Usain Bolt’s latest drama in the starting blocks — a firing of the false start gun that did not result in any disqualification — was only a minor blip as he won his 200m semi-final at the Jamaican Olympic trials on Saturday.
Bolt won in 20.26 seconds to set up a final yesterday against Yohan Blake, who won his semi-final in 19.93 seconds.
Bolt conceded to being distracted by action on the starting line during a bad start that played into his shock loss to Blake in the 100m on Friday. This time, though, he said there were no such issues.
Photo: Reuters
“No, no, no,” Bolt said. “The 200 is much more easy. I’m not seeing anybody, so it’s much more easy.”
However, last week — the past year, really — has been full of trouble in the starting blocks for the World’s Fastest Man.
Most famously, Bolt got hit with a false start at world championships in South Korea last year, which opened the door for Blake to win the title.
Given a chance to finally race against Bolt, Blake backed it up with his 9.75-second shocker at National Stadium on Friday night.
That time, the best in the world this year, was good for a 0.11 second win over Bolt, almost all of which Bolt gave up during an atrocious start. It was his second bad start of the day. Those, combined with the false start that delayed his very first 100m heat of the meet last week, certainly cannot be helping his mindset with the London Olympics only four weeks away.
“It is kind of hard to run people down like Asafa [Powell] and Blake, with his top-end speed, but for me to get left in the blocks like that is really bad,” Bolt said after the Friday-night loss.
The start is not as crucial in the 200, of course, and Bolt has always considered that his better event.
He will have his hands full and might not get a middle lane — normally considered the best starting point for any race around the curves.
He only had the fourth-fastest time of all the qualifiers — behind Blake, Warren Weir (9.99) and Nickel Ashemeade, so all three of those runners will get preferred spots.
“It’s all about qualifying now,” Bolt said. “I paced myself and I am glad. Blake and Weir ran faster than me, so I think they’ll get the [better] lanes.”
There were no surprises in the women’s semi-finals.
Veronica Campbell-Brown, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart all advanced and will race in Sunday’s final.
Campbell-Brown is going for her third straight Olympic gold medal. She won her semi-final in 22.79 seconds. Around the time she was done, word was already filtering to Jamaica about her biggest rival — Allyson Felix, who won the 200m final at US trials in a personal-best 21.69 seconds.
“Absolutely, I’ve been watching and checking the results,” said Campbell-Brown, who won her Olympic golds by beating Felix in Beijing and Athens. “They are my competitors, so I have to know what they are doing.”
Among the few Olympics spots handed out on a light on Saturday in Jamaica were the 110m hurdles. Hansle Parchment, Andrew Riley and Richard Phillips all qualified.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Manchester City on Monday completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported ￡31 million (US$41.8 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016-2017, City are hoping
Hulking Italian sprinter Jonathan Milan on Monday surged away from the pack to win the second stage of the Criterium de Dauphine in Issoire, France, to take the overall lead from Tadej Pogacar. The 1.93m, 87kg Milan had to battle to keep up on a hilly 204.6km run through central France from Premilhat. When the pack hit the home straight, he rocketed away from his rivals to collect a 10-second victory bonus and the yellow jersey. “That was really tough,” Milan said. “I was dropped at one point, and I was really on the limit, but I have to say
HEARTBROKEN: Oman dashed Palestine’s hopes of a first appearance at the finals with a last-gasp draw, after Palestine conceded a penalty deep in stoppage-time Brazil on Tuesday booked their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America with a lackluster 1-0 home victory over Paraguay, the first win of Carlo Ancelotti’s reign, while in Asia, Australia qualified. Five-time world champions Brazil punched their ticket to the finals in Canada, the US and Mexico thanks to Vinicius Jr. The Real Madrid star poked in from close range in the 44th minute in Sao Paulo after a cross from new Manchester United signing Matheus Cunha. It was the perfect gift for the Italian Ancelotti on his 66th birthday, having seen his new side held 0-0 by Ecuador
RSS