That Bolt 100M race was possibly the greatest athletic feat EVER

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

To set a world record in the 100M sprint LITERALLY without even trying is so far beyond possibility that I get the sense that people couldn't quite process what they saw.

The 100M dash is the premier pure athleticism event. Nobody can blow away an Olympic final field while jogging, pounding his chest and waving to the crowd for the last 20 meters... let alone in world record time.

It is impossible. It's as if Phelps decided to use doggy-paddle in the last leg of a freestyle and still broke the world record.

I'll say it again... it is IMPOSSIBLE. But we all saw it.

Maybe in the 200M he'll be chatting on a cellphone during the race, or running backwards. I was reminded of Harrison Bergeron.

(I assume nobody is delayed 24 hours, so this can't be a spoiler)

[malaise]

1. Yep - it was incredible - Michael Johnson gets it

The real fun part was watching him use his hands to call the other runners. This race won't be forgotten ever. Usain is a phenom since he was 12 years old. His father ran 200m at school and his mum ran 800m.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K2MwrFq_og

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. Nice. From the comments: "He's one of the X-men or something,"

[kestrel91316]

7. How do you folks come up with all these fabulous sprinters

down there in Jamaica ANYWAY????

I saw some of the gals got a clean sweep!

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

11. .

[malaise]

13. It's a fascinating story

Mostly tradition - the elite schools have had a good athletics programme for over 100 years but after we won gold in 1948, the island went crazy. Now all high schools compete together. The annual schools competitions are supported by everyone including sponsors. There are meets across the island from January with everyone preparing for the Boys and Girls Championships. The big meet has massive crowds and coaches from all over the world show up. At the primary and prep school levels, there are similar competitions with smaller crowds. Our seven and eight year olds learn proper running techniques before they reach high school.

One interesting fact is that back in the fifties, the men who run the JAAA went off to the US to study Sports Administration and Management. Additionally Olympians like Herb McKenley returned to their high schools to coach youngsters. Our Sports College has also helped develop well trained coaches for the schools and there is unbelievable support from alumni.

For many years most of our athletes went to the US after Champs because lots of scholarships were available from US universities looking for NCAA athletes, so the US college circuit certainly helped, but since 9/11 our youngsters prefer to stay home and we have a few very good track clubs.

Perhaps the biggest factor which explains the support is there is nothing sweeter than a good bet because men gamble gazillions on the Boys and Girls Champs and to win means following all the parish meets. You have no idea how much money is changing hands here in Jamaica during these Olympics.

Additionally track and field, like cricket, provide great opportunities for social mobility and this is ingrained in youngsters early. Those three girls today come from very poor families.

Another interesting fact for this year's Olympics is that we hosted the IAAF's World Junior games in 2002 or 2003 and youngsters like Usain, Keron, Sharon and others really benefited from that competition. Usain became a household name there when he won the 200. Sharon anchored the 4 X 1 and we won gold there as well.

When these kids return home they will find hundreds of thousands of people in the streets to greet them from the airport and people will give them houses, land and motor vehicles. The politicians will organize special events and come out for the theatre of the great while pretending that they helped to produce these winners. If it can buy them a few votes, they are even happier.
No doubt we'll have a public holiday in their honor as well. Track and field is serious business in Jamaica since 1948 - :D

Edit - gr.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

19. Very cool!

[XOKCowboy]

24. Very cool indeed...

thanks for the info malaise

[qwertyMike]

29. Can you please list for us

all the Jamaican athletes who ran (and won medals) for other countries; Donovan Bailey & Ben Johnson (Canada), Lynford Christie (UK) come to mind. The ladies too. What a nation!

PS: Is Bolt's first name "Lightning" ?

As a former sprinter I am in AWE

[malaise]

32. For starters Sanya RIchards

She will win the 400m for the US in these Olympics.
http://www.sanyarichards.net/flash.html

Charmaine Crooks ran for Canada

here's a good link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Jamaican_athletics

Bolt was nicknamed Lightning after he won the 200m at the IAAF World Juniors Competition in Jamaica.
His first name is Usain.


One more thing - I should have included the fact that T&F gold medal winners get schools named after them and at the Stadium Park, there are massive paintings of all of them.

[malaise]

39. I forgot Germaine Mason

He won silver for Britain today.

From Wiki -Germaine Mason (born January 20, 1983 in Kingston) is a Jamaican-born athlete competing in high jump. In 2006 he switched sporting allegiance, and now represents Great Britain.

He won silver and bronze medals at the World Junior Championships in 2000 and 2002 respectively, the latter event held in his hometown of Kingston. His first medal at senior level came at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, when he won a gold medal, having achieved a personal best jump of 2.34 metres. He finished fifth at the World Championships the same year.

