Glen Mills, coach of the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, believes his star athlete has all the attributes to be a great quarter-miler and may in fact turn to the event when he’s “not as fast” anymore.
Mills is not alone in his assessment of Bolt, as world-record holder for the event, Michael Johnson, and countless others believe the athlete could dominate it. In fact, his personal best of 45.28 in the event, in 2007, without much preparation would seem to suggest so, but there remains one obstacle, the sprinter simply does not like the event.
“He has all the attributes to be a quarter-miler but he hasn’t taken a liking to the event. He works hard at the sprints but I guess the 400m isn’t for him,” Mills told the London Evening Standard.
“When he’s not as fast maybe the quarter-mile will be the option for him. Everybody wants to be a winner and he’s just that in his events. He may have a change of heart in the future,” Mills added.
In a bid to better his Beijing Olympic Games medal haul (3 gold) at the London 2012 Games, where he hopes to put himself in rarefied company by capturing four gold medals, Bolt says he will consider taking part in the 4×400 relay. According to Mills, however, it may not be as simple as that.
The coach accepts that it’s a desire of his athlete but that a lot would depend on the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s selection preferences going into the Olympics.
“It’s a desire but there’s a lot more to it than what he says. First, there’s a trial where the quarter-milers are selected. It depends on what the national body of athletics decides. It’s not for us to say. We can express a desire but Usain is not going to run the 400m at the trials so it would have to be a decision by the association on it,” said Mills.
That aside, the coach believes his athlete could produce his best showing yet, even eclipsing his performance in Beijing, but that will depend a lot on conditions.
Bolt set 100m (9.69) and 200m (19.30) world records at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games before bettering that performance a year later at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, lowering his own marks in both events with a 9.59 run in the 100m and a 19.19 run in his 200m pet event.
The powerful sprinter had less of an impact at the recent IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, false starting in the final of the 100m before recovering to successfully defend his 200m title with a 19.40 clocking.
“He can do better than Beijing and Berlin but I’m not certain of the weather in London,” Mills was quoted as saying. “It’s very tricky but if the weather is right and the climate is warm, he can do it.”
