Bolt bids for legend status in 100m
The men's 100m at this Olympic Games has deservedly attracted more
interest than all other track and field events and will be beamed live
to hundreds of millions of viewers.
The attraction in large part comes down to the role played in the
resurgence of athletics on a global level by Jamaica's Usain Bolt, who
won treble gold at the Beijing Games, notably the 100m and 200m, in
then-world record times.
Athletics officials, fans and sponsors alike immediately took to
Bolt's ebullient, fun-loving character and obvious ability on the track,
catapulting him to stardom as one of the most marketable personalities
on the planet and lending the sport a massive boost in terms of public
awareness.
The 100m here not only sees Bolt bidding to replicate his
achievements in Beijing, but also the rise of tyro Yohan Blake alongside
a strong US team seeking to reclaim the sprinting mantle long held by
Americans.
"I'm always ready," said Bolt. "It's all about championships. I've
had slight problems, but I'm ready to go." Fitness concerns, an early
morning car crash and losing both the 100m and 200m to training partner
and compatriot Blake at the Jamaican Olympic trials raised serious
doubts about Bolt's ability to defend his titles.
But Bolt said: "I'm going to focus on going out there to win.
"My back was a little stiff and it affected my hamstring but I'm over
that. I've been training for the past two-and-a-half weeks and
everything is all right." Blake has been tipped as a natural successor
to Bolt since his victories in the trials, but the 22-year-old insisted
he was focused not on Bolt or other runners, but solely on running his
own race.
"My philosophy is that the sky's the limit," said Blake, crowned
world champion in Daegu last year after Bolt's sensational false start
in the final.
"I've always wanted to be at the Olympics. It's everyone's dream.
"I'm not focusing on Usain. It's all about going out there, focusing
and executing the race."
For the first time since the advent of electronic timing, the field
for the blue riband event of the Games will comprise the four fastest
men in history - Bolt, Blake, Jamaica's Asafa Powell and American Tyson
Gay.
Gay headlines a United States team seeking to re-assert their
authority on sprint events.
Despite only having made his competitive comeback after 50 weeks on
the sidelines in June, Gay expressed the wish his legs would hold up
sufficiently to get him a place on the podium.
"My only hope is that my body's ready to go," said Gay, who needed
surgery on his hip after pulling up injured at the Beijing Games.
"It's a lot of pressure, I'm not going to lie. The missing piece in
my heart is an Olympic medal." Gay's teammate Justin Gatlin, the 2004
Olympic 100m champion, missed Beijing while serving a four-year doping
ban.
However, he ran his fastest ever 100m in winning the US trials and
warned his rivals: "There's a lot left in the tank.
"I have been through some dark past. What has kept me going is the
faith of my fans knowing I am a legitimate athlete. I've been tested
multiple times since I have been back.
I'm a clean athlete. I'm focused on that."london,friday. AFP |