Yohan Blake pulls a stunner, beats Usain Bolt in 100m

Yohan Blake delivered a shock that will be felt all the way to London 2012 by handing the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, a rare defeat in the Jamaican Olympic trials. On a night when anticipation of quick times charged the atmosphere of Kingston's national stadium, Blake did not disappoint the large crowd. In a furious dash down the track, he recorded a time of 9.75sec to claim the 100m title, comfortably ahead of a fast-finishing Bolt, who clocked 9.86, just getting by Asafa Powell for second, who finished third in a time of 9.88.
For Blake, this went a long way in settling doubts about the 22-year-old sprinter's quality, but for Bolt, the world record holder, it was a performance that raised questions in the buildup to next month's Games. All three men qualified for the Jamaican Olympic team and will line up against a formidable US contingent when the Games start on 27 July.
A few stunned spectators still slumped forward in their chairs stared blankly in disbelief following the sub-10 second race, hardly able to fully comprehend the sight of Blake still celebrating a well-deserved win on the bright blue track. Yet an upset had not been wholly unexpected.
Bolt finished first in his semi-final heat, in 10.01, only just ahead of Michael Frater, after another wretched start left the Olympic champion with plenty of work to do to get back to the field. He did it easily enough, as he had in the first round, but perhaps the disapproving headshake on crossing the line was the clearest sign that things were not quite right for him.
"Asafa and Yohan, these guys have good top-end speed so for me to get left in the blocks like that was not a good thing. I guess it was just one of those things," Bolt said.
"In the semi-finals the guy in lane seven moved and it threw me off. I keep seeing these guys in my peripheral vision. It's kind of hard to ignore them. When they move it throws you off and then you get left. After you get left like that it is always hard to get back."
Bolt's sluggish start had been cause for concern, particularly after losing his world championship title to Blake after a false start in the 2011 final in Daegu. This season there was no occasion more evident that timing his acceleration from the blocks is still a problem than the 10.04 he recorded in Ostrava, where Bolt got away slowly, before recovering with a trademark late burst. He beat Powell twice, with impressive times of 9.76 (Rome) and 9.79 (Oslo) but again seemed to find the starting blocks more like giant sand traps that a means of propelling himself forward.
At his best the 6ft 4in superstar has never been a quick starter. However, his tardiness should be a worry for both himself and his coach Glen Mills, who coaches Blake as well. But Mills, while stating that he was not surprised by the performance of any of the athletes, dismissed any concerns about a substandard performance in London.
"I wasn't surprised by his performance, Bolt is not at his best but he is good enough to compete," Mills said. "We are right where we want to be going into London. We just want to keep them healthy and that is key. We didn't send Yohan to Europe so he is in far better shape than Bolt at this time, but we have four weeks. We will take it in stride and we know exactly what to do."
Bolt and Blake are set for another showdown in the 200m final today as both cruised into the semi-finals. Bolt won his heat in 21.21 and Blake his in 21.43, both running into strong headwinds.
The Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce sent a clear warning to rivals hoping to claim her crown, as the diminutive sprinter blew away the other competitors on the way to a new personal best of 10.70sec. Despite a slow start to season Fraser-Pryce's dismissal of a strong field, which included the world champion Carmelita Jeter, at a grand prix in New York, gave clear indication that she was rediscovering her best form. Fraser-Pryce seems to have improved the last part of her race. "The people that work hard are going to be the ones able to defend their title in London," she said.