Kingston, Jamaica: The Fastest Man in the World wasn’t the fastest man in Jamaica yesterday night. That honour goes to Yohan Blake, who got out of the blocks fast and finished the 100-metre final in 9.75 seconds to upset world-record holder Usain Bolt by 0.11 seconds in the Jamaican Olympic trials.
A shocker? Well, that’s for the world to decide. One thing for sure, however, is that the calculus for the London Olympics has changed dramatically.
Blake is the reigning world champion but that victory, last year in South Korea, came with an asterisk because Bolt didn’t run that night after being disqualified for a false start. This was their first rematch, their first real race since then. Bolt was considered the favourite, not only because of his world record — 9.58 seconds — but because Blake, his training partner had never run below 9.82 in his life.
Well, now, he has.
The 9.75 seconds goes down as the best time this year and also breaks the four-year-old National Stadium record — both marks were 9.76 — both held by Bolt.
Primal screen
As much as the numbers, though, it was all that daylight between Blake and Bolt at the finish line that told this story. Blake, the man known as ‘The Beast’, let out a primal scream when he crossed. Bolt just sort of pulled up — no ‘To the World’ pose or anything else to celebrate.
Asafa Powell will join them at the Olympics, after finishing in 9.88.
In the women’s 100, defending Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won in a Jamaican record 10.70 seconds, with Veronica Campbell-Brown in second and Kerron Stewart in third.
Campbell-Brown provided the surprise at last year’s trials when she finished fourth in the final and didn’t make the 100-metre field.
Double victory
She ended up winning the 200 at trials and the Olympics and is very much in line for a double this time, as well.
So are Blake and Bolt.
It was widely believed Blake might provide a better challenge to Bolt in the 200 because he holds the world’s second-fastest time at 19.26. Bolt’s record is 19.19. They’ll run in heats today with the final scheduled for tomorrow.
But in track’s most glamorous event, the 100, it’s Blake who heads to London with the win.
