Whilst I don’t claim to be psychic, I’ll do my best to predict the remaining five finalists, and the subsequent eight unsuccessful semi-finalists in the 100 meters.
4th: Derrick Atkins (Bahamas) – The silver medalist from last year's World Championships doesn’t seem to be in the same vein of form as he was last year leading up to that meet.
Unlike last year, he has struggled to run any sub-10 times, and hasn’t come close to replicating the 9.91 seconds he ran to win that silver medal. Despite this, Atkins has still consistently gained high places in most of the major meets this year, regularly outperforming the men who will be battling him for a place in the final at the Olympics.
5th: Richard Thompson (Trinidad and Tobago) – The NCAA champion at 100 meters this year comes into the Olympics as one of the best performers of the year, indicated by his run of 9.93 earlier in the season.
After wrapping up his college career, Thompson has come over to Europe to compete against the big boys in two major Olympic lead-up events, and has more than held his own, finishing with quick times and a top-four placing in both races.
6th: Walter Dix (USA) – Dix is really the unknown of the field, having not competed in any professional races following his amazing but wind-assisted run of 9.80 to place second in the final of the 100 at the US Trials.
There are rumours that Dix may have sustained an injury at the Trials, however this has not been confirmed and even if true, he has ample time to rest and recover before the Olympics begin.
Having run multiple sub-10 times, Dix is no one-hit wonder, and should prove in the Olympics that he is a star.
7th: Jaysuma Saidy Ndure (Norway) – Ndure placed himself at the forefront of male sprinting during the latter half of last year, where he produced several top performances in both the 100 and 200 meters.
He has proved that last year was no fluke, continuing to produce impressive performances throughout this season including a run of 10.01. His consistency should help him reach the final after three grueling rounds at the Olympics.
8th: Darrel Brown (Trinidad and Tobago) – Brown has always been an impressive sprinter, winning the World Youth and World Junior Championships before finishing with silver at the senior World Championships in 2003.
His form somewhat lapsed for a few years following this; however he seems to have again recaptured this top form over the last season. He ran an impressive 10.02 earlier this year, and looked on track to run a sub-10 time at his national championships before tripping over halfway through the race.
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