You know, I've seen shots in National Geographic and the like where there is little or no sharp focus because of the speed of the motion- but because of the talent and skill of the shooter, the image works. I think it is very easy to fail at a shot like this, but you succeeded. It'd be great if more of us could open our minds to shots like this in challenges and vote them highly (instead of just reviewing them well in people's portfolios).
Wow! Love it. Great idea. The only suggestion might be a true grayscale--I think I see some color here that almost comes through like lens chromatic abberation. But I'm not sure if it adds character to this or takes away--I'd have to see it both ways.