Usain Bolt gears up for Olympic trials

TIL Desk Sports/ Usain Bolt will embark on the first major test of what he plans to be a triumphant swansong here tomorrow as the Jamaican Olympic athletics trials get under way. With less than 40 days to go before the Olympics, the sprint superstar will aim to seal his ticket to Rio as he targets a defence of his 100 metres, 200m and 4x100m crowns. Bolt, who completed an unprecedented second consecutive set of victories in all three events at the London 2012 Games, is hoping to complete a remarkable “Triple Triple.”

So far this season, the signs have been encouraging that Bolt is firmly on track, with the 29-year-old clocking a blistering 9.88 seconds at a meeting in Kingston on June 11, the second-fastest time in the world this year. Only France’s Jimmy Vicaut, who clocked a wind-assisted 9.86sec earlier in June, has run faster this season. Bolt’s main challenge is likely to come from Yohan Blake and Nickel Ashmeade, both of whom have clocked under 10 seconds this season at 9.94sec.

Blake committed the cardinal sin of defeating Bolt at the trials for London four years ago but ultimately finished behind his training partner at the Games themselves. With Bolt and Blake favored to take two of the 100m berths, Ashmeade will likely face competition from Asafa Powell and Kemar Bailey-Cole for the third spot. Heats begin Thursday at Kingston’s National Stadium with the final set for Friday.