What’s the story?
Joseph Millar, a 24-year-old sprinter from New Zealand, has created waves in the world of athletics after he finished the 150m sprint just 0.16 seconds behind none other than Usain Bolt at the Nitro Athletics Series, which was held in Melbourne. This was Usain Bolt’s first individual run of the calendar year 2017 and he raced to victory with relative ease for a man who is always under pressure to do nothing but finish a race ahead of everyone else.
However, it was not Bolt’s win that caught the eye of running aficionados from all around the world. Joseph Millar, a rather unknown entity outside New Zealand, has sprung to limelight out of nowhere after he clocked 15.44 seconds in the 150 meter sprint, which was just 0.16 seconds less than Usain Bolt's timing of 15.28 seconds. While everyone was all praise for the Kiwi sprinter, Millar himself was really excited that he could be a part of a race including Usain Bolt.
Expressing his happiness, Joseph Millar wrote on his Facebook page, “What a week...Had the time of my life racing at the Nitro series. I've spent the week shocked, not only at what I was able to achieve but by the immense love and support I've received since my 1st race. It means the world to me. Especially you team NZ! Couldn't have done it without you..Ps. I raced BOLT!!!!“
In case you didn’t know…Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt was in Melbourne, Australia, for the star-studded Nitro Athletics Series, which saw athletes from all over the world come together and participate in the inaugural edition of this highly entertaining event. Bolt was a part of the All Stars team, which made a clean sweep of all the races and won the competition in style. The Nitro Series featured mixed gender races and several other modified events.The heart of the matter
Joseph Millar is the fastest man in New Zealand and racing against Bolt would have done a world of good to his confidence. His racing career does not have much in terms of honours but Millar has certainly been improving with each year and the Kiwi sprinter clocked his personal best of 10.33 seconds in the 100m distance last year in Canberra. His best in 200m sprint, however, came in 2013 when Millar finished the race in 20.81 seconds.What’s next?While this kind of performance has thrown a great deal of limelight on Millar, it would count for nothing until he starts performing at the interntional level in serious competition. He is New Zealand's fastest man but he is yet to breach the 10-second barrier over the 100m distance. Whether or not Millar will rise to the occasion in IAAF championships and tournaments, remains to be seen.
Sportskeeda’s take
Coming close to Usain Bolt in a race, event if it is at a non-serious event, is no mean feat and the potential is certainly there in Joseph Millar. However, the world of sprinting is filled with stars and athletes, who are already breathing down the neck of Usain Bolt, including the likes of Yohan Blake and Andre de Grasse. For Millar to really achieve something substantial, he would have to continue performing
