Usain Bolt just won the 100m in a time of 9.58 seconds. I don’t think anybody has ever taken more than a tenth of a second off the 100m record before, their own record or otherwise. The guy who came second ran 9.71. Bolt always looks like a grown-up running in a kid’s race. He appeared to be going for it a little more than usual on this occasion, but he still had time to look over at the clock as he approached the line. They were saying during the Olympics that he could have run 9.52 if he had tried, and all of a sudden that doesn’t seem so far-fetched.
If he knew, going into the race, that he was in 9.71 form then he must have had some hope that Bolt might underperform, thus letting him (Gay) through for a win. Instead, Bolt improves by 0.11 of a second.
I’ve heard that Bolt fancies himself to run 9.4 at some stage in the future. He’s only 22. How fast can he get?
Considering Bolt ran 9.69 at the Olympics without even trying, Gay must’ve known, (with apologies to Matt Hughes), he had a chance, but not a very good one.
Bolt doesn’t even look like he’s trying as hard as the other guys, and he simply wastes them.
I second the motion to have him checked for bionic components. It looked like CGI. I mean, we’ve seen some pretty incredible sprinters these past 20-25 years or so - Carl Lewis, Donovan Bailey, Asafa Powell, hell, let’s not forget Ben Johnson, who was cheating but he was one hell of a sprinter. Bolt is completely out of anyone’s league. He broke his own record by .11? That’s preposterous.
To answer the OP’s question, since electronic timing the previous record for breaking the record was of course Ben Johnson, whose 9.83 broke the record by a tenth, but a few days later we learned Johnson had enough Stanozolol in his system that he might have given the field at the Belmont a run for their money. .11 is unprecedented.
Bolt has said he thinks he can get to 9.4. What a ridiculous, impossible number; of course, it’s the stuff of science fiction and hallucinations. I figure he’ll do it in 2012. I think he’ll run a 9.39. You have to feel sorry for Tyson Gay, who today ran a time that would have won every single 100m race that human beings have ever held, except the one he was in.
I note the headline story on ESPN.com is… uh, a golf result. Not even a major. Jesus.
Bolt is like Wilt Chamberlain when he first came into the NBA, someone’s who’s just physically 30 years ahead of everyone else. 6’5" people shouldn’t be able to run that fast. If they can, they have such an advantage due to their stride length, that the more normal sized sprinters don’t have a chance (Bolt took 33 strides in this 9.58 race. A normal 100m runner will take 40-45). Bolt is essentially running a 95 meter race. Maybe even shorter, since he appears to have long legs, even for someone of his height.
I think Bolt will get under 9.5 for sure, and will possibly get near (or-gulp - under 9.40).
Course, the one unknown here is PEDs. Given track and field’s history, that has to be considered. I hope not. Hope it’s just that we’re seeing a once in a century athlete.
ETA: The 200m final is on Aug 20. Any predictions? I’ll say 19.27
Here is the videoof the race. The best bit is around the 1:05 mark where you see a slow-mo of both Gay and Bolt. Gay is clearly straining every muscle while Bolt is looking around as if he is wondering where everyone else is.
Unbelievable. Bolt either deserves an Oscar, or he was barely even trying. I’m gonna say right now that this kid will run 9.4 or better before his career is over.
Leroy Burrell peaked at 27; Carl Lewis at 30. Burrell probably could have gone a bit faster than he did (9.85 in '94) but had a bunch of injuries after 1995. Linford Christie peaked at 33, but since he was cheating it’s difficult to say whether he would have ever gone so quickly otherwise.
What Bolt is doing is revolutionary (Chamberlain is an apt comparison), more important to his sport (in my mind at least) than what Michael Phelps did last year, and I would not be surprised to see taller sprinters emerge in years to come.
