by Larry Eder
Colin Jackson, emcee, with Usain Bolt, photo courtesy of PUMA
The press conference for Usain Bolt, presented by PUMA, was held on August 1, 2017. The presser had about 260 members of the global media. The one hour session was presented by Colin Jackson, (Olympic silver medalist, 110m hurdles, 2 time gold, 2 x silver, 1 time bronze World Outdoor, 4x Euro Outdoor, 3 time Euro indoor gold), held the WR for 110m hurdles and holds the 60m indoor hurdles.
Usain Bolt, photo courtesy of PUMA communications
Colin Jackson’s questions were good, and gave the uniniated media good background. Usain then took questions for nearly thirty minutes. Of course, this was high level glitz for a sports athlete in track & field, but truth is, other brands should be doing such events for key athletes.
Here is the full embed from my Live FB of the event. I think Usain Bolt had a great time, and the media got the sound bites that they wanted. My question for Usain was (did not get to ask it), of the four distances he has raced, 100m, 150m, 200m and 300m, which is he built for? I believe either the 150m or 300 meter, and that is one of the secrets of his talents.
Usain Bolt is a tremendous athlete. He is six inches taller than the average sprinter, he has a longer stride, hence a longer time to move from starting position to full stride. But, when he hits full stride, about sixty meters, Usain Bolt is deadly. If one looks at his race in Beijing in 2015, in the 100 meters, there is a point when Bolt knows he has Gatlin, and there is this revelation, a sense of relaxation and then, a burst.
How will Usain Bolt fare in London? Well, we hear that one major sprinter is out of the 100 meters, so it could be easier. But, as Usain Bolt noted, anyone who makes the final of the 100 meters can win the final.
Enjoy the presser. Usain Bolt has something for everyone. He will be missed by many. Oh, and here are his shoes!
Usain Bolt’s spikes for London 2017, photo courtesy of PUMA communications
