Can Anyone Beat Bolt?

The London Olympics...

..the most anticipated event in 2012 is almost upon us...

..and once the Games finally get under way, there'll be one event

that will be watched by more people across the globe than any other...

..the 100m final.

Tickets sold out for this event in just a few hours.

It is the race everyone wants to see because of one man.

The fastest man who has ever lived.

Usain Bolt, triple Olympic gold medallist

and triple world record holder.

If he wins in London, he is set to become

the greatest sprinter of all time.

In his way are the men

also dreaming of claiming the greatest prize in sport.

But to do that, they'll have to beat Bolt when it matters the most -

in the 100m final,

with the world watching, in the Olympic Stadium.

Can any of them upset the odds and rewrite the script?

CHEERING

MUSIC: "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" by James Brown

# Papa's in the swing

# He ain't too hip

# About that new breed thing

# He ain't no drag

# Papa's got a brand new bag... #

He's like nothing we've ever seen before.

Usain Bolt is a phenomenon.

-STARTING PISTOL FIRES

-He runs faster than scientists

thought possible, and made winning the world's greatest race look easy.

-COMMENTATOR:

-It's going to be gold for Jamaica. That is superb!

It's a new world record.

You're just not supposed to win the Olympic 100m final like this,

and break the world record at the same time!

Bolt is no mere sportsman, he's a wonder of the world.

At six foot five, he can reach speeds of nearly 30mph.

He's so much faster than everyone else

that if he performs to his best

experts say he simply cannot be beaten.

-COMMENTATOR:

-He has blown them all away.

Usain Bolt is the Olympic champion.

That was phenomenal.

STARTING PISTOL FIRES

And the nightmare for his rivals is that Bolt has promised

to run even faster than this at the London Olympics.

Some of the world's best sprinters

have simply given up on ever trying to catch him,

because they know no matter how hard they train,

they will never run this fast, and never beat Bolt.

That's some of the world's best sprinters - but not all.

They are the fantastic five.

Five of the fastest men in the world right now.

Champions in their own right.

All of them think they have what it takes to beat Bolt at London 2012.

American Tyson Gay.

The fastest man

from the most successful nation

in Olympic 100m history.

He knows he can do it.

He's done it before.

Gay's compatriot Justin Gatlin,

a former Olympic champion,

back after a four-year drugs ban.

Once an outcast,

now with nothing to lose.

Then there are two Jamaicans

who know Bolt inside out.

Asafa Powell used to be

the fastest man in the world.

He's got the raw speed

to win Olympic gold,

but it will take more than that.

Then there's the young pretender

Yohan Blake,

Bolt's training partner, who swears

he beats the big man every day.

And from France, Christophe Lemaitre.

A two-time European 100m champion.

The first white man

to run sub-10-seconds...ever!

CHEERING

Could he cause the upset of all upsets

and challenge the stereotype that white men can't sprint?

We follow them all in the run-up to the Games

as they prepare for the race of their lives.

12 months ending with a series of dramatic confrontations

that will show us who, if anyone,

can beat Bolt at the London Olympics.

Usain Bolt isn't the first sprinter in history

to be considered unbeatable.

STARTING GUN FIRES

Back in 1996 at the Atlanta Games,

Michael Johnson was the king of the long sprints,

winning gold in both the 200m and 400m,

breaking world and Olympic records along the way.

-COMMENTATOR:

-This man, surely, is not human.

The man with the golden shoes.

He knows what it feels like to be Bolt

and just what the fantastic five are up against.

So these are the guys, these are the contenders who are trying to be Bolt.

It's possible, but...

It'll be tough.

There are a lot of guys who are capable of winning 100m finals.

You know, it's just who is better on that day.

Any of these guys can beat Bolt.

In order for them to do it, he has to not be at his best.

That's the caveat.

The big one in London will take less than 10 seconds to run,

but preparing for the Olympic 100m final takes years...

SHOUTS INSTRUCTIONS

..even for the man everyone expects to simply turn up and win.

Rome. The fastest man who has ever lived is in town.

He's got a huge year ahead of him.

