Three-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt was defeated for only the second time in two years on Friday night as fellow sprinter Yohan Blake produced a stunning upset to claim the 100m crown at the Jamaican Olympic trials in Kingston, Jamaica.
Blake stormed past defending Olympic champion Bolt – who ran 9.86 seconds – to set the year’s fastest time and a personal best.
Former world record holder Asafa Powell was third with 9.88 seconds at Kingston’s National Stadium.
The result sees all three men qualify for the London 2012 Olympics.
The 9.75 time also makes Blake the fourth fastest man of all time behind Bolt’s world record of 9.58, American Tyson Gay’s 9.69 and Asafa Powell’s 9.72.
“No pressure at all… everything is good. I’m just fortunate,” Blake said after beating his personal best of 9.82. “I’m the national champion of Jamaica now, I go into the Olympics like this.”
Bolt was slow out of the blocks in both the final and earlier semi-final. He said afterwards of his start: “I had to ignore it. I had trouble getting out, but I kept feeling like I could not give up.”
It was the first time Bolt and Blake had faced each other since Blake took the world title in Daegu last year, after the Olympic champion was disqualified for a false start.
Bolt, who won Olympic gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the 2008 Games in Beijing, had held the previous fastest time in the world this year after clocking 9.76 in Rome last month.