[KittyWampus]

2. sorry I missed it. Just caught women's crew.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

4. Since it was only 9.69 seconds it will probably be replayed often.

[Fuzz]

5. I agree. Usain is Insane.

[malaise]

6. He's not insane

Note the middle drawing in today's cartoon. He was fifteen and won the 200m at the IAAF World Junior Games in Jamaica in 2003 in front of 35,000. Then he broke the World Juniors World Record in 2004. He started running the 100 last year and ran 10.03 in his first race. Usain won the 200m in every race since he was 12. He is exceptional...goofy perhaps but not insane. Remember Jamaica's High School annual track meet - Boys and Girls Champs is recognized as the best high school track and field event on the planet. Coaches come here from every US university looking for athletes for NCAA. Since 9/11 more of our athletes are staying home and working with local coaches.


There a lot of stuff on him in the Observer - just use the search. Jamaican track and Field web sites also have lots of details on Usain.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huSZ7kpIJZI&feature=related

Tyson Gay's take on the race
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/trackandfield/columns/story?id=3539451

add.

[kestrel91316]

8. They say he probably could have run 9.50 if he hadn't practically walked

the last 15-20 yards.

[entanglement]

9. An awesome feat. And he didn't need a $5000 suit or 12000 calories a day to achieve it.

;)

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

12. I would say he burns a whole lot of calories when training.

Maybe not 12000. I guarantee he uses every technological advantage that is available.

David

[malaise]

15. If he wanted every technological advantage I doubt he'd

still be training at home. We have a very good programme but certainly don't have the technological advantages available in the US. What we have are great coaches, a great school programme and hungry kids.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

18. So he's running in 1999 model shoes?

I'm sure he's still running barefoot in the dirt and eating 1000 calories a day.

[malaise]

21. Not at all

That's a million dollar Puma contract.
No one here eats dirt but I know youngsters in rural primary schools who start out running barefoot.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

22. Plenty of kids in the US like that.

[malaise]

14. He ate chicken nuggets before the race

:rofl:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

17. I would say he burns a whole lot of calories when training.

Maybe not 12000. I guarantee he uses every technological advantage that is available.

David

[JI7]

10. i didn't expect to see that

i don't usually pay attention to these things until the olympics, i know he was supposed to be really good but i didn't expect THAT.

[IDemo]

16. Any faster and he'd need a wheelie bar and a chute

http://images.truckinweb.com/brandpages/dodge/0110_09z+1986_dodge_ram_d50+rear_right_view.jpg

[BlooInBloo]

20. Everything is the greatest ever.... yadayadayada.

[tchunter]

23. having it be a new record sorta does make it the greatest 100m ever

[BlooInBloo]

25. Sure - properly qualified by "greatest 100m". That's worlds away from the OP's claim, of course.

[malaise]

33. It isn't just the World Record

The Olympic record was 9.84. Usain rain 9.69 - skipped all the 9.7s - he set an amazing benchmark.

[stevedeshazer]

26. Quite Beamonesque

I agree.

[Arugula Latte]

27. Amazing ... But I also found it frustrating.

My god, man. Just put off your little celebration for a few SECONDS so we can see your utmost fastest, wouldja? Jeeezus.

[AngryAmish]

38. That was on purpose

There is no prize money for breaking the records at the Olympics.

So, win the thing and guarantee big show-up money at various track meets. Then have them put up a bonus for breaking the world records. break it by a little bit each time.

Bubka started this in the 80s. Break the world records by 1/4 inch over and over.

[Old and In the Way]

28. How low can he go?

He is just in a class by himself. I wonder what he could do, if he really, really burned it through the entire 100m?
9.25?

[malaise]

31. He'll be 22 on August 21st

The bigger point is that he has only been running the 100m since last year.

[Lisa0825]

30. I just saw it on the news, and

OMIGOD is that one FINE specimen of a human being! Those legs and arms flexing in slow motion are going to be burned into my memory for quite some time! WOW! :loveya:

[malaise]

40. Bolt reignites 100m interest

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/mihirbose/2008/08/bolt_reignites_100m_interest.html

<snip>

And the first voices were from the world of athletics saying Bolt with a single run had put Michael Phelps in his place.

Yes, Phelps has broken Spitz's record, which had stood for 36 years.

But while not too many people will recall individual moments of Phelps swimming - Bolt showboating 15m from the finish of a 100 metres race is now part of sporting legend.

[tannybogus]

34. Bob Beaman's long jump in 1968 was awesome too.

He broke the existing mark by 21.75 inches.

[malaise]

35. Beaman was awesome n/t

[Johonny]

36. this dude clearly missed

the exciting 20 K walk and all that trampoline stuff and the ball room dancing...

[DainBramaged]

37. Nah, but go ahead, enjoy the moment.