{"id":1657,"date":"2012-10-11T12:05:52","date_gmt":"2012-10-11T19:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=1657"},"modified":"2012-10-11T13:05:01","modified_gmt":"2012-10-11T20:05:01","slug":"no-changes-for-bolt-in-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=1657","title":{"rendered":"No Changes for Bolt in 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Usain<\/a> I’m going to continue with my “Favorites” lists, but there is news that crops up even when things are “quiet”. So for those wondering what Usain Bolt plans to be doing in the year 2016, apparently it will be the same as in. 2012.\u00a0 Word out on Twitter in the last couple days is that Bolt will not be changing events, and is looking to attempt to repeat as sprint king in Rio de Janeiro.<\/p>\n

Personally I don’t find the news astounding. Bolt has always shied away from the 400 throughout his career in spite of showing promised in his youth. And the move to something like the long jump had always seemed like too big a stretch to me. So I’ve always looked at Bolt 2016 as a short sprinter, or out of the sport.
\nThe real question now is: what are the chances of titles in Rio? The first issue on the table is that to get to Rio he will first have to make the Jamaican team. A squad that gets stronger each year, at a time when Bolt will be 30 – a task that could be somewhat daunting. Of this years’ teammates, Asafa Powell will be past his prime by ’16, while Yohan Blake will be entering his. That should mean one spot locked up in each sprint – two open. <\/p>\n

So the next question is: what are the odds of a Blake like explosion by an athlete in each event, or by another strong doubler? Judging by recent results, I would say pretty good. Warren Weir win bronze in London and ran 19.84 in his first year with the big boys. For years of seasoned improvement could see him as a major contender. Ditto Nickel Ashmeade (19.85) & Jason Young (19.86) both of whom completed strongly on the Circuit. Either or all three could be muchfaster and nearing their peaks by Rio. So could Kemar Bailey Cole who found his way to 9.97 this summer. The tall, slightly built sprinter is young, but in for years could add some power to that frame – and we know what Not did in less than four years.<\/p>\n

All of which says that making the team for Rio could be a more difficult task than some might think. The London team was more difficult to make than Beijing, and Rio will add even more competition. Then there is the competition once in Rio. While that should be lead by the US contingent, the rest of the Caribbean is improving rapidly as is Jamaica with athletes like Keston Bledman (TRI, 9.85) leading the way. France’s Christophe Lemaitre (9.92\/19.80) should be growinginto his frame by Rio and teammate Jimmy Vicaut will beginning to mature.<\/p>\n

The US crew should be lead by Ryan Bailey (9.88) who completed very well in London and is just beginning to learn the sprints under coach John Smith and stable mate Walter Dix (9.88\/19.53) who missed most of this session to injury. And we may have one more strong cycle left for Justin Gatlin (9.79) and Tyson Gay (9.69\/19.56). That’s without the athletes that emerge between now and then.<\/p>\n

