LONDON (Sporting Alert) — World champion Yohan Blake and American record holder Tyson Gay, two gold medal contenders, will get an early face-to-face battle after the pair were drawn in the same 100m semi-finals at the London Olympics.
The semi-finals are slated for Sunday, with the final later on that night.
Blake, who is the current world-leader at 9.75 seconds, achieved when beating Usain Bolt at the Jamaica championships in June, will race from lane six in the third semis heat, while Gay will be in lane four.
World champion Blake had won his heat in 10.00 second with ease, while Gay clocked 10.08 to take his. World Junior champion Adam Gemili (GBR) looked good in the heats and he will be hoping for the same kind of performance when he goes up against Blake and Gay.
Defending champion and world record holder Bolt will race from semi-final two and he will be joined by American Ryan Bailey, who posted a speedy 9.88secs in the heats, Briton’s Dwain Chambers, Antigua’s Daniel Bailey, and defending silver medallist Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago.
Former world record holder Asafa Powell starts in the first semis and he will have USA’s champion Justin Gatlin for company.
