KINGSTON – Usain Bolt will get a chance to hone his Olympic track and field legacy, as his name was announced as part the 59 member Jamaican team that will compete at the Olympic Games in Rio next month.
Bolt, who withdrew from the 100m final and sought a medical exemption from the 200m at the Jamaican Olympic Trials two weekends ago, was named on the provisional list submitted to the IOC to contest the 100m/200m/4x100m relays in Rio.
He seeks to become the first man to win three straight triple-triples after wins in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.
The announcement was made Monday afternoon at a news conference held by the Jamaica Olympic Association in Kingston where all members of the Olympic team were announced.
The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s (JAAA) selection rules allow for athletes ranked in the top three in the world to submit medical exemptions and miss the trials but they must be able to prove their fitness at a later date to be named to the Olympic team.
Bolt suffered a grade one hamstring tear on the first day of the four day national championships. He then ran the semi-final of the 100m before withdrawing an hour before the final. He submitted a medical exemption for the rest of the championships, including the 200m.
He then travelled to Europe to see a specialist, world renowned sports doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt and posted a photograph of himself training over the weekend.
Bolt ran a season’s best 9.88 seconds in the 100m but has yet to run a 200m race in competition. He is scheduled to run at the London Anniversary Games later this month.
Bolt is one of several Jamaican athletes who used the medical exemption at the trials including Elaine Thompson, who won the women’s 100m in a world leading 10.70 seconds, Olympic bronze medalist Hansle Parchment in the men’s 110m hurdles and 400m hurdler Janieve Russell, all of who were included on Monday’s list.
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