Bolt, Weir, Ashmeade gunning for 1,2,3 in 200M final
MOSCOW, Russia — Usain Bolt’s journey towards track and field immortality will take yet another step Friday when he begins the quest for an unprecedented third IAAF World Championships men’s 200m title, running the first round and semi-finals at the 14th staging of the biennial championships at Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, Russia.
Bolt who along with American Calvin Smith are the only back to back winners of the event, will seek to join America Allyson Felix as the only runners in the history of the competition to win three straight titles in the half lap event after she won in Helsinki, Finland in 2005, Osaka, Japan in 2007 and Berlin, Germany in 2009 before finishing third behind Veronica Campbell Brown and compatriot Carmelita Jeter two years ago in Daegu, South Korea.
After taking a day off after winning his second World Championships 100m title on a rainy and cool Sunday night, Bolt the 200m World Record holder at 19.19 seconds, returned to the track Tuesday as he readies for what could be a big event for Jamaica.
Bolt’s training partner Warren Weir who won the JAAA National title in June with a personal best 19.79 seconds is out to prove his Olympic bronze was no fluke.
Nickel Ashmeade a finalist in Deagu and Jason Livermore will also contest the event that starts at 10:35am local time (1:35am Jamaica time) with the qualifiers returning at 10:40 am (Jamaica time) to book a place in Saturday’s final.
Weir will be the first Jamaican on track running in Heat 3 against French hope Jimmy Vicaut; Ashmeade who has a season best 20.00 seconds run all the way back in May but ran a personal best 9.90 seconds in the 100m semi-finals on Sunday will line up in the next heat.
Livermore who is making his debut in a global track and field event will contest the fifth heat while Bolt has been drawn in the seventh and final heat where former Munro College sprinter Delano Williams will also run in his debut for Great Britain.
Jamaica has had at least two runners in the finals of the men’s 200m in the last three World Championships.