Western Bureau:

Two months ago, I was ready to write off Usain Bolt as a serious gold medal contender for the upcoming International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in Beijing, China. At the time, it appeared that the great man's preparation was out of sync in terms of getting into a state of readiness.

In fact, the only person who seemed unconcerned about Bolt and his then-lukewarm form, was the star athlete himself. In fact, except for one instance, following a race in England when he intimated that he was displeased with the time he ran, he seemed unconcerned about going to World Championships and not doing well.

Like many track and field fans, I had sadly started to embrace the view that having been inactive for most of last year, while the likes of the American Justin Gatlin were kicking up the proverbial 'rumpus', Bolt was short of work, and, as a consequence, would not be able to work himself into championship shape for Beijing.

Anniversary Games

In fact, just prior to his back-to-back 9.87 runs at the Sainsbury's Anniversary Games, in England, I was hoping that he would have declared himself unfit to compete in Beijing. As unsporting-like as it might sound, that was an option I would prefer to seeing him get beaten by Gatlin.

Needless to say, I was elated to see him looking so good at the Sainsbury Games, and with time on his hands to fine-tune his starts and the transition from drive phase to an all-out assault on the finish line, I am getting the feeling that we will see the old Bolt in Beijing, possibly in world-record shape.

I was reading an article recently about at what age top-flight athletes generally peak, and based on the arguments being advanced by the experts, the exceptional runners such as 200m/400m specialist Michael Johnson and 400m hurdler extraordinaire Edwin Moses, were at the very best between age 28 and 30.

If the experts are right, and I have absolutely no reason to doubt them, Bolt would be at exactly that stage of his life. It therefore means that once he is fit and fully focused and gets the kind of pressure one expects from Gatlin, Bolt seems poised to rewrite the record books in China.

While Bolt is the man on the track getting the job done, I believe much credit must go to his coach, Glen Mills. There is absolutely no question that he is a master when it comes to the preparation of athletes, especially sprinters. It should be noted that, like Bolt, coach Mills always seem unperturbed by what other athletes are doing.

Normally, I would plan my vacation to coincide with the World Championships. Unfortunately, this time around, circumstances dictate that such an arrangement could not be made. However, thanks to wireless technology, I should not have a problem keeping track of the events as they unfold.

With my confidence, insofar as Bolt is concerned, now running in the high 90s and increasing daily, I am now feeling quite confident that Jamaica will take gold in the men's and women's 100m and 200m because, insofar as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is concerned, I can't see her not taking the double.

So far, my summer has been going quite well, especially the joy the Reggae Boyz provided me with from the Copa America and the Gold Cup, I am just hoping that our team to Beijing will seal the deal with enough medals to remind the world that, "we likkle but wi tallawah".

Feel free to send your feedback to adrianfrater@hotmail.com