Gay vs Bolt: 100 Meter SMASH at 2009 World Championships
Usain Bolt vs Tyson Gay
Tyson Gay just ran a 9.71 100 meter dash at the World Championships in Berlin smashing the American record. This was the 3rd fastest time in history. But, he only got second place and a silver medal. Usain Bolt, the Jamaican 2008 Olympic sensation from Jamaica, got the gold with a 9.58!
Gay is still healing from a groin injury, but plans to compete on August 31 at the European Grand Prix. Expect good things. These guys are all so fast that all it takes is bad start off the blocks to change history. As great as Bolt is, and he is, so is Tyson Gay.
And don’t count out men like Asafa Powell, who until now, held the record at 9.74. He’s still a great sprinter. But both Gay and Bolt took that record down. And, Bolt ripped it down so hard it may need a paramedic.
The truth is, some are arguing that Bolt still has room to improve:
Yes, he sprinted through the finish line for a change, even if he did turn his head to look at the clock before he crossed it. Yes, his reaction time out of the starting blocks was better than in Beijing and yes he was in the lead after just 20 meters, which is good work for a man of his height who usually loses the start to more compact sprinters.
But according to former world-record holder Donovan Bailey, Bolt straightened up too early on Sunday, thereby losing early propulsion.
“In Beijing, of all the finalists, he was the worst technically,” Bailey said. “He’s improved a lot, but he can still go faster and improve his first 30 meters.”
Guy Ontanon, a French sprint coach, analyzed the final Sunday for the French sports daily L’Equipe and also remarked on Bolt’s premature rise out of the drive phase.
“He really gave it what he had, which explains the time game,” Ontanon wrote of the race. “But he can still pick up five or six hundredths of a second. It’s monstrous to do what he did in this race despite that error.”
Monstrous indeed, Check out the video:
