Who will succeed Bolt? Certainly not Yohan Blake
Who after Usain Bolt? That’s the question asked repeatedly since the Jamaican World Record holder and multiple-time Olympic and World Championship winner quit last year.
That was also the question put to Lord Sebastian Coe when he came visiting at the Commonwealth Games just before the athletics competition started. He spoke about Yohan Blake, he talked about a number of exciting youngsters that are coming up. But will one of them will take over the massive void that Bolt left behind him?
Going by what happened at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast on Monday, chances of such a thing happening anytime in near future is dim.
Blake was touted to come out of the shadows of Bolt. And the Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast provided him a good platform to kickstart that process. The competition here is nothing compared to the other international races. So, he was expected to blaze through it.
However, in a big surprise, the Jamaican superstar was stunned by two virtually unknown South Africans, Akani Simbine and Henricho Bruintjies, who finished one-two with 10.03 and 10.17 seconds respectively. Both got a good start took lead halfway through. Blake was hampered by the start and then could not build on the momentum and had to be satisfied with third place.
Blake managed a pedestrian 10.19 seconds and was hugely disappointing. “I am a bit disappointed actually, I was supposed to win it easily. I was feeling good (about the race),” he said.
“I was supposed to get it easily, so (maybe) I was too confident. I was trying to earn a start and a newcomer stole the win,” said Blake.
The inevitable question of Bolt did crop up as he was asked whether his great rival’s absence is affecting them because of lack of stiff competition, Blake said he is not thinking of such things.
“It is racing and sometime you take while to get back to get where you are. I am just trying to be focussed and trying to concentrate on my things,” he said.
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