The world's fastest man had expressed some doubt regarding his participation at the Rio showpiece, which will take place in four years' time. Bolt, after emulating his performance in Beijing four years ago and London, a few weeks ago, the sprinter admitted to being uncertain about the future and a possible target. It seems, however, that the sprinter is now a bit more certain. While admitting that he is likely to be past his prime at the next Olympic Games, in which the sprinter will turn 30 years old, he will certainly compete.
"I am feeling confident more than ever and I think next year it's going to be really hard for anybody coming up against me because I will be stronger, I will be much fitter and I will be much faster. Each year I grow day by day," said [Yohan Blake], nicknamed The Beast' for his work ethic. During an interview on local television in late 2008, [Bolt] named Blake as "a potential threat" to his reign. "My true potential was not at the Olympics because if you look back at my races after the Olympics I was running really fast. I was really nervous. If you touch me I would have fallen. That's how nervous I was but I covered it up pretty well," said Blake.
[Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce] burst on to the scene as a fresh-faced youngster in 2008, winning the local national trials before going on to shock the nation and the crown by claiming the title at the Beijing Olympic Games. Fraser-Pryce clocked an impressive 10.78 seconds to lead a Jamaican sweep of the event finishing ahead of compatriots Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart.
"It's hard to explain," [Bolt] said. "I don't really know what went wrong." "I was looking to come here for a good time. I guess it's one of those days," he said. "I just never got going." "I did some starts and I was flying from the blocks so I said, "Yeah, this is good". I can't tell you what happened."
Bolt will be part of a star-studded cast that includes compatriot Veronica Campbell-Brown in the women's 100, as well as LaShawn Merritt and Oscar Pistorius in the 400, Christian Cantwell and Dylan Armstrong in the shot put, Dayron Robles at 110m hurdles, and Barbora Spotakova in the javelin.
Holmwood Technical's Shanieke Watson and Munro College's Herbert Thomas were the best junior female and male athletes in their respective categories. Competing in the four-kilometre event for females, Watson recorded 15 minutes 52 seconds for the win, getting the better of the St Jago High duo of Monique McPherson (16:09) and Roshae Burrell (16:11).
With Bolt emerging as the overall 100m champion of the recently concluded Diamond League series he, along with defending 100m world champion Yohan Blake, qualified for a bye to the World Championships. "I think Blake has earned his right to compete in the 100m by winning the 100m at the last World Championships, so I was always going to run the 100m," he added. "For the 200m, that will have to be determined based on what the JAAA decides, because I think that they are the ones who pick which wild card they want," [Bolt] said.
"Usain (Bolt) and I said let's go to Australia and play some cricket; let's check out the Big Bash and see what it is all about," he noted. "With this hard training in track and field and I know that cricket training is not that hard and I can make the team and it is my first love, I would go to play cricket," he declared. "I want to finish this (athletics) as early as possible, so I can play my cricket: like somewhere around 30, 29, 28. in that region," he added. [Yohan Blake] was last month given the honour of being the first noncricketer to ring the bell at the 'home of cricket', Lord's, in England. He did so ahead of the start of the third Test match between England and South Africa.
"The thing that stands out most, because it is something that people have been asking for, is the opportunity to see the top MVP - remembering that MVP has Asafa [Asafa Powell], Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, among others, versus the top Racers track club team, remembering they have Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake," [Paul Francis] disclosed. MVP fastmen Powell, Carter and Frater are already confirmed for their 4x100m team, and comeet organiser and MVP president, Bruce James, is anticipating Racers team comprising of and Olympic champion Bolt World champion Blake.
[Jason Morgan], 30, who broke the national record twice this season, and who along with Traves Smikle became the first two Jamaicans to ever represent the country at the Olympics by achieving the Olympic 'A' standard of 65 metres, went into the Games with a season best of 67.15m. However, at the Games he was a shadow of himself, failing to throw beyond 60 metres and was subsequently eliminated during the preliminary round. "Yes, I should have competed better at the Games but I think I became too relaxed, too complacent," he conceded.
