Robert Bailey, Freelance Writer

Bolt ... to bow into action at the Camperdown Classic.

USAIN BOLT will focus on the 400 metres this year with the World Championships in Osaka, Japan, being the primary goal, his coach Glen Mills said yesterday.

Speaking at the launch of the third Camperdown Boys and Girls Classic, which is scheduled for February 10 at the Stadium East field in St. Andrew, Mills said Bolt would be making his 2007 season debut in the 400m and that the 20-year-old Jamaican was being conditioned to represent the island at the World Championships in August.

Jamaican record

"Usain Bolt will be running the 400m and I think that his aim this year is to go after the Jamaican record. So, if you are at the Camperdown Classic you will get a first-hand insight of how far he is from his target," said Mills, a past student of Camperdown.

Mills said his charge was also scheduled to run the 400m at the Jamaica Invitational meet in May, the Gibson Relays later this month and also on the Grand Prix circuit.

Bolt became the second fastest Jamaican athlete over the 200m last season when he ran a personal best of 19.88 at the Lausanne Grand Prix in Switzerland. He also holds the World Junior 200m record with a time of 19.93 and the Boys' Champs Class One 400m record of 45.35.

Guest speaker at the launch, Stephen Francis, who is the coach of the MVP Track Club and the world's fastest man, Asafa Powell, encouraged participants at the classic to continue the country's rich sprinting history.

Camperdown meet

"I think it is fitting that Camperdown High School has decided to take a stab at the promotion of a meet in Jamaica," Francis said. "The Camperdown meet is at such a stage that it fits right into a slot (before Boys and Girls Champs)."

Cynthia Cooke, the principal of Camperdown, also highlighted its significance.

"This meet has become a very important event on the track and field calendar. There are more than 150 high schools with athletes needing to qualify for Boys and Girls Champs and also many track and field clubs with athletes in training who need good competition," Cooke said.

Cooke also said $100,000 would go to the boys and girls Class One winning relay teams for Penn Relays' expenses and there would be $60,000 to the overall first-placed team, $25,000 for second place and $15,000 for third.

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