Tokyo has a Usain Bolt-sized void and there’s one person who can fill it

Usain Bolt’s rivals are thankful he’s finally missing from the Olympics, but he leaves a gaping hole that nobody’s sure can be filled.

What’s an Olympic sprint without Usain Bolt?

For the first time in a long time, top spot on the podium won’t be reserved for Usain Bolt.

The eight-time gold medallist, who had a lock on the men’s 100m and 200m races across the past three Olympics, has finally stepped away and given someone else the chance to assume the mantle of the world’s fastest man.

There’s no obvious standout to replace Bolt in the 100m. Plenty of contenders, sure. But a raging hot favourite? Not quite.

According to former Australian sprinter Matt Shirvington, the Americans will likely be the biggest threat. Trayvon Bromell was the fastest qualifier out of the US while countryman Ronnie Baker was hot on his heels.

South African veteran Akani Simbine is a chance, Shirvington says, because his experience will help at a bizarre Olympics with no fans that athletes were forced to wait an extra year for.

There’s no Justin Gatlin, who won silver behind Bolt in Rio. World champion Christian Coleman is absent too, banned for missing drug tests. It opens the door for 23-year-old Australian Rohan Browning to qualify for the final if he can continue his recent hot streak.

Tokyo is searching for a new showman.

“You’ve got to consider that was a Usain Bolt era where there was a significant line-up of potential finalists going so now you move on, there’s no Usain Bolt, the field is more open than I’ve seen it since I can remember,” Shirvington, who is presenting Channel 7’s Olympic coverage, told news.com.au as he warned of “surprise packets” emerging from the slumber of the pandemic.

“Even going back to the 80s it was more competitive to a certain extent, with a number of athletes running 9.8 or faster so I think he (Browning) is a real chance. I think there’s a couple of Americans and a South African guy and then otherwise it’s really wide open.

“There will be nations that have been doing their own thing in their own backyard and we haven’t really seen results from them. I spoke to Browning last week and basically said there’ll be a couple of people who will rock up that no one saw coming and it may be from the Caribbean nations, it might be one of the African nations, you just don’t know.

“I can pick a top 5. They’re all very close, there’s no standout.”

Who can fill Tokyo’s Bolt-sized void?

So who is the man to fill the Usain Bolt-sized void in Tokyo?

Erriyon Knighton, 17, put himself on the map with a stunning 200m run at an American Track League event in June. All eyes were on Bromell in the final but the teenage phenomenon exploded down the home straight to finish in 20.11 seconds.

It saw him topple Bolt’s Under-18 world record of 20.13 for the 200m, set all the way back in 2003. And Knighton wasn’t done there.

He became the youngest runner to qualify for an American track and field team since 1964 at the recent US Olympic trials, surpassing another of Bolt’s world records in the process. The Jamaican held the mark for fastest 200m time by an under-20 competitor until Knighton crossed the line in 19.84 seconds in Oregon, better than the Jamaican’s best of 19.93 seconds before he turned 20.

Remarkably, Knighton has only been running seriously for a couple of years, after making the switch from football.

“When it comes to filling the void of Usain Bolt, I think one of the most attractive opportunities is a kid in the 200m from America called Erriyon Knighton, who was the third fastest qualifier for the US team,” Shirvington said.

“But he is a teenager, 17, and he’s run faster than Usain Bolt has at the same age. For me, you’re looking at someone who could end up walking away a superstar, who’s on the rise. I think Erriyon Knight’s a really, really great shout.

“There was a race in Florida a couple of months back and he won it out of the blue and there were a number of Americans … there were a number of top-level 200m runners and he won it from lane 2 and the commentators didn’t even know who he was. So that was quite funny.”

There won’t be many left who won’t know the name Erriyon Knighton if he can announce himself as Bolt’s 200m successor in Tokyo.

Erriyon Knighton is a star on the rise.