Bolt should comfortably beat Farah if racing over 600m

Usain Bolt has indicated that he would be able to manage a race with Mo Farah over 600m and if the Olympic gold medallists did clash over the distance, it would be virtually impossible to back against the Jamaican.

Ladbrokes have installed sprint king Bolt as the favourite over the distance at 1/2, with Farah priced at 6/4.

It is Farah that has set the challenge as a method of raising money for charity, suggesting that a vote take place over which distance would be the fairest to race over.

Bolt has already indicated that 1,500m would be too far for him and although 800m has not been totally discounted, his preference would be for 600m, as this is a distance he has previously attempted in training.

Farah is no slouch when it comes to speed endurance, running the final lap of the 5,000m at the last Olympics in 52 seconds. There is every likelihood that he could take three or four seconds off this if racing over a lesser distance.

One of the bigger issues for Farah is that he has little experience of a quick start, whether from blocks or a standing position and this would cost him some time.

Meanwhile, Bolt would surely be the fastest of the two over 400m in any case, clocking 45.27secs over the distance in 2007 and 46.44secs earlier this year in an event set up by the University of the West Indies.

Even the latter time is something that Farah will struggle to match, despite the recent success he has shown over shorter distances when breaking the European 1,500m record and his own 3,000m personal best.

Obviously, the additional 200m would work in Farah’s favour, but probably not to the level that he would be able to bridge the game on the six-time Olympic champion.

800m would seem the fairer distance and with Bolt and Farah both priced at 5/6 to triumph over two laps, Farah would seemingly just have an advantage.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.