Exactly a year to the day since his landmark run of 9.69sec in China, Bolt became the only man in history ever to cross the line first in two successive major championship 100m finals record with a new world record to his name. Forget the figures, though; just gasp once more at the sight of the eighth wonder of the world.
And so much for the feverishly-hyped “grossen duell”. Tyson Gay, America’s reigning champion, gave it his best shot in the adjacent lane, recording the third fastest time ever, 9.71sec but it can hardly be described as a two-horse race unless you concluded that Bolt’s brilliance made it resemble Nijinsky versus a selling plater.
The world had always fancied after Beijing that if Bolt ever decided to run the full distance instead of indulging in breast-beating showboating en route, then he could take his own record to the cleaners and on a night balmy enough to pass for Kingston, so it came to pass.
This was quite, quite unreal. Bolt did not get the greatest start and yet once into his stride he just destroyed his opposition. And, yes, he could still afford a quick glance left and right to the opposition before he hit the line, looked at the clock and then wheeled away around the track like an aeroplane.
Asafa PowelI, his compatriot, clocked 9.84sec for the bronze medal behind Gay while Britain’s Dwain Chambers played his part in one of the greatest sprint contests in history as he set a season’s best 10.00 seconds for sixth place.
“I think I could go 9.4 but I think the world stops at 9.4,” he said. Thank heavens it has still not stopped yet for the fastest man on earth. 9.58 seconds? It is apparently a mere staging post.
