Yohan Blake beats Bolt in Jamaican Championships!

Pherekydes

Who'd have guessed it, the reigning world champion beat Bolt in last night's 100m at the Jamaican Championships in Kingston, and clocked a world lead too!

Event 2  Men 100 Meter Dash
=====================================================================
    Name                     Age Team                    Finals  Wind
=====================================================================
Finals                                                               
  1 Blake, Yohan                 Racers Track Club         9.75   1.1
  2 Bolt, Usain                  Racers Track Club         9.86   1.1
  3 Powell, Asafa                Mvp Track Club            9.88   1.1
  4 Frater, Micheal              Mvp Track Club            9.94   1.1
  5 Bailey-Cole, Kemar           Racers Track Club        10.00   1.1
  6 Carter, Nesta                Mvp Track Club           10.01   1.1
  7 Clarke, Lerone               Unattached               10.07   1.1
  8 Harvey, Jacques              Mvp Track Club           10.17   1.1

In the female equivalent, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce scorched to another world lead:

Event 1  Women 100 Meter Dash
=====================================================================
    Name                     Age Team                    Finals  Wind
=====================================================================
Finals                                                               
  1 Fraser-Pryce, Shelly-Ann     Unattached               10.70   0.6
  2 Campbell-Brown, Veronica     Unattached               10.82   0.6
  3 Stewart, Kerron              Unattached               10.94   0.6
  4 Simpson, Sherone             Mvp Track Club           11.01   0.6
  5 Calvert, Schillonie          Unattached               11.05   0.6
  6 Henry-Robinson, Samantha     Unattached               11.11   0.6
  7 Bailey, Aleen                Unattached               11.12   0.6
  8 Brooks, Sheri-Ann            Unattached               11.14   0.6

Pherekydes

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0vPKvIt3SA

Great race by Blake and, to a lesser extent, by Powell.

TFBubendorfer

Lousy start by Bolt. He was behind everyone after 10 meters. When he finally got going he was pretty damn fast.

Pisco Sour

Not surprised at all really. I think now people can remove that stupid asterix beside Yohan Blake's world gold last year. IMO this would have happened in Daegu last year had Bolt not DQ'd. He wasn't running well last year (in relative terms) and he knows better than anybody about how fast Yohan Blake was running. He knew he needed a good start to beat him, hence the badly timed jumping the gun. Today against Blake he got a bad start, and what happened? He lost. Bolt has a real challenge on his hands in both the 100 and the 200 (where Blake would have broke his WR last year but for a horrific start).

It will be a great dual in London.

Brianderunner

Always been a Blake fan. Thought this would be the outcome in the olympics rather than here. Bolt said in his post Oslo interview "i need to go away and work on my start", looks like he needs more work. I wonder if there is something lingering from Daegu thats making him hold back at the start or was he just playing it safe to ensure qualification.

Look carefully and Bolt is not gaining on Blake the last 50m.

ThePiedPiper

Blake got a farily poor start here too, his accelearation in the last 50 was astonishing. Bolt will definitely have his work cut out in London. Should make for exciting stuff in the 100 and 200.

ecoli

I dunno, I am not entirely convinced. Look at Bolt in the closing stages. He looks over to Powell/the clock. At no point does he seem concerned with Blake which seems to me like we are yet to see him at is best this season. I think though there are a few good early season performances by him that more than likely is in a heavy block of training and is probably trying to replicate the "special" performance which saw him become a legend in the sport.

Not taking anything away from Blake have always been a huge fan and have said for years he will be the only one to challenge Bolt at his peak

This years Olympics has always been about establishing his legacy and has been mentioned over the last two years in interviews and as a result I think we will not see Bolt at his best until London this year.

Does create a great storyline however for The Olympic final between this and Gay being beaten by Gatlin in the US Trials despite being two fastest men of all time

Joeface

seriously whats in their diet. All finalist under Olympic A standard ...awesome

corny

RunForestRun wrote: »

Blake got a farily poor start here too, his accelearation in the last 50 was astonishing.

+1 The result had nothing to do with the start really. Bolt was left for dead after halfway.

the_real_lamp

happy I got a few quid on Blake for 100m gold at 4/1.

Blake ran sub 20 in the 200m semis, Bolt ran 20.26.

Pherekydes

Blake duly wins the double!

19.80 to Bolt's 19.83, into a light headwind.

RoverZT

Has bolt's lifestyle caught up with him.

He doesn't look the athlete he was in 2009.

Has he peaked?

He's only 25, but he's been running hard for 10 years now and some athletes do peak early.

Pisco Sour

RoverZT wrote: »

Has bolt's lifestyle caught up with him.

He doesn't look the athlete he was in 2009.

Has he peaked?

He's only 25, but he's been running hard for 10 years now and some athletes do peak early.

