|
Bolt, who will seek to finish his matchless
individual sprint career with a 100m gold medal in the London
Stadium on Saturday night, was, unusually for him, highly
critical of the blocks after his sluggish performance in
Friday's first round.
"That was very bad," he told reporters after recovering from a
dismal start to win his heat in 10.07 seconds.
"I stumbled a little bit coming out of my blocks. I'm not really
a fan of these blocks. These are the worst blocks I have ever
experienced. I have to get the start together as I can't keep
doing this."
Pressed on what exactly was wrong with them, he said: "It's
shaky. When I did my warm-up and pushed back, it fell back. It's
just not what I'm used to. It's not as sturdy."
Asked for a response to the criticism, a spokesman for the world
governing body, the IAAF, said: "The starting blocks here in
London are exactly the same model as were used at the last world
championships in Beijing.
"The starting equipment including the blocks are checked after
each session."
Bolt will run in the third semi-final on Saturday night, with
the final to be staged two and a half hours later.
He is seeking his fourth gold in the event, having won at every
world championships since 2009 apart from 2011 in Daegu when he
was disqualified for a false start.
(Reporting by Ian Chadband, editing by Nick Mulvenney)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
