On Sunday, Usain Bolt proved once again, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is the fastest man alive. The Jamaican sprinter took home the gold medal in the men’s 100m final for the second straight Olympics.
Usain Bolt Sets New Olympic Record, Wins Second Straight 100m Gold Medal
Bill Hanstock is a writer, author and Emmy Award-winning producer. He began writing for SB Nation in 2011.
Bolt actually got out to a slow start off the blocks. Early speculation was that Bolt was worried about being disqualified due to a false start. Bolt, via Reuters, confirmed as much after the race was done.
”I was slightly worried about my start, I didn’t want to false start again. So I think I sat in the blocks a little bit, I don’t think it was the best reaction in the world, but I executed and that was the key.
“My coach said stop worrying about your start, the best of your race is at the end, that’s where you rule. So I stopped worrying about the start and I executed, so it worked.”
And how. After getting off to his slow start, Bolt kicked it into high gear after the first 20 meters and pulled away, setting a new Olympic record with a time of 9.63 seconds. That old Olympic record? That one was his, too. He also holds the world record, in case there’s any question as to whether he truly is the fastest person who’s ever lived.
To win, Bolt had to hold off the fastest field of competitors ever in the 100m. Countryman Yohan Blake, who came in second, finished in 9.75 seconds -- the second-fastest losing time ever. Bolt had this to say about Blake:
“In training he always works hard and pushes me. I knew what I needed to do but I think he will do better next time. He is a major talent. He beat almost everybody and I know he will be more confident and do better next time.”
How’s this for even more impressive: Bryan Fischer of CBS Sports noted that Bolt was actually turning his head as he crossed the finish line to check on his time. The move likely cost Bolt a few hundredths of a second, but Bolt didn’t seem overly concerned.
United States runner Justin Gatlin finished in third place with a time of 9.79 seconds, while USA’s Tyson Gay missed out on the podium, finishing in fourth place at 9.80. Gay was in tears following the race.
“I tried man. I tried my best. I just came up short.”
The other runners in the race seemed nearly as in awe of Bolt as was the crowd watching in the stadium and at home. Richard Thompson, who finished seventh, had this to say:
“He’s an unbelievable sprinter (Bolt). The entire world says he’s unbeatable and right now he is.”
Bolt is certainly unbeatable in the 100m. And he now has the hardware to prove his utter dominance of the running world for the past four-plus years.
For more on the Olympics, check out SB Nation’s London 2012 Olympics Hub.
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