By NAN Sports Editor
News Americas, RIO, Brazil, Fri. Aug. 12, 2016: This is the weekend most Olympics track and field fans, especially from the Caribbean, have been waiting for! It’s the moment the world’s fastest man, Jamaica’s history-making Olympian, Usain Bolt, will finally take to the tracks of Rio.
And there’s no doubt its feeling more like the ‘Bolt-lympics’ than the Olympics as everyone is waiting with bated breath to see if the man from Trelawney can do the “Triple-Triple” at Rio 2016 and for a third time win another three gold medals.
Bolt who turns 30 on August 21st – the final day of the Olympics – says he is certain he’ll not only finish in the top spot in the men’s 100 meters, 200-m, and 4×100-m, but he wants to break the 200-m world record and go under 19 seconds.
Bolt also insists this will be his last Olympics and as such, he has also taken to Twitter to urge fans to get their tickets.
But as in typical Bolt fashion, he is having a lot of fun indeed while staying focused on his goal. On Monday, August 9th, he did the samba at a press conference that saw him making his first media appearance in Rio.
And he also was tickled that a Norwegian journalist stood up, told him he was in love with him, and proceeded to deliver a rap serenade.
The top Jamaican Olympian will take to the track for the first time on Saturday August 13th for his first heat in the men’s 100 –meters. Coverage on NBC will begin at 8:30 a.m.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is also going for the Triple-Triple in Rio.
Other can’t miss events for both Caribbean and Latin American fans beginning today, August 12 and running through Sunday August 14, 2016:
Boxing
There are two major boxing bouts up today, August 12th that you may not want to miss if you are a fan of the sport.
At 12:30 p.m. Cuba’s Lazaro Jorge Alvarez will face-off against the US’ Carlos Zenon Balderas, Jr. in the Men’s Light weight Quarterfinals at the Riocentro.
At 12:45 p.m., Brazil’s Robson CONCEICAO will take on Uzbekistan’s Hurshid Tojibaev in their quarter final bout of the weigh match-up also at the Riocentro.
And at 1 p.m., Cuba’s Arlen Lopez’s will face Hungary’s Zoltan Adam Harcsa while at 1:15 p.m., Ecuador’s Marlo Javier Delgado will face France’s Christian Mbilli in the preliminary round of the men’s Middle (75kg) competition.
ATHLETICS
Saturday August 13th is the big day for all track and field fans. The heats in the men’s 100-m get underway from 12:06 p.m. at the Olympic Stadium in Rio. Usain Bolt will run in heat 1. There are seven heats set for between 12:06 and 12:36 p.m. so you will want to stay tuned for that as Jahvid Best of St. Lucia, the former NFL Detroit Lions star, will be in the 100-m heat 1 as well as Jamaica’s Yohan Blake and Nickel Ashmeade and St. Kitts and Nevis Kim Collins.
BASKETBALL
The clash of two South American giants gets underway at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, August 13th as Argentina and Brazil face-off in the men’s Preliminary Round of Basketball – Group B.
At 5:30 p.m., Brazil’s women’s basketball team will 15:30 play Turkey, also in the Preliminary Round of their competition.
VOLLEYBALL
If volleyball is your sport, then catch Puerto Rico’s women Volleyball team taking on Italy in their Preliminary match on Sunday August 14th at 5 p.m.
For more on the Rio 2016 schedule see here.
