Usain Bolt to run 150 metre race in Manchester

From Wikinews, the free news source you can write!
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica will run in a 150 metre street race in Manchester, England on May 17. The race will be conducted as part of the inaugural "Great Manchester 150." Bolt won gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 metres and 4x100 metres relay race in the 2008 Olympic games held in Beijing, China. He set world records in both the 100- and 200-meter races.

This will be the first time Bolt will be running in Europe. This will also be the first time he will be running a distance of 150 metres. The race will be held on a specially built tartan track. This event will be followed by Bolt's participation in the August World Athletics Championships 2009 in Berlin, Germany.

"I am very excited to compete for my first time in Manchester, my first time in a 150 m race and my first time in a street race outside the stadium," Bolt said. "I love competing in the UK, it is like my second home as I usually stay in London during the European racing season. When I heard about the idea I thought it would be great fun and something new and exciting".

According to the tournament organizer David Hart, apart from Usain Bolt, top British sprinters and a few other international athletes are also expected to compete in the 150 metre race.



Sources