Doubell Speaks Out On Slacker Athletes
21 May 1998Olympic gold medallist Ralph Doubell has hit out at the current crop of Australian middle distance runners for not doing enough work to become champions. "The fact that my Australian record still stands after 30 years indicates we have to improve," said Doubell, who won Olympic 800m gold at the 1968 Mexico City Games in his Australian record of 1m44.4s.
Doubell, along with fellow gold medallist Herb Elliott, has arranged a seminar "How to Win Gold" in Sydney on June 7. They expect up to 40 athletes and coaches to attend from invitations being sent around New South Wales and to each state institute.
"Herb and I feel the results over the last few years don't match what we achieved many years back and that the runners today are not doing the hard yards," said Doubell. "I spoke with a group of runners yesterday and the general conclusion was that they were doing 60 per cent of the work rate required. It followed a talk at Sydney University last November at which the national 1500m champion Holt Hardy told me he didn't realise how tough he had to be."
Elliott was unbeaten over the mile and 1500m and set a world record in winning the 1960 Rome Olympic 1500m in 3m35.6s. Doubell said neither he nor Elliott wanted to be coaches because they were too committed with their business activities but felt they could contribute to middle distance running. He said the type of training over the last few years had placed great emphasis on long, slow runs, generated by the AIS over the last 15 years.
"Long slow runs don't work for middle distance. It needs a combination of speed and strength work and the balance has been too far towards long and slow," Doubell said. "What we went through led to Olympic gold medals and not a lot has changed. It may not work for everyone but the challenges are the same. Opportunities are greater, tracks are better, the financial situation has improved but the performances haven't."
Doubell said there were fundamentals the pair strongly believed in and the seminar would closely look at the philosophy of training and the mental approach to middle distance running. "We're not intending to take over the role of coaches but we think it will be worthwhile for us to talk of our experiences and try to reach a wider audience," he said.
