Running Battle

Bolt wants nothing less than to become a living legend and is well aware that repeat victories in the two individual sprints will put him there. Of course,hell need to better countryman Yohan Blake,who upset Bolt in the 100 and 200 finals at the Jamaican trials.

Win or not,Bolt is guaranteeing a good show. Hands down. For sure, he said. Im thinking this could easily be one of the fastest 100 meters anybody has ever seen. Bolt and his coach,Glen Mills,both say a 100-meter run in the 9.4-second range is possible,but only if the weather in London cooperates. The forecast for Sunday nights final calls for murky skies with a 30 per cent chance of rain.

Beyond Bolt and Blake,nearly every main contender in the marquee event has a good story to tell. There are Americans Tyson Gay oft-injured,still in search of an Olympic medal and Justin Gatlin 2004 Olympic champion,back in 2012 after a four-year doping ban,and another Jamaican,29-year-old Asafa Powell,a former world-record holder.

Wake-up call

Thats part of an ongoing duel between Jamaica and the United States. Jamaicas superb sprinting at Beijingwas a wake-up call for American athletes who usually dominate the raw speed events,according to U.S. coaches. Americans won no golds and only four medals in total in the mens and womens 100 and 200 metres and 4215;100 metres relays as Jamaica surged to victory in all four individual races,claiming eight medals overall.

I think it was a good wake-up call, U.S. mens coach Andrew Valmon told reporters. You will find that every event has stepped up in the U.S.,and that is because we needed to. World records fell to Jamaica in all three mens races and the women swept the 100 metres medals. The Americans did not even get the baton around in the 4215;100 relays,dropping it in both the mens and womens first round. I think it is very important for us to really try to get back on top in the sprints, said U.S. 100 metres record holder Gay.

But it is not just the Jamaicans that have awaken the Americans, said U.S. womens coach Amy Deem. You want to go out and be a medallist, she said,whether the person in the next lane is a Jamaican or Australian hurdles favourite Sally Pearson. I really feel like the women can get medals in places where we havent traditionally got medals.

While many American athletes have shied away from discussing the rivalry,Jamaicans seems to delight in it. I think we have been going back and forth for several years,especially in the sprints, said Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown. We do enjoy racing each other because we are very competitive, said the four-times Olympian who has twice defeated U.S. champion Allyson Felix for the Olympic 200 metres gold. It is great for the sport. Of course with the relay,that is always added motivation, Felix said of racing against the Jamaicans. It didnt matter who it was who beat you,you want a rematch You want to get out there and prove yourself.

Jamaican 100 metres world champion Blake will also leave the rivalry talk to others. I try not to build a rivalry,because at the end of the day,it is just a race and you just go there and focus what you want to do, he said.

But the pressure is clearly building on the Americans to improve on their Beijing showing. Former track federation CEO Doug Logan set 30 athletics medals as the goal. To do so,sprinting medals must increase for the U.S.,which won 23 total athletics medals in Beijing. Nine-times Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis added his own challenge this week. I think they the U.S. will get the most gold medals in the sprints. And I think they will get the most medals all round.