Sport
London 2012: Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake rivalry adds more excitment to track events
Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt, right, and Yohan Blake, in Monaco. PHOTO/AP
Almost from the moment Usain Bolt finished his 3-for-3-for-3 performance at the Beijing Olympics – three events, three gold medals, three world records – everyone began to wonder what he would do for an encore four years later.
That all changed in the span of about 72 hours.
Yohan Blake, Bolt’s countryman, workout partner and rival, beat the World’s Fastest Man in the 100- and 200-meter finals at Jamaica’s Olympic trials. Bolt’s subsequent withdrawal from a meet in Monaco only added to the intrigue.
As the start of the Summer Games approaches, it appears Bolt will have to do more than merely run a series of time trials to notch three more victories and cement his name as the “living legend” he hopes to become. Instead, there are questions, namely: Will Bolt be able to hold off Blake? Or will Blake’s challenge only serve to spur him?
No surprise what Bolt’s take is.
“He’s very determined and he wants to win,” Bolt said about Blake, “and that keeps pushing me.”
Other athletes are fascinated by that duo and the fireworks they could produce in London, where athletics competition begins in 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium on August 3 with preliminaries in the women’s 100-meter heats. The men take to the track a day later for their dash.
