Former Olympic silver medallist Roger Black has told London 2012 Olympics men’s 100m final will be the greatest the Games has ever seen.
Usain Bolt’s sensational double win in the 100m and 200m was one of the lasting memories of the 2008 Beijing Games, and the Jamaican was widely expected to be hot favourite to repeat the feat at London 2012.
But recent injury problems and the form of world 100m champion Yohan Blake – who beat Bolt over both 100m and 200m at the Jamaican Olympic trials – and also America’s Tyson Gay mean the competition is now much fierce than had been expected.
‘This is the most exciting 100m final we’ll ever see,’ Black told.
‘It’s fabulous what’s happened with Bolt – it’s not a surprise to those of us who follow the sport, because no matter how good you are, if you’re not on top of your game there are people behind him who can challenge you.
‘Clearly Bolt’s got a few problems – four years ago he had 10% on the rest of the world, now it’s down to about 5%, and if it dips less than 5% he’ll really be pushed.’
London 2012 Olympics News: Saudi Arabia ‘reverses pledge’ to send female athletes to the Games
Saudi leaders have been under pressure to end the practice of sending all-male teams to international competitions and they had previously announced that they were open to women competing at the Olympics for the first time.
However, a report in a Saudi-owned newspaper this week said no female athletes have qualified for the Olympics and no women will be included on the team which will compete in equestrian, athletics, and weightlifting.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee says it remains “confident of a positive outcome” regarding the situation.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, only Qatar, Brunei and Saudi Arabia fielded all-male teams. This year, Qatar and Brunei have confirmed they will send female athletes as part of their teams for the first time. The recent reports in Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat Arabia suggest Saudi Arabia has gone back on its decision to join those countries in fielding a mixed team. Human Rights Watch is urging the IOC to bar Saudi Arabia from participating in the Games for violating the equality rules in the Olympic Charter.
London 2012 Olympics News: Team GB have 61 ‘plastic Brits’ taking part in London Olympics
The controversy over ‘plastic Brits’ has been reignited by the revelation that Team GB will have 61 overseas-born athletes competing at this summer’s London Olympics.
Team GB Andy Hunt has come under fire over the selection of Cuban-born triple jumper Yamile Aldama and wrestler Olga Butkevych, who was born in Ukraine but received her UK passport only a couple of months ago.
And now a Daily Telegraph survey has revealed that 11 per cent of the 542-strong were born abroad.
The figure has been inflated by some athletes who were simply born away from home to British parents. Basketball and handball will both field nine foreign-born competitors in London.
Andy Hunt, the chief executive of the British Olympic Association and chef de mission of Team GB at the Games, defended their selection policy.
‘There are no Plastic Brits,’ he said. ‘As far as I’m concerned, if you’re a British citizen with a British passport and you are eligible to compete for this country, then fantastic. If you win a place on merit, you should be in the team. I have absolutely no problem with that at all.