In a couple of months, he'll defend his world title in South Korea,

then it's all about building up to the biggest race of them all

at the Olympic Games.

But it all starts here.

50,000 people have come to this Coliseum

to see Usain Bolt's first race of the 2011 season.

The result is a forgone conclusion - for them, anyway.

BOLT: There's that real thing in the back of your mind.

Are you still fast?

Who's going to beat you?

Things plays on your mind.

CHEERING

STARTING PISTOL FIRES

-COMMENTATOR:

-Good clean start. Not the best of starts from Usain Bolt,

Powell's got away, but Bolt's going to chase him down.

Powell's got this one in the bag, has he? And here comes Bolt!

It's Bolt! He gets it!

CHEERING

Bolt wins it.

I'm not sure Bolt will be too happy with that one.

BOLT: I did absolutely nothing right. But now that

I've got the result, I can refocus, watch the race and decide what I need to do.

SPEECH DROWNED BY CROWD

Lock that door, lock that door!

A little bit of both sides there.

'I was like, this is how people feel sometimes.'

Bolt may not have looked superhuman in Rome,

but he's always been the man for the big occasion.

Next to him on the start-line of the world championships 100m final,

seven men hoping Bolt will not be at his best, praying for a miracle.

HEARTBEAT POUNDS

STARTING PISTOL FIRES

-COMMENTATOR:

-Oh!

And Usain Bolt has false-started!

Can you believe it?

The defending champion has false-started.

They get one.

With the fastest man in the world disqualified,

step forward Yohan Blake.

I tried to look in his eyes but he wasn't looking.

But you have to refocus and just go back to the starting line.

And just be relaxed as the gun goes.

They're on their blocks.

STARTING PISTOL FIRES

I press the "need for speed" button

and just go off.

Finally!

-COMMENTATOR:

-The man they call the new Usain Bolt

has taken the world title.

Finally - I've been working my whole life

for this moment and it has come true.

Six months before the Games, and a confident Yohan Blake

is in London checking out where he plans to fulfil his destiny.

They call him The Beast.

HE SINGS

Hey, peace out, man. Olympics, see you soon.

Here it is.

Now you see me, now you don't.

So this is where it's all going to take place, man. Can't wait.

Olympics, my first time, it's going to be crazy.

Three gold, man, that's what it is!

Going to be a crazy one.

Ah-ooh! Ah-ooh!

# I say the same thing twice I'm awkward when I speak

# Ain't got the perfect smile Don't turn heads on my street

# Tryin' to be a superstar like everybody else... #

It's wonderful, man.

That's where the cookie's going to crumble.

Can't wait.

It's really nice.

Taking Usain's crown at the world championships

has already changed Yohan's life.

He's gone from being Usain's training partner

to his number one challenger.

Blake has more than speed - he has real hunger, too.

Score, man.

# It smashes down... #

This is my dream. To have a gold medal.

When I was young, I didn't have a TV to watch an Olympics

because my background was really poor, where I'm coming from,

because I didn't born with a gold spoon in my mouth,

like some people did, and say, "Oh, I can just relax and watch my plasma."

It wasn't like that for me.

Every day, sometimes we can't find food,

we can't go to school because there is no money.

And every day, I say to God, "Father,

"can something drop out of the ceiling?" But it did not happen.

I prayed for a bicycle and it did not work,

and God, the next day I get up...

I felt good and I felt, you know, He gave me a talent, track and field.

CROWD ROARS

My focus and my sacrifices.

I don't know if I can say this on your camera,

but when you're having many girls, I'll probably have one.

You know, obviously, women will always be there

so I tend to sacrifice a lot of things.

That's cool now!

A driven competitor, you can't help but wonder

what the dynamic is like between Blake and Bolt in training.

And water warm after that!

Every time in training, I want to win but he's always there.

I say, "OK, am I going to win on the big day?"

So that's I tend to be at the front,

so when I go on the track I say, "I didn't beat him in training."

He always say to me, "Yohan, look, you're not doing this for the people,

"you're not doing this for the fans,

"you're not doing this for your family.

"You're doing this for yourself." He can motivate me.

No matter what happen, if we win, lose or draw, we're still friends,

so even though it is business, he want to win, I want to win, so...

