200m is mine, says Bolt

MONACO – Usain Bolt gave a clear message to rival, friend and training partner Yohan Blake heading into Olympics year – his 200-metre title is out of bounds in London.
Blake emerged as a serious threat to his Jamaican compatriot’s sprint dominance when he won the World 100-metre title in Daegu in August, taking gold in a final that produced the most drama before the gun when Bolt was disqualified for a false start.
The 21-year-old Blake followed that up less than three weeks later with an eyebrow-raising run in Brussels – clocking the second fastest 200 metres of all time – his 19.26 seconds just seven hundredths of a second behind Bolt’s World record of 19.19 set in 2009.
Olympic 100- and 200-metre champion Bolt said he had “gotten over the initial shock” of how quickly Blake ran.
“Initially I was shocked because he’s not really a great corner runner . . . but he’s a great athlete and with great athletes you can expect anything,”
Bolt told a gaggle of reporters at a Monte Carlo hotel yesterday.
Relaxing on a sofa and dressed casually in a white polo shirt and ripped light blue jeans, Bolt admitted, to much laughter, that his younger compatriot worked “a little harder” than he did.
Both sprinters are on a three-man shortlist by the International Association of Athletics Federations for Athlete Of The Year.
“I’ve said this to Yohan and to a lot of my friends, the 200 is my favourite and I won’t let Yohan beat me over 200 metres,” Bolt said.
“The 100 [metres] maybe, but I’ve worked hard to perfect [the 200] over the years; so I’ve told him already I won”t let it happen.”
Their competitive rivalry, Bolt said, shone through in training, day in, day out.
“From the first time he walked into our camp, he’s been competing with me. Sometimes he beats me – it doesn’t matter, it’s only training. He’s a really competitive person . . . I have to explain to him that he’s got to relax sometimes.
“He’s young and excited but fun to be around. We laugh every day, his personality is great and it’s great to have him as a training partner.” (Reuters)