BE BOLD AND BE OUR BOLT
New generation of sprinters can seize their chance in Qatar showpiece following abdication of the king
FOR more than a decade it was all about one man – Usain Bolt was the only show in town.
In 11 global championships, the fastest-ever human won 22 sprint medals, only three of which were not gold.
In Qatar today the first Bolt-free competition since 2003 gets underway amid the air conditioning ducts of Doha’s Khalifa Stadium. Interest in athletics might have dipped significantly since the king abdicated in London two years ago, but the opportunity for this generation of male sprinters has never been bigger. Tomorrow, in temperatures expected to nudge 40 degrees outside the controlled climate in which the athletes will perform, the 100 metres gold will be decided.
For all but Justin Gatlin, incredibly at 37, the reigning champion, it will be the first global championship in which the quickest athletes in all of sport can dismiss the Bolt factor.
Gatlin, who competed pre-Bolt, and Christian Coleman beat the Jamaican to the top steps of the podium in 2017, while Yohan Blake claimed world gold in 2011 when Bolt false-started in Daegu. The rest have known only his rear view.
“Seize the moment, that is my advice,” said Darren Campbell, right, the last Briton to win a world sprint medal before Bolt rocked up.
“You have to grab your opportunity while it’s there. Don’t hold back. Forget the expectation and the fear. Believe in yourselves.
“There’s no certainty of anybody winning which means everybody stands on the line under pressure.”
Coleman starts as favourite despite having missed three doping tests and effectively avoiding a ban on a technicality.
British star Zharnel Hughes insists the American is beatable
and has big plans of his own. “A lot can change for me in these championships,” he said. “I could come back with the gold, possibly break the British record.”
Adam Gemili, mercifully fit after years of injury, takes his marks with Campbell’s words ringing in his ears. “Darren said to me many years ago, ‘It doesn’t matter how fast you run on the circuit, what matters is what happens at championships’,” said Gemili.
“I have always tried to do my best performances at the champs and feel I can go and keep that up.” Only Blake will have Bolt in his head today. The pair used to train together but the younger man took a dim view of Bolt recently criticising Jamaica’s sprinters.
“When I was around I think the motivation was there and we worked hard and the level was high,” Bolt was quoted as saying. “But now that I have left the sport, I feel like it has dropped.”
Blake said: “I remember the quotes. He said something in particular and I lost respect for him.”
Motivation not same since I left the sport