Bolt set for Camperdown Classic
World 100 and 200 metres record holder Usain Bolt will make his much anticipated 2010 season debut at the sixth staging of the Camperdown Classic inside the National Stadium this evening.
Bolt, who secured three gold medals (100m, 200m & 4x100m) at the Beijing Olympics and Berlin World Championships in 2008 and 2009, respectively, will contest the 400m.
His world respected coach Glen Mills, who has been guiding the lanky sprinter’s career since 2004, told Sporting World that no particular targets had been set for Bolt to achieve today.
“(There’s) no expectation,” Mills said, noting that the race will serve as an ice-breaker for the 2010 season.
Last season, Bolt easily clocked 46.35 seconds over the distance in this development meet.
Mills indicated that Bolt’s preparation has been progressing well after he returned to training in October.
“He’s healthy and training is going well,” the coach said, indicating that Bolt’s schedule will not be as hectic as the past two seasons.
“He’ll only be running on the (Diamond League) circuit, which is just one run, so we can’t say he’s behind (schedule) because this year is not really an intense year,” Mills said.
With the exception of the Commonwealth Games scheduled for October in New Delhi India, the are no major athletics champions scheduled this year.
Several of Bolt’s Racers Track Club teammates will also be making their seasonal debut including former World Junior Championships 100m bronze medallist Remaldo Rose, who has been struggling with injuries for the last few years. Rose will also run the 400m.
In the meantime, Cynthia Cooke, principal of Camperdown High School and chair-person of the organising committee, says all is set for a stellar meet.
In addition to the 100 and 800 metres, which are staple events at the meet, athletes will also get to compete in the 1500m for Class III Boys (a new event at Champs), 400m for clubs only, and distant medley relays for schools participating in the Penn Relays.
The top three in the 4x100m relays will receive $60,000, $25,000 and $15,000, respectively, while for the 4x200m relay girls, the first three will pocket $30,000, $15,000 and $5,000 respectively.
A team from Cayman will also attend the meet.
Andria Lloyd, Camperdown’s first female athlete to receive an Olympic medal, will be the honouree this year.
Lloyd ran the anchor leg in the first round of the 4x100m relay at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, after Michelle Freeman, Gillian Russell and Nikole Mitchell.