For Usain Bolt, another meeting with Yohan Blake awaits at Jamaican Olympic trials. Bolt’s only minor nemesis Saturday night was, yet again, that pesky false start gun.
Bolt’s latest drama in the starting blocks a firing of the false start gun that didn’t result in any disqualification was only a minor blip this time. He won his 200-meter semifinal in 20.26 seconds to set up a Sunday final against Yohan Blake, who won his semifinal in 19.93.
Bolt conceded to being distracted by action on the starting line during a bad start that played into his shocking loss to Blake in the 100 on Friday. This time, though, he said there were no such issues.
“No, no, no,” Bolt said. “The 200 is much more easy. I’m not seeing anybody, so it’s much more easy.”
But this week the past year, really has been full of trouble in the starting blocks for the World’s Fastest Man.
Most famously, Bolt got hit with a false start at world championships in South Korea last year, which opened the door for Blake to win the title.
Given a chance to finally race against Bolt, Blake backed it up with his 9.75-second shocker at National Stadium on Friday night.
That time, the best in the world this year, was good for a 0.11-second win over Bolt, almost all of which Bolt gave up during an atrocious start. It was his second bad start of the day. Those, combined with the false start that delayed his very first 100 heat of the meet this week, certainly can’t be helping his mindset with the London Olympics only four weeks away.
“It is kind of hard to run people down like Asafa (Powell) and Blake, with his top-end speed,” Bolt said after the Friday-night loss. “But for me to get left in the blocks like that is really bad.”
The start isn’t as crucial in the 200, of course, and Bolt has always considered that his better event.
“It’s all about qualifying now,” Bolt said. “I paced myself and I am glad. Blake and Weir ran faster than me, so I think they’ll get the (better) lanes.”
