I will not race Rudisha over 400m, says sprints king Usain Bolt

Jamaica's sprints legend Usain Bolt at a press briefing in Monaco on December 2, 2016. PHOTO | IAAF |

What you need to know:

  • Bolt disappointed the gleeful fans when he ruled that such a mouth-watering duel "would never happen."
  • Just a few minutes before Bolt addressed journalists, South Africa's van Niekerk had put his money on the Jamaican upstaging Rudisha.

IN MONTE CARLO, MONACO

Usain Bolt and David Rudisha have very little else left to prove after stellar careers that have won them World and Olympic titles along with world records on the track.

Both men have won the IAAF World Athlete of the Year awards and the pair have been great ambassadors for the sport, especially as it faced a grotesque period with allegations of doping facing elite athletes and a management crisis rearing its ugly head at the headquarters of the global track and field organising body, the IAAF, in Monaco.

But there is the small matter of a clash between the two track greats over the "neutral" 400 metres that fans have been longing for as Bolt prepares to hung up his sprinting spikes and Rudisha heads towards the twilight of his great 800 metres career.

But on Friday, Bolt disappointed the gleeful fans when he ruled that such a mouth-watering duel "would never happen."

Speaking at the Fairmont Hotel in Monaco on Friday night ahead of the World Athlete of the Year awards gala, Bolt firmly said the duel between him and Rudisha just won't happen.

"That won't happen. Everybody knows that," said the Jamaican legend, speaking shortly after world 400 metres record holder Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa had tipped him to win the duel against Rudisha.

"Not even for charity?" a journalist asked.

"No. Not even for charity," was his firm response as he struggled to figure out just what he would be doing after quitting the sport.

Jamaica's sprints legend Usain Bolt strikes his signature pose at a press briefing in Monaco on December 2, 2016. PHOTO | IAAF |

Nine-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt poses within the 204th IAAF Council meeting in Monaco on December 2, 2016. PHOTO | VALERY HACHE | AFP

Just a few minutes before Bolt addressed journalists, South Africa's van Niekerk had put his money on the Jamaican upstaging Rudisha.

"Bolt has always declined to go up the distance, but if he agrees to do that against Rudisha, between the two, I think Bolt would win it," said van Niekerk, 24, who shattered American Michael Johnson's long standing 400 metres world-record at the Rio Olympics, running an astonishing 43 minutes and three seconds.

South Africa's 400m Olympic champion and world record-holder Wayde van Niekerk addresses journalists in Monaco on December 2, 2016. PHOTO | IAAF

Meanwhile, Bolt, who has won three straight Olympic 100 metres titles along with 11 World Championships gold medals, said he's keeping close tabs on "Usain Bolt" the cheetah he adopted at the Nairobi National Park when he visited Kenya after the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"I get regular updates about the cheetah and now I know he's male. I always thought it was a female," he said.

Then, Bolt visited Kenya through German sportswear manufacturers Puma's boss, German national Jochen Zeitz who owns the Segera wildlife conservancy in Laikipia County and who is an avid conservationist.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica poses with a cheetah at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) headquarters in Kenya's capital Nairobi November 2, 2009. PHOTO | FILE |

Speaking on Thursday, Rudisha, holder of the world 800 metres record of one minute, 40.91 seconds, predicted that it would be extremely difficult to convince Bolt to go up to the 400 metres and he was right as the Jamaican quickly brushed aside any suggestion that he would honour such a clash before calling it a day.

Bolt said he would wind down his competition schedule next season and "race in my favourite places and give my fans a final opportunity to see me."

The Puma-sponsored star mentioned Ostrava (Czech Republic) and Lausanne (Switzerland) as some of his favourite racing venues, adding that he has accepted an offer to spend time with German football champions Borussia Dortmund in training but wouldn't give details "until the right time comes."

"The boss of Puma knows the team (Dortmund) very well and he offered me to train with them after the season and I accepted," he said.

On Thursday, Rudisha regretted that Kenya and Jamaica both fell out of the 4x400 metres relay where there could have been a realistic chance of him facing Bolt.

"Bolt is a sprinter focusing on the 100 and 200 metres and I'm an 800 metres runner, and the only good chance we had of meeting was running in the same leg of the 2012 4x400 metres relay but, unfortunately, both teams didn't even reach the semi-finals," said Rudisha whose personal best in the 400 metres is 45.15 seconds compared to Bolt's 45.28.

World and Olympic 800 metres champion David Rudisha fields questions from journalists at the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel on December 1, 2016. On the left is international Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) deputy director of communications Anna Legnani. PHOTO | IAAF |

World and Olympic 800 metres champion David Rudisha fields questions from journalists at the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel on December 1, 2016. PHOTO | IAAF |