Rio de Janeiro: Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt has vowed to push himself to the limit during today’s 150m exhibition event on Rio’s Copabacana beach.
The 26-year-old surprised passers-by Friday when he trained on the famed stretch of sand and conversed with local fans, reports Xinhua.
“I don’t run 150m often but I am going to give my all,” Bolt said of the race, which will be staged on a temporary track that has been custom-built on the beach.
“I hope everything goes well and that I am able to perform as planned. It’s all about keeping my focus and staying calm.”
Bolt’s opponent’s will include Ecuador’s Alex Quinonez and Antigua’s Daniel Bailey. The latter was called up at late notice to replace Wallace Spearmon, who was reportedly forced to withdraw due to personal problems.
The heats featuring Brazilian-only athletes will determine the last place in today’s final.
Bolt, who has won six Olympic gold medals, holds the 150m world record with a mark of 14.36 seconds achieved in Manchester in 2009.
Meanwhile, Jamaican former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell suffered a tight hamstring yesterday which he said would prevent him from running in Australia’s Stawell Gift.
Although his backup team said Powell could still recover in time for tomorrow’s semi-finals and final after responding to physiotherapy, the Jamaican sprint superstar said he would not be risking further hamstring problems by running.
“No, I definitely can’t run (on Monday),” Powell told reporters.
“The hammy is giving me some problems and it wouldn’t be fair to me to go out there and push it.
“But I really wanted to give the crowd the performance today.
“From 30 metres, the leg started to get real tight. I came out of the drive phase and just started running.But I wasn’t running 100 percent.” agencies
