Bolt, van Niekerk, Farah, Rudisha headline Jamaican meet

[March 18, 2017]  By Kayon Raynor

KINGSTON (Reuters) - Usain Bolt, fellow world record holders David Rudisha and Wayde van Niekerk and middle distance king Mo Farah will headline the JN Racers Grand Prix on June 10, organizers announced on Friday.

The meet dubbed a 'salute to the legend' is set to be Bolt's last professional race in Jamaica as the eight-times Olympic sprint champion closes the meet in the 100 meters.

"It will be my last competition on home soil ... I might shed a tear even though I'm not an emotional person as I close out where it started on Jamaican soil," Bolt told reporters, adding that he was eyeing a time of under 9.8 seconds.

"I'm feeling good ... the fact that I got a few sprints in at the Nitro series in January and I've come back to training, I'm feeling good, coach is happy with the fluency that I have so that's a good sign.

"I haven't really run a fast time early in the season, so for me to a run 9.7 would be very good and I think that would be sufficient enough to say that's a very special time," added the man who won the 100m and 200m at the past three Olympics.

Coach Glen Mills has little doubt Bolt will be ready to give his home fans a sizzling farewell.

"Based on the standard he (Bolt) sets himself I'm sure he'll be in good shape to give the people a performance," Mills told Reuters.

Bolt will end his career at the world championships in London in August.

He will share the spotlight at the Kingston meet, at least partially, with a decorated group including two-times Olympic 800m champion Rudisha of Kenya.

Jamaica's Olympic champion Usain Bolt poses after running during the final night of the Nitro Athletics series at the Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, February 11, 2017. REUTERS/Hamish Blair

Briton Farah, double Olympic gold medalist in the 5000m and 10,000m, will also be in action, along with American dual Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor.

Also scheduled to compete will be South African van Niekerk, who electrified the Rio Olympics with a world record of 43.03 seconds in the 400m.

Bolt hinted that his 200m world record of 19.19 could one day be under threat from van Niekerk, whose best mark is 19.94.

"Just knowing him, he's a very determined person and he trains really hard," said Bolt.

(Editing by Andrew Both)

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