Bookies nuts about Bolt.Byline: Steven Downes Steven Downes (born November 22, 1961 in Waterloo, London) is an award-winning sports journalist and television producer based in London. Early career Initially specializing in track and field athletics and other Olympic sports, Downes covered his first Commonwealth Games USAIN BOLT Usain Bolt (born 21 August1986) is a Jamaican sprinter and current world junior and Jamaican record holder over 200 m. Early life Bolt was born Trelawny, Jamaica) and educated at William Knibb High School. spent yesterday, his 23rd birthday and his first day as the only man ever to simultaneously hold the Olympic and world titles at both 100 and 200 metres, by sleeping, playing on his PlayStation and eating his favourite chicken nuggets, writes Steven Downes. Tonight, he is expecting to be back on the track, bidding for another gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize and possibly even another world record, the target this time the 37.10 seconds he, Asafa Powell and their mates set in the 4x100m relay in Beijing last year. As Bolt himself has been running more than 0.1sec faster than he was racing even last year, that alone ought to provide the margin required to improve their overall time. And Ladbrokes think that Bolt can go faster still. They are offering 1-2 that he will go under 19.00sec in the 200m before the 2012 Olympics are staged in London, and 6-5 that he will go faster than 9.40sec in the 100m. Given that Bolt has already loped hefty chucks off both times - scientists were saying this week that Bolt's 9.58sec 100m record is about 20 years ahead of the progression they had been predicting - and that the bookmakers are now looking for him to reduce them by a similar margin again, the odds seem extremely short. The 6-4 offered that he won't run quicker than 19.00sec by 2012, though, seems far more reasonable. The best price on offer for Kenenisa Bekele, the world's other outstanding athlete, to add the 5,000m title to the 10,000m which he won for a fourth time earlier this week is 1-4, and it is tough to oppose him. Bekele survived a roughhouse rough·house n. Rowdy, uproarious behavior or play. v. also rough·housed, rough·hous·ing, rough·hous·es v.intr. To engage in rowdy, uproarious behavior or play. v.tr. heat to qualify, while defending champion Bernard Lagat, the Kenya-born American, had to be wheeled away from the stadium in order to have stitches in his foot from a spiking wound. That alone ought to be enough to discount the 8-1 chance's hopes tonight. In the hunt for value, 10-1 for Britain's Mo Farah to medal, offered by Hills, ought to give patriots a run for their money. Recommendation M Farah to win a medal in men's 5000m 0.5pt 10-1 Hills |
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