When I'm running, it's all business. I'm like a beast.

I don't play with people.

I will say to myself, "Kill them all and then..."

To get that goal, somebody have to dead, somebody have to die, so...

STARTING PISTOL FIRES

He trains with Bolt every day, so he feels like, in his mind,

he's training with the best coach and in the best group in the world,

so he's going to go in with the confidence

in terms of where he is physically, that he's as good as it gets.

Of all the athletes out here that are in contention,

no-one has higher confidence than he does,

and confidence is extremely important

when it comes to a 100m final at the Olympic Games.

But he's in a position where, if he doesn't win it, so?

Look who you're running against! The fastest man ever!

You lost it to the best 100m sprinter

in the history of the sport.

MUSIC: "I'm So Special" by Mavado

While Blake is in London touring the Olympic Stadium,

the fastest man in the world is also in the capital, at a fashion show,

showing off the kit he'll be wearing at the Games a few months from now.

He is still the Man!

He might have lost his world title, but he wasn't in the race.

He remains unbeaten over 100m, and come the big occasion,

and for the experts,

it's still unthinkable that he'll lose in London.

It's easy why he could win it. He's the best.

He's so much better than everyone else...in history,

not just these guys.

He's physically just one of those athletes

who comes along every 15-20 years, and is just different.

And he is. And that's just physical.

Mentally, when you see him at his best,

he's able to go out there with a confidence that no-one else has,

and a lot of that has to do with the fact that he's the best.

He's physically superior. It's like a man running against boys.

Powell gets a great start, so does Chambers...

Whoever wins the 100m in London will undoubtedly be fast.

But being fast is not enough. Just ask Asafa Powell.

You have just seen the fastest man on Earth.

Wow!

Not long ago, Asafa was the fastest man the world had ever seen.

I'm sorry, I'm not sure who was second.

Yet he's never won a global sprint title.

The rest look up in awe, because that margin was astonishing.

Absolutely astonishing.

During that period, you know, I felt like a superman, you know.

Feel like, "Hey, I'm the world record holder,

"the fastest man in the world," and it was something cool to be.

This doesn't happen very often.

Asafa is the pioneering member of the Golden Sprint Trio

of Powell, Bolt and Blake.

MUSIC: "Them Belly Full" by Bob Marley & The Wailers

They make the Jamaican team the fastest on Earth.

Despite having a population of just two million,

Jamaica rules the world in sprinting.

The Men's and Women's 100m at the last Olympics were won by Jamaicans.

CROWD ROARS

This is where Jamaican sprinters begin their education.

The High School Championships. Champs.

Champs is where everybody come, as you can see. There's a massive crowd.

This is where all the creme de la creme, the crops,

all the fast people made from.

They teach you how to win and how to lose.

As youngsters, Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake were regular winners here.

Asafa Powell, though, always struggled when it mattered.

They just throw me out there with the big dogs.

The expectation just got from here to through the roof,

even though people are still expecting a lot from me.

Powell has broken the world record twice in his career.

Never at a World Championship, never at an Olympic Games.

He hasn't been able to manage pressure well.

If you don't have confidence, if you don't manage pressure well,

you're not going to be able to have your best races

at the Championships.

In 2003, Powell went to the World Championships

and impressed in the early rounds.

Great expectation in Jamaica

and across the world was suddenly on his shoulders.

Talk of him winning here and then becoming

Jamaica's first ever Olympic 100m champion

in Athens a year later had started.

That was the plan,

but nerves and a false start in the semi-final put paid to that.

It still haunts him.

Things would have been a lot different now.

If I'd won a Gold Medal back then, it would be a different ball game.

Maybe, you know, I would be so confident, you know,

just go down the track and run 9.5 seconds just cruising, you know.

But, right now, I just feel like I have to be working a lot harder

to achieve something that I should have achieved years ago.

Everything was new to Asafa,

including the idea...

the issue of how to manage your anxiety and so on,

and over time he has learned and his performances in the Championships

have become better, to the point where the last one, he won it.

I think the first time, he ran a season's best for the year.

All right!

