Usain Bolt answered questions over his fitness with a 100m season’s best of 9.87 seconds at the London Anniversary Games last month.
Reuters/Kingston
Six-times Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt headlines Jamaica’s squad for the world athletics championships in Beijing later this month.
The world record holder over 100 and 200 metres is joined in the 53-member squad by Asafa Powell and Warren Weir, both world championships sprint relay gold medallists.
Bolt answered questions over his fitness with a 100m season’s best of 9.87 seconds at the London Anniversary Games last month while Powell ran his fastest 100 in four years to win the sprint at the Paris Diamond League meeting in 9.81 seconds.
Rasheed Dwyer, who set a career best of 19.80 seconds over 200m at the Pan American Games, also makes the squad. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the reigning sprint double champion from Moscow two years ago, tops the list of female athletes and is joined by former world 100 and 200m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown.
The team will be accompanied by 19 officials including technical leader Maurice Wilson and
head coach Michael Clarke.
Discus champion Harting to skip world championships
World and Olympic discus champion Robert Harting will not defend his title at this month’s Beijing world championships as he does not want to risk his participation at next year’s Rio Olympics after struggling to recover from a ligament injury.
Harting, who has won three consecutive world titles and the 2012 Olympic gold medal in London, said competing in Beijing would have been too risky for him as he still not 100 percent fit after tearing a cruciate ligament last September.
“Unfortunately this is not possible,” he told reporters. “I just can’t compete. I would have to take a risk that I cannot take. The temptation was certainly there and I always hoped. But if I tear a cruciate ligament again then I can forget about Rio.”
Harting, who is known for his exuberant celebrations by ripping off his top, tore his cruciate knee ligament 11 months ago and has been working on a comeback since. Beijing will host the world championships between Aug. 22-30.
