The Yohan Blake and Daniel Bailey Rivalry
Posted By Sandy / 23rd September 2011
Never has men’s track and field ever been so invigorating to watch as when two of the world’s fastest athletes are competing. Training together has no bearing at all with the competitive spirits of Daniel Bailey and Yohan Blake who are both wonderful charismatic sprinters.
The men’s track and field European circuit has been buzzing over the ongoing “silent duel” between the two men. With the race last June at the Alma Athlé Tour in Strasbourg, France, both finished at a dead heat with just a fraction of a second difference. Bailey won that race finishing at a gasping 9.97 seconds over Blake’s 9.98 seconds. Third place went to British sprinter and world’s 60 meter indoor champion, Dwain Chambers at 10.04 seconds. Blake’s poor start with a .19 second reaction time and sudden burst of speed got him so close to winning. His feat does leave a lot to the imagination of fans and experts with the usual “What if” question.
In a previous race in Montreuil, France, it was Blake with the huge finish with a 9.96 finish as against Bailey’s 10.0 second run landing him in third place. Currently, fans are in high gear because of the close 6-5 duel with Bailey winning one game more than Blake.
For those who are just learning about these two sprinters, Yohan Blake, born in 1989 is the World Champion and Olympic gold medalist for 100 meter. He is also the gold medalist for the 200 meter dash in the 2008 and 2009 Olympics. He trains with Glen Mills as coach and partners, Usain Bolt and Daniel Bailey.
Daniel Everton Bailey was born in 1986 and originally from Antigua and Barbuda. He was a semi-finalist for the 100 meter dash at the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing. His best record in the 100 meter is 9.91 which is Antigua’s national record. He is a consistent finalist in different events for the 100 meter and won the bronze at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships for the 60 meter dash.
Both sprinters have been training hard in Jamaica for the recently concluded World Championships that was held in South Korea in September of this year.