The veteran coach explained what made Asafa Powell better than Kishane Thompson at a young age, but why the latter has a higher advantage of triumphing in this era.
Kishane Thompson’s coach Stephen Francis has drawn comparisons between Thompson and Asafa Powell.
Francis, who is Powell’s former coach noted that at Thompson’s age, 23, Powell had a better execution of races and had great starts. However, Francis added that Thompson has a poor start, something they are currently working on ahead of the Paris Olympic Games.
Francis added that despite having a great start, Powell never executed his starts during major championships, hence his mixed performances in different championships.
13:00 - 17.07.2024
Junelle Bromfield seemingly responds to Jamaican fans for attacking her following Noah Lyles' recent revelations
Junelle Bromfield has clapped back at Jamaican fans for attacking her after Noah Lyles revealed that she tells him the drama at the MVP Track Club among other news concerning Jamaican athletes.
Follow the Pulse Sports Kenya X handle for more updates.
“Asafa was much better technically from very early. He had a much better start which most of the time when executed was a thing of beauty,” Francis told Nationwide99 FM.
“Unfortunately for him, he never executed his start in championship settings and that put him in a panic situation and of course you come along when Bolt is there and that had its own problems,” he added.
Francis added that Kishane has an advantage over Powell in that in this sprinting era, he has a chance to shine unlike during the Usain Bolt era.
17:19 - 15.07.2024
Shericka Jackson's coach explains what Elaine Thompson-Herah must do to bounce back to winning ways
Coach Stephen Francis, the man behind Shericka Jackson's exploits, has explained the uniqueness of Elaine Thompson-Herah as a sprinter and noted what the double Olympic champion needs to do to get back on track.
The veteran coach explained that Bolt overshadowed many sprinters, highlighting the likes of Yohan Blake who was talented but due to the world record holder, many people never got to see what he was capable of.
“I think Kishane is similar to Asafa when he just started…he is now looking at an era where everybody is running 9.8 and 9.9 and it’s an era where he can stand out more easily unlike somebody like Blake who only came when it was the height of the Bolt era. Everything he did was shadowed with what Bolt had done,” Francis said.
“I think Kishane is in a good era and in a great space and he has improved technically and he is going to do well and he runs well,” he added.