Bolt First, Daylight Second and a new track and field world record
August 21, 2009
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt has continued his golden run at the track and field world championships in Berlin. He has backed up from winning the 100m in a sensational time of 9.58 seconds to win the 200 meters.
Not content to just win gold the big Jamaican has smashed his own world record for the event. Last year at the Beijing Olympics he did not run hard to the line in the 100m race, he addressed this in the 200m race and in the process took Michael Johnson’s long standing 200 meter world record which stood at 19.32 since the 1996 Olympics.
Back in August 2008 Bolt set the mark at 19.30. Bolts new track and field world record for the 200 meters now stands at 19.19.
He came out of the blocks fast and established a huge lead by mid-race. He powered home to see the outstanding new record. Alonso Edward of Panama was second, a massive 0.62 seconds behind running 19.81, Wallace Spearmon of the United States ran 19.85 for bronze and countryman Shawn Crawford finished fourth in 19.89. The first five runners were under 20 seconds.
Tyson Gay did not contest the race due to a groin injury. Without Bolt in the race it was a close contest. The winning margin is the biggest in world championship history.
American Wallace Spearmon who won bronze admitted afterwards that he had gone into the race hoping at best for silver. That is what Usain does to you. “I saw Bolt for maybe three seconds,” Spearmon said. “This guy is really really fast, he’s amazing.”
Bolt can perhaps thank France’s David Alerte for his fast time after the Frenchman false started. In the first start Bolt had a reaction time of 0.345. Lucky for him in the second start Bolt got an awesome start with a 0.133 reaction time which was the fastest in the field. With a great start there was no stopping him.
The world now waits to see just how much lower Bolt can take the 100m and 200m world records.
If you look back over time since the IAAF required fully automatic timing to the hundredth of a second in 1977 the record was only lowered on four occasions before Berlin. Pietro Mennea set it at 19.72 in 1979. Michael Johnson twice broke it in 1996 with 19.66 in June and then at the Olympics he set 19.32. Bolt then shaved it to 19.30 in Beijing when running into a -0.9 wind. He then smashed it in Berlin.
Full results for the men’s 200 meter world championship final are below.
| Position | Lane | Athlete | Country | Mark | . | React |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Usain Bolt | JAM | 19.19 | (WR) | 0.133 |
| 2 | 6 | Alonso Edward | PAN | 19.81 | (AR) | 0.179 |
| 3 | 4 | Wallace Spearmon | USA | 19.85 | (SB) | 0.152 |
| 4 | 8 | Shawn Crawford | USA | 19.89 | (SB) | 0.148 |
| 5 | 3 | Steve Mullings | JAM | 19.98 | (PB) | 0.146 |
| 6 | 7 | Charles Clark | USA | 20.39 | . | 0.158 |
| 7 | 1 | Ramil Guliyev | AZE | 20.61 | . | 0.165 |
| 8 | 2 | David Alerte | FRA | 20.68 | . | 0.161 |
Check the water in Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser wins 100m
August 17, 2009
It is amazing how good the Jamaican sprinters are. Somebody please check what is in the water over there.
First we had the amazing run by Usain Bolt, along with his countryman Asafa Powell picking up third. Now we have the women going one-two in the 100m final.
In a contrast to the size and power of Bolt, we saw the pocket rocket Shelly-Ann Fraser collecting gold.
She was fast out of the blocks and like Bolt put herself clear of the field. Unlike in the men’s race she was chased down. In the end she won the race by the slimmest of margins as her fellow Jamaican Kerron Stewart closed in on the Olympic champion.
In the end it was Fraser who took gold with a time of 10.73 seconds just ahead of Stewart who ran 10.75. USA’s Carmelita Jeter stopped a Jamaican 1-2-3 by taking the bronze in 10.90. Veronica Campbell-Brown was fourth in 10.95.
Imagine if Fraser has the long legs of Usain Bolt, how fast could she run?
This was another great race and lived up to the drama of a world championships. It is just really amazing how a country the size of Jamaica can produce so many great sprinters.
Bekele win fourth straight 10,000m world crown
August 17, 2009
Usain Bolt had everyone talking last night following his stunning world record setting win in the 100m final.
Tonight in Berlin at the world athletics championships it was a night of contrasts, however there was still an impressive athletic performance. 1.60 metre distance running sensation Kenenisa Bekele won his fourth consecutive 10000m title at a world championships.
The 27-year-old Olympic champion ran 26min 46.31 sec to win gold. Along the way he matched Haile Gebrselassie for the most world championship titles won.
It takes size, speed and power to win the 100m, it takes guts to win the 10000m.
Bolt Scorches Track in Berlin
August 16, 2009
Exactly one year after Usain Bolt set alight the track and field program at the Beijing Olympics he has done it again. This time it comes at the track and field world championships in Berlin.
Last year he ran 9.69. I was privileged to witness that great run as I enjoyed the awesome atmosphere from within the bird’s nest. This time I had to settle for watching on tv. It was once again an amazing performance with Bolt not only winning but breaking the world record. He was clear of second place Tyson Gay as he crossed the line to stop the clock at an incredible 9.58 seconds. This is one of the great track and field world records.
Gay was about 2 metres back when he crossed in 9.71 seconds and former world record holder Asafa Powell crossed in 9.84 seconds to claim bronze. Gay was defending champion and was back in a major final after going out in the semi’s in Beijing.
Bolt came out of the blocks in smart fashion and by mid-race had established a lead that only increased as he effortlessy completed the 100m dash.
Last year in Beijing he followed up the 100m win with gold in the 200m. Can he repeat that performance in 2009?
Now with such an amazing 100m track and field world record what can Bolt do next? Can he run even faster?
Bolt closes out season with another top class 100m sprint
September 7, 2008
Three time Beijing Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt has ended his Golden League season with a 9.77 second time in the 100m at the meet in Brussels. Had it not been for a 0.9 metres-per-second headwind he may have challenged his world record set in the final of the 100m in Beijing.
Bolt had to be content with the track record which previously stood at 9.84 seconds. Second placegetter Asafa Powell also came in ahead of the old track record as he clocked 9.83 second. It was a Jamaican 1-2-3-4 as Nesta Carter took third in 10.07 and Michael Frater fourth in 10.08. Tyson Gay who is the current world 100m and 200m champion pulled out of the race as he was not willing to risk his hamstring in the cool weather.
For Powell it was another fast run in a meet that did not matter. He failed miserably in the race that mattered in Beijing coming in fifth in 9.95. In smaller meets he shows he is a runner that should be challenging for gold at Olympics and world championships. Last Tuesday he ran 9.72 in Lausanne, just outside of the 9.69 word record. Hopefully at the next world championships he will step up and push Bolt all the way to the finnish line. That is an awesome thought.
