Men’s sprint is the blue riband event of athletics, but thanks to the spate of positive dope tests and injuries, the August 10-18 Worlds are likely to be a one-man show as far as the race to determine the fastest man on the planet is concerned.
The World Athletics Championships begin at the historic Luzhniki arena in Moscow in two days’ time, but the biennial event has already been robbed of much of its sheen owing to some big name withdrawals.
Of course, sprint superstar Usian Bolt will be there, but the pullouts, some injury-induced (like that of Bolt’s compatriot Yohan Blake) but the majority due to doping violations, has definitely cast a dark shadow over the track events. In the withdrawal list are names like United States sprint star Tyson Gay, Bolt’s biggest rival, and Jamaicans Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Sherone Simpson.
Only Justin Gatlin can now threaten Bolt, but the Jamaican looks unbeatable, if he manages to avoid a repeat of the fiasco in South Korea two years ago when he was disqualified for a false start and handed the title on a platter to Blake.
The other key absentees this include distance runners David Rudisha of Kenya and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, Croatian high-jumper Blanka Vlasic and British heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill.
Event hosts Russia too have been tainted by dope. Around 40 Russian athletes have been banned for doping violations in recent months, including 2004 Olympic hammer throw champion Olga Kuzenkova and 2012 silver medallist in women’s discus, Daria Pishchalnikova.
Bolt himself admitted that the cases are “setting us back a little bit,” but added that “I am just trying to work hard, run fast and hopefully help people to forget what has happened, and just move on.”
Athletics surely will be banking on a Bolt win to restore its credibility.
Tiger’s back on the prowl
It’s one of the most frequently asked questions: Will Tiger Woods ever get back to the level he was when he utterly dominated golf? The answer, if one goes by his recent showing, might not sound good to his rivals.
Fresh from his seven-shot win at last week’s Firestone event, all eyes will be on the American world number one when the 95th PGA Championship begins at the Oak Hill course today, where the 14-time major winner would be aiming to snap a five-year major win drought.
His dominating victory at Firestone shows that Tiger is clearly back in the zone. It’s visible in his body-language — the way he walks to the tee, addresses the ball and then, after blasting it down the middle, strides down the fairway.
“I feel good. I’m very pleased with where my game is at,” Woods said after his Firestone win. The change in his swing seems to be working well for him, he’s been scoring amazing putts, and off the course he’s going steady with his ski racer-girlfriend Lindsey Vonn. That should be enough warning for his rivals.