At the Olympic trials in Jamaica, Usain Bolt, known as the ‘fastest man in the world’, was not the fastest man in the country.
That distinction was earned by Yohan Blake, who exploded out of the blocks and completed the 100m final in an impressive 9.75 seconds, surpassing world-record holder Usain Bolt by 0.11 seconds.
This outcome challenges the prevailing belief that Bolt would easily secure the Olympic title in London, as he did in Beijing.
“Nine-point-seven-five – it’s awesome,” Blake expressed.
“I’ve won the world championship, so that’s a title I hold.
“Now that I’m the national champion for Jamaica, I’ve secured that too. And now, I head into the Olympics like this.”
Blake holds the title of reigning world champion, but Bolt did not compete that night in South Korea due to a disqualification for a false start.
This marked their first encounter—a true race—since then.
Bolt was viewed as the favorite not only due to his world record of 9.58 seconds but also because Blake, his training partner, had never previously run faster than 9.84 seconds.
That has now changed. The time of 9.75 seconds is officially the fastest this year and also breaks the National Stadium record of 9.76 seconds, which was also held by Bolt.
Known as “The Beast,” Blake released a triumphant scream upon crossing the finish line, while Bolt simply pulled up without any celebratory “To the World” pose.
Though the finish line scene may have appeared troubling, the start was even more concerning.
Historically the most challenging part of the race for the 1.93m Olympic defending champion, Bolt struggled out of the blocks this time, requiring considerable effort to catch up and enter the race.
After the event, he mentioned that someone near the start line had been distracting him, starting from the semi-finals, where he also had a poor start.
“I had to tune it out,” Bolt recounted. “Getting off the blocks was tough, but I felt I couldn’t give up.”
Asafa Powell will also compete at the Olympics after finishing with a time of 9.88 seconds.
In the women’s 100m, reigning Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce claimed victory in a Jamaican record time of 10.70 seconds, followed by Veronica Campbell-Brown in second and Kerron Stewart in third.
Campbell-Brown surprised everyone at last year’s trials by finishing fourth in the final and ultimately missing the 100m event.
She did, however, win the 200m at both the trials and the Olympics and is very much on track to repeat the feat this time around.
“I prefer not to dwell on the past,” Campbell-Brown stated.
“I am simply grateful for today. I secured my place in the 100m, which makes me happy.”
Bolt felt the same way, knowing he still has four weeks to prepare for the Olympics—ample time to get fit enough to actually compete rather than just avoid being overtaken.
Glen Mills, the coach for both athletes, noted that Blake entered this race in significantly better shape compared to Bolt.
“We’re exactly where we need to be as we head to London,” Mills shared. “Keeping them healthy is essential.”
However, there are two more days of racing remaining. Heats in the 200m will commence on Saturday, a race that Bolt has always regarded as his “job,” while he views the 100m more as a pastime.
by Terence Johns