WORLD ATHLETICS CHIEF Sebastian Coe blasted the “obsession” with Usain Bolt as Yohan Blake kick-started track and field’s new era without the Jamaican sprint king at the Commonwealth Games on Sunday.
Coe insisted there was no shortage of talent at the Games, the first major competition since Bolt’s retirement last year left the sport with a gaping void to fill.
Blake, Bolt’s long-time understudy, qualified fastest for the men’s 100 metres final as the athletics programme got underway, closely followed by Adam Gemili of England.
“This obsession with…,” Coe said when asked about Bolt, before stopping himself and adding: “There are plenty of athletes around.
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“Are we going to replace Usain Bolt? Probably not, because you don’t replace Muhammad Ali.
“But Marvin Hagler and Manny Pacquiao and (Julio Cesar) Chavez and the great boxers came through.”
SIPA USA / PA Images
SIPA USA / PA Images / PA Images
Despite his retirement, eight-time Olympic champion Bolt will be the star attraction when he arrives in Gold Coast in an ambassador role.
The athletics competition is also missing world champion hurdler Sally Pearson, a local resident and the face of the Games, after she pulled out with an Achilles injury.
Blake, 28, revealed that he was inspired by a warning from Bolt as he clocked an unhurried 10.06sec to top the timesheets in the semi-finals, glancing across twice as Gemili closed in.
“Usain told me, ‘Yohan, you’ve got to win or else you can’t go back home,” said former world champion Blake.
“There’s always a lot more in the tank,” added the two-time Olympic relay gold medallist. “I’ll speak to my coach, see what he says and tomorrow I’ll come and lay it down.”
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'You don't replace Muhammad Ali' - Coe blasts Usain Bolt 'obsession'
WORLD ATHLETICS CHIEF Sebastian Coe blasted the “obsession” with Usain Bolt as Yohan Blake kick-started track and field’s new era without the Jamaican sprint king at the Commonwealth Games on Sunday.
Coe insisted there was no shortage of talent at the Games, the first major competition since Bolt’s retirement last year left the sport with a gaping void to fill.
Blake, Bolt’s long-time understudy, qualified fastest for the men’s 100 metres final as the athletics programme got underway, closely followed by Adam Gemili of England.
“This obsession with…,” Coe said when asked about Bolt, before stopping himself and adding: “There are plenty of athletes around.
“Are we going to replace Usain Bolt? Probably not, because you don’t replace Muhammad Ali.
“But Marvin Hagler and Manny Pacquiao and (Julio Cesar) Chavez and the great boxers came through.”
Despite his retirement, eight-time Olympic champion Bolt will be the star attraction when he arrives in Gold Coast in an ambassador role.
The athletics competition is also missing world champion hurdler Sally Pearson, a local resident and the face of the Games, after she pulled out with an Achilles injury.
Blake, 28, revealed that he was inspired by a warning from Bolt as he clocked an unhurried 10.06sec to top the timesheets in the semi-finals, glancing across twice as Gemili closed in.
“Usain told me, ‘Yohan, you’ve got to win or else you can’t go back home,” said former world champion Blake.
“There’s always a lot more in the tank,” added the two-time Olympic relay gold medallist. “I’ll speak to my coach, see what he says and tomorrow I’ll come and lay it down.”
© – AFP, 2018
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