Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man on the track, once cleaned up Chris Gayle’s castle in a charity match. Cricket was Bolt’s first love, and as you can imagine, he was a fast bowler, using all his 195cm (6ft 5) frame.
Now the question is being asked if Jamaican team-mate Yohan Blake can bowl over Bolt at the London Olympics?
Not so, reckons the man rightfully dubbed “Lightning” Bolt.
“There have been legends before me, but this is my time”.
I wonder.
Bolt has never been quite the same dominant figure since he broke in the final of last year’s world championship 100 in Daegu, and was automatically disqualified.
Blake won that final, and has beaten Bolt head-to-head since over both the 100 and 200. Both times Bolt was jittery on the blocks, and paid the penalty.
In a precision and power event like the 100, and to a lesser extent the 200, there’s no room to be left at the start, however so slightly.
If Bolt isn’t at ease and comfortable on the blocks, it’s an overall confidence sapper. And even a Bolt can’t afford that luxury.
What that Daegu break has done is to make a more level playing field, when it was once Bolt and daylight.
Not only Blake, but another Jamaican Asafa Powell, and American Tyson Gay as well.
These questions wouldn’t be asked if the “big four” ran their best times:
Bolt – the 100 in 9.58 – the 200 in 19.19, both current world records.
Gay – 100 in 9.69, and 200 in 19.58.
Powell – 100 in 9.72, and 200 in 19.90. Forget the latter, the 200 isn’t Powell’s event.
And Blake – 100 in 9.75, and 200 in 19.26.
It will be fascinating to see if the greatest track athlete we have ever seen can do what no other sprinter, man or woman, has done and win 100 and 200 Olympic track gold in successive Games.
The record book shows Carl Lewis won the back-to-back double in 1984 and 1988. But he won 100 gold in Seoul in ’88 by default, after Ben Johnson was stripped of gold for testing positive.
Three billion television viewers worldwide watched the Beijing Olympics 100 final.
The London final is likely to top that figure because Usain Bolt has become vulnerable. Even mortal.
For the first time in his spectacular career, he is under the pump where it counts most.
It will be the measure of the man if Usain Bolt wins both sprints in the light of what happened at Daegu.
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