Because of the interruptions, Browning had to strike a balance between racing for points or a qualifying just to make it to the Olympics, with the heavy training block he needed to get himself into the right physical shape for Paris. He and his team decided to back off the racing, and work on training.
“I think, maybe with hindsight I would have benefited from some racing. But I made a strategic call that I needed to train to find that shape and also to rehab the knee,” he said.
Browning has trimmed down over the past year, changing his diet and altering his training to shed body mass and run lighter. He still feels this is the right path to take, notwithstanding the season’s results.
“I don’t think I need to do anything revolutionary, I just need to continue to evolve … in this sport where the margins are so slim,” he said.
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“You know, you don’t need to go and do something drastic. I think it’s a matter of patience, sticking with it and just continuing to have to evolve.”
And it’s about being Sisyphus and being prepared to push that rock back up the mountain.
Elsewhere in the glamour event of the Games, American showman Noah Lyles was beaten in his heat but progressed to the semis in 10.04s. The two fastest qualifiers were fellow US sprinters Kenneth Bendarek and Fred Kerley.
These runners do not do understatement, as Bendarek illustrated when he was asked how he felt about being an underdog.
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“This year, I am changing the narrative. I have been an underdog for a couple of years, but I am not trying to be an underdog. I am trying to be the top dog,” he declared.
“And once I finally get that milestone, I am not coming back. I am going to run away with it.” Look out.
Defending Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs promised to go faster in the semis than his 10.05s on Saturday. “The last two years were difficult because I had a lot of pressure,” he said. “When a lot of people talk about you, it is not easy. But I had to work, work, work. And now I am here.”
The semi-finals of the men’s 100m are at 4.30am Monday AEST, with the final at 5.50am.
Source Agencies
