Race on to see who's the next Bolt

SINGAPORE (AP):

Britain's David Bolarinwa and Jamaica's Odane Skeen won their qualifying heats in the 100 metres at the Youth Olympics yesterday, setting up a much-anticipated final between two sprinters touted as the next Usain Bolt.

Bolarinwa blew away the field in his heat, finishing in 10.62 seconds. Skeen got out slowly but produced a fast finish to run 10.63 seconds, beating Thailand's Jirapong Meenapra.

The 16-year-old Bolarinwa has the fastest time this year among 16- and 17-year-olds - a 10.39 in London earlier this month. Skeen, a 15-year-old whose lanky style has some likening him to his compatriot Bolt, ran a 10.46 in Jamaica.

"I thought, let me go there, go hard and see if anyone can go faster," Bolarinwa said. "It was a good performance overall."

Skeen was less thrilled with his performance, blaming his slower time on two false starts by other competitors. But he said come Saturday's final, he would win.

Bolarinwa and Skeen will face each other for the first time and are still sizing one another up. Skeen, for example, was surprised to hear that it was Bolarinwa and not himself who has run the fastest 100 this year. Marvin Bracy of the United States ran the second fastest, but is not at the Games.

Participation

Organisers of the first Youth Olympics have emphasised participation rather than winning, but that was lost on Bolarinwa and Skeen, who both predicted they would win Saturday.

"It's a big showdown," Bolarinwa said. "He's not really a quick starter. We know that already. His pick-up is fantastic and so is mine. If I get a good start, he'll have to take me."

Bolarinwa's coach John Powell chimed in later: "Bring it on."

Both boys seemed to relish the comparison to Bolt and their budding rivalry to that of Bolt and Tyson Gay. Told he has been compared to a miniature Bolt, Skeen just smiled and said he one day dreams of surpassing his idol.

"I want to be better than Bolt," said Skeen, whose goal it is to win gold at the 2012 Olympics in London. "I want to be much more faster."

Bolarinwa enjoyed being likened to the two sprinting greats, but wants to surpass them.

"These guys are fantastic. You look at what they have done. You want to be better than them," Bolarinwa said. "But it's good to have them in the back of your mind to look up to."

Watching Skeen's heat, Powell said he saw some of Bolt in Skeen, but he was quick to point out that a lot can change with an athlete by the time he reaches adulthood.

He noted that Bolt, for example, started out running 200- and 400-metre events before exploding on the stage in the 100.

"You don't know how they will develop, this is the thing," Powell said of Skeen.

"He's about 16 and that is two or three years of formative years as an athlete. He could broaden out. He obviously has a good stride. If I looked at him - not that you can stereotype athletes these days - I'd say he is a typical 200-metre runner."

Other Jamaicans

Shanice Hall failed to register a mark in the girls long jump qualifiers, which led to her 14th place finish; and swimmer Kendise Nangle also found the going tough, failing to advance from the 50m backstroke semi-final. After booking her place from heat one earlier, Nangle could only manage a time 30.91 for sixth place.