THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, July 27, 2016, PAGE 5
Injury anxieties grow but Bolt says ‘sport needs me to win’ By ROB HARRIS AP Sports Writer LONDON (AP) — Whatever controversy is raging in the Olympic world there’s one constant: Usain Bolt’s bravado and self-confidence. It’s what is expected from the world’s fastest man and greatest showman. “I know the sport needs me to win - and come out on top,” Bolt asserts, assessing the damage caused by the Russian doping scandal that has divided sports leaders. As for his pursuit of a treble Olympic treble next month, Bolt adamantly responds: “I’m not going to lose one of the golds, for sure.” In his last lengthy media appointment before heading to Rio de Janeiro, Bolt spent around two hours over a Jamaican lunch last week in London, discussing his Olympic challenge prospects and the challenges of life. When letting his guard down does Bolt sounded less invincible. Weighing on the Jamaican sprinter’s mind is the fear of hitting 30 next month, the toll of injuries - and even being caught up in an extremist attack. “It is scary,” said Bolt, adopting a rare subdued tone. “But if you live scared, you don’t live at all. So I try to live my life to the fullest and when it’s my time, it’s my time.” Bolt recalls being in Munich as news emerged of the truck attack in the French city of Nice on Bastille Day - July 14 - that killed 84
people. Munich was itself the scene of bloodshed last week with a teenager shot dead nine people. Bolt usually goes to Munich every three months to visit his doctor, Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt. “Especially at the start of last year I noticed that injuries take a little bit more time to get back to where you want to be,” Bolt said. “My coach always tells me that the older you get it’s going to get harder, and you have to push yourself.” But coach Glenn Mills also offered him comforting reassurance Bolt still craves, despite being the 100- and 200-metre world record holder. Bolt remembers Mills telling him “don’t worry you’re a champ” at the world championships last year. It was “one of the roughest years,” Bolt said, explaining how his back issue “has really deteriorated over the years.” Bolt’s preparations for the defence of his Olympic titles (100, 200 and 4x100metre relay) have been far from smooth, with a hamstring injury forcing him out of the Jamaican trials. “I always have little doubts in my mind,” Bolt said in a restaurant overlooking London’s St Paul’s Cathedral. “But I’m focused and ready to go.” Unlike many of the world’s top golfers, who have snubbed the chance to go to their first Olympics. “I guess it’s not as important to them as it is to us who have been competing over the years,” Bolt
USAIN BOLT, of Jamaica, poses for photographers after he won the 200 metre race during the Diamond League anniversary games at The Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, on July 22. (AP) said. “It surprised me when I heard that golf was going to be in the Olympics. There are a few sports in the Olympics that make me go ‘Argh.’”
At least 105 Russian athletes banned so far By JAMES ELLINGWORTH AP Sports Writer MOSCOW (AP) — At least 105 athletes from the 387-strong Russian Olympic team announced last week have been barred from the Rio Games in connection with the country’s doping scandal. International federations in canoeing, sailing and modern pentathlon ruled out eight yesterday, including an Olympic gold medallist. Rowing added 19 more athletes to three that had previously been announced. Swimming has also barred some athletes. Some appeals are likely. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that Putin had discussed the doping issue with his national security council. “The topic of the recent International Olympic Committee ruling relating to Russian athletes was raised ahead of Putin’s planned meeting tomorrow with the Russian Olympic team,” Peskov was quoted as saying. The vast majority of the Russian athletes who miss out are in track and field, where 67 athletes were ruled out when a ban on the Russian team was upheld at the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week. More are falling foul of new rules imposed in the wake of the country’s doping scandal. While Russia avoided a blanket ban from the International Olympic Committee, it has lost several medal contenders to new IOC rules imposed Sunday banning Russia from entering athletes who previously doped. Alexander Dyachenko, an Olympic champion in 2012, was among five canoeists ruled out after being named in a recent report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren alleging a statesponsored doping cover-up. McLaren’s report last week specifically detailed how Russian state officials allegedly intervened to cover up hundreds of failed
