Now that the Olympics are officially underway, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I’m really only interested in watching Usain Bolt race Yohan Blake. I know a major storyline of these games is whether Michael Phelps can maintain his dominance, but I’m an avid track and field aficionado. Sidebar, Ryan Lochte is already starting to piss on Phelps’ myth. In any case, the 100m and 200m races are about to get real because Blake has a legitimate chance of dethroning Bolt. With that being said, let me scream “let the games begin” in my best Bane voice.
To understand my anticipation, first watch this and then this. For the lazy individuals, those videos are footage of Blake beating the “fastest man alive” in both of his signature events. While both races were simply qualifiers for the Jamaican national team, spectators were still shocked because Bolt has been basically unbeatable for the last 4 years. Even though Blake hasn’t approached Bolt’s world records yet, if this current trend continues, Bolt might have a real problem when they race each other later this week.
To add to the suspense, legendary Olympians Maurice Green and Edwin Moses both think Blake is going to beat Bolt in at least the 100m. While their words can’t be taken as gospel, it’s still interesting to see past greats give Blake the nod. If you only judge by public opinion, Bolt is still the overwhelming favorite. Then again, I don’t even think the average fan has seen Blake run yet.
In the end, you can watch all of the swimming, gymnastics and water polo you want. Come August 3rd, it’s all about track and field on my side of the fence. All I know is, regardless of what happens between Bolt and Blake, the US doesn’t stand a damn chance son. We might as well not even run. “It’s a shaaaaame” (© The Spinners).
