BBC Documentaries

Can Anyone Beat Bolt? (2012x305)

Uitzenddatum: Jul 17, 2012

He is the fastest man who has ever lived and on 5th August the world will be watching and expecting Usain Bolt to reclaim the greatest prize in the Olympic Games, the men's 100 metres title. But there are five men who have been thinking the unthinkable, five men preparing and plotting to defeat the man they say cannot be downed. Five men devoted to beating Bolt. They are: Jamaica's Yohan Blake, the current world champion, who is Bolt's training partner and strongest challenger; Asafa Powell, often the forgotten man of Jamaican sprinting, but still the last man to hold the world record before Bolt; Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin, who lead the American charge hitting top form when it matters most; and Europe's best hope, the Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre, who is proving that white men can sprint and take on the very best. This film follows the fortunes of the world's best sprinters as they prepare for that ultimate showdown at London 2012, from the supremely confident superstar Bolt to his focused, sometimes shy, rivals, determined to prove that Bolt is just a man. We witness the sacrifice and growing self-belief of these athletes as they push themselves to the limit physically and mentally to claim the greatest prize in sport. All the time obsessed with their quarry, the tall Jamaican who rewrote what was possible in human speed. Can they really beat Bolt when it matters most? Do the five strongest contenders have what it takes? What will it take? Will Bolt beat himself? Narrated by Reggie Yates and with expert contribution from sprinting icon Michael Johnson, Can Anyone Beat Bolt? is a fascinating examination of five super-fast men and one undisputed king.