"Olympic Gold not a given for Bolt"
British sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey believes Usain Bolt cannot take 100 metres gold at London 2012 for granted.
The Jamaican will be hoping to sweep all before him at next summer's Olympic Games, building on his success from both the 100m and 200m in Beijing and then again at the 2009 World Championships.However, Aikines-Aryeetey does not expect the rest of the world's elite sprinters to be heading into the Olympics with the belief they are running for silver.
"Usain has only run 9.91 seconds this year, that is not anywhere in the rankings," Aikines-Aryeetey told Press Association Sport.
The British 22-year-old was speaking at today's launch of the UK Talent Team's (UK Sport and English Institute of Sport) initiative 'Power2Podium', which aims to unearth the next generation of GB medal winners between the ages of 15 and 26 with an aptitude for speed and power.
"Every dog has its day and before 2008, no-one knew who Usain Bolt was," Aikines-Aryeetey said.
"People don't stay at the top forever and everyone is getting faster.
"He has set the standard, but people are rising to it."
Aikines-Aryeetey, who won relay bronze at the 2009 World Championships, feels all of Team GB's athletes cannot help but be inspired by the prospect of a home Olympics.
"This time next year will be mayhem - everyone is going to want to put on a Team GB vest, so it is all about being the best athlete you can be to make sure you get on the start line," said the 2006 World Junior 100m champion.
"The atmosphere is going to be electric. At the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham, it was awesome, and that was 13,000 people, so I can only imagine what 80,000 will sound like.
"However, for me, it is not added pressure, it will just be added excitement.
"Having the Olympics here in London gives us peace of mind, knowing I can just nip down the shops and get my pack of Haribo, unlike in China where you are wondering where you can get some sweets from, or I can call my mum when I want to rather than having to plan it through a time zone.
"Everyone talks about pressure, but for me it is excitement, ease and comfort."
Aikines-Aryeetey is preparing for the 2011 World Championship trials later this summer ahead of the showpiece event in Daegu, South Korea.
He said: "It will be the only test we have before the Olympics to prepare ourselves in those circumstances against the best."
Aikines-Aryeetey had an unusual introduction to athletics and believes the 'Power2Podium' initiative can only be beneficial for the next generation.
He said: "When I was out playing as a youngster, I was chased by a dog and people said, 'Heh, you are kind of fast', and from there I just got involved in the sport.
"Athletics is not one of the main sports people are attracted towards, but having a plan like this to show what they could be good at, even world class, is important.
"Anyone can sign up via the website, and it is an amazing i
No comments:
Post a Comment