• Athletics

Aikines-Aryeetey puts boot into Bolt

ESPN staff
July 12, 2011
Usain Bolt has a huge fan base on account of his efforts on and off the track © Getty Images
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British sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey has put the boot into sprint sensation Usain Bolt, likening the Jamaican's stellar efforts at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 to a dog having its day.

Bolt holds the 100m and 200m world records, having backed up his wins at the Beijing games with brilliant efforts to win the same events at the World Championships in 2009.

The speedster had a season to forget in 2010, as injury limited his impact on the track and he was surprisingly beaten by big rival Tyson Gay.

Bolt has admitted he made mistakes in his training in 2010, suggesting he had lost focus, but he has come back strong in 2011. His times are not of the level he produced in 2008 and 2009, but he looks to be peaking for the World Championships later in the year.

But despite looking to be heading back to his best, Aikines-Aryeetey feels Bolt may have been overtaken in the sprinting pecking order.

"Usain has only run 9.91 seconds this year," Aikines-Aryeetey is quoted as saying in the Daily Mail. "That is not anywhere in the rankings.

"Every dog has its day and before 2008, no-one knew who Usain Bolt was.

"People don't stay at the top forever and everyone is getting faster. He has set the standard but people are rising to it."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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