He’s as quick as Usain Bolt over 40m, is a former pole vaulter, and fancies himself as a potential triple jumper. Meet Gloucester winger and recent England call-up Jonny May, a man who owes some of his rugby success to the sport of athletics.

We’ve heard that you recorded 4.63 for the 40m – 0.01 faster than Usain Bolt ran for the first 40m when setting his world record time of 9.58 at the 2009 Berlin World Championships. Is this true? 

“It is, but to compare the two times is a bit misleading. It is different as I start one metre behind a laser when I go, as opposed to starting with the aid of an actual gun. And, obviously, Usain would have just been building his speed over the first 40m. If he’d just ran 40m he could run a lot quicker.

“Also, I’d have blown out of gas running the full 100m. I’ve done some training up at Lee Valley Athletics Centre [the former British Athletics High Performance Centre] for the past couple of years and Adam Gemili [world junior 100m champion] was running around 4.5 for the 40m.”

Why did you start to carry out some athletics training sessions?

“I know an athletics coach called Jonas Taiwah-Dodoo [a former British Athletics employee] who did a degree at Hartbury College, where I also studied. I stayed in touch with him and sent him an email a couple of seasons ago saying I wanted to improve my speed.

"I know how important speed is in the sport of rugby. If a player is faster than an opposition player they can’t defend or tackle you. Speed is a very important part of my game: that’s what sets me apart.”

What was the nature of your workouts, and how do you feel it has benefited your rugby?

“I went up to train at Lee Valley two days a week for about 3-4 weeks of the past two summers. I’d always been quick over 10m but I was a bit quaddy [sprinting too much through the quads] and through my hip flexion. I learned, working with Jonas, to use my hamstrings and glutes more to reach top speed.

"I also did a lot of flat out sprinting as well. I was getting some fast times running off the synthetic surface and to know I was running those times [he has recorded 10.7 at Cheltenham track for the 100m] gave me confidence on the pitch. To be a rugby player I sometimes feel you are a jack-of-all-trades but sprinting is very specific and I enjoyed doing just that and giving it some focus.”

Did you do much athletics as a youngster?

“I did. The head of PE at Ridgeway, my secondary school, was mad keen on athletics and we won the national school championships as juniors and intermediates. I ran the last leg of the relay and also did the pole vault, too.”

Pole vault, really?

“Yes, I finished fourth or fifth in the English Schools’ Championships up in Gateshead. My best was 3.60m. If I’d gone into the sport more seriously I think I would a decathlete. The pole vault would have been one of the harder events to pick up and I’m quite strong and fast.

"To be fair, I was a good jumper, so maybe I’m best suited to the triple jump because I’m really good at high box jumps and bounding. I’m quite springy.”

Are you the quickest player at Gloucester?

“Myself and Charlie Sharples always battle it out. The 40m distance is my best and I’d say I’ve got him over 40m.”

What are your toughest running sessions as part of your training?

“I’m dreading it all already. It is our pre-season 1500m run. We have to meet required times over 100m, 400m and 1500m, or we get dragged in for extra training on a weekend.

"I like the 100m and the 400m. I ran 51 seconds this year but I’m not very good at mid-distance. We run the three distances one after another, which is not much fun when your legs are like jelly. We have to run below 5:30 for the 1500m and this year I ran 5:28.”

Which rugby player would make the best sprinter?

“Takudzwa Ngwenya [Zimbabwe-born US rugby player] who plays for Biarritz in France. He’s probably the quickest guy around." 

And what about which athlete would the best rugby player?

"That’s a difficult one. Rugby skills are completely different in that you’ve got to use your footwork to beat your opponent. If you just run in a straight line the defender always has that inside lane on the track, so you have to be crazy quick to beat a player that way. Being a rugby player is all about acceleration, changing direction and changing pace.”

Not even Usain Bolt on the wing?

“It depends on whether he enjoyed the physicality of the game. Also, how quickly would he acclimitise to a rainy rugby pitch in the middle of December? Still, I’d love to see him run with the ball in space.”

Main picture credit: Martin Bennett/ Gloucester Rugby