So we will see how a 30 year old Bolt does against what undoubtedly will be the strongest sprint fields ever – we seem to say that every Games. That is what the sport gets to look forward to. The build up of which will begin next spring. Moscow and Beijing should give a clue at the half way point as to what we might be able to expect. At any rate, the sprints are already shaping up as a good time for Rio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m going to continue with my “Favorites” lists, but there is news that crops up even when things are “quiet”. So for those wondering what Usain Bolt plans to be doing in the year 2016, apparently it will be the same as in. 2012.\u00a0 Word out on Twitter in the last couple days is that Bolt will not be changing events, and is looking to attempt to repeat as sprint king in Rio de Janeiro. Personally I don’t find the news astounding. Bolt has always shied away from the 400 throughout his career in spite of showing promised in his youth. And the move to something like the long jump had always seemed like too big a stretch to me. So I’ve always looked at Bolt 2016 as a short sprinter, or out of the sport. The real question now is: what are the chances of titles in Rio? The first issue on the table is that to get to Rio he will first have to make the Jamaican team. A squad that gets stronger each year, at a time when Bolt will be 30 – a task that could be somewhat daunting. Of this years’ teammates, Asafa Powell will be past his prime by ’16, while Yohan Blake will be entering his. That should mean one spot locked up in each sprint – two open. So the next question is: what are the odds of a Blake like explosion by an athlete in each event, or by another strong doubler? Judging by recent results, I would say pretty good. Warren Weir win bronze in London and ran 19.84 in his first year with the big boys. For years of seasoned improvement could see him as a major contender. Ditto Nickel Ashmeade (19.85) & Jason Young (19.86) both of whom completed strongly on the Circuit. Either or all three could be muchfaster and nearing their peaks by Rio. So could Kemar Bailey Cole who found his way to 9.97 this summer. The tall, slightly built sprinter is young, but in for years could add some power to that frame – and we know what Not did in less than four years. All of which says that making the team for Rio could be a more difficult task than some might think. The London team was more difficult to make than Beijing, and Rio will add even more competition. Then there is the competition once in Rio. While that should be lead by the US contingent, the rest of the Caribbean is improving rapidly as is Jamaica with athletes like Keston Bledman (TRI, 9.85) leading the way. France’s Christophe Lemaitre (9.92\/19.80) should be growinginto his frame by Rio and teammate Jimmy Vicaut will beginning to mature. The US crew should be lead by Ryan Bailey (9.88) who completed very well in London and is just beginning to learn the sprints under coach John Smith and stable mate Walter Dix (9.88\/19.53) who missed most of this session to injury. And we may have one more strong cycle left for Justin Gatlin (9.79) and Tyson Gay (9.69\/19.56). That’s without the athletes that emerge between now and then. So we will see how a 30 year old Bolt does against what undoubtedly will be the strongest sprint fields ever – we seem to say that every Games. That is what the sport gets to look forward to. The build up of which will begin next spring. Moscow and Beijing should give a clue at the half way point as to what we might be able to expect. At any rate, the sprints are already shaping up as a good time for Rio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-qJ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1363,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=1363","url_meta":{"origin":1657,"position":0},"title":"Kingston Doesn’t Change the London 100","author":"CHill","date":"June 30, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The defeat of Usain Bolt at the Jamaican Trials has not changed the Olympic 100 meters. Why? Because as I've said before Bolt has always been beatable. It's not easy to do, and not everyone has the ability, but it's always been possible. It requires two things: a sprinter with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Blake\"","block_context":{"text":"Blake","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=blake"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sprinter Shadow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Sprinter-Shadow_thumb3.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2089,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2089","url_meta":{"origin":1657,"position":1},"title":"Bolt v Gatlin – Who Will Win Beijing?","author":"CHill","date":"August 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Beijing is going to bear witness to one of the greatest sprinting showdowns in history when Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin take to the track - first in the 100, then hopefully again in the 200. It's the thing that makes this sport great when it happens - a great\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Bolt\"","block_context":{"text":"Bolt","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=bolt"},"img":{"alt_text":"Usain Bolt","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Usain-Bolt_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1484,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=1484","url_meta":{"origin":1657,"position":2},"title":"London Olympics 100 Meters – Execution","author":"CHill","date":"August 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Good news, bad news. The good news is that I got to see the final of the men\u2019s 100 meters last night. The bad news is that once again I had no luck seeing any of today\u2019s evening session online. I saw the morning session just fine, but didn\u2019t see\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"100\"","block_context":{"text":"100","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=100"},"img":{"alt_text":"Usain Bolt","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Usain-Bolt_thumb1.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":378,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=378","url_meta":{"origin":1657,"position":3},"title":"My Two Cents on the After Spin of the Stockholm 100","author":"CHill","date":"August 9, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"In the days since Tyson' Gay\u2019s \u201cupset\u201d victory over Usain Bolt, much has been written and said. From message board arguments, to newspaper articles, to other bloggers. Everyone has been trying to \u201cfigure out\u201d and\/or \u201cexplain\u201d how the \u201cunbeatable\u201d Usain Bolt lost to Tyson Gay. I\u2019ve seen everything from \u201cBolt\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=378#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"ATTENTION EDITORS - REUTERS PICTURE HIGHLIGHT TRANSMITTED BY 1925 GMT ON AUGUST 6, 2010. SIN504 Tyson Gay of the US wins the men's 100 metres final ahead of Jamaica's Usain Bolt at the IAAF Diamond League DN Galan in Stockholm REUTERS NEWS PICTURES HAS NOW MADE IT EASIER TO FIND BEST PHOTOS FROM MOST IMPORTANT STORIES AND TOP STANDALONES EACH Search for TPX in the IPTC Supplemental Category field or IMAGES OF THE DAY in the Caption field and you will find a selection of 80-100 of our daily Top Pictures. REUTERS NEWS PICTURES, SINGAPORE TEMPLATE OUT","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view2.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9501723\/reuters-picture-highlight\/reuters-picture-highlight.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":377,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=377","url_meta":{"origin":1657,"position":4},"title":"Tyson Gay Defeats Usain Bolt in Stockholm","author":"CHill","date":"August 7, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Now we officially have a sprint rivalry with Tyson Gay\u2019s defeat of Usain Bolt (9.84 to 9.97) in the Swedish city of Stockholm. It was Bolt\u2019s first defeat over the distance since July 22, 2008 when he lost to countryman Asafa Powell on this same track. It was also Gay\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - AUGUST 06: Tyson Gay (2nd r) of USA wins the men's 100m from Usain Bolt (r) of Jamaica during the IAAF Diamond League meeting at the Olympic Stadium on August 6, 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Michael Steele\/Getty Images)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view1.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9501806\/iaaf-diamond-league\/iaaf-diamond-league.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":464,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=464","url_meta":{"origin":1657,"position":5},"title":"The Apprentice Master Flip Flop","author":"CHill","date":"March 30, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Track and field can be an unforgiving sport. One minute you are on top of the world, the next you can be fighting for respect. A WR holder can succumb to illness (Wilson Kipketer), an Olympic champion to shame (Ben Johnson). Staying on top can be a challenge, which is\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh4.ggpht.com\/_q69RXDGKhjE\/TZNYeSizkUI\/AAAAAAAAAJY\/lBjBLNx8kgY\/image_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1657"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1662,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1657\/revisions\/1662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}