![]() Oblique Seville, 20, has been struggling with a toe injury and other leg problems, and missed out on a spot in the 100m final as well. I'm still the second fastest man in history, no one can take that away from me." "Definitely my last Olympics," Blake said after his semifinal Sunday. It was likely his last Olympic race in a career that saw him win two Olympic golds, two silvers and the 2011 World Championships gold in 100m. He struggled with a leg injury and did not progress through the semifinals in Tokyo with a time of 10.14. Blake, 31, is now contemplating his future. Jamaica's potential finalists were hampered by injuries. A lot of our medals have been won by one man." "We have had more female medalists in the world 100m than male medalists. "Jamaican women have been dominating the short sprint for such a long time, maybe even more than the men," Lowe added. Lowe says the women's field is even deeper than the men's, and less reliant on a single star, such as Bolt, for success. "They want to develop and go on to do big things. "They want to be great, they want to accomplish things in life so they work towards certain things," Bolt said. Bolt feels the women are more driven for consistent success than their male counterparts. While the men faltered at Tokyo 2020, the women, led by Elaine Thompson-Herah, dominated. Lowe says there's also a school of thought - which long-time Jamaican sprint coach Stephen Francis agrees with - that some of the country's promising young athletes are not transitioning from high school coaches to elite coaches. "The collegiate system helps them to develop commitment and dedication," Lowe said. Both Bolt and Lowe feel young athletes are lured away from the recognized pathway too soon, then fail to live up to their potential. "You'll see 18-year-olds' running times that could potentially get them here competing at the Olympic Games," Lowe said.īut the increased interest leads young athletes to turn pro out of high school rather than pursue a place in the collegiate system. Every spring, the athletics world trains its eye on the competition to find the next sprint hope. Bolt's 200m record from 2003 still stands, while Great Britain's Zharnel Hughes - who went to Kingston College and now trains at Racers Track Club under veteran coach Glenn Mills - broke Yohan Blake's 100m record in 2014. The five-day competition draws crowds of 35,000 and dominates the country's newspapers and TV coverage. The annual "Champs," the nationwide team competition for high schools, is a hotbed of young talent and must-see sporting event in Jamaica. "You just need to look at the times that are being registered at our boys and girls' athletics championships." "Jamaica does not lack talent at male sprinting," Lowe said. Andre Lowe, the Jamaica Gleaner's sports editor who has been reporting on the country's track and field exploits since 2004, points to young athletes turning pro too soon, untimely injuries and the cyclical nature of sport. Several factors help explain Jamaica's absence in the men's 100-meter final for the first Olympics since Sydney 2000. In 2019, Bolt lamented that since his retirement "no one is there to pick it up, pick up the pieces, keep the level," adding it was "embarrassing for the country." Olympics medal tracker | Schedule Ever since he bowed out in 2017, bringing an end to a remarkable career that redefined the sport, the world has been waiting for Jamaica's next male sprinter to emerge. I'm just disappointed because I think we do have the talent, it's just to harvest it and people to take the training seriously and get it done."īolt's criticism is nothing new. "So going into the men's, it's going to be tough. "I felt like we had a good crop of athletes for the last couple of Olympics, so for me, it really bothers me to know that this is where we are right now, where most of the world is ahead of us," Bolt said. Just before the Olympics started, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist voiced his concern over the state of Jamaican men's sprinting. Usain Bolt, who led that dominance, warned us this was coming. Just 24 hours after Jamaica's women swept the medals in the 100-meter dash, the Jamaican men, who have dominated the event for 13 years, were without a contender in the final in Tokyo. Olympics 2021 - Usain Bolt and experts on why no Jamaican men qualified for 100-meter final You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |