Topics

1

What about Track & Field / Bolt extends Puma contract- Now "best-paid athlete in track and field history."

« on: August 24, 2010, 11:42:57 AM »

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ha0D1saZ1BYNXG9lTdWSu2DnACrgD9HPTJT00

Bolt renews sponsorship contract with Puma
By CHRIS LEHOURITES (AP) – 2 hours ago

LONDON — The world's fastest man signed the fattest contract in track and field history Tuesday, with Usain Bolt extending his Puma sponsorship through 2013.

The world-record holder at 100 and 200 meters will be tied to the German apparel company through the 2012 London Olympics, where he is expected to try to win gold medals again in both sprints.

"It's good, man. I'm happy. I'm very happy with the figure," Bolt, who turned 24 on Saturday, told The Associated Press by phone.

Although contract terms were not released, Puma chairman and CEO Jochen Zeitz said Bolt would be the "best-paid athlete in track and field history."

"He's an iconic global sports star and as such he's now remunerated," Zeitz said.

Bolt became a worldwide superstar at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning the 100 and 200 in world-record times, and helping Jamaica win another gold and set another world record in the 4x100 relay. A year later, he again set world records in the 100 and 200 at the world championships in Berlin.

Bolt is sitting out the rest of this season because of a tight lower back, but looking toward a return next year for the world championships and then the 2012 Olympics.

"I'm trying to make myself a legend," Bolt said. "People are really looking forward to me breaking records. I'm going to go run hard to win, that's my aim. And every time I go out there and run hard to win, I get records."

At the Bird's Nest in Beijing, his effusive personality endeared the lanky Jamaican to fans, but not to IOC president Jacque Rogge.

In the 100, Bolt surged away from the field and slowed over the last few meters, even taking time to slap his chest before crossing the line in 9.69 seconds. A few days later, Bolt ran 19.30 in the 200 and then made little effort to congratulate his opponents before taking a victory lap and shouting "I am No. 1!"

"I have no problem with him doing a show," Rogge said during the Beijing Games. "I think he should show more respect for his competitors and shake hands, give a tap on the shoulder to the other ones immediately after the finish and not make gestures like the one he made in the 100 meters."

At the worlds, Bolt's showboating was muted, but his star was rising. He lowered his world record in the 100 to 9.58 and in the 200 to 19.19.

"He's not just an athlete that promotes performance products but he's also an athlete that transcends well beyond his sport into lifestyle, and that's where we see the opportunity," Zeitz said.

Bolt said this month he would cut his 2010 season short because of his ailing back. The announcement came days after he lost a 100-meter race in Stockholm to Tyson Gay — his first loss in an individual race in two years, also in the Swedish capital.

"Stockholm is not my favorite place," said Bolt, adding that it was good for the sport for him to lose once in a while. "Tyson was in good shape. He really wanted to beat me."

As for his injury, Bolt said he has been pain-free in Jamaica while spending time with his family and resting his back. For the first time in years, he got to celebrate his birthday in his country.

"I didn't know what to do," he said. "So I just chilled. We went out and had a couple of drinks."

The early end to Bolt's season will keep him from running at the Commonwealth Games in India.

"We would have loved to see him perform in the Commonwealth Games, but it wasn't really part of his training schedule and race schedule anyway," Zeitz said. "It's unfortunate that he's missing a few races, but we all know that 2011 and 2012 are the really important years."

Zeitz said Puma intends to make Bolt the central figure in its Olympic marketing program and use him to help develop footwear and other apparel.

Bolt first signed with Puma, which also sponsors the Jamaican Olympic Association and the Jamaican Amateur Athletic Association, when he was 16.

"We've been together since forever," Bolt said. "I like the fashion, so they try to make it fashionable for me. ... I'm looking good, but I'm also prepared

2

What about Track & Field / FRANKIE FREDERICKS DEFENDS BOLT

« on: August 22, 2008, 05:22:02 AM »

Check out the various links, Frankie Fredericks says Bolt has the right to celebrate how he wants.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article4587895.ece

Usain Bolt has the right to showboat, says Frankie Fredericks


((Marc Aspland/The Times))

Usain Bolt of Jamaica wins the Men’s 200 meters final to become Olympic Champion and win 2 gold medal (Marc Aspland/The Times)
Ashling O’Connor, Olympics Correspondent, in Beijing

Few top sprinters know better than Frankie Fredericks what it feels like to be the man no one is watching at the end of the 100 metres Olympic final.

The Namibian became the African nation’s first Olympic medal-winner when he won silver in both the 100 metres and 200 metres at Barcelona in 1992. But it was in Atlanta four years later that he really suffered runner-up syndrome as he watched a clean pair of heels belonging first to Donovan Bailey in the 100 metres and then Michael Johnson in the 200 metres.

Both men had to break a world record to finish ahead of him. So in witnessing Usain Bolt set new standards in both distances, Fredericks was in a better place to judge the Jamaican’s right to celebrate than Jacques Rogge, the president of the IOC, who complained that the new champion should have consoled his beaten rivals with a gentlemanly handshake.

“You cannot tell a guy who has run 9.69 seconds how to react. We should be happy,” Fredericks said, underlining that although he is part of the IOC hierarchy as chairman of the Athletes’ Commission, he is still a competitor at heart.
“This was a unique moment - a man that as an athlete is making history. It is not like it is a thing that is planned. There are seven other guys who want to be the world’s fastest man. In this case, Usain knew that Asafa Powell beat him two times before, so when he saw that Asafa was not in front, the child in him came out. It is his way of expressing himself.”

The sight of Bolt thumping his chest 20 metres from the finish line of the 100 metres as he eased over in second gear has been the image of the Games. A prostrate Bolt on the track digesting what he had achieved after breaking Johnson’s 12-year record of 19.32 sec to win the 200 metres gold medal in 19.30 a few days later ranks a close second.

Fredericks, universally liked during his sprinting career and now, is in no doubt that the men who followed in Bolt’s wake in both races would not have begrudged him his moment of self-indulgence. “He’s the star. It’s his moment and his victory lap. There are seven others who can hug each other afterwards,” he said. “Michael did the same thing lying on the floor. I had no idea what I did until I watched the tapes. But I wouldn’t have cared. I was in his slip-stream. I set a personal best and was happy.”

He is also in no doubt that Bolt did it cleanly. “I am not sceptical at all. I always believed that the guy next to me was clean because I was clean. I believe that Usain has worked hard,” he said.

“I did not think that Michael’s record would be broken so quickly. I thought maybe my grandchildren would see it. But we knew that he had the talent when he was 17. He’s such a tall guy. All the tall guys like Carl Lewis had a slow start but Usain gets out at the start - he is with them from the beginning.”

Fredericks is leading the drive to educate athletes about anti-doping and wants as much as anybody to separate the bad apples from the good. However he does not share the concerns about Jamaica’s lack of a national anti-doping agency.

“I have faith. The IAAF has a regional centre there and I am sure all the guys are tested,” he said. “People came to Namibia to test me and I think the same for Usain. Even if a country doesn’t have a national doping agency, we have to make sure that the top athletes are continuing to be tested.”

Athletes could not have chosen a better person in Fredericks, a computer science graduate, to represent them among the IOC suits. Although he did not win an Olympic gold medal, he has seen true greatness at much closer quarters than many of them. It is all the approval Bolt needs.
 

There are several other articles with Fredericks defending Bolt against what Jacques Rogge said as well.

       

3

What about Track & Field / BOLDON ADMITS HE MISREAD BOLT'S CELEBRATION

« on: August 20, 2008, 04:58:00 AM »

Ato admits he misread the Bolt celebration
Wed Aug 20, 2008 11:14
194.230.53.52

Curry goat, Bora and Boldon

Bryan Cummings
Wednesday, August 20, 2008



Yes, you are reading correctly. I am in China and I am talking about curry goat.


You see, the Jamaican-born executive chef, Obrian Tingling, had curry goat on the menu for lunch in the main press centre. I was very surprised when I saw it and Lance Whittiker (formally of RJR Sports but who now works for CMC) said that it was the best curry goat that he has had in years.

I ran into former Reggae Boyz football coach Bora Milutinovic in the same dining room the day after Frazer and company had won medals in the 100 metres. He said that he was extremely happy for Jamaica's success but admitted that he had wanted Asafa to win the Men's 100. He said that Asafa was "such a nice guy".

Since we are still in the dining room, our eating patterns have dramatically changed. When we first arrived in China, Kayon Raynor and I would be up bright and early to have breakfast. They offered a wide choice of foods for us to eat and we even looked forward to eating the morning meal.

That, however, has changed in the last five days. We have no idea what breakfast looks like. None of us has had any.

You see, for the last five days since track & field has started, we go to bed normally between 4:00-5:00 am China time and have to be at the stadium bright and early at 9:00 am the same morning.

We have no time to grab any because we are trying to get in as much sleep as possible. We eat lunch, and now eat dinner at about midnight China time after we leave that stadium late at night.

I ran into Ato Boldon in the stadium yesterday. We greeted each other and he brought up the subject that he had heard that he had stirred up a lot of emotions in Jamaica.

He mentioned to me that he had made some "on air" comments to the effect that Usain Bolt in celebrating his 100m victory before crossing that finish line was disrespecting his opponents.

I explained to him that Usain would never and did not disrespect anyone, but rather, was just being himself. I told him that all sprinters have to have some amount of attitude and Boldon at that point agreed with what I was saying by mentioning that he himself used to also have an attitude when he used to compete. I further explained to him that he had to remember that Bolt was still very young and still had a lot of "kid" left in him.

At that point Boldon backed down to admit that he did not know Usain that well and that he had misread his celebration.

This is the link:    http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sports/html/20080819T230000-0500_139243_OBS_CURRY_GOAT__BORA_AND_BOLDON_.asp

4

What about Track & Field / T&T Championships 2008

« on: June 18, 2008, 03:11:38 PM »

How do you guys think the big race will go this weekend ? I read an article quoting Asafa's agent saying that he will only run one or two rounds this weekend but NOT the final. If that is the case, I wonder how he will appraoch those heats?

Richard vs Darrel- who will come out on top. Had Richard not just run all those races last week at NCAA's, I would say he is the favourite, but those championships bound to take something out of him, so Darrel probably has the edge. I think Mark would come in third, but you never know as Armstrong ran well at Hampton last month.

BTW, anybody know if Richard decide what he doing as a pro yet? As in if he done choose any deal, coach, agent, etc. Probably will wait till after the trials.

5

What about Track & Field / Young sprinters put Trinidad and Tobago on the map again

« on: April 24, 2008, 07:59:07 PM »

Check this link for a nice article on Richard Thompson and Kelly- Ann Baptiste. Ato also shares his views.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/feedarticle/7484098

6

What about Track & Field / TnT sprint relay team 2008

« on: March 20, 2008, 08:22:04 PM »

I know it's very early in the season, too early for any serious predictions as we haven't really seen anyone run yet, but I was wondering what you guys think about the prospects of the men's 4x100 relay team this year. We have to wait to see what type of shape everybody is in, but potentially the team can do very well I think. You have Brown and Burns who experienced at this thing now, you got Thompson who setting the place alight and throw in maybe Bledman and I think you got a real nice team there. In the 4x1 we know is all about baton changes, so if they can get those right, I see no reaon why TnT can't challenge for a medal and maybe even the gold. Them guys I mentioned at their best I feel have as much speed as any other team in the world, but the thing is if they gonna be at their best.

7

What about Track & Field / BOLT OPENS IN 10.03

« on: March 08, 2008, 12:31:38 PM »

Usain Bolt ran his first 100m at the G.C.Foster College Classic in Jamaica today. He ran 10.03, wind +1.8.
I really think this guy has loads of talent at the 100m, I know others disagree, but I think he'll run much quicker later in the year. It's just March and according to reports he looked very easy. He'll surprise some people. Too early to make predictions, but he'll do extremely well.