drug tests. Dyachenko won gold in the men’s double kayak 200 metres at the 2012 London Games. “The ICF will continue its strong zero-tolerance stance and remove all athletes that contravene its rules in anyway,” said Simon Toulson, the International Canoe Federation’s general secretary. “If you step out of line you won’t make the start line.” The four other banned canoeists are Alexei Korovashkov - a 2012 bronze medallist in the C2 1,000 metres event - Andrei Kraitor, Elena Anyushina and Nataliya Podolskaya. The ICF also said that Russia would not be allowed to enter boats in four events in which the excluded athletes would have raced. Therefore, Austria, Germany, Sweden and Iran are in line to receive their places. World Sailing said Pavel Sozykin, who had been due to race in the 470 class, would be excluded because he was mentioned in the McLaren report. Russia’s other six sailors were approve and Russia is able to nominate a replacement for Sozykin, the federation said. Meanwhile, the International Modern Pentathlon Union named the two Russians it had suspended as Maxim Kustov and Ilya Frolov, saying they both featured in the McLaren report. Kustov’s place in the men’s event passes to a Latvian athlete, while Frolov had only been entered for Rio as a reserve. There are now a total of 22 Russian rowers who have been excluded. They include Ivan Podshivalov and Anastasia Karabelshchikova, who were excluded because they previously served doping bans, while Ivan Balandin from Russia’s men’s eight was implicated in the McLaren report, World Rowing said. The others, according to a release Tuesday, did not meet standards set by the IOC. Meanwhile, volleyball player Alexander Markin told local media he had
been dropped due to a positive test earlier this year for the banned substance meldonium, even though he had not been banned. The international volleyball federation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The head of the Russian Wrestling Federation told the R-Sport agency that two-time world champion Viktor Lebedev was ineligible because he was given a doping ban in 2006. On Monday, swimming’s world governing body FINA ruled out seven Russians including reigning world 100m breaststroke champion Yulia Efimova. Legal challenges are looming. Efimova’s agent has said he is preparing an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and the Russian Canoe Federation’s general secretary Irina Sirayeva said that the five banned athletes could follow suit. “The intention to defend the athletes is there,” she told R-Sport. Triple jumper Ekaterina Koneva - a former world championship silver medallist - told local media she was considering a lawsuit in civil court. There was good news for Russia as its judo and shooting teams — comprised 11 and 18 athletes respectively — received approval to compete from their sports’ international governing bodies. Also, Russia also looks set to field a full team of four players in Olympic badminton, the Russian Badminton Federation said Tuesday, citing assurances from the Badminton World Federation. Previously, archery, tennis and equestrian sport’s world governing bodies said they had no objection to the Russians entered in their sports. Lists of Russian athletes approved by international federations must still be approved by CAS arbiters who can reject athletes not tested outside Russia. The IOC refused to accept testing done by Russian agencies because of evidence that the process was corrupted.
The Olympics are unquestionably the pinnacle of track and field. But providing the spectacle desired is proving difficult for the men. “This year is one of the poorest I have ever seen as an Olympic (field) for men really - the women have really shown more promise running fast times,” Bolt said.
“(The men) have really unperformed this season, but I’m sure when we get to the Olympics it won’t be like that.” Bolt expects Rio to be his last Olympics, but he still dangles the possibility of a trip to Tokyo. “My coach always says ‘Usain you can always go on to the 2020 Olympics if you want,’” Bolt said. “So this is
why he tells me to stop talking about retirement and just take it a year at a time.” The power of athletics in attracting big audiences would be more difficult without its global superstar. “People always say to me, ‘Usain when you leave the sport, the sport is going to go down,’” Bolt said. “But I’m not going to look at it like that. There are a lot of athletes stepping up.” Plans to overhaul the sport and make it more exciting have been sidetracked by the Russian doping scandal. The vast majority of the Russian athletes who will miss the Rio Games are are in track and field, where 67 of its 68 athletes were ruled out when a ban on the Russian team was upheld at the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week. Sebastian Coe, head of track and field’s governing body, has to deal with that. But Coe is also the man tasked with making track and field “more exciting,” as Bolt explains. “I’m assuming Seb Coe has a plan,” said Bolt, who advocates more street races. “Over time with different ideas, and the athletes that are coming up, the sport will stay current. It will take a while but I think it will get back to its former glory when I walk away.” Unless he decides to continue, Bolt’s glory era is due to end after the 2017 world championships in London. He is absolutely certain he will be greatly missed. “In football you have the debate who is the best footballer, but no one can debate who the fastest man in the world is,” Bolt said. “It’s going to be a long time, I think, before somebody comes who will be as talented as me to break my records.”