Blake more likely than Bolt to leave Olympics as dual sprint champion
Published:Yohan Blake may still be the apprentice in terms of his relationship with Usain Bolt, but there is a strong possibility that this will change after the Olympics with 3/1 looking a tempting price that the young pretender leaves London with gold medals in both the 100m and 200m.
Blake’s victory in the 100m at the World Championships was slightly overshadowed by the fact that Bolt was disqualified for a false start and the Olympics has been long touted as the rematch.
A mini rematch took place at the Jamaican trials and it was Blake that again came out on top, breaking his personal best with a time of 9.75secs.
He has since come out again and ended his Olympic preparations with another strong performance in Switzerland, albeit not against Bolt, and Blake certainly arrives in London in the best form.
Bolt has not only been beaten by Blake in Jamaica, but has had his injury troubles, with the hamstring complaint causing his withdrawal from the latest Diamond League meeting in Monaco.
Furthermore, Bolt’s start has been especially slack this season and despite his long stride still enabling him to burst through the field, he may have trouble reeling in Blake in the shorter sprint.
If Bolt is to win a sprint, then the 200m would appear the most likely, largely because he has more time to recover from a slower start.
However, with the 200m being held after the 100m, if Bolt does have a tender hamstring then there is the possibility that he will pull out altogether.
Blake also beat Bolt over 200m at the Jamiacan trials and scientific studies previously conducted have suggested that it is actually Blake who is the faster of the pair over the longer distance, if they got identical starts.
Bolt is 6/4 in the Olympics odds to complete the sprint double and insists that he saves his best form for the biggest stage, meaning he will on peak form in London.
He has even suggested that a new world record could be on the agenda and that he is capable of dipping under 9.50 secs in the 100m.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
