Yesterday, a year to the day after he shattered the world record in the 100m at the Beijing Olympics, Usain Bolt of Jamaica did it again in even more impressive fashion at the Track and Field World Championships in Berlin.
The race was billed as a showdown between bolt and Tyson Gay of the United States – who missed the Olympics due to injury, but who (coming into these championships) had clocked the fastest time in the world this year.
Given the clownish ease he displayed in winning at the Olympics, however, I knew nobody could beat Bolt but himself:
[E]ven though immensely impressed by and proud of his victory, I agree with my Caribbean compatriots who lamented his aping black-American sprinters by showboating across the finish line. After all, had [Bolt] maintained his form, that 9.69 could easily have been a 9.50…. Idiot!
[Beijing Olympics, TIJ, Aug 16, 2008]
As it happened, Bolt saved his showboating until after he crossed the finish line in a new world record of 9.58. And since Usain bolted right from the start, Gay (who really should append an “e” to his name – as Marvin) never really challenged him.
Yet Gay can derive some consolation from the fact that he clocked his fastest time ever of 9.71 for a respectable second-place finish. Bolt’s teammate, Asafa Powell, was third.
I don’t run for world records. I know I said 9.40. You never know. I’ll just keep on working.
This was Bolt’s tongue-in-check reflection on his historic performance.
But he seemed to run yesterday as fast as humanly possible (in this era) … without the aid of performance enhancing drugs. And, having lowered the record by the greatest margin ever in one race (from 9.69 to 9.58), I doubt he’ll ever cross the 100m finish line in 9.40.
Though, in the meantime, I fully expect him to lower the world record he set in the 200m in Beijing (of 19.30) by a similar margin later this week.
Related commentaries:
Beijing Olympics
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