I expect that if he continues to grasp the importance

of managing his anxiety at the Championships,

he will do even better this time around.

COACH SHOUTS

Sprint, man! Sprint!

A lot of it is personality. Bolt has the type of personality,

he's very relaxed, he's a fun-loving guy.

Powell is much more uptight, he's a worrier.

He looks worried on the start line.

You're not going to really be able to change that.

Can you improve it? You can improve anything,

but you're never going to change who a person is.

But I think he's actually content to just finish well and get a medal

because he wasn't even doing that before when he was favourite to win.

Always with him is about preparation.

Has he prepared enough to be in shape

and to be healthy at the time when that time comes around?

That to me is a big question,

and if it is yes then I think he probably can win the Olympics.

Yo! Running a 10-2 yet?

Er, 10-5, man, 10-4.

If it is no, then...who knows?

With the Olympics now just a couple of months away,

no-one is working harder than Asafa.

I think I would be a lot better if I enjoyed training,

so that answer your question, I don't like training at all.

Pick it up, pick it up! Pick it up!

We sprinters think that we can never get slow.

The less we train is the faster we get, you know,

so I have no idea what kind of place you have to be in

where I have to put my mind to be so dedicated.

I've tried a few times and, erm...

it's not a sprinter's thing.

On the track I am dying. I'm dying, this is leisure.

I'm relaxed when I'm doing this.

All the time when I'm away, I always call my cousin,

tell him to make a video of the cars and send to me,

so I can look at them or take pictures because I always miss them.

When I'm coming I'll call and say,

"Yo, put the Mercedes out the back so I can drive it when I get home."

ENGINE REVS

DANCEHALL MUSIC PLAYS

I don't know, maybe they can install some machine in my legs,

so I don't have to train!

Just put in the turbo, you know, bigger turbo and just go and run.

Wish I didn't have to train, but, you know,

but, you know, it pay off in the end,

so...going to have to get the work done.

DANCEHALL MUSIC BLARES

There you go.

ASAFA LAUGHS

MUSIC: "Run" by Air

SHE SPEAKS FRENCH

Europe has not produced an Olympic 100m champion

since Linford Christie won the big race in Barcelona in 1992.

Could this be the year? The fastest man in Europe comes from France.

He is one of the most exciting sprinters anywhere in the world.

SHE SPEAKS FRENCH

Voila! Impeccable!

BELL RINGS

Christophe Lemaitre was running somewhere there.

He was turning in there, and I think he was...

He tried to go faster than the train!

But this one he could! We call him "Le TGV de Culoz".

Lemaitre cannot run 9.5 seconds like Usain Bolt

but he can run sub-10 seconds and he's getting faster.

If Bolt has a bad day, Le TGV is quick enough to take advantage.

TRANSLATION: 'He's very quiet.

'A couple of years ago, he did not speak at all.'

'I had a feeling that I could be quicker than anybody else.

'That I could be special.

'I had a capacity to be better than others in something,

'so that feeling of superiority, I liked that.'

-TRANSLATION:

-'I think he's built up a lot of frustration at school.

'A lot of kids picked on him and bullied him

'because he did not speak.

'He stuttered a lot when he tried to speak, and things like that.

'He was not a good student at school, either.

'But I think he's super talented.'

STARTING PISTOL FIRES

RACE COMMENTARY IN FRENCH

He first made global headlines, not for winning gold medals,

breaking world records or for beating Bolt,

but for being the first white man to run sub ten seconds.

'They said I was the first white man to run under ten seconds.'

"When somebody told me I was the first white guy to run under...",

I was like, "Really?" I didn't take note of that,

so when they told me, I was kind of surprised.

I was like, "I never noticed that."

'Some people would see me, point and say, "Look!

"There's the first white man to run under ten seconds."

'He didn't like to hear that, because he's not a racist.

'He's not interested in that type of idea.

'I think he made the right decision.

'He had the right reaction to all of that.'

Lemaitre's got some work to do.

It's Dwain Chambers, Lemaitre's coming up...

It's gold to the Frenchman!

Gold to the future!

'I would have expected people to talk more of the performance,

'about how exceptional it was.'

'What I say, it's not the colour of your skin.

