JONNY: PACE ACE GIVES ME HELP I KNEED
ENGLAND speedster Jonny May is aiming to be king of the wings after a meeting with a queen of the track.
May has played 18 of England’s last 22 Tests – scoring 11 tries – but feared his career was over in 2015 when he wrecked his left knee ligaments.
The winger’s pace is his biggest asset – he has been timed at 10.71 for 100m – and he has spent time at the Michael Johnson Performance Centre, in Texas, which was set up by the legendary track man.
On his latest visit, after England’s summer tour to South Africa, he met American sprinter English Gardner, who won Olympic relay gold in 2016 after suffering a similar gruesome knee injury.
And May reckons his chats with Gardner (right) and her coach and dad Anthony can help him get out of the blocks quickly as England head to the 2019 World Cup.
The 28-year-old said: “It was awesome for me to meet her because when I did my knee, the surgeon said it was touch-and-go whether I’d come back at the same speed.
“People say you lose five per cent after an ACL and I was trawling the internet to find people who have had the same injury.
“English Gardner blew her knee out just before she went to college.
“She had all her scholarships taken away and then, within 13 months, ran a personal record and now she’s one of the fastest women in the world and is a champion – she definitely inspired me.”
Johnson’s centre of excellence, puts an emphasis on pace and May reckons it rivals England’s five-star training base at Pennyhill Park.
He added: “The primary focus is on speed training, so there is lots of agility, acceleration and top-end speed work.
“America doesn’t mess around with sports. You go out there and the professional facilities blow you away.
“Like Pennyhill, you go there and think, ‘Wow, that’s amazing!’, but over there it goes even further.
“It is awesome training and I always learn something new.
“I want to get quicker and smarter as a rugby player as well.”