Google+ Running in Cork, Ireland: Usain Bolt wins 100m but fails to impress...

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Usain Bolt wins 100m but fails to impress...

In the run up to the 2012 London Olympics, much of the media coverage has been on Usain Bolt and his potential performance in the 100m final. If you were to believe the hype and some of the comments from Bolt himself then it seemed as if the race was for second place and the real question was if Bolt will set a new World record.

As recently as the 5th of May, Bolt had run 9.82 seconds in Jamaica which was the fastest time in the world this year. He seemed to be well on target for the finals until last Friday evening in Ostrava in the Czech Republic when he ran a disappointing 10.04 into a -0.8m/s headwind. Despite all of the hype beforehand with him saying that he was targeting 9.7 seconds, his time was his slowest ever clocking in a 100m final.

In an interview after the race, Bolt said......“I had some very good starts on the warm-up track so I have no explanation. I had no feeling at all in the race, no feeling. I went out of the blocks badly and then nothing came. I’ll have to go back to the drawing board, talk to the coach. It was just a bad day, I have to get past it and look forward to the next one.”

But with just nine weeks to go until the Olympics, there seems to be a chink in Bolt’s armour. Is he invincible after all? If he doesn't perform on the night then the Olympic 100m final is wide open. With Bolt earning in the region of $10 million a year, he has a lot riding on it.

1 comment:

Paudie said...

I like Bolt and all the excitement he brings to the track but really hope Tyson Gay can put the pressure on him. Tyson is a gentleman and took the defeats by Bolt in China very well and has achieved a 9.69 100m since. US Olympic Trials coming up on the 23rd so hopefully a good performance by him.