Omar McLeod, the New Kid on the Block
“Every generation throws a hero up the pop charts.” – Paul Simon
It seems that every year a new star emerges to dominate in the men’s 110 meter hurdles. Most often this star has been around for a while, and then finally makes his mark in a big way. Think Aries Merritt in 2012, David Oliver in 2010 and then again in 2013, Pascal Martinot-Lagarde in 2014. In 2015 Russian Sergey Shubenkov finally emerged from the shadows after being in the world-class mix for several years. The 2016 version of this phenomenon is Jamaica’s Omar McLeod.
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The Arkansas grad definitely made a name for himself last year when he dipped under 13.00, and was the only hurdler to do so all year. But this year, he’s just been on a whole other level in comparison to his competitors, having already run a 13.05 and more recently a 12.98 as he creates separation between himself and the rest of the world’s hurdlers, including fellow Jamaican Hansle Parchment, Americans Oliver and Aries Merritt, Martinot-Lagarde, and all other competitors.
So whenever someone is running this fast and handling the toughest competition the world has to offer, the question must be asked, What is he doing to run so fast? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I tend to resent newcomers on the scene, as I grow accustomed to the veterans who have established themselves. I didn’t like Liu Xiang when he won the 2004 Olympics, because Allen Johnson was my favorite. I didn’t like Dayron Robles in 2008 because Liu Xiang was my favorite. I didn’t like Aries Merritt in 2012 because Oliver was my favorite. And I certainly didn’t like college football star Devon Allen when he won USA’s in 2014. My reaction in all cases was, Who does this guy think he is?
But that fan’s reaction usually lasts only a little while before the coach in me kicks in and I realize the need to take a good long look at the young upstart does well.
As I was telling one of my hurdlers the other day, there are usually two big things that all great hurdlers do exceptionally well, regardless of their style, regardless of any technical flaws that may be evident. First, they get into hurdling position very quickly after take-off. Basically, they’re instantly in the air, on top of the hurdle, with both legs in position to run off the hurdle. Second, they all have lightning-quick lead legs. They do not waste time in the air. Hurdle clearance is very low, and that lead leg gets back on the ground.
The video above is from McLeod’s victory in Doha a couple weeks ago, where he ran 13.5. You can see that he definitely gets into position very quickly, and he has a very fast lead leg. Can’t run that fast otherwise. While his technique is not perfect, let’s take a deeper look at why he has emerged as a gold medal Olympic favorite at this point in the season.
Firstly, he’s got exceptional speed. As has been publicized throughout the track and field world, he recently ran 9.99 in the 100 meter dash, making him the first 110 hurdler in history to run sub-10 in the 100 and sub-13 in the 110’s. Most hurdlers don’t have the raw speed to be world-class sprinters. Oliver has said on more than one occasion that he wouldn’t even be in the sport if it weren’t for the hurdles. And because McLeod is shorter than most world class hurdlers, he can use that speed more than most could. With 9.99 speed, he could have garbage technique and still run 13.10 or so on a regular basis.
But McLeod is more than just fast. In looking at the video above, in addition to the fast lead leg, his trail leg knee gets nice and high coming off the hurdle. Also, his center of mass doesn’t hardly fluctuate at all, which is rare, and difficult, for a smaller hurdler. He must be very flexible and strong in the hip flexors, groin and hamstrings.
And I do think that his eight-step approach to the first hurdle does work to his advantage, although I don’t mean to bring in the 7-step vs. 8-step debate into this article. The above video does show, however, that the 8-step approach puts him into the race rhythm from the very beginning, and it enables him to take that all-essential cut step into hurdle one, enabling him to create more velocity heading into hurdle two.
In regards to what McLeod could do better, I would first point to his arms. Though they aren’t terrible, they could be tighter. His lead does swing across a little bit, but not drastically so. The trail arm could be closer to his body, but it’s not so pulling so far away that it’s causing a twist in the hips or shoulders.
The other thing I’d like to see him do is lean more deeply when he attacks the hurdle. The video above reveals that he is prone to hitting hurdles with his lead leg hamstring. A deep lean from the waist would solve that problem. Interestingly though, an increased lean may compromise some of his speed, as he definitely approaches the hurdles as a sprint race. But still, a deeper lean than what we’re seeing currently should help him to run clean races without sacrificing speed.
If nothing else, Mcleod is re-introducing the importance of speed in the hurdles. He brings that sprinter mentality, that swagger, that is not common amongst hurdlers, who tend to be more cerebral, often getting in their own way, over-thinking everything. McLeod’s success serves to remind us that speed comes first, even if it isn’t the only factor in achieving success.
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