It will also happen in Paris. Once again, the 100 meters final, the star event of athletics, will capture the attention of the entire planet, providing the most intense and brief scene of the sporting epic of the Olympic Games. It will be August 4. We will have a new Olympic king of speed, but it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for us to see a new world record for 100 meters, because that mark has remained inaccessible to ‘mortal’ athletes since the retirement of its author, Usain Bolt.
The Jamaican genius has only been the king of the sprint for a year. The world still didn’t know how long his reign would last, and it didn’t know that that week in Berlin, in the same stadium where 73 years before Jesse Owens exposed Adolf Hitler, ‘lightning’ would strike like never before . . Bolt continued to be the king until his retirement, the best sprinter in history, but his legs were never again at the magnificent level of that 2009 World Cup in Berlin.
About to turn 23, on August 16 he won the 100 meters final. His first world title of many to follow, and confirmation of the magic that began a year ago at the Beijing Olympic Games.
It was the first of his world gold medals and the best 100 of his life. No one came close, not even him. Nothing like it has been seen since. In 9 seconds and 58 hundredths he set the record. The madness. 37.6 kilometers per hour on average, 45 km/h at top speed stage. A massive record, more than a tenth above its previous record, 9.69 from a year earlier at the Beijing Games. The largest margin ever on previous record.
As it did? It was the peak of a perfect race, the best in history, helped by a very fast track and a perfect, favorable wind (0.9 meters per second) but in legality. And he has rivals. Without them Bolt wouldn’t have the motivation or the need to push his limit. That rival, Tyson Gay, did his best, which was a lot: 9.71, then the third best mark ever, just behind Bolt’s two records. Gay, champion of the previous World Cup, was so ready, he lowered his Beijing Olympic record by 6 hundredths. And Asafa Powell (9”84) appears in the photos as third on the podium. Five athletes reached under 10 seconds.
Gay is a superlative, but Bolt is competing in a different league. In fact, he made the mark that everyone thought he was ‘hiding’ in last year’s Olympic final, when he started celebrating the gold before even crossing the finish line. In the longest stride of the final (2.5 meters), a result of his 1.96 height, he built the perfect race, this time with a dignified start, contrary to what Bolt usually does. No one took advantage of him and the Jamaican was the master after 30 meters. 40 strides, as in Beijing 2008. His rivals needed 42 strides.
He is the youngest of the finalists. Four days later, he did it again. this time in the 200 meters final: 19.19, another world record that no one, including him, has managed since.
He is an unstoppable Bolt, forcing the world to question what his limits are. And it certainly is that. The late Bolt went on to win Olympic and world golds, but he couldn’t beat the supernatural Bolt of 2009, flying down a blue track in Berlin.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
