Beware: Bolt is Back

Photo: Usain Bolt celebrates his win at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games in London England.

Usain Bolt is back! Not back to his supreme best, but any doubt about whether or not he will be running in Beijing to defend his World titles has been wiped away by his performances at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games in London England.

The defending World 100m champion ran 9.87s in the heats before returning to run the exact same time in the finals, beating into second place, the American Mike Rodgers on both occasions. Rodgers stopped the clock at 9.90 in the final while, Kemar Bailey-Cole who won the first heat of the semi-finals in 10.02, returned to run a personal best of 9.92 for third place.

The time run by Bolt represents his seasons best, but he will be the first to acknowledge that there is still a lot of work left to be done. Let in his blocks by the rest of the field, Bolt had to work hard to get to the front before powering home ahead of the chasing pack.

A grimace and a flash of the hand showed his frustration at the time run, but with two races under his belt, in just over an hour, the legendary sprinter will know exactly where he is and just how much more is left to be done ahead of the World Championships.

His sluggish start in both races will be cause for concern as he will have to be much quicker out of the blocks to hold off the challenge of main rival, Justin Gatlin, at the World Championships.