Once again Usain Bolt electrified the crowd at the Olympics (no pun intended). After a pedestrian start, the 6’5″ Jamaican dominated the final half of the 100m final Sunday to break his own Olympic record and record the second-fastest time in history (behind his own world record).
As I predicted a few weeks ago, Bolt shined brightest on the big stage. In an instant, he erased the sour taste from the false start at the 2012 World Championships and the losses to teammate Yohan Blake at the Jamaican Trials. Matched up versus the most formidable 100m finals group in history, the fasted man alive bolted his way into history in stunning and spectacular fashion.
The fact that he’s still only 25 years old must give his opponents many sleepless nights. American Justin Gatlin placed third by running a personal best (9.79s) at the age of 30. If Bolt can stay healthy, the world may be blessed enough to see him dominate another Olympics in 2016.
Tears for Tyson
It was sad to see American Tyson Gay finish fourth in a tough field. Gay was the fastest man once upon a time, but never during an Olympic year. The American record-holder in the 100m (9.69s) finished just behind teammate Gatlin in the London Final and reportedly cried inconsolably after the loss.
Despite being one of the top 100m and 200m sprinters in recent history, Gay can’t seem to get it done when it counts most. Gay, who will turn 30 this week, will have one more chance to earn an Olympic medal during the 4×100 relay. The United States sprinters have historically dominated the event, but did not medal in Beijing due to a botched baton hand off between Gay and Darvis Patton.
While Jamaica will likely be favored to win with Bolt and Blake, the Americans should have a reasonable shot to upset the killer Bs. Jamaican Asafa Powell was injured in the 100m final and his loss may create an opening for the stars and stripes. Even if they don’t win, as long as they can hold on to the baton, Gay should be able to end his career with some Olympic hardware.