'It's the work you put in, yourself.

'The black athletes originally came from Africa,

'and if you want to try and explain things,

'you could say that those who managed to get to United States

'survived a difficult journey and they were the fittest.

'But I just don't know. That's one explanation.'

'There's a lot of stereotypes.

'Some people only think black athletes can run fast

'so maybe people have some mental blocks about that.

'Even subconsciously.

'I hope that, because I've reached that level

'and won medals in sprinting events,

'that this may help to break that stereotype.'

There's a lot more pressure on him than any of us right now.

I think he has the world pressure on his back right now.

He's going to be great. But if the pressure gets too much

and he can't handle it, he's going to crack.

If he wins a medal at the Olympic Games,

he'd be the first to do so in quite some time for a white sprinter.

If he doesn't, it's what everyone expected.

I don't see that being a lot of pressure.

I see that only being opportunity, and if he manages it right,

then he can be in a very good position,

if he goes into it thinking,

"Hey, I could sneak in here and get a medal,

"but if I don't, no-one's going to say it was a huge disappointment."

'Whenever it took place, I'd be the only white person running.

'At the World Championships in South Korea, I was the only one,

'and I didn't really think about that,

'and it certainly didn't bother me.'

'I think if the pressure is there, then it will be positive for him

'and it will make him stronger. He's a real competitor.

'A real competitor. And if he does have that pressure,

'it will make him run better.

'He just wants to beat everybody, and I hope that is how it will be.

'But it's going to be difficult.

'London is going to be' very, very difficult.

In the Czech Republic, three months before the Olympics,

Bolt runs his slowest ever 100m.

The poor time and rumours that Bolt is not in the best shape

are encouraging for his rivals.

But despite that performance, he wins easily...

..Cruising to the line, not particularly quick. 10.05...

..and just a week later, he runs the fastest time of the year...

..giving the fantastic five plenty to think about.

The Americans have dominated the race since the '30s,

and they are on a mission to halt the Bolt onslaught.

Away this time, and Bolt...

One of them is the fastest American ever,

and has already beaten Bolt.

And Tyson Gay is going to take it this time.

Gay wins, Bolt in 2nd, 9.83...

But just one month before the start of the Olympics,

Usain Bolt's fiercest rival, the second-fastest man in the world, ever, is launching his comeback.

The Olympic track meet in London are going to be unbelievable,

no question about that.

It might be even better if Tyson Gay, the fastest man ever at 100m

for the United States is able to come back.

And in Lucerne, Tyson Gay...

Tyson Gay...

Tyson Gay!

And it's into a headwind of minus 1.5.

Tyson Gay essentially just ran 9.90, folks. Tyson Gay is back.

He's ready to challenge Justin Gatlin at the US trials.

I feel good. I'm healthy. That's all I can ask for.

What message does this send out to some of the other guys who might have been watching you?

Oh, not a big message. But I'm healthy and I'm glad to be back.

When you have the thought of quitting in your mind,

that's tough. That's hard to break,

when you have negative thoughts in your mind.

So I've been trying to think positive,

and not think about the problems, but it's very, very difficult.

Feel better. We're rooting for you.

The last year, man, has been tough.

Definitely mentally.

When you take off a year, you have time to think about,

what am I going to do after the sport? Am I going to coach?

When are you going to retire? A lot of things plague your mind

and this is the only thing I love,

so I have to find another hobby to replace this, so it was difficult, trying to get back out there

and the mind is very strong.

Every morning, you wake up and feel pain when you got out of the bed,

and you have to go to practice, and it's a sluggish feeling, "Oh, here we go again!"

So I'm just taking my time. When I warm up in practice,

I take my time and get faster and faster,

and that's been helping me, just being more patient.

I haven't been out there in that world in a long time, man,

so today, it's a positive note for me.

Whatever it takes to win, that's the goal.

'It's been difficult, because all I've been know for is tapping my body out,

'so I'm running a little bit more smarter now in practice.

'Stay under that pain threshold.

'Ice after practice, and the same thing again the next day.'

So I've been having a lot of patience. And I hate it.

He's a competitor and he's a tough competitor.

