Riveting without Bolt? A Commonwealth Games conundrum

With Usain Bolt retired after almost a decade of freakish dominance, the Commonwealth Games looks to track and field's support cast to trigger public interest as Australian sport reels from a damaging cricket scandal.

The stage had been set for triple Olympic sprint medallist Andre De Grasse to step out of the Jamaican's giant shadow in the April 8-15 athletics competition in Gold Coast.

However, the Canadian, who took bronze and silver behind Bolt in the 100 and 200 metres at the 2016 Rio Games, pulled out of the Commonwealth Games to focus on his fitness after missing last year's world championships with a hamstring injury.

In his absence, Yohan Blake -- himself a former world champion -- will look to fill the Bolt-sized hole left by his countryman's retirement by targeting a sprint double.

"Usain Bolt has left his legacy for us to carry on and that's what we want to do," Blake told local media after arriving in Australia.

"I don't have a Commonwealth medal. Usain told me 'if you don't win there's going to be a problem.' My body is great, we're ready to go. I want to take over the dominance of the sprinting world."
- Potential threat -
====================