Bolt to race 200m at Ostrava Golden Spike
Thursday May 22, 2008

By Gary Smith

The showdown with Tyson Gay at the Reebok Classic in New York, on May 31, will be Usain Bolt’s final 100m before the Jamaica National Championships, after organisers of the Ostrava Golden Spike in the Czech Republic, announced earlier this month that the sprinter will only run the 200m at the meeting.

The event is the last on Bolt’s busy 2008 schedule before his country’s trials, which are to select the Jamaican squad for this summer’s Beijing Olympic Games in China.

Bolt easily won the Istvan Gyulai half-lap race in a meet record of 20.28-seconds two seasons ago and after skipping last year because the half-lap was not contested, the young Jamaican sensation has targeted another stellar performance this term.

The all-comers record of 20.16 held by Pietro Mennea of Italy from European Championships 1978 in Prahe, could very well be under threat with the form that Bolt is currently in. The sprinter said earlier this month that he hopes to run under 20-seconds for the first time in the Czech Republic.

"I won the 200m in Ostrava 2006 and although the weather was cold that year I thoroughly enjoyed the meet," he said.

"I would like to run the first sub 20-secs 200m in the Czech Republic and win another Golden Spike trophy."

The 21-year-old was in two sizzling performances this season. After opening the season with what then were an equalling life-time and 2008 best of 10.03 in Spanish Town, on March 8, the World Championships 200m silver medallist stunned the National Stadium in Kingston, with a superb 9.76 performance on May 3, before traveling to Trinidad and Tobago to run 9.92, at the weekend.

However, despite being the second fastest man to ever run the 100m, Bolt is still uncertain as to whether or not he will contest the at the Olympic Games. The news circulating among the media outlets are that the World junior record holder will only run the 200m in Beijing, but will compete in the 100m at the trials to earn his place on the 4x100 relay team.

Meanwhile, Bahamian national record holder Derrick Atkins has also been confirmed to run the 100m in Ostrava.

The World Championships silver medal winner has run two 100m and 200m this season and he his looking forward to racing in the city of Ostrava. On rainy and cold night in 2005, Asafa Powell clocked 9.85 to become the only person to break 10-second on Czech soil.

"The season has started well," Atkins said. "I am looking forward to competing in Ostrava, as I have never competed there before and I hear the fans are great.

"I want to run sub 10 seconds there which will continue my preparation for the Olympic Games in the right way," he added.

The Bahamian who opened the season with 20.66 in Miami, much faster than last year’s time (20.89), also ran 10.07 and 10.16 at California and Carson, respectively.