Obinna Metu (Left)

By Duro Ikhazuagbe

Obinna Metu, Ogho-Oghene Egwero and Peter Emelieze were dismal in their outings in the men’s 100m Saturday, bowing out as soon as they came.

Nobody expected the trio to challenge either the Jamaicans or the Americans in 100m final is to be decided this evening at the Olympic Stadium here in Stratford, London.

They just didn’t match-up with the standard of the field.

Just like it happened at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany, Egwero was again paired with world record holder and Beijing Olympic winner, Jamaican Usain Bolt, in the same heat.

And the Delta-born sprinter got frightened out of his skin just by the presence of the man everyone here has been waiting to see repeat his magic. Egwero finished sixth in a dismal 10.38secs that was far away from his persona best of 10.06 he achieved at the last 2011 All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique. Bolt took the heat in a 10.09.

Metu was not better in his heat 5 that Jamaican Asafa Powell strolled to take in effortless 10.04. He also crashed out in fifth position, running 10.35. Emelieze capped Nigeria’s flop in the short sprint as he also placed 5th in his heat, which was won by reigning world champion, Yohan Blake, in 10.00. Emelieze’s 10.22 was better than the time posted by both Metu and Egwero.

However, with all three Jamaicans and all three American runners progressing to Sunday’s semi-finals, track & field aficionados are already salivating, waiting for the “mother of all races” to know who inherits the new tag of the fastest man on earth.