# World Athletics Championship (spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 16, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661 "2009-08-16T21:02:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/1 "2009-08-16T21:02:02Z")
100m men’s final 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. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/2 "2009-08-16T22:28:57Z")
I just saw this. This guy is going to be celebrated for many, many decades to come. He is on another level. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/3 "2009-08-16T22:41:01Z")
That was men against boys. Tyson Gay just set the all time American 100m record and wasn’t even contesting things. Amazing. See Jessica Ennis won the heptathelon in style - brought it home with a nice win in the 800. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/4 "2009-08-16T22:54:36Z")
It was amusing how Ato Bolden’s partner kept trying to play up the duel between Bolt and Gay and Bolden kept shooting him down. Other Guy: What does Gay have to do to defend his 2007 World Championship Bolden: Well he needs to have the race of his life and Bolt needs to have a bad day. The NBC producers must’ve wanted to shoot him. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/5 "2009-08-16T23:13:58Z")
Tyson Gay seems like such an incredibly nice guy that I always want him to win, but it seems pretty clear that he’s got nothing for Bolt. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/6 "2009-08-17T00:34:32Z")
Bolt’s time just makes no sense…have they checked if he’s human? ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/7 "2009-08-17T01:20:53Z")
> [@drm](#): > > Bolden: Well he needs to have the race of his life and Bolt needs to have a bad day. Gay must be seriously pissed off. 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? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/8 "2009-08-17T01:35:30Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > Gay must be seriously pissed off. > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/9 "2009-08-17T01:43:29Z")
Wow. Just, wow. 9.58. Absolutely ridiculous. 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](http://ESPN.com) is… uh, a golf result. Not even a major. Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/10 "2009-08-17T01:47:40Z")
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: I’m at a loss for words. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/11 "2009-08-17T02:15:41Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/12 "2009-08-17T07:59:36Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > 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. Actually, it would have also placed him second in the Olympic Games 100m final last year. Bolt ran 9.69 in that race, and Gay ran 9.71 today. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/13 "2009-08-17T08:34:42Z")
In addition to the obligatory drug test, can we check this guy’s DNA, just to make sure he’s actually from our planet? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/14 "2009-08-17T13:53:09Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Actually, it would have also placed him second in the Olympic Games 100m final last year. Bolt ran 9.69 in that race, and Gay ran 9.71 today. I realized my error later on. My mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/15 "2009-08-17T16:07:11Z")
Here is the [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By1JQFxfLMM)of 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.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/16 "2009-08-17T16:44:19Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > Here is the [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By1JQFxfLMM)of 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. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/17 "2009-08-17T17:35:10Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I note the headline story on [ESPN.com](http://ESPN.com) is… uh, a golf result. Not even a major. Jesus. um, the PGA Championship is a major. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/18 "2009-08-17T19:51:38Z")
But has he raced Chad Ochocinco yet? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/19 "2009-08-17T20:58:00Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > 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? 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. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661/20 "2009-08-17T21:11:18Z")
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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-athletics-championship-spoilers/506661.md?page=2)