Yohan Blake watches 200m in Moscow
MOSCOW, Russia — While a clean sweep of the medals in the men’s 200m at the 14th IAAF World Championships is not out of the question, side-lined double Olympic Games silver medallists Yohan Blake says anything can happen and someone from another country could spoil the party.
Blake who was part of Jamaica’s Olympic Games clean sweep in London last year plans to be in the Luzhniki tonight for the afternoon session when the semi-finals will be run and where the four Jamaican entrants will be seeking a place in tomorrow’s finals.
Blake who was unable to defend his 100m title due to injuries spoke to journalists from several countries at the headquarters of his sponsors Adidas earlier today.
Defending 200m champion Usain Bolt, Warren Weir, Nickel Ashmeade and Jason Livermore are seeking to emulate the USA in Helsinki in 2005 when they swept the top four places in the 200m.
He said while Bolt is the favourite to win and Weir should also medal, “anything can happen, someone (else) can slip in there…every one advanced comfortably (from the first round), Bolt, Weir, Ashmeade and Livermore and I think everything is shaping up to be nice.”
Asked whether Bolt could lower his World Record 19.19 second set in Berlin in 2009, Blake said “We would love to see it happen, (but) I don’t know what shape he is in but anything is possible.”
He did say however that he expects Bolt to run between 19.60 and 19.70 seconds.
Aside from being the guest starter on Thursday media race day at the stadium, today will be the first time he will be at the stadium for the competition.
It would have been too painful for him to watch the men’s 100m and being helpless to defend his title, he said.
After being the youngest man to win the World Championships 100m title in 2011, an injury to the tendon behind his right knee prevented Blake from defending the title this year and said it would be hard for him to watch it.