Very confident in his ability. The issue is,

it's very difficult to be confident in your ability to go out there

and have your best performance when you can't really rely on your body.

Also running in New York, in a separate 100m race, is Yohan Blake.

SPEECH INAUDIBLE

I don't know what happened there. I didn't follow the instructions from the coach.

It's going to be one of the biggest tests of my life,

because I can't say I'm not healthy. I can only just say I'm not sharp.

Tyson is wily enough not to read to much into Blake's performance here,

and besides, he's more preoccupied with that other Jamaican.

Tyson! Good luck in the 100m, man!

I want you to beat Bolt!

'A different resonance, a different time.'

Tyson knows from bitter experience that if he is to win in London,

on the biggest stage of them all,

it's Bolt he needs to concentrate on.

STARTING PISTOL FIRES

At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin,

Tyson Gay would run faster than he has ever run before -

faster than any American has ever run before.

But it still wasn't fast enough.

But the guy's ran 9.5, you know,

so it only makes sense for him to step it up another bar.

He's already made the bar

9.5 anyway,

so everyone else has to evolve and we have to adapt

and I think him setting the bar there

it just motivates everyone else to step their game up as well.

To run your fastest time ever, American record, and come second.

That's difficult, and so, you know,

I think it's a testament to his confidence

that he is able to go out there

and still compete at a high level and still believe in himself

and believe that he can compete with Bolt.

There's another American on the comeback trail.

He's a very dangerous competitor, Gatlin is,

because he doesn't have anything to lose and everything to gain.

He already lost everything with the suspension,

and so him being out of the sport for four years,

that's a very long time to be away from the sport.

Americans love their Olympic 100m champions.

They are icons of a great sporting nation.

They've won the greatest title at the Olympics

more times than any other country.

Jesse Owens in the '30s.

Jim Hines in the 1960s.

Carl Lewis in the '80s

and here, in 1952, Lindy Remigino.

But Justin Gatlin, who won the title in 2004,

is the guy they don't like to talk about.

Would you be comfortable with him

being on that podium as a medallist come the Olympic Games?

Why did you ask me that? I don't want to answer that, really.

I can't... We have some terrific ambassadors out there. Thank you.

Gatlin's absence from athletics was down to serving

a four-year drugs ban after producing a positive test in 2006,

just two years after winning the greatest prize in the sport.

'And Gatlin is the Olympic champion for 2004.

'A sensational piece of running.

'And look at that - Asafa Powell on this day couldn't prevail.'

Cleared to compete in London,

Gatlin is gunning to win a second 100m title,

but like Tyson Gay, he must first book his place in London

by finishing in the first two places in the US Olympic Athletics trial.

There's the start. Walker's away with Gatlin there and Tyson Gay as well.

It's Gatlin in front, here comes Gay. Those two to the line.

It will be Gatlin to win, Gay in second, Rogers.

The winner was Justin Gatlin.

Justin Gatlin has just run a legal 9.8,

also a new personal best

and the comeback is complete for Justin Gatlin.

That is the fastest he has ever run. Tyson makes second with 9.86.

So Tyson Gay accomplishes his goal, I think,

of just getting on this team.

After two surgeries and only one big race in New York,

how did you come here and put these races together

to put yourself on the team, Tyson?

I just think confidence in both my coaches, my physio,

everybody just gave me the mental confidence to come out here,

plus my little girl did, too.

You know, it's just another step.

The most important thing, everyone is talking about London

and right now we're just worrying about the Olympic trials

and getting ready for London.

We've a strong team, I think we're ready to do a good job.

Being out of the sport for four years, that's a very long time

to be away from the sport, but he's tremendous talent

and his confidence is gaining every day with the performances

that he's had and what he's been able to do since he's come back.

Most people would have thought, you know, he's probably over,

"He's going to try and make a comeback,

"but he won't make an Olympic team," and here is now,

Olympic trials champion from the US.

Across the Atlantic, and the European athletes

are also looking to book their places at the London games.

TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH: My name is Jean-Pierre Nehr.

I was Christophe Lemaitre's first-ever coach.

It was here that I met Christophe for the first time.

