THE WORLD’S FASTEST man isn’t running scared, according to his management team.
The Jamaican’s mooted heir, Andre De Grasse of Canada, will not run alongside Bolt at tomorrow’s Diamond League meet in Monaco. Yesterday, De Grasse’s coach Stuart McMillan claimed the 22-year-old had been “booted out” by an anxious Bolt, whom he alleged was attempting to ease pressure on himself ahead of next month’s World Championships in London – Bolt’s final outing before retirement.
McMillan told CBC in Canada: “We were in the [100m] race. We got booted out. That’s all on Bolt.
“Let’s just say he wanted not such an elite field against him. The fastest guy in the world gets to choose the field. But I don’t blame him at all.
“This is his last year, he’s only raced twice. I totally understand that he doesn’t want to increase the pressure prior to Worlds by going in with a potential loss.
“If anyone deserves the right to choose the field, it’s Bolt.”
Bolt’s aforementioned races will hardly have filled his fans with confidence ahead of his swansong in the UK; he ran 10:03 and 10:06 respectively, the former during his final race on Jamaican soil.
In response to McMillan’s accusations, however, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist’s management team have told Telegraph Sport that they played no role in De Grasse’s exclusion from tomorrow’s 100m, nor any influence on the make up of the field.
DeGrasse, who signed an eight-figure deal with Bolt’s sponsors Puma in 2015, ran 9.69sec in Stockholm last month but with huge wind assistance. Similar to Bolt, he is yet to legally cross the line in less than 10 seconds this season.
South African Akani Simbine, meanwhile, has broken 10 seconds eight times already this year. Britain’s Chijindu Ujah ran 9.98 seconds to win the Rabat Diamond league last week, while four other sprinters have also finished sub-10 this term.
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