CaribWorldNews, LONDON, England, Tues. May 18, 2010: World`s fastest man, Jamaica`s Usain `Lightening` Bolt, is set to start his 100-m season in Korea tomorrow.
Bolt arrived amid fanfare and a horde of journalists in Daegu on Saturday and said his appearance at this World Challenge meeting would provide a nice opportunity to get a feel for the track which will host next year`s IAAF World Championships.
He promised to `run hard as always,` and promised `a fast time` at the 2010 Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships Meet, which features strong fields throughout the competition.
The Jamaican triple Olympic and triple World champion should be able to erase American Ivory Williams` 9.95 seconds world leading time off the books, but the question is just how fast he can go in the first race at this IAAF World Challenge Meeting.
One hurdle the 100 and 200-m World record holder might have to beat is the weather. The forecast for Wednesday in Daegu is heavy rain although temperature looks to be nice at 30 C. Although Bolt has done almost everything in this event, the 23-year-old will enter only the 19th 100-m final of his career, having run his first race in this distance in Réthimno, Greece in July 2007, less than three years ago.
Bolt has already competed a few times this season in several relays and once in both 200-m and 400-m. A 45.87 season`s best in the 400m was his first individual race of the season in mid-February, but his 19.56 world leading time in 200m into a headwind in Kingston on May 1 was a clear sign of what might come in Daegu.
Other highlights in the meet include the men`s 110-m hurdles, where Dayron Robles will commence his outdoor campaign. The 23-year-old Cuban is coming off a strong indoor season having won the 60m Hurdles World indoor title in Doha. The 110-m hurdles reigning Olympic champion and World record holder will face the world`s best in Daegu.
On the women`s side the best events look to be 100-m and 100-m hurdles. 30-year-old Carmelita Jeter, the surprise of the late 2009 season with a blazing 10.64 100m personal best in Shanghai in September, will be looking for another good race here.
The American, who grabbed the bronze medal from Doha 60-m started her season in Kingston in May clocking a promising 10.94 in her first race of the season. But the competition will be fierce as 28-year-old Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown also starts for the second time in this distance in 2010. She was the winner of World indoor 60-m title and won her first 100-m in Osaka clocking 11.02 a week ago. 38-year-old Bahamian Chandra Sturrup is also competing and will be joined by Americans Gloria Asumnu and Marshevet Myers.
