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Look both ways! Bolt, Powell, Gay cruise to 100 SF
By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Sports Writer
8 hours, 15 minutes ago
Buzz Up Print
BEIJING (AP)—Far ahead halfway through his 100-meter Olympic quarterfinal, Usain Bolt casually swiveled his head to his right, to his left, then back to his right.
Never hurts to check. No one was nearby—hardly surprising, given how quickly the 6-foot-5 Bolt’s long strides carried his golden spikes. So the world record-holder slowed to what for him amounts to a jog.
He still crossed in 9.92 seconds, a time that makes it the fastest dash ever run in China, a time that would have earned a medal at all but two previous Summer Games and a time that fails to reflect how effortless Bolt’s performance was.
The Jamaican licked his lips, checked the scoreboard and pumped a fist, his untucked yellow sleeveless shirt rippling. The message, to himself and to rivals Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay, was unmistakable:
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Bring on Saturday’s 100 semifinals and final.
“I just ran the first 50 meters, then I looked around to make sure I was safe, and I shut it off,” Bolt said Friday night. “I’m ready for my best.”
Goodness. Remember, this is a guy who said as recently as last week that he wasn’t sure whether he would race the 100—an event he only began pursuing seriously this year—in addition to his specialty, the 200, at these Olympics.
“He’s a phenomenal athlete,” said Darvis Patton of the United States, who also advanced to the semifinals.
Bolt, his Jamaican teammate Powell and U.S. record-holder Gay—the reigning world champion who hadn’t raced in 11/2 months because of a left leg injury— all advanced without a hitch through two 100 heats Friday, when the 10-day track and field competition opened.
By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Sports Writer
8 hours, 15 minutes ago
Buzz Up Print
BEIJING (AP)—Far ahead halfway through his 100-meter Olympic quarterfinal, Usain Bolt casually swiveled his head to his right, to his left, then back to his right.
Never hurts to check. No one was nearby—hardly surprising, given how quickly the 6-foot-5 Bolt’s long strides carried his golden spikes. So the world record-holder slowed to what for him amounts to a jog.
He still crossed in 9.92 seconds, a time that makes it the fastest dash ever run in China, a time that would have earned a medal at all but two previous Summer Games and a time that fails to reflect how effortless Bolt’s performance was.
The Jamaican licked his lips, checked the scoreboard and pumped a fist, his untucked yellow sleeveless shirt rippling. The message, to himself and to rivals Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay, was unmistakable:
ADVERTISEMENT
Bring on Saturday’s 100 semifinals and final.
“I just ran the first 50 meters, then I looked around to make sure I was safe, and I shut it off,” Bolt said Friday night. “I’m ready for my best.”
Goodness. Remember, this is a guy who said as recently as last week that he wasn’t sure whether he would race the 100—an event he only began pursuing seriously this year—in addition to his specialty, the 200, at these Olympics.
“He’s a phenomenal athlete,” said Darvis Patton of the United States, who also advanced to the semifinals.
Bolt, his Jamaican teammate Powell and U.S. record-holder Gay—the reigning world champion who hadn’t raced in 11/2 months because of a left leg injury— all advanced without a hitch through two 100 heats Friday, when the 10-day track and field competition opened.
