USA 7s flyer Carlin Isles has been training hard and working on that famous lighting speed he's become world famous for in the last few years. The 30-year-old went back to the track to take part in a 100m race yesterday, and was pleased with his efforts.
With the Tokyo Olympics postponed until next year, Isle's plans - as with all 7s rugby players - have had to be adjusted slightly this year.
The USA Sevens all-time leading try scorer has not let the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions limit him. Instead, he's been working hard at home and of course, on the track.
“When the lockdown happened, it wasn't nothing out of the ordinary, because when I was younger, if I didn’t have the equipment or if I couldn't get to training, I found a way," he told Olympic Channel recently.
Reacting to the World Series Sevens being cancelled, Isles remained positive.
“It was disappointing. Who doesn't want to compete? We needed as much game time before the Olympics as possible. However, it gave us a lot of downtime to reflect and think about life and things in general. We can't control it, so we must concentrate on controlling the things we can."
RUGBY AND ATHLETICS AT THE 2021 OLYMPICS?
Isles has been working on his speed again and feels confident that he can keep improving.
“I've been really honing all my speed work and doing little things that I couldn't before, like my body angles and hips.
“I definitely know I can run sub-10 [seconds], without a doubt. I always knew I could, I was just about putting everything together. Maybe even 9.8 [seconds], so I feel like I can do some damage.
“I love running fast, and training for track helps me on the rugby pitch, the two go hand in hand. If I did only rugby-specific training, I would only reach 80 or 85 percent of my potential speed.
“I've got one life, one body, and I’m going to use it to its potential.”
100M RESULT
Isles took part in a 100m race at the Back to the Track 2020 series in Texas, coming in at 10.34 in what was only his second 100m race in four years. He said that a change in schedule meant he didn't know he had 20 minutes to warmup, and he didn't have time to adjust his blocks.
"So I’ll take it. I have a lot to work on, but I can’t complain," he said.
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