wind was gusting & the temperature fluctuated wildly as the sun played hide & seek amongst the clouds. The general mood in the camp was one of anticipation & an eagerness to test the race pace after weeks of progressive training. Although, given all that has been written of late & the fact that he has been away from this level of competition for so long, I have never seen Dwain so nervous!!
As the night drew on though, the times filtering back to the warm up track, where I was managing a conveyor belt of athletes both pre- & post-race, were portraying a picture of mediocrity, with performances heavily influenced by the conditions. The biggest eyebrow raiser was probably Usain's failure to breach the 10 second mark for the first time in a long time. However, notable British performances were achieved by Tiff in winning the hurdles, Andrew Osagie coming second in the 800m & Andy Baddeley recording a massive PB in the 3,000m.
All in all, several cobwebs have been blown away & next weekend the focus shifts to the Diamond League in Rome's Stadio Olympico, where again a healthy British contingent will look to make their mark.
For a full results list & reports from tonight's Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, click on the following link: Results - 51st Golden Spike, Ostrava
