adarq.org was created on the premise of "Can truly excellent coaching, training and science application take a low-level or mediocre athlete and turn him into a high performing athlete?"
Whilst initially focussed upon vertical the question/framework also applies to other areas of athleticism, such as speed and strength.
In this thread it will be a bit different because I will be logging the progression of sprinters who are elite/world class. My information will be derived from athlete journals and websites and supported with links wherever possible.
*Years training= at an elite level
Sally Pearson-
http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/australia/sally-pearson-194553#progression100m
Peaked in 2007 after 4 years training.
11.57 down to 11.14= 0.43 seconds improvement.
200m
Peaked in 2012 after 9 years training.
23.78 to 23.02= 0.76 seconds improvement.
Carmelita Jeter
http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/carmelita-jeter-189546#progression100m
Peaked in 2009 after 6 years training
11.56 to 10.64= 0.92 seconds improvement
200m
Peaked in 2012 after 5 years training.
22.82 to 22.11= 0.71 seconds improvement
Asafa Powell
http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/jamaica/asafa-powell-189571#progression100m
Peaked in 2008 after 6 years training.
10.12 to 9.72= 0.40 seconds improvement
200m
Peaked in 2006 after 4 years training
20.48 to 19.90= 0.58 seconds improvement.
I guess why I chose these 3 athletes to start the database off is because I'm currently reading Sally Pearson's biography. In it she mentioned that she first went sub 12 seconds in the 200m when she was 14 years old.
In comparison you have somebody like Carmelita Jeter who at 23 was only running 11.79 as her PB.
http://speedendurance.com/2009/10/19/asafa-powell-and-carmelita-jeter-peak-training-age/Similiarly you've got Asafa Powell who was 17 years old running 11.45 but suddenly dropped to 10.12 by the time he was 19.
Sally Pearson is a world class and gold medallist Olympic hurdler so she wouldn't train exclusively for the 100 and 200 like Jeter but it still gives a comparison of the differences.
Therefore, clearly the limitation of an elite database is you can't get the level of progression and development from when these elite/world class athletes were younger but it still gives you an insight into just how hard it is to actually improve when somebody is already at an elite level.
