LONDON, (Reuters) – Only a major error or injury will deny Usain Bolt victory in the men’s 200 metres final at the London Olympics today, according to twice 400 metres hurdles champion Ed Moses.
“It comes down to the biomechanics of his running stride, which is longer because of his height,” Moses said in an article published in the Daily Telegraph on Thursday.
“If he gets up to speed, there is no stopping him because he can take advantage of the incredible leverage his legs give him.”
Moses, who broke the world record four times and was unbeaten for almost 10 years, said Bolt also enjoyed the benefit of hard modern tracks such as the one at the London Olympic stadium.
“I would have loved to be able to run on a hard surface like this,” he said. “We would run on far softer surfaces.”
Moses said he regarded Bolt, who retained the 100 metres title on Sunday, as the greatest sprinter ever but said Carl Lewis had endured a much tougher schedule when he won the 100-200 double in 1984 followed by a gold and silver four years later.
“Lewis had to run four races in two days for each event – two heats on the first day and then the semi-final and final on the second,” Moses wrote.
“For the 200 metres, Bolt is running three races over three days. Would he able to manage Lewis’s schedule and survive? There is no way of telling.”
