Usain Bolt and the 400 meters.

[Texas]

The year is 2010. Bolt has lowered the 100m record to 9.65. He taken the 200m down to 19.28. He's bored. He decides that he needs a challenge. Enter....400 meters!

If he got dead serious about the event. I'm talking DEAD SERIOUS about the event, what could he run?

[Powell]

I think I read somewhere that he intended to move up to 400 in 2014.

[SQUACKEE]

42.5

[Aiden]

43.19

[croflash]

I think I read somewhere that he intended to move up to 400 in 2014.

He has said yesterday "maybe in 4 or 5 years", of course this is all pretty much guessing and we just have to wait and see.

[Powell]

I think I read somewhere that he intended to move up to 400 in 2014.

I remembered where it was:
http://www.iaaf.org/OLY08/news/kind=100 ... 47097.html

[Mikewats]

I hope he does do it tbh, he should defend both 100 and 200 titles at London 2012 and push his records way out there so they last decades(you never know though, everyone said the same about 19.3, i think there is more talented people out there than we give credit for). Then concentrate on getting the 400 WR and hold all 3 at once plus 4x100 relay. That would be something special and would easily put him down as greatest sprinter ever and be talked about for centuries.

[TNT]

I think he says 4-5 years to get people off his back. In 4-5 years, with all the success he will have had at the 100, 200 & 4x1, he'll have no interest in the 400.

[larro_yel]

I hope he does do it tbh, he should defend both 100 and 200 titles at London 2012 and push his records way out there so they last decades(you never know though, everyone said the same about 19.3, i think there is more talented people out there than we give credit for). Then concentrate on getting the 400 WR and hold all 3 at once plus 4x100 relay. That would be something special and would easily put him down as greatest sprinter ever and be talked about for centuries.

I Agree. He wants the world titles at 100m & 200m next year. By that time he will attempt to put the WR's in his tropy cabinet ala Flo-Jo (but clean beyond doubt). In the period before London 2012 he will milk the double for every penny its worth.

In London 2012 he will hand the 100m to Safa and tell him 'run wid it!' ....
At London 2012 he will go for the 4x100WR, 200wr, 400wr .... 4x400? .. I can tell you that there is an immediate inquest in the Jamaican 1/4milers, the event is gonna get some attention! I expect Jamaica will win the 4x400 in London 2012... (i heard that snicker )...... over a year ago (before the last WC), I commented in a thread on this site that Spearmon & Tyson Gay will never beat Bolt again - i was mostly ignored while a few managed to take the mickey

The truth is Mills wants Bolt to finish his carrear as 100m, 200m,400m,4*100,4*400 OC,WC,WRH ...... 'yes he can?' The USA's dominance of the sprint is now over, red-alert for the 1/4milers ! :twisted:

[Mikewats]

i reckon he will begin 400's at 2013, maybe do the 4x400 at 2012 i can't see him doing individual 400, i reckon defending ur 100 n 200 is big in history terms, when has anyone ever done it?

[Kevin Richardson]

To get this back to the original question, I think 42.2 - 42.5. The great unknown is how his body will handle the lactate buildup. The 400m is a different bird, altogether. Having said that, I would expect him to dip his toe in the water of the 4x4 much sooner than a full scale assault on the individual 400m.

[FrankS]

One of the problems with Usain might be keeping the interest going in the 100m/200m. Of course, the financial incentives to keep going at those events are terrific, but I wish - sooner than later - he would want the real challenge of stepping in to the unknown. He already knows he is the faster sprinter of all time. He also knows that he should be able to improve his times over 100m/200m and win more golds over those distances. What he can't be sure of is his ability to move up to 400m and repeat his successes at that distance. And that is the real challenge for Usain - and not to meet that challenge would be a big mistake.

[Cyril]

One of the problems with Usain might be keeping the interest going in the 100m/200m. Of course, the financial incentives to keep going at those events are terrific, but I wish - sooner than later - he would want the real challenge of stepping in to the unknown. He already knows he is the faster sprinter of all time. He also knows that he should be able to improve his times over 100m/200m and win more golds over those distances. What he can't be sure of is his ability to move up to 400m and repeat his successes at that distance. And that is the real challenge for Usain - and not to meet that challenge would be a big mistake.

I used the same reasoning for Wariner EVENTUALLY giving the 8 a try. Perhaps now that he isn't the top dog in the 4, that event (400) presents new challenges for him. Or perhaps, thinking that Bolt may take the 4 where it has never been before, he may want to think about attempting to do the same with the 8 one day.

But he is still one of the top two in the world at the 4. That is likely good enough. Even if Bolt steps up, Wariner will likely still be in the top three. I admit the 800 would be a long shot - but if he was able to adapt he could revolutionize the event the way that Bolt is revolutionizing the sprints.

[imaginative]

There is simply too much uncertainty present for a reasonable prediction: It
is conceivable that Bolt would manage a 42.5, but it is also conceivable that
he would fail to break 44. In particular, to run 42.5 he would need
Johnsonesque speed-endurance---in addition to his own Boltish speed.

Realistically, Bolt will not be able to dominate the 400 as he does the
100/200. He would likely be one of the best in the world, possibly even one of
the all-time greats; however, he is very unlikely to be remembered in the same
terms as Johnson (when limited to the 400).

[BCBaroo]

I know this is probably insane. But it's almost hard for me to imagine Bolt not being able to run a 24 second 200 IMMEDIATELY at the end of his 200... And that'd be 43.30.