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Jamaica's Bolt to run 100, 200 at Olympics

03-08-2008 - 02:00

Usain Bolt will enter the 100 and 200 meters at the Beijing Olympics, after all.

The Jamaican sprinter broke the world record in the 100 by finishing in 9.72 seconds May 31. But he had said he would leave it up to his coach, Glen Mills, to decide whether it made sense to compete in that event in addition to the 200, which had been considered Bolt's specialty.

"I can confirm that Usain will run both the 100m + 200m in Beijing," Bolt's agent, Ricky Simms, wrote in a text message to The Associated Press on Saturday.

As recently as last weekend, Mills expressed concern that going for the sprint double at the Olympics could hurt Bolt's chances of winning the gold medal in the 200.

In the 100, Bolt is expected to face fellow Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell, the previous world-record holder at 9.74 seconds, and Tyson Gay, the reigning world champion who set the American record of 9.77 at the U.S. Olympic trials in June.

Gay won't challenge Bolt in the 200 in Beijing, though, because the American was hurt during qualifying for that event at the trials.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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