News21 Nov 2003


Bell has figured out his way to the top

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Kenta Bell (USA) in full flight (© Getty Images)

For several years, Kenta Bell has managed to end his seasons hovering near the top of the annual Triple Jump world lists. Now, with unfortunately timed injuries and training experimentations hopefully behind him, the American is poised to make that next big step.

"I think I have it figured out," the affable 26 year-old Texan believes.

Bell vividly remembers his first Triple Jump - a leap of 14.48 - from his junior year in High School in Kilgore, a small east Texas town about an hour-and-a-half drive east of Dallas. It was an effort he wouldn't better until his second year in college. Recruited by Louisiana's Southwestern State University as a 400m hurdler, he didn't even break the fifty-foot (15.24m) Triple Jump barrier until his junior year, hardly the kind of stuff that turns heads.

However, he learned virtually everything there was to know about the event from coach Dean Johnson, a mentor with whom he is still in touch and eventually became a three-time All-American college champion in the event. But competing at the relatively small school had its drawbacks, and they would keep Bell lingering in virtual obscurity for several seasons. Easy going and laid back, Bell didn't seem to mind.

"We had that small school mentality where you had to overachieve, and try to outwork everybody," he remembers, "and that was a down side after a certain point. Trying to get all these things in, we tended to over train." Now, he sees it more as a matter of being "under-rested."

2001 World University Games Gold

He focused primarily on the horizontal jumps after graduating in 2000, and the following year, struck gold at the World University Games.

However, it wasn't until 2002 that he sprung into the global Triple Jump picture after a 17.63 leap at the Mt. SAC Relays that April. The jump added a massive 41 cm to his personal best, and he was suddenly the fifth farthest American triple jumper of all time.

"My training was dictating something big," he said of the performance that would hold up and make him the fourth farthest jumper in the world in 2002. After a long fifth round foul, Bell said, "I just focused on a single aspect. And it worked."

His strong early season form elevated his prospects for the season. "I hadn't even started to work on everything yet." Then came a nagging foot problem, later diagnosed as a broken bone in his left foot, which slowed him considerably the rest of the season. "I was jumping a lot, and that came at a bad time."
Putting a swagger in your walk

Despite the setback, Bell ended the season extremely encouraged and motivated. "You always think you can jump far, but when you actually go out there and put some of these numbers up that you see in your mind, or that you've seen other people jump, it does something to your confidence. In terms of, 'OK, I can come back from this and I can do this again.'  You know, it puts a little swagger in your walk after a while, because you've gone farther than many other people have gone before."

17m plus consistency and breakthrough

 With the broken bone fully healed, 2003 bore witness to the higher-level consistency he envisioned the previous year. Bell jumped 17 metres or better in eight of his 14 outdoor meetings, and won his first national title.

"It was a long time coming," the self-coached jumper said. "I've been able to put up jumps for years. But for some reason whether it was an injury or over-training issues, I never had the greatest of performances at a national championship or made a team. This year it was big to make the team, but most importantly, I had to win.  Because with the kinds of jumps I had going into that championship, for me in my mind, there was no other option.  It wasn't second, it wasn't third. It was to win."

At Stanford, Bell showed his big meet mettle. He took the lead from Walter Davis with a 17.40 leap in the third round, but Davis responded with a 17.55 in the fifth.  On the very next jump, Bell answered the call with a near PB 17.59 to seal the win and, more importantly to him, to signal his breakthrough.

"To do that gave me a sense of accomplishment, of breaking through, of getting the recognition I deserved," he said. "I think now everyone kind of took notice, saying, 'OK, the guy can jump and he can do it consistently and win titles.' " Laughing, he added, "At least I hope that's what you think."

Paris disappointment is tempered

After a third place finish in Zurich, Bell arrived in Paris where, he says, "I was a medal favourite. Hands down I was a medal favourite." But he could only manage a best of 17.08 to finish sixth. "I was very, very disappointed. As things turned out, I definitely should have been a medallist."

But his disappointment turned to relief, both physical and psychological, in mid-September when a sciatic nerve injury was diagnosed. "When we left the competition, I had swelling, I had bruising, I had bleeding inside of the hamstring.  And I didn't know what it was.  I thought I cramped or strained or something." The injury turned out to be much more serious. "A sciatic problem was causing my left glute not to work. I couldn't fire the left side of my body.  During the competition, I had a beautiful hop-step, but I couldn't figure out what was going wrong with my third phase because I was not getting the jump phase I was used to having."

