Posts Tagged ‘Usain Bolt’

Fastest Man Ever – “Jamazing!”

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

From the gun went off to start the race, till 19.30 seconds later when the sprint dynamo’s race ended in world record time. Usain Bolt was all business today. After a long standing 12 year record of 19.32; a seemingly unbreakable record came falling down after the Jamaican sprint phenomenon finished a blistering 0.52 seconds ahead off his closest rival Churandy Martina, of the Dutch Antilles was second in 19.82 but later disqualified for stepping on the line.

Taking in the moment

Taking in the moment

Previous record holder Michael Johnson said prior to the race “In order to run 19.30 he has to run the curve better and hold his speed for longer,” he also added “I didn’t think he would run 9.69, but I think he could have run 9.62 if he had run to the finish and tied up his shoes.” He had also said that he didn’t think his record would have been broken today but acknowledged that he would soon have to “kiss it goodbye”. Bolt was thinking sooner that later.

The sprint champion has taken a lot of criticism for the flamboyant way in which he won the 100m final, pounding his chest before he crossed the finish line, never the less Usain Bolt has set him self apart from every sprinter who has come before him by breaking the world record in the sprint double in the premier athletic event. No athlete has ever accomplished such a feat and no athlete since Carl Lewis has managed to win both events at the Olympics some 24 years ago.

He crossed the finish line glancing at a time that before today seemed impossible and raised his hands in triumph; fell to the ground arms and legs outstretched taking in the roaring applause from the capacity crowd in the Birds Nest. Taking in the moment he solidified himself in history as the fastest man who ever lived.

Inspired by her fellow Jamaican athlete and her own determination, Melanie Walker gave her country another reason to celebrate as she also devastated her competition in record time to win the gold medal in women’s 400m hurdles. Amazing!

Bolt and the 200 metres

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

After going through all the rounds of the 200 with relative ease, Jamaica’s 100 metres Olympic champion, Usain Bolt goes after the double from lane 5. The world record held by Michael Johnson 19.32 used to look impossibe to break, since Bolt broke the 100 metre world record, more fans are wondering when will he break the 200 metre world record. Do you think the time is right for him to break it at the Olympics or is it asking too much seeing that the 4×100 comes soon after?

Usain Bolt And Mi

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

The events over the pass few days have been phenomenal. It has moved many in many different ways. Jamaica’s own ‘Bumpy Head Gal’ - Joan Andrea Hutchinson was so moved she wrote this poem.

Usain mi dawlin, mi just want yuh fi know dat sake a yuh, mi marriage almost mash up di odder day, because a piece of jealousy teck my husband.

Well wah never happen in a year happen in a day Mi kyaan believe mi eyes Ever since Usain Bolt win di Olympics 100 metres Fi mi husband start exercise

Yuh tink a lickle talk mi a talk to him Bout how him belly a get big Mi tired fi tell him how him a get waggaty An start to fayva pig

Mi spend mi money sign him up a gym Steam vegetable gi him every day Him suck him teet an say “Man must have guts” And galang him merry way

But when Usain Bolt win di Olympic 100 metre gold An mi start fi scream “Usain Bolt mi love yuh, mi love yuh, mi love yuh Yuh fulfill mi wildest dream”

Mi run up an dung inna di living room like mi mad All liddung pon di floor Mi say “Usain, a long time no man no excite mi so Mi ago love yuh more and more”

Right now mi have picture of Usain Bolt pon every wall And one beside mi bed One pon mi t-shirt, two inna mi purse And a Usain Bolt inna mi head

Usain Bolt full mi up wid so much pride Mi doan even waan fi eat And when mi talk bout how him body look good Mi husband say mi sound like mi a cheat

Him mout long up and say mi have young bway nature An a long time mi love mawga man When mi tell him say Usain Bolt just meck mi feel good Him say mi a behave like more dan fan

Him bex like bullfrog di odda morning How mi gi him di breakfast cold Sake a mi a watch di rerun a Usain a gi dem donkey length Fi win di 100 metre gold

Dem show di race again when mi a cook di Satiday soup Mi gi out “What a mawga man can run” Mi dis hear “it come een like say sake a dis mawga man Mi an mi Satiday soup a get bun”

Well Usain mi dawlin, dem say who bex lose So mi say later fi him But one ting mi know all of a sudden him start eat healty And find himself a gym

And between mi an yuh Usain, him proud a yuh big time But mi dear, nuh watch no face Yuh name write pon mi heart dat Satiday when yuh get di gold Inna di Olympics 100 metre race

Do you have a tribute for our atheletes across the region who are truly making the Caribbean proud? I hope you enjoyed “Bumpy Head Gal’s” contribution.

Heroes Welcome

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

There are moments in history when the entire world marvels at an individual with awe. An individual that propels our tentative belief in that illusive impossible dream, and make it look easy. One who dares to believe in themselves enough to command the same strength in our selves, and unite us in common joy and pride for one moment, we celebrate our heroes as one . Our tiny nation is in that moment more than a distant spec on some map, we are truly out of many one Usain Bolt or one Shelly-Ann Fraser.

Jamaica Olympic Champions

But he’ll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Usain Bolt, Shelly Ann Fraser, Sherone Simpson,
And Kerron Stewart,

Be in their flowing cups freshly remembered.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Jamaica shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,

But we in it shall be remember’d;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

From St. Crispin’s Day Speech from William Shakespeare’s Henry V

I modified Sir Will’s original a little but I think he will understand.

