We need someone special with personality after Bolt: Johnson
ZURICH: Us a in Bolt’ s rivals will, for once, be glad to see the back of a man who has dominated global sprinting for the last decade but the sport of athletics will be far less enthusiastic about bidding a final farewell to the Jamaican.
Bolt has completed the sprint double at the last three Olympics and had he not been disqualified ahead of the 100 metres final at Daegu in 2011, the 30-year-old could have matched that feat at the last four world championships. In an era blighted by doping scandals, the Jamaican has almost single-handedly kept the sport a float but his commanding reign will come to an end when he retires after next month’s world championships, finally allowing other sprinters a look-in.
In the simple matter of who will take his place at the top of the 100 metres podium either at or after London, Canada’ s Olympic sprint medal list Andre de Gr as se appears to be just ahead of the pack as the leading candidate.
“( De Gr as se) shows up when it counts. That’s the mark of a veteran. Even though he has been in the sport not too long,” Justin Ga tl in, Olympic gold medal list in 2004 and runner-up behind Bolt in Rio last year, said.
NEWGENERATION
South Africa also has a new generation of stars, led by Aka ni Simbine and Than do Roto, although with their national championships taking place in March, pea king twice in one season could hinder their hopes of victory in London.
“It’s difficult to be running fast in March and having to peak for your nationals and still find a away to be ready at the middle of August,” former 200m world champion Ato Boldon said.
But whether any athlete can come close to matching Bolt’s dominance and charisma is a different matter .“You would have to have someone who is dominating, no one is doing that ,” said Michael Johnson, former Olympic champion in the 200 metres and 400 metres.
“You would have to have someone who has something special he has in terms of personality ,” the American said.
“In track and field, after I left, it wasn’t like somebody just stepped in. It was eight years before Bolt came along.
Johnson is one of those who feel the sport needs to work harder at promotingitself rather than waiting for a “new Bolt” to burst on the scene. “I don’t think the sport should depend on that .”