News Detail
Bolt may use ice chamber to aid speedy recovery
Usain Bolt is considering using an ice chamber in London to guarantee his fitness for this month’s Olympics amid fears a back injury has derailed his preparations.
The world’s fastest man has flown to Germany to see Dr Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt and has pulled out of his final warm-up race before the Games as he strives to get his body right for the huge challenge of defending his 100 metres and 200m titles against training partner Yohan Blake.
And Sportsmail has learned that Bolt’s camp are in discussions with a British company over the cryotherapy treatment, which aids athletes’ recovery by encasing them in liquid nitrogen at temperatures of -140C.
The 25-year-old is said to be keen on stepping into Britain’s only mobile ice chamber, which the Wales rugby team used this year as they won the Six Nations.
The chamber, supplied by CryolabSports, is secured in a former police van and can be driven to wherever it is needed.
Those using it strip to their underwear and let the cold air chill their body for up to three minutes, during which time the skin temperature drops significantly but the core stays the same. This boosts muscle recovery after exhausting training sessions and triggers the release of endorphins which help pain relief.
Bolt, whose aura of invincibility was punctured by two defeats by 100m world champion Blake at the Jamaican trials last week, could use it right away to help him recover from the injury which has forced him out of the Diamond League meeting in Monaco on Friday week.
He could alternatively decide to wait until he travels to London for the Games and use it between the rounds of his three events - the 100m, 200m and 4x100m.
Mo Farah is likely to use the chamber during the Olympics as he runs for gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m.
He regularly uses one supplied by Nike at his home in Eugene, Oregon, and CryolabSports have offered their services on these shores.
Farah has said: ‘You’re not stiff or anything, your body’s just freezing cold. But you recover right away. The following day - that’s when you feel a lot better.’
His coach Alberto Salazar is a long-time fan. ‘An ice bath may help you recover in terms of flushing something out of your legs,’ he has said. ‘But the way this works, tiredness and soreness everywhere in your body is much less.’
Of his runners he added: ‘You can have them go in after a very hard workout and they’d normally just be completely wiped out. They’d do this and an hour or two later they feel great.’
Newcastle United players including Demba Ba spent time in the chamber at the end of last season and the club has signed up to use it again for the forthcoming year.
Manager Alan Pardew said: ‘We think it’s something different and we know it works.’--(GulfNews)
Highlights
-
Sharif seeks improved relations with Kabul
KABUL: Following his landslide victory in Pakistan’s parliamentary elections, Mian Nawaz Sharif on Sunday promised efforts at improving Islamabad-Kabul relations. In recent weeks, ties between.... READ MORE
-
Taliban free 4 of 8 Turkish engineers
KABUL: The Taliban have freed four of the Turkish engineers they had kidnapped last month in central Logar province, Afghan and Turkish officials said on Sunday. On April 21, the Taliban kidnapp.... READ MORE
-
MPs suggest rethink on Pakistan policy
KABUL: Members of the Meshrano Jirga -- or upper house of the parliament -- on Sunday said the incoming Pakistan government would not help Afghanistan and asked the Karzai administration to revie.... READ MORE
-
Karzai hopes new Pak govt to help fight terror
KABUL: President Hamid Karzai on Sunday telephoned Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif and congratulated him his “clear victory” in the elections. Karzai described Sharif.... READ MORE
-
Iranian guards’ fire being probed: Musazai
KABUL: The Foreign Ministry said it was dispatching a delegation to Iran on Sunday to investigate reported casualties among Afghans at the hands of Iranian guards near the shared border. At leas.... READ MORE
-
Balochs vow to resist aggression
KABUL: The Council of Baloch Elders of Afghanistan on Sunday voiced their support for the government in guarding the country's borders against Pakistani intrusions. At a meeting with President H.... READ MORE
-
Hundreds rally against Pakistan, Iran
FARAH CITY: Hundreds of people, mostly former jihadi leaders, on Sunday rallied against Pakistan and Iran, accusing the neighbouring countries of killing and torturing innocent Afghans. Nearly 5.... READ MORE
-
Abducted MDC workers shifted to Tirah
JALALABAD: The eleven employees of a mine-clearing organisation, who were abducted from the Achin district of Nangarhar province, have been taken to Pakistan’s northwestern Tirah Valley, offici.... READ MORE
Clippings
Iran and blame the victim game
Tehran is continuously interfering in Afghanistan and pressurizing Kabul under one pretext or the other. Iran’s meddling into our internal affairs while giving it name of concern as Tehran did it recently when its ambassa...
