Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
BOLT
WORLD JUNIOR 200m record holder Usain Bolt has pulled out of next month's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia after picking up an injury at Saturday's Gibson Relays at the National Stadium.
Bolt, who suffered a muscle strain in the 4x400m final for institution men, visited the doctor yesterday, after which his coach Glen Mills decided against his athlete competing at the Games Down Under.
Bolt's injury is on the same leg that was hurt at last Summer's World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
According to coach Mills, who was speaking on a local radio programme yesterday, the doctor said Bolt's injury, which is likely to recur, is not career threatening.
INJURED AT GIBSON RELAYS
At last Saturday's Gibson Relays, Bolt picked up the injury while representing the IAAF High Performance Training Centre (HPTC) in the men's 4x400m, after collecting the baton behind national 400m champion Lansford Spence of G.C. Foster. He went in chase, but while attempting to overtake Spence on the final bend, he held onto his hamstring.
However, he did make the final changeover to teammate Jermaine Gonzales, but afterwards he was seen on the ground on the infield.
Mills said the doctor says he can still have a successful career, but advised against competing at the Games as he will not be able to run at 100 per cent until two to three weeks.
The Commonwealth Games will run from March 19-25 and the Jamaicans are set to depart the island on March 8.
With Jamaica's final list already submitted to the Commonwealth Games Federation, no additional person can be included, but the management team can find a replacement for Bolt within the team to compete in the event.
Bolt, the reigning Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Championships 200m champion, has been troubled by a series of injuries since his World Junior Record run of 19.93 in 2004.
The 19-year-old athlete, who ran a 2004 best of 19.99 seconds, was listed by Tudor Bidder, the performance manager of Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), as the main attraction in the men's 200m at the Commonwealth Games.
"He's (Bolt) one of the fastest men in the world and he's still a teenager," Bidder had said. "No one knows how fast he can run. He's really uncharted territory - we just don't know what he can do."