Instead of people questioning Bolt's lifestyle etc how about instead giving credit to Blake for beating him? This is not a surprise. The warning signs were there last year. Has Bolt reached his peak? Who knows. Quite possibly he hasn't. But how do we know his peak is better than Blake anyway? Bolt ran 19.19 in 2009. Last year in Brussels Blake ran 19.26 with one of the worst starts you will ever see in sprinting. With merely an average start he'd have taken Bolt's WR. So even if Bolt reached his peak in 2009 (which I'd like to think isnt the case) Blake has already shown that he can match Bolt (time wise) at his peak.

It's going to be a nailbiter in London.

average_runner

Its going to be a great 100m and 200m race in London.

Cant wait and hopefully the two of them make it to the line.

Some relay team for them !!

shels4ever

Pisco Sour wrote: »

Instead of people questioning Bolt's lifestyle etc how about instead giving credit to Blake for beating him? This is not a surprise. The warning signs were there last year. Has Bolt reached his peak? Who knows. Quite possibly he hasn't. But how do we know his peak is better than Blake anyway? Bolt ran 19.19 in 2009. Last year in Brussels Blake ran 19.26 with one of the worst starts you will ever see in sprinting. With merely an average start he'd have taken Bolt's WR. So even if Bolt reached his peak in 2009 (which I'd like to think isnt the case) Blake has already shown that he can match Bolt (time wise) at his peak.

It's going to be a nailbiter in London.

Yep I'd agree there, I think this is exactly what bolt needs. Every cham has a great rival with Blake running so well it might push bolt on. What ever happens I can't wait for the 100/200 this year

token56

Blake is obviously running very well and all credit to him at the Jamaican trials beating Bolt in two finals. But I really think Bolt will be a different animal at the olympics. He's been at this a long time so I'm sure he knows what he is doing and that he will be fit and ready come the olympics. He wont want to be embarrassed at the olympics and will be doing everything to ensure his legacy remains in tact.

Either way though it's going to be an amazing 100m and 200m, and with Gay, Gatlin, and Powell you could potentially have 5 men under 9.8s, an amazingly exciting prospect.

CoachDudie

RoverZT wrote: »

Has bolt's lifestyle caught up with him.

He doesn't look the athlete he was in 2009.

Has he peaked?

He's only 25, but he's been running hard for 10 years now and some athletes do peak early.

Well something strange is going on. He only broke 10 seconds for the 100 in 2008 so was his peak for 2 years?
Should be a good 100m final at the Olympics alright with so many 9.80 or better sprinters.
Bolt, Blake and Gatlin will have a good fair race.

CoachDudie

token56 wrote: »

Either way though it's going to be an amazing 100m and 200m, and with Gay, Gatlin, and Powell you could potentially have 5 men under 9.8s, an amazingly exciting prospect.

You should change the word amazing to unbelievable.

walshb

Wow. This really sets up the 100 and 200 for next month. As much as Bolt is confident and sure this will be a setback for him. Now he knows there is a man who can not only push him close but who can beat him. In 2008 and 2009 Bolt was at the blocks knowing that none of the other 7 men could touch him. Now he has a man that can do this. Mentally this is a big plus for Blake and a negative for Bolt. I just hope to god we don't get a false start from any of the big guns.

Brianderunner

walshb wrote: »

I juts hope to god we don't get a fals start from any of the big guns.

I dunno part of me will rejoice if Bolt gets DQ'd or has to pull out of the 100m through injury just to p!ss of all those corporate cnuts who hoovered up all the tickets.

Pisco Sour

Brianderunner wrote: »

I dunno part of me will rejoice if Bolt gets DQ'd or has to pull out of the 100m through injury just to p!ss of all those corporate cnuts who hoovered up all the tickets.

LOL

G-Money

Probably not great for Bolt that he lost both races but at the end of the day, the only thing that mattered from this weekend was that he qualified for London.

Blake ran well and could very well win both in London, but no medals were handed out this weekend and qualifying was the only thing that mattered really.

walshb

I haven't seen the race yet but I read that Blake rand Bolt down. That musta' been a big shock to Usain at 200 metres.

ecoli

Article on Bolt post defeat:

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/48042702/ns/sports/

ecoli

Bolt pulled from Monaco citing small problem:

http://www.iaaf.org/Mini/OLY12/News/NewsDetail.aspx?id=65572

CoachDudie

Can they give random drug tests when athletes are out injured?

ecoli

CoachDudie wrote: »

Can they give random drug tests when athletes are out injured?

Yes these are just out of competition random drug tests

Mod hat: dangerously close to speculation so I am stopping insinuations before they goes further

CoachDudie

ecoli wrote: »

Yes these are just out of competition random drug tests

I see, thanks. Back on topic, I expect Bolt to come back from this injury in much better form, close to 08/09 form.

fiddy3

Yes, they can give random tests, and they do.

RoverZT

Really fancy Blake now.

Think he is in Bolt's head now.

They don't even train with each other anymore apparently.

Can't rule out Tyson Gay, Gatlin or Powell either.

It should be all under 10 second final.

Would love to see Adam Gemili make the final.

Amazing if he done it and what a future he could have.

thirstywork2

Just on drug testing I was told today that they are doing 400 drug tests per day at the olympics.

CoachDudie

As predicted that recent 'injury' for Bolt did him the world of good.