Hubert Lawrence | Blake and Williams, Spot the Difference

By the time Christania Williams got to the start of the 100-metre final at the Commonwealth Games, she was a gold-medal candidate. Comfortable wins in her heat and semi-final showed she was ready. Sadly, she started too slowly in the final. On the plus side, she rallied and ran strongly enough to salvage the silver medal.

The gold had been lost to a tardy start that began with a reaction time of 0.245 seconds. That was the slowest of all the runners in the final and compared to 0.178s in the first round and 0.184s in the semi. Michelle-Lee Ahye of Trinidad and Tobago reacted in 0.143s and, went on to win in 11.14s seconds.

By the time Yohan Blake got to the start of the men's 100m final, he had strengthened his position as the favourite. Comfortable wins in his heat and semi-final showed he was ready. Sadly, a stumble early in the final wiped out his advantage over eventual winner Akani Simbine of South Africa, whom he had edged by a whisker for fourth at last year's World Championships. Like Williams minutes earlier, the 2011 World 100-metre champion rallied and salvaged the bronze medal.

Both deserve praise for regaining their composure after making costly mistakes, but Blake is receiving far harsher reviews. What's the difference? It's the level of expectation. Blake went to the Gold Coast carrying our dreams of him as the next Usain Bolt. When those dreams turned into a nightmare, disappointment arrived and cut like a knife.

There was no such anticipation surrounding Williams.

The takeaway lesson

The lesson for Blake is to not try to be Usain Bolt. His mission is simply to be the best Yohan Blake he can be. Even though the most frequently asked question I hear is 'Who will replace Bolt?',being yourself is always easier than being someone else.

There's a silver lining in these disappointments. Yohan and Christania can benefit from the experiences at the Commonwealth Games as it is a prelude Taken as a prelude to the 2019 World Championships and the 2020 Olympic Games.

The medals they won on the Gold Coast could be stepping stones to success.

While the nation pondered Blake's mental fortitude, Jamaica went one - two in two events. Firstly, Ronald Levy and Hansle Parchment took the gold and silver in the 110-metre hurdles.

The win put Levy alongside Keith Gardner and Maurice Wignall, as Jamaica's only Commonwealth champions in the sprint hurdles. Later on, defending champion Kimberly Williams and Shanieka Ricketts waged a private battle for the gold medal in the triple jump, with a personal best of 14.64 metres by Williams settling the issue at the very end. That puts her on par with Trecia-Kaye Smith, who won in 2006 and 2010. Together,Smith and Williams have given the nation four Commonwealth triple jump titles in a row.

With Kimberly's fellow World Indoor Championships silver medallist Danielle Thomas-Dodd and the discus duo of World Championship finalists Fedrick Dacres and Traves Smikle on deck, more field event success seems imminent. It's a mark of progress that Jamaica has continued to win sprint medals while adding podium finishes of the highest calibre in the field.

It's another sign that the post-Bolt era won't be forlorn.

- Hubert Lawrence has made notes at track side since 1980.