Still not fully aware of the problem, Bell stayed in Europe to compete in a few more meets - "I was stubborn," he says"- where he finished third at the World Athletics Final and fourth in the Moscow Challenge.

After visits with a series of doctors back in California, the problem was discovered and fixed. ""Now, looking back on [Paris], I still finished among the top eight, with half of my body working. So I'm definitely in contention going into next year. I could still go to a meet and out perform a lot of people, so I'm very positive right now."

‘Minor tweaking’ – a relaxed approach to Athens

Besides "a couple" of competitions, mainly to gauge his early season training, Bell will place little emphasis on the indoor season, and doesn't plan on making any significant changes as the Olympic Games approach. "If it ain't broke," he laughs, "don't fix it." Indeed, his approach towards 2004 is a very relaxed one.

"Track and field is getting simpler to me," he said. "A lot of people are always trying to tweak things and change things, but to me, it's kind of like sharpening a pencil: if you over-sharpen a pencil, the next time you go to write with it, the lead breaks. I'm not trying to over-sharpen my pencil."

After years of comparing himself to others, investigating and experimenting with various training philosophies -"trying to find that magic carpet, that magic wand, or that golden parachute" - he believes that he's found what works best for him. "Besides some minor tweaking, I know right now if I hit my basic strength parameters, my speed parameters and my technical parameters, I'm in good shape. I'm good to go."

That "tweaking" this year will involve what Bell describes as the most difficult aspect of his event -running off of the take-off board. "That's what separates 58 foot (17.68m) triple jumpers like myself from being a 59 (17.98m) or 60-foot (18.30m) triple jumper, or world record holder."

Not surprisingly, he notes, a strong first phase is an aspect shared by the greatest Triple Jump masters. "That sets up the body position and the momentum going through all three phases, which in turn sets you up to be a jump-dominant triple jumper."

 Like others, 2004 will include a search for consistency. "That's what sets anybody apart," Bell says, citing World Champion Christian Olsson as a perfect example. "He doesn't set a PR everyday, but he has a level of consistency that's higher than the rest of us, and he had one of the best seasons ever. Evidently he figured out something, he's doing something right."  Grinning, he adds, "I credit him, but I think I've figured it out."

"My rate of improvement is constantly going and I don't feel like I've tapped myself yet," he continues.  As for Olsson, "I don't know how much more is in his gas tank. He's not missing very much. Things are flowing very, very well."

Pacing yourself, and competition without Edwards

Another thing that will change next year will be his frequency of competition. Bell says he jumped more than he wanted to in 2003, but had little choice. "I was in one of those situations where my back was against the wall.  In order to get my ranking up, I had to jump, and jump far.  And it worked.  But this year, being an Olympic year, I don't need to do that. I don't need to chase track meets.  I'm going to pace myself."

That type of pacing contributed to Jonathan Edwards' longevity, Bell believes. "That's what preserved Jonathan.  He was only going out and jumping on Friday nights, that's what kept him fresh.  As opposed to us younger guys, we were jumping on Friday, and then maybe again on Tuesday, and then maybe again at another meet after that - trying to make a living as well as getting our rankings up."

Bell says he will miss the Briton. "Anytime you can jump with the World record holder or one of the best ever, you're going to miss it, especially when you're part of the generation in which he's competing. Jonathan was a very, very good guy. One that I liked a lot. He was always very open with me, he would share information. That's something you could respect and appreciate."

On the flipside, his departure makes room for others to take the mantle. "On the same token, I always thought I could step up and beat him, because you always see yourself as a competitor. But now that he's gone, it does open up doors and avenues for younger guys to come through and do something special."

"Something special" may come as early as next summer, when Edwards' successor as Olympic champion will be determined.  Bell fully expects to be an important figure in that battle.

"You don't have to be perfect on that day," the 26 year-old says, "but if you're one of the most consistent and most prepared people on that day, you will win."  He expects the winner will need to reach at least 17.70. "The way myself and Olsson are jumping right now, it may go into the 59s (18.00m)."

How far can he go? "I've got a big number in my head," he says, "but I'm not going to tell you that."

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