Usain Bolt of Jamaica at the 2002 IAAF World Junior Championships in Kingston (© Getty Images)
GrossetoJamaica’s Usain Bolt, 200m World Junior record holder and defending World Junior champion will not compete in the IAAF World Junior Championships in Grosseto.
The 17-year-old sprinter, who had 35,000 spectators to their feet when claiming the 200m World Junior gold medal two years ago in Kingston, Jamaica has been forced to withdraw from the 10th edition of the championships because of a hamstring injury.
Contacted by phone, his manager Ricky Simms confirmed that Usain was still confident about competing at the Athens Olympic Games later this summer.
“As you know, Usain had a hamstring problem earlier this summer,” Simms told the IAAF. “He made a great recovery and was really looking forward to competing in Grosseto especially given the excellent form he showed at the start of the outdoor season.”
“But Usain felt a pain in his hamstring during a training session on Thursday. He went for an MRI scan on Friday which revealed a small tear in his hamstring. At first we thought he might be out for the rest of the season but after consulting with the doctors we were told Usain could be back in two weeks.”
“Usain needs to rest for a whole week which unfortunately means he has to miss the World Juniors but we are still very positive and the Olympics remain a realistic possibility for him.”
“Usain will receive the best medical treatment in the course of the next couple of weeks. His body is still growing and this is most probably the reason behind his injury. We do not want to jeopardize the future of such a great talent.”
Bolt set a new World Junior record of 19.93 on 11 April which is still the fastest time of the year in the World senior lists.