Earlier this week a British swimmer told U.S. men’s team coach Eddie Reese that Michael Phelps – who has already won six gold medals at these Olympics - is actually from the future. Supposedly his father made a time machine and sixty years from now Phelps is an average swimmer, but he was sent back here to mop up.
Yesterday, Usain Bolt gave the world a glimpse of how fast man will run in the future.
Running in his quarter-final heat with the likes of American Darvis Patton and Portugal’s Francis Obikwelu, who won the silver medal in Athens in 2004, Bolt got out well enough and was in the lead by the 50 metre mark, which is in itself no incredible feat.
It is what happened next that made the world wonder if it was indeed seeing what sprinters will be like 60 years from now. After having assumed the lead Bolt, dropped his arms and started to look around as if to say “What a nice evening but there is nobody here to share it with. Tsk. tsk. Such a pity.”
Meanwhile metres behind him – Patton who ran a blistering 9.89s in the finals of the men’s 100-metre finals at the US trials in June and Obikwelu – were scrapping like starving dogs fighting over the last bone.
Bolt stopped the clock in 9.92 seconds barely breaking a sweat!
He looked up at the scoreboard and saw the time and with a wry smile, clapped his hands and as if to say to the rest of the field, including his friend and countryman Asafa Powell, ‘you are all running for silver.’
Sure, it was nowhere near his world record 9.72s set in New York on May 31, but when you think about it, that was the time that eventually won the 1988 Olympic title in Seoul -now that Ben Johnson’s 9.79s is no longer valid.
Do you remember how hard Carl Lewis worked for that 9.92? He was dying! There was a point in that race when he looked like a man clinging on for dear life on the sinking Titanic.
9.92s is also .04 seconds faster than the time that Linford Christie won the Olympic title with four years later in Barcelona. Usain Bolt yesterday would have jogged his way to both those titles!
Powell was also impressive yesterday winning his quarter-final in 10.02s after shutting down the afterburners from 50-metres out but even he must see that if he is to win the 100-metre title come Saturday morning, he is going to have to pull something out of the bag better than the 9.74s he produced in Rieti, Italy less than a year ago.
Tyson Gay told the media recently that he feels he may have to run 9.6 to win the title in Beijing. After two rounds he doesn’t even seem like he will be capable of running 9.8s, let alone a futuristic 9.6x. He looked sluggish and in need of racing.
He was right about one thing though. It may take a 9.6 to win the title but Bolt seems to be from a future where that time still may not be fast enough.
The thing is for Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell and the rest, the future is now and his name is Usain Bolt.
‘David’ Jamaica beats the world’s goliaths
Friday, August 22nd, 2008Two point seven million people. That’s how many people live in Jamaica. Two point seven million people.
And if it was not for a incompleted relay pass in Beijing, this little country would have won seven gold medals and in doing so finised atop the track and field table of these the 29th Olympiad held in Beijing, China.
With six gold medals, Jamaica will be topped by the United States after they complete expected victories in the men’s and women’s mile relays to finish with seven gold. They will have topped track and field table but only just.
But regardless of the accomplishments of the United States, a country of 300 million, and Russia, a country of tens of millions, this little island was unchallenged in the sprints – 5-0 over the usually dominant US, and the Russains only won the women’s sprint relay because Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart muffed a baton pass while under no pressure whatsoever.
Sherone was metres ahead of the field but Stewart, perhaps a little to eager to cement Jamaica’s dominance in the sprints at these Games, took off a little to early and the pass was not made.
Veronica Campbell squatted on her haunches, a picture of dejection as Russia sped away to win in 42.31s, a time the Jamaicans could have run in their sleep.
But these things happen for a reason. A balance was needed. Jamaica was too dominant and the incomplete pass was a way of bringing us back down to earth. If only for a moment.
Because, at these Games there is no stopping Jamaica’s newest sprint king Usain Bolt.
Bolt, Lightning Bolt has another world record to his name but this time he shared it with Asafa Powell, Michael Frater and Nesta Carter. Together they shattered the 15-year-old world record held by the United States by a whopping three tenths of a second to win Jamaica’s sixth gold medal in 37.10s
Trinidad was almost a full second behind in second place. Japan was third.
So dominant was Bolt that he actually ran behind Powell, who scorched the anchor leg and crossed the finish line third just behind the Trinidadians.
There is no question that these games belonged to Usain Bolt – three races, three wins, three world records – a feat never before accomplished.
But then it comes as no surprise, Bolt is miles ahead of his competition. Miles ahead of this planet.
9.69s in the 100m; 19.30s in the 200m; 37.10s 4×100m relay is just mind numbing. There are really no words to describe his accomplishments that will live forever in the memory of the billions who witnessed them.
The legendary 400 metre hurdler Edwin Moses, who ran undefeated in his event for 10 years, said athletes like Bolt come along once every five or six generations. How lucky are we as a nation that he was born here in Jamaica?
But, it was not all about Bolt.
Shelly Ann Fraser, Veronica Campbell, Sherone Simpson, Kerron Stewart, Shericka Williams, Danny McFarlane, Markino Buckley, Asafa Powell, Isa Phillips, Maurice Wignall, Michael Frater, and all the others did their part in making this Jamaica’s most memorable Games yet.
In the future, people will speak about Jamaica’s performance at these Games with the same reverence they talk about the exploits of McKenley, Rhoden, Wint and Laing in ‘48.
So good has it been, we should all consider ourselves lucky to have witnessed it.
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