Usain Bolt Loses To Yohan Blake In 100m Final

Yohan Blake’s victory over Usain Bolt in the 100 meters was no fluke: The pair went head to head again in the 200, and Blake again beat the man who cemented his place as the world’s fastest at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Bolt no longer seems the runner he was in Beijing. He has suffered setbacks since false starting at last year’s World Championships. But it’s still a surprise to see Blake come out and beat Bolt, fair and square, in back-to-back races.

There are some interesting 2012 Olympic trials going on throughout the world, including on the island of Jamaica, where Usain Bolt attempted to qualify for the Jamaican men’s Olympic team and defend his 100m men’s gold medal.

Bolt struggled in the semifinal round, getting off to a slow start off the gun, but took the lead on the final step, running a dreadfully slow (for Bolt) 10.01 seconds. In the finals, Bolt once again got off to a poor start and couldn’t overcome Yohan Blake, taking second place.

The fastest man in the world looked anything but Friday night.

Running in the semi-finals of the 100 meters at the Jamaican National Senior Championships -- Jamaica’s equivalent of Olympic trials -- Usain Bolt got off to a terribly slow start and never was able to fully recover, finishing in 10.01 seconds. By comparison, his world record is 9.58, run in 2009.

Usain Bolt will take his first step to defending his 100-meter Olympic gold on Friday night when he competes in the Jamaican National Senior Championships -- Jamaica’s equivalent of Olympic trials.

Things got started Thursday and after a false start from one his competitors, Bolt cruised in his preliminary heat, winning in a rather pedestrian 10.06 seconds. As has become customary, Bolt started slowly before catching -- and passing -- the field with about 40 meters left.