What Hope For This Athlete

[DentyCracker]

courtesy iaaf.org



Biography: Anneisha MCLAUGHLIN (JAM)


Sex Weight Height Date of birth Place of birth

W 59 1.67 06 01 1986 Manchester (JAM)



Information

World Junior Championships 2000:2nd (relay 4x400m) Central American and Caribbean Youth Championships: 2002 (1st, 100m & 200m)

PERSONAL BEST

Performance Wind Place Date
100 Metres 11.48 0.6 Nassau 30 03 2002

200 Metres 22.94 -0.2 Kingston, JAM 19 07 2002

400 Metres 52.31 Kingston, JAM 17 03 2001


SEASON BEST

Performance Wind Place Date
100 Metres 11.51 1.3 Atlanta, GA 01 04 2006

200 Metres 23.47 1.3 Kingston (NS), JAM 25 06 2006


PROGRESSION

Season Performance Wind Place Date
100 Metres
2005 11.62 -2.4 Kingston, JAM 18 03 2005

2002 11.48 0.6 Nassau 30 03 2002
200 Metres
2005 23.00 2 Windsor, CAN 31 07 2005

2004 23.21 -0.2 Grosseto 16 07 2004

2003 23.19 0.6 Kingston, JAM 05 04 2003

2002 22.94 -0.2 Kingston, JAM 19 07 2002

2001 23.11 0.3 Kingston 07 04 2001
400 Metres
2004 52.80 Kingston, JAM 27 03 2004

2003 52.57 Port-of-Spain 19 04 2003

2002 53.04 Kingston 20 04 2002

2001 52.31 Kingston, JAM 17 03 2001

2000 53.54 San Juan 14 07 2000

HONOURS

Rank Performance Wind Place Date
200 Metres

10th IAAF World Junior Championships 2 f 23.21 -0.2 Grosseto 16 07 2004

3rd IAAF World Youth Championships 1 f 23.26 -0.4 Sherbrooke 12 07 2003

IAAF/Coca Cola World Junior Championships 2 f 22.94 -0.2 Kingston, JAM 19 07 2002

400 Metres

2nd IAAF/Westel World Youth Championships 3 f 53.35 Debrecen 14 07 2001

I remember being excited in 2k1 when this 15 yo ran 23.11 and 52.31 only to be disappointed when she lost to Angel Perkins and Jerrika Chapple at WYC in the 4.
In 2k2 she came second in the WJC 200 beating Sanya and Allyson.
Since then has had weight problems (said to be due to OCP) but did win the WYC 200 in 2003 in a pedestrian 23+ and lost to Shalonda Solomon in the WJC 200 in 2004. Has run 11.51 and 23.47 this year and should be at Auburn in September. She is short and I hope she does not become another Angela Williams.

[tandfman]

I, too, thought she had tremendous potential a few years ago, but she has not developed nearly as well as I expected. Will she turn things around at Auburn? Time will tell. I've no reason to be optimistic at this point, based on what she's done recently.

[gh]

It's my perception that no event has a huger flameout rate than girl (as opposed to women) sprinters. Can be close to world-class times at 16-17, then "disappear."

One need only look at the annual U.S. high school lists; every year has a fabulous set of soph and junior talent and you think, "wow, wait'll they're all seniors!" but then the next year's list is largely sophs and juniors (and some frosh) all over again.

McLaughlin's "failure" to continue on the curve she appeared to be setting isnt' at all surprising to me.

[AS]

Any theories on why GH?

Is it that early (physical) maturity means age is no advantage beyond 16?

Is it that the seniors have already done enought to secure college scholarships?

Is it 'outside' pressures to not progress (social etc)?

Looking at the top 10 sprinters globally at the moment, how did they all stack up against their peers at 15/16?

[paulthefan]

Is it 'outside' pressures to not progress (social etc)?

Im sure the pressure these girls are under to get off track is a big part of the equation..

[DentyCracker]

Well I did mention weight problems due to OCP use. One of the problems that can occur is when teenage girls discover sex. With high testosterone levels due to training this can get out of control. The coach will advise abstinence but if he/she knows the athlete is not going to comply he will likely put the athlete on on of the Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCP). This can lead to the avoidance of what happened to Lisa Sharpe, who was younger and faster than VC (first loss to VC was 1999 WYC 100m by 0.01sec) Now has 2 kids and is out of the sport. However the side effects can adversely affect performance

[La_Spigola_Loca]

One of the problems that can occur is when teenage girls discover sex. With high testosterone levels due to training this can get out of control. The coach will advise abstinence but if he/she knows the athlete is not going to comply he will likely put the athlete on on of the Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCP).

How difficult is it??!!??

[Jaack]

Funny that the Gold and Silver medalist from Kingston JW are both MIA! I had really big hopes for the winner, Vernichia James....(22'93 to win), but ehm, she retired for no apparent reason and throws her talent down the toilet!

[DentyCracker]

As a medic in a country where therapeutic abortions are illegal for the most part, I find that picture of a clothes hanger quite obnoxious. As for the condom, remember these are silly children messing around. Condom use cannot be guaranteed. Trust me every year we lose female teen runners to pregnancy. We nearly lost the 46 year old wonder to that route. After she became a teen mother, most high schools did not accept Merlene Ottey's application to attend them. To it's credit Vere Tech did and the rest is history.

[La_Spigola_Loca]

Well, I'm sorry if you took my "exhibit B" too literally, DentyCracker- of course women's rights should be ensured all over the world, and it's a shame they're not (as you evidently attest to). However, I just don't get the point of suggesting abstinence rather than responsible use of contraceptives- which one is less likely to be guaranteed? In more explicit terms, if you don't trust individuals to practice safe sex, why trust them to abstain altogether?

[gh]

Well I did mention weight problems due to OCP use. One of the problems that can occur is when teenage girls discover sex. With high testosterone levels due to training this can get out of control......

Be that as it may, your hypothesis applies across the board (unless sprint trraining somehow makes you hornier than other events!), does nothing to answer why sprinters have--or seem to have--a higher flameout rate.

[tafnut]

does nothing to answer why sprinters have--or seem to have--a higher flameout rate.

The flame that burns brightest, burns fastest. I really do think that's an apt analogy. Sprints seem to put more wear and tear on the body than does long distance, which one would THINK would be harder.