Having been defeated twice by countryman Yohan Blake during the Olympic Trials and then avoided fans at an open training session days before the Opening Ceremony, Usain Bolt's fitness and behavior are hot topics of conversation ahead of the 2012 Olympics.
Apparently Blake isn't the only one who has gotten the best of Olympic champion. Actor Mickey Rourke told Yahoo! Sports that he bested the Jamaican star in a drunken 30-meter race outside a London nightclub.. at 4 a.m.
Rourke, 59, explained that he insisted on getting a head start (makes sense right?). As a few spectators watched, Rourke says he edged Bolt "by a few inches."
Click HERE for Rourke's entire interview.
Who knows if Rourke's story is true? Perhaps the people watching know, if they can remember. Seeing as how Bolt pulled out of the Monaco Diamond League with a "slight problem" earlier this month, it is unclear when this street race could have occurred. Was this part of his final Olympic tune-up? Or perhaps something that occurred before Bolt had to withdraw from Monaco?
Either way, there have already been doubts raised about whether Bolt will put on a performance resembling his 2008 domination on the track. Bolt lost twice to Blake in the Olympic trials in the 100- and 200-meters, both races in which he set world records in Beijing. Back in May, Bolt clocked the slowest time of his career in the 100-meters (outside qualifying rounds).
His struggles before the London Games prompted speculation that the World's Fastest Man isn't in top shape for the Olympics. But Bolt brushed that off, insisting it wouldn't matter if he lost every race leading up to the Olympics.
Despite reports of drunken races against actors, Bolt's focus seems to be solely on the Olympics. He even broke up with girlfriend earlier this year to stay focused on the gold. When questions about his readiness came up when he was dodged fans and media on Tuesday, Jamaica's team athletic manager Don Quarrie claiming that Bolt is "101 percent."
At what percent must have been if we was truly outpaced by Rourke?