Usain Bolt is more than a familiar name to the world that track fans in the last seven years have associated with stellar performances every time the man who owns that name steps on the track. In that light, many today are critical of his performances when he doesn’t run a mind-boggling time. Though some of us know that he is human, and from time to time things may go wrong, others still believe that each time he competes he should break a record or blow away the rest of the field.
Well the latter wasn’t the case at the adidas Grand Prix in New York on June 13, 2015. As a matter of fact, some even described his run as pedestrian.
I watched Bolt at the Grand Prix press conference in New York the day before he ran, and he didn’t seem like the usual Usain Bolt. Such observation has led me to believe he is not fit at this point and may have had some challenges in his 200m. Take a look at his race, and it will be clear that at about 60 meters he shut it down. Under normal circumstances, no one comes off the turn ahead of Bolt, so when his up-and-coming countryman Julian Forte did that at Icahn Stadium, we know it is back to the drawing board for Bolt.
From my experiences with Glen Mills, I am confident he will have Bolt ready to roll at the Jamaica Trials, which begins June 25, as well as the World Championships in August. I, therefore, have to give the benefit of the doubt to Usain Bolt because of what I have seen him do over the years, even when predictions in some corners are less than favorable to him.
He may be the Lightning Bolt we look for every time he runs; however his less-than-exciting performance on Saturday is just an overcast cloud. He will be back.