It was at a sports festival organised by the city.

Christophe came here with his parents

looking for sports activity to take part in

and signed up for the 50m time trial.

He set off from the starting blocks and I was timing him.

I was very surprised.

And as you can see, this isn't a great surface for running.

He was clearly built for running.

Lemaitre is crowned the European king of the 100m.

He's really proven himself on the track.

He's always been very shy, but now his performances on the track

are helping him express himself.

He's getting his revenge.

Yes, it's true to say that sometimes when I run

I run to show I can beat everyone -

to prove that I am the best.

I have an ability, a quality that is above the others

and I want to show it.

That's a tough one. I think a win for him is a medal,

because he's not supposed to get one so that's what makes him dangerous.

Once he gets to the final, he's already won and now it's,

"Hey, if I get a medal, that's gravy."

But despite the growing confidence, success and titles,

his coach is still not sure whether he has what it takes

to beat Bolt in the 100m at the Olympics.

It will be a disappointment to France if he doesn't run the 100m,

but if I am sure he can win a medal in the 200,

then he got probably won't run the 100.

We just want to get a medal.

If I see it's going to be difficult in the 200m

then maybe we will try in both.

I think our trials are going to be really intense.

It's going to start from then on, so it should be interesting.

Half of the Jamaicans that are going to run at the trials

are most of the people who are going to be in the Olympic final -

Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, me.

So I think it's going to be a cracker.

I think it's going to be similar to the Olympic finals.

Yeah, who is going to finish in the top three is really the question.

It's going to be something to remember.

The strongest sprint nation in the world

likes to wait until the last moment to select its Olympic team.

For the fast men, these are the toughest trials of all.

Only three men will make the Olympic 100m team.

The first three over the line. Even if your name is Usain Bolt,

finish outside the top three here and you're staying at home.

That means heats, a semi-final and a final

where injury, one bad race or a false start

can cost you an Olympic place and a chance of fame and riches.

With so many fast guys around, that's pressure.

The trials are also the Jamaican national championships.

It's where we find out who is the number one sprinter on the island.

The reigning champion? Well, that's Asafa Powell.

Usain Bolt was injured last year

and he doesn't lose championship races -

especially in his own backyard.

For Bolt, it's a chance to show his rivals again just who's boss.

For Asafa and Yohan, a final test ahead of London and the chance

to show the world and themselves that they really can beat Bolt.

First up in heat one was the man himself.

It's been a long time since he's competed in an empty stadium.

In five, Bolt.

Six, Nikal. Seven...

STARTING PISTOL FIRES

A false start? Surely not...

..not this time.

The fastest man in the world cruises through...

..as does Powell...

..and then Blake.

Tickets, tickets.

On day two, things get really interesting.

Usain Bolt. Superior athlete.

Usain!

Whoo! Usain Bolt!

This race will qualify them for the London Olympics.

Everybody is going to select their places.

Obviously, I came to watch Usain Bolt perform.

I think Usain Bolt is here, and the rest is here.

Hi, how are you?

Rumours on the island are that Asafa Powell picked up an injury

which could rule him out of the trials, and the Olympics.

He'd flown to Miami to get treatment that morning,

and his flight got in just hours before he was due to run.

Could injury end his Olympic dream?

Asafa is well-loved in Jamaica -

perhaps the most-loved sprinter in Jamaica,

despite Usain being the world record holder.

So, if he's not there, it will be a great disappointment

to not just track and field fans,

but Jamaicans in general.

I wouldn't say I wouldn't expect something like this to happen,

but it's kind of expected.

This is the final call for the men's 100m semi-finals.

Asafa Powell...

No-one knows what to expect.

Will one of Jamaica's big three fall just before the final hurdle?

A best of 9.84 seconds -

Yohan Blake!

CHEERING

STARTING PISTOL FIRES

Against all the odds,

Powell is through to the final,

beating rival, Blake, in the process.

Bolt joining them is sure to be a formality.

STARTING PISTOL FIRES

The world's fastest man is through, too...

..but hardly in the style the crowd were expecting...

..and he doesn't look happy.

The final has arrived...

..the race all three said

will be just as competitive as the Olympic final.

