Sprint superstar Usain Bolt is one of three Rio Olympic gold medalists leading a 59-strong Jamaican team named for next month’s athletics World Championships in London. Bolt has said he intends to run the 100m and the 4x100m relay at the worlds, his fi nal event before retiring. He’s one of two reigning world champions, along with sprint hurdler Danielle Williams, who will be defending titles they won in China two years go.
Elaine Th ompson, who won the Olympic Sprint double last year in Rio, and Omar McLeod – the fi rst man for the Caribbean island to win Olympic 110m hurdles gold – are also in the team published by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association. Th e team also includes sprint hurdler Hansle Parchment, shot putter O’Dayne Richards and 400m runner Shericka Jackson – all individual medalists in Beijing two years ago. Fedrick Dacres, the second ranked male discus thrower in the world, will attend his second World Championship.
Meanwhile, Russia has told its athletes set to compete as neutrals at next month’s world championships that they will be paid by the state despite not offi cially representing their country. Nineteen Russian athletes were on Monday entered into the competition being hosted from August 4-13 in London. Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov said athletes who compete at the championships will not miss out fi nancially. “Salaries and bonuses will be kept in spite of the neutral fl ag,” TASS news agency quoted Kolobkov as telling Russian track and fi eld athletes at a training facility outside Moscow.
