Usain Bolt in action at Crystal Palace last Friday. - file
TWO years ago in Osaka, American Tyson Gay was the toast of the meet in the sprints as he captured the 100 and 200 metres double.
In the 200 metres, Gay was pressured early by Jamaica's Usain Bolt who ran a respectable 19.91 seconds to finish as runner-up to Gay, who won in 19.76 seconds.
Bolt has gone from strength to strength since Osaka and is set to turn the tables on Gay. He showed in Beijing last year that he is likely to rule the sprints for a long time as he captured the sprint double in world-record times.
Gay, who was absent in the 200 metres in Beijing due to injury, will be hoping to defend his title successfully but, although being the top-ranked athlete in the world so far with his 19.58 seconds at the Reebok meet in New York in May, he will have to go much faster if he is to stop the 'Bolt of Lightning'.
Gay still competitive
The American, who has a groin injury, showed that he will still be competitive as he won easily last weekend at Crystal Palace in 20 seconds flat and is confident that he can retain his title.
Before the 200m, the world would have known the result of the 100m, which is expected to go off on the second day of the competition and the result of that event could provide many pointers to the 200m. A fit Gay could bring out the best of Bolt, and the world record which now stands at 9.69 seconds could go down to new levels.
Despite his success in the 100 metres in the past year, the half-lap event has always been Bolt's favourite. He was in blazing form in his last 200 metres race when competing at the Lausanne Grand Prix. He stopped the clock at 19.59, running in minus head wind of 0.9 metres per second. Based on that run and his 100 metres races since, we could see a spectacular performance in Berlin.
It will be interesting to see if any of the other Jamaicans in the 200m, Steve Mullings, who was second at the National Championships, and Marvin Anderson, who was third, can medal, as with Bolt and Gay expected to get the gold and silver the race for the bronze is wide open.
American Wallace Spearmon, who finished third in Osaka, will be hoping to maintain his position, and although he is the only other athlete to have gone under 20 seconds this year, with 19.98 in New York, he has looked ordinary since. He, along with 'new boy' Alonso Edwards of Panama, who has a season best of 20.00, and Mullings with 20.01 seconds, are expected to fight for the third spot and, inspired by Bolt, the Jamaican could do enough to take the bronze.