Who will become the Jamaican number one -

get the physiological edge ahead of London?

Will Powell's injury hold up?

So many questions - all about to be answered...

..in less than ten seconds.

With a personal best of 9.58 seconds,

the World Olympic Champion,

Usain Bolt!

CHEERING

Yohan Blake!

CHEERING

STARTING PISTOL FIRES

Jamaica's National Stadium is in shock.

Blake elated.

Bolt beaten - and unimpressed.

Powell, injured, but through to London.

Bolt had been beaten in style.

Yohan "The Beast" Blake crossed the line

in the fastest time of the year.

Blake may have won,

but the press are interested in only one story - Bolt getting beat.

I'm very happy - very proud.

'Bolt and Blake's coach claims he saw this coming.'

Yohan, we didn't send him to Europe,

so he's in far better shape than, say, Bolt at this time.

Is Yohan now your number one man?

I don't have any "number one man".

HE LAUGHS

Powell's body is wrecked.

He can't even step up onto the podium, but he was through.

I just didn't want to push too hard.

I just wanted to get out.

I knew I could get out without even pushing -

I just wanted to make the team,

so I was running pretty much with the one leg.

This is the race.

All things being equal, it's these two guys.

His confidence is just growing every day.

Every time he beats Bolt, every time he wins,

his confidence grows.

It's not false confidence - not confidence he just manufactured.

He has a very good reason to be confident. He can back it up.

MUSIC: "Soul Shakedown Party" by The Wailers

Two days after Blake had shocked the world,

Bolt has his chance to prove the critics wrong -

show them that he is Jamaica's number one sprinter,

that what had happened in the 100m was a one-off.

It's Bolt versus Blake round two as the training partners

go head-to-head in the 200m.

What was going on here?

Is this a vision we'll have to get used to at London 2012?

Is Bolt injured, unfit or not focused?

Blake has suddenly become the man in demand.

Do you owe a lot to Usain in this victory. Has he helped you?

Definitely - in training and the mental part of the game.

Everything has been going good for me so far.

-What about the confidence level?

-It's there.

Everyone is now talking about Yohan Blake,

and he's proved himself one of the greatest.

I'm the Olympic champion, so I have to show the world I'm the best.

CHEERING

The question is, "Can anybody beat Bolt?"

Anybody can beat Bolt,

if he's not at his best.

And that's key.

-Can't open my door.

-HE LAUGHS

I'm locked out of my car.

So if Bolt does get beaten at the Olympics,

who does the man himself want it to be?

Come on. If I don't win, you know who I want to win,

cos we train together every day,

but let's not jinx me!

HE LAUGHS

Let's not jinx me on that one.

For me, definitely, Blake.

I was happy for him, because he's my training partner.

If I'm not in the race, we train every day,

I know how hard he works, so I'd love for him to win

if I wasn't in the 100 metres,

but let's not ask that question again, please.

HE LAUGHS

For now, Blake is the man.

But they don't hand out Olympic gold medals

at the Jamaican National Stadium, US trials,

or the European Championships.

There's only one race that really matters.

Usain Bolt is still the Olympic 100m champion.

He's still the fastest man in the world.

We don't know if he is fit, or if he'll be at his best.

Or whether he'll be able to run this fast in the London Olympic Stadium.

Bolt is beatable, and the fantastic five are ready to go.

If Bolt IS slowing down,

they are getting faster.

It's been a year chasing the world's fastest man

that has given all of them hope.

Five of Bolt's rivals for the title in London have won titles,

set personal bests, and successfully come back to the top of the sport.

Only Asafa Powell, struggling with injury,

is looking worse than a year ago.

All five are on their way to London.

Their dreams are still alive -

the dream of climbing the podium, in front of 80,000 spectators,

and billions around the world,

and being acclaimed as the winner of the greatest race on earth.

I'm not going to be on this planet, physically.

I'm going to be somewhere different.

The entire track and field world

finds everyone, I think everyone would say, finally.

It will be probably the greatest Olympics of all time.

I just want to be a part of it.

If I dominate the Olympics, I'll be a living legend walking around.

Sounds good, though. Yeah.

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