Usain Bolt’s year of living rapidly
By Mike Hurst
From: The Daily Telegraph May 27, 2010 12:00
THIS could be the greatest year in history for men’s sprinting despite 100m and 200m world recordholder Usain Bolt’s protestations that he will be taking it easy.
We have a better idea now that Bolt has opened his 100m season with 9.86sec in Daegu, South Korea - venue also for next year’s IAAF world athletics championships.
He backed it up with a stunning 200m in 19.76 (headwind 0.8m/s) just relaxing for the final 80m last Sunday. But if he takes it too easy when he comes up against resurgent fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell (at 100m) and America’s former world sprint double champion Tyson Gay (at 100m and 200m), he could lose.
That’s the storm warning to the Olympic and world sprint double titles holder from history’s next fastest 100m runners (Gay and Powell).
“This is the best time to be in the sport, when it’s at the highest level,” said Powell.
"The sport has never been at this level before so what better time to be in the sport? "It’s driving me.
“I’m still up there in the spotlight. I have nothing to be worrying about, just to try and compete and run very fast.”
Powell, now fully recovered from shoulder surgery and an ankle injury last year, opened his year in Doha on May 14, clocking 9.75 (+2.6m/s) in his heat and 9.81 (+2.3m/s) in the 100m final. He is about 2m faster at this time of the year than ever before.
Powell set a world record time of 9.77sec in 2005 and lowered it to 9.74sec in 2007 before Bolt burst on to the 100m scene the following year in the Beijing Olympic season, lowering the record to 9.72 in New York in May, then 9.69 in the Olympic final and 9.58 in last year’s Berlin world title final.