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Sport
Utter nonsense! - Mills insists star duo can coexist at Racers
BY HOWARD WALKER Observer senior reporter walkerh@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, February 03, 2012
RACERS Track Club head coach Glen Mills has dismissed speculation that his two world champions, Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake, can't coexist in the same camp because of the impending rivalry expected at this year's London Olympics.
"They are talking rubbish. They are rivals on the track; they are not rivals in their lives," Mills asserted.
"The fact that you compete against each other is not a criteria for you to be enemies," Mills, yesterday's guest speaker at the launch of the Camperdown Classic, told the Observer.
Bolt, the double world record-holder over 100m and 200m, has been the top man in Mills' camp for years, but the emergence of Blake after winning the 100m at the 2011 Daegu World Championships and running an astonishing 19.26 over 200m has positioned him as the main threat to Bolt's sprinting dominance.
With that in mind, some experts believe that for Blake to step out of Bolt's shadow, he must find a new camp to be really focused on conquering his training partner Bolt.
"I am a professional. I carry out my duties with each athlete to the best of my ability, whether you are fast, slow or a champion," Mills reiterated.
Mills, who was asked by Bolt to become his coach shortly after the 2004 Athens Olympics, has since guided the athletic phenomenon to dizzying heights.
Bolt was initially a 200-metre specialist, but Mills suggested his young charge improve his stamina to run over 400 metres. However, with Bolt much keener on running the 100 metres, Mills promised the former William Knibb star he could run in the short dash provided that he break the national 200m record.
Bolt broke Donald Quarrie's 36-year-old record by 0.11 seconds, clocking 19.75 seconds at the Jamaican Championships in June 2007, and Mills acceded to Bolt's demands and allowed him run the 100m.
The rest is history.
Bolt then took the world by storm and is the double sprint record-holder with 9.58 seconds over 100m and 19.19 over 200m.
But Blake, 22, has risen to be one of Bolt's main challengers after winning the 100m World Championships title in Daegu last year in 9.92 after Bolt was disqualified for false-starting.
Blake, the former St Jago star, lowered his personal best over 100m to 10.82 in Zurich last year while beating former world record-holder Asafa Powell.
He also clocked a mind-boggling 19.26 for 200m in Brussels, Belgium — the second fastest time ever, behind Bolt's world record and faster than the 19.41 Bolt ran in landing the gold medal in Daegu last year.
American Olympic champion Maurice Green has tipped Blake to beat Bolt at this year's London Olympics. Green, who won the Olympic 100m title in 2000 in Sydney, argues that Bolt has "trouble in close races".
 
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2/4/2012
Utter nonsense it is! When Bolt came on the scene everybody claimed the races were "close" until he ran leaving everybody. If they look at the World champs Blake was not in anybody's shadows. He was out there prepared to win. Bolt himself considered that. The only change with Blake in the race is that Bolt will be more serious for school children in England knows Blake is no respector of persons. As for Bolt he has a killer instinct nad physical capacity second to none and he fights with no one
2/3/2012
Maurice Green needs to stop talking nonsense. Bolt has always ran in close races, especially against Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell. Bolt is a professional and he knows that he will have to run against friends/foes. He will just have to train harder as Tyson Gay, Powell and Blake will be clipping at his heels. Bolt is a raw talent and I do not expect any of these guys to pose a threat if he is fit and healthy.
2/3/2012
That might be true? some athletes tend to tighten up in close races which is a natural reaction to competition. It is not very often though that we see Bolt in a close race, as a matter of fact most, if not all of his races he is slightly behind because of is not so strong start.
2/3/2012
What else do we expect Mills to say , In every sport top athletes prefer not to have their main competition be aware of their training routines, progress, weakness and strength. the element of surprise on race day could be the difference between winning and losing. Would we like Tyson Gay to train with Bolt and Blake every day?. When Demus beat Walker at the WC, in the post interview she attributed the win to NOT racing the Jamaican too often, they had gotten too accustom to how she ran.
2/3/2012
What else do we expect Mills to say , In every sport top athletes prefer not to have their main competition be aware of their training routines, progress, weakness and strength. the element of surprise on race day could be the difference between winning and losing. Would we like Tyson Gay to train with Bolt and Blake every day?. When Demus beat Walker at the WC, in the post interview she attributed the win to NOT racing the Jamaican too often, they had gotten too accustom how she ran.
2/3/2012
Well said Mr. Mills. Now lets move on. The tabloid media and cynical speculators have nothing better to do.
2/3/2012
I think that's supposed to say 9.82 for Blake's best...
2/3/2012
Bolt has toruble in close races? hmmm, ok...i didn't know that
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