It was not long ago that Usian Bolt (8/11 – Mens 100 Metres Outright) was deemed untouchable amongst the heavyweights of modern sprinting but with the London Olympics edging ever closer, questions are being raised about the defending champion.
The Jamaican superstar remains one of the biggest attractions at the games this summer and the 25-year-old is still the firm favourite to retain his Olympic crown.
However, there have been concerns regarding Bolt’s fitness in recent weeks after he flew to Germany to visit the highly-rated sports doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt.
Bolt had been complaining of a tightness in his hamstrings which was believed to be the cause of his below-par showing at the Olympic trials where he managed to qualify despite losing to his training partner and serious title contender Yohan Blake (6/4 – Mens 100 Metres Outright).
The young pretender Blake – at just 22-years-old – is set to push his countryman Bolt all the way in London, having bested him in those trials in both the 100m and 200m.
And with the injury problems surrounding the favourite, the pressure is starting to mount on the defending Olympic champion.
Bolt’s agent Ricky Simms has insisted his client only went to Germany as a precautionary measure for the hamstring tightness and was adamant he will be fully fit to resume training for the three events he is set to take part in.
With the 100m, 200m and 4×100m all to compete for, there could be concerns that Bolt has put too much on his plate and might be spreading himself a bit thin, instead of focusing on the main event.
Blake is certainly waiting in the wings to cause one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history, as are a couple of other runners.
American Tyson Gay (12/1 – Mens 100 Metres Outright) is no slowcoach by any means and can compete if he runs near his best.
The 29-year-old could be considered a veteran in this field of youngsters but, with a personal best of 9.69 seconds, he is still the fastest ever American over 100m and will be in the mix in east London if he can get near his top speed.
Jamaica will certainly dominate proceedings in this high-profile event and former world record holder Asafa Powell (16/1 – Mens 100 Metres Outright) will be hoping to win another Olympic gold, after running alongside Bolt to win the 4×100m in Beijing back in 2008.
Having held the world record between June 2005 and May 2008, the 29-year-old might have already hit his peak but he will be determined to go out with a bang in what looks set to be probably his last Olympic Games.
Despite the rumoured injury problems and the contenders getting closer, witnessing Bolt in full flight can be like watching the extraordinary racehorse Frankel.
If Bolt can get off to a strong start there will be no catching him and it’s hard to see anyone besting the ‘Lightning Bolt’.
