The talk all season long has been about how it was just a matter of time until Usain Bolt put things together and got into the shape he was in for the 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships. He broke world records in the 100 and 200 meters on both of those occasions.
With just over a month until this year’s Worlds in Daegu, South Korea, Bolt is no longer a clear favorite to defend his World titles. He narrowly defeated fast-charging countryman Nesta Carter on Friday in the 100 meters at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco. Bolt finished in a time of 9.88 seconds, just two-hundredths ahead of Carter’s 9.90 seconds.
Unlike many of his races this season, Bolt got a good start and was even with his competitors through the drive phase. But by the 35 meter mark, an area of the track where Bolt typically begins blowing by his competitors, he was unable to pull away and shut the door on anyone challenging him for the win. Carter actually managed to gain ground in the final meters but ultimately ran out of room.
This development should have the Bolt camp very worried. The world’s fastest man has typically been able to overcome bad starts due to his overwhelming top-end speed but this ability is now in doubt.
Former world record holder Asafa Powell now takes over the helm as the favorite for Daegu. Powell has looked dominant in 2011, winning three of the four Diamond League contests he’s taken part in as well as taking the Jamaican national title. He has also run the world leading time of 9.78 seconds in Lausanne. The only reservation about Powell is his tendency to fall apart in big races. He has entered several championship meets as a contender to win but has only walked away with two individual bronze medals at World Championships.
Bolt’s final test before Worlds comes next week in Stockholm where he is set to run the 200 meters. The World Championships kick off on August 27 with the heats of the 100 meters.
Usain Bolt eeking out a win in Monaco
Tags: asafa powell, diamond league, monaco, usain bolt
Kevin Liao is your typical running nerd, following the sport for years before starting Spiked Up, Psyched Up. Kevin was previously the cross country and track & field correspondent for Capital One Cup. When not writing, watching Flotrack videos and reading Letsrun.com, Kevin also finds time to run fairly competitively with PR's of 4:12 (1500) and 15:23 (5k) and more famously winner of the 2009 Marshall Clark 4 Mile road race. He is a senior at UC San Diego (explaining the site color scheme) majoring in political science and aspires to be a top operative in American politics. Among his other sporting interests are rooting for his hometown teams, the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Golden State Warriors.
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[...] Is Usain Bolt's 100-Meter Title Defense Less Than a Sure Thing? Well, of course it's not "sure," but should he even be considered the favorite at the World Championships in Daegu. In the 200 (he's doing one more of those in Stockholm on Friday), he seems like a strong favorite, but based on what we've seen in 2011, it might be logical to install Jamaican Asafa Powell as the 100-meter favorite at the Worlds. Of course, there are more rounds to run at the World Championships in Daegu, and Powell does not have a history of being a "big meet" performers, while 2008 Olympic and 2009 World Champion Bolt most certainly does. But Bolt's narrow victory, by 2/100ths of a second over Nesta Carter on Friday in Monaco, was far from his most impressive performance, and his top end speed wasn't as speedy as in '08 or '09. The sprints in Daegu will not be a foregone conclusion. More [...]