Some good reads this morning...

Sprinter and current television analyst Ato Boldon writes about the Usain Bolt (left/photo by Paul Merca) effect on the sport, as part of the lead in to next month's adidas Grand Prix in New York, where he returns to the site of his first world record over 100 meters.

He writes, "Tennis has Federer. Golf has Tiger. Soccer has Beckham. Basketball has Kobe.

They are names whose mere mention, anywhere on the planet, convey sporting dominance and excellence. And yet none of them has had the dominant or excellent past two years that track's signature name has.

Bolt. Usain Bolt."

To read Ato's column, click here.

Oh, in case it's escaped everyone, Bolt ran 19.56 last Saturday in Jamaica over 200m--the fourth fastest time in history. Here's the video:



Joe Battaglia of Universal Sports reports that hurdler Liu Xiang of China, the 2004 Olympic champion is having some issues with the Achilles tendon that he had surgically repaired, forcing him to withdraw from the Osaka Grand Prix meet this weekend.

"We received confirmation today that he had aggravated an injury last month and needed to focus on his rehabilitation," a Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) official told Reuters.

To read Joe's column, please click here...