The Olympics Champions of the past were treated like royalty because their Olympic success brought great pride and respect to their city. Winners of the events were greatly admired and were immortalized in poems and statues. I can only hope that our athletes are greeted with the honor they deserve and our country embraces them as heroes who went to battle amazing odds and came back victorious bringing with them the eyes and admiration of the world. I would like to see a huge parade and unimaginable crowds at the airport. We have to inspire others, our young dreamers to want greatness and believe in the impossible. Thank you Team Jamaica from the Gleaner Online Team, we follow you with great admiration every step of the way.

Where were you the day three Jamaicans lined the Olympics’ premier event, the men’s hundred meter finals starting line and Usain Bolt won the hundred meter with a nation on his shoulders breaking his own world record. When three amazing women from Jamaica dominated the women’s 100m meter finals and told the world bronze is not good enough to quench the true Jamaican spirit. Where were you? I want to know and how did it make you feel?

Which is the greater performance?

Monday, August 18th, 2008

Which is the greater performance – Usain Bolt’s Olympic 100 metre win or the clean sweep by the trio Shelly-Anne Fraser, Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart in the 100 metres?

Usain Bolt – how fast can he go?

Sunday, August 17th, 2008

After breaking his own world record in the 100 metres at the Beijing Olympics, slowing down pumping his fist to his chest and celebrating, the big question is HOW FAST CAN THIS MAN GO? This 9.69 looked so easy and he also spent time looking to his right for his country man, Asafa Powell, who was nowhere to be found. With a wind reading of 0 m/s, one wonders what the new world record would have been had it been 1.6 m/s. Tell us how much faster this man can go and what you expect to see in the 200 metres.

Usain Bolt: The future is now

Friday, August 15th, 2008

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.

Usain will bolt to Gold

Friday, August 15th, 2008

With the preliminaries and quarterfinals of the 100M out of the way, we now have a fair assessment of how things will look tomorrow. By the time the 100m winner is known, the finalists would have run 4 races in roughly a 36-hour span, Thursday night to Saturday Morning, Jamaican time, therefore conservation of energy will be key. We will keep that in mind in our analysis

Jamaica's Usain Bolt looks back after competing in a men's 100-meter second round heat during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Friday, Aug. 15, 2008. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Jamaica's Usain Bolt looks back after competing in a men's 100-meter second round heat during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Friday, Aug. 15, 2008. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

This is where Bolt looks just as awesome as lightning. Running in the quarter-finals in heat 4, with respected 100M runners such as Olympic Silver medallist (2004) Frances Obikwelu (Por) and Darvis Patton (USA), Bolt got a good start and looking to the left and to the right after about 50-60 metres simply strolled to victory in 9.92 seconds. Reviewing the action on the big screen after the race, he flashed a smile applauded his effort and off he went, the sign of a confident and relaxed man on a mission.

Athletes to watch include Richard Thompson (T&T), and the Churandy Martina (Netherland Antilles) as both stopped the clock at 9.99 secs in comfortably winning their respective quarterfinal races. Asafa looked focused and did not look too troubled, by the loss of blood either, taking his heat in 10.02 secs.

Predictions

The semi-finals tomorrow should be interesting and the race rosters will effectively affect the make up of the finals, as the going will be tough. In addition to runners previously mentioned look out for Walter Dix, Marc Burns and Tyson Gay.  Gay does not look comfortable, it could be said he looks rusty but then again he cannot be counted out. Others to watch are Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas, 100M World Silver Medallist 2007, Micheal Frater, 100M World Silver Medallist 2005 and World Silver Medalist Kim Collins.

Here is the script. Barring a horrendous start or a disaster, it is Bolt for Gold.

The result of the 100M finals come Saturday Morning, Jamaican time is.

  1. Bolt(JAM)
  2. Powell(JAM)
  3. Thompson(T&T)
  4. Gay(USA)
  5. Patton(USA)
  6. Martina(AHO)
  7. Burns(T&T)
  8. Dix(USA)

What are your views on the 1st Round races?

Friday, August 15th, 2008

Bolt in Heat 1 looked so casual, Asafa in Heat 2, started out fast and eased up looking good. Concerns though when he was attended to after, looks like abdominal pains. Frater in Heat 4 started good, eased up much later than the others and looked good also. Tyson Gay started sluggish but improved later in the race. What do you think? Are there any signs yet to see who will stumble?

Time for Track & Field action

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

It’s finally here, tonight (Thursday) athletes will start competing on the track for Olympic glory. Jamaicans Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Michael Frater will compete in the 100 metres at 8:45 pm Jamaican time.

Dorian Scott competes in the shot putt at 8:05 pm an Kenia Sinclair competes in the 800 metres at 10:10 pm. (Jamaican times). See Thursday night’s schedule below.

8:00

W

100 Metres Hurdles

Heptathlon

8:05

M

Shot Put

Qualification

8:45

M

100 Metres

Heats

9:30

W

High Jump

Heptathlon

9:40

M

Hammer Throw

Qualification

10:10

W

800 Metres

Heats

11:10

M

Hammer Throw

Qualification

Since the arrival of the athletes in China, some distractions have taken place. The stand off between coach Stephen Francis from MVP and the JAAA/JOA and the number of times our top athletes have been tested.  The real test on the track is now here. Do you think our athletes are fully prepared for this both mentally and physically? If not, what could have been done differently to ensure full preparation for the big stage?