It's official,Bolt to miss C'wealth Games

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

Glen Mills, coach of double Olympic and World sprint champion Usain Bolt, yesterday confirmed reports that his star athlete will not be running at this year's Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Delhi, India, October 3-14.

Mills told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday that the decision not to have Bolt run at the Commonwealth Games was made long ago.

"He won't be going to the Commonwealth Games, full stop," said Mills. "But this is not news because everybody knows that he is not going there a long time now," Mills said.

The 23-year-old Bolt has been nursing a minor Achilles tendon problem, which caused him to miss last week's Diamond League meeting at Icahn Stadium in New York.

Mills added that Bolt would also not run at this weekend's National Senior Championships at the National stadium. Bolt is one of a number of big names who will not be in action at the National Championships. The others include sprinter Kerron Stewart, who is injured, Yohan Blake and hurdler Dwight Thomas. Athletes who wish to gain places on national teams to upcoming meets must compete at the National Championships unless an exemption has been granted by the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association.

At last year's IAAF World Championship in Berlin, Bolt smashed his own world records in winning gold medals in the 100m and 200m. He took home a third gold as a member of the sprint relay team.