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Bolt new sprint king of ‘island of champions'
JAMES CHRISTIE
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
June 2, 2008 at 8:30 PM EDT
He is called Lightning Bolt, and at no time in his career has 21-year-old Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt been more worthy of that handle.
“I'm not surprised,” Canadian track star Donovan Bailey said in the aftermath of Jamaica's latest 100 metres world record. “He comes from an island of champions.”
At the Reebok Grand Prix in New York on Saturday, Bolt beat double world sprint champion Tyson Gay of the United States in a blazing time of 9.72 seconds – bashing down the former 9.74 standard of fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell. Gay ran 9.85 and was left up the track.
Bolt and Powell are the latest tandem in an impressive line of speedsters from the Caribbean island.
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A Bolt out of the blue
Jamaican-born Bailey set the current Olympic and former world record of 9.84 in 1996 while representing Canada at the Atlanta Summer Games.
The Olympic champion in 1992, running for Britain, was Jamaican-born Linford Christie. Before that, Ben Johnson, also born in Jamaica, had run world-record times of 9.83 in 1987 and 9.79 in 1988 at the Seoul Olympics, only to have them expunged for doping offences.
When Johnson's 1987 world record was erased, Ray Stewart, yet another Jamaican, was moved into the silver-medal position at the world championships.
With the world record in only his fifth serious 100-metre test, Bolt is dreaming of a duel with Gay for an Olympic double in the 100 and 200 metres at the Beijing Games in August.
“I am now the fastest man in the world, so I have to run [the 100], Bolt said. “You just tell yourself that you have to do it.
“I don't think there's a comparison between an Olympic gold and a world record. Someone could take the record from me tomorrow. You've got to be the Olympic champion or world champion to really count. I think the Olympics is the biggest thing there is,” he told the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper when he flew home to celebrate his distinction as the new world's fastest man.
Not only are Bolt and Powell the two biggest names in sprinting, they are two of the biggest bodies.
“Somewhere there's a picture floating around of myself with Usain and Asafa, taken in Jamaica,” Bailey said. “I saw them both at the Jamaican high-school championships last year, and talked to them again last March.”
At 6 foot 1, Bailey is the short guy in the picture. Powell is 6 foot 3 and Bolt 6 foot 5.
“We've broke the stereotypes that to be fast you had to be American and had to be short and powerful,” Bailey said.
The trend has been for 100 metres sprinters to be longer and leaner than the powder-keg profile Johnson popularized back when he was beating American star Carl Lewis. The prevailing reasoning cited Johnson's short, strong legs, which had a more rapid turnover than Lewis's long levers.
Steroids aside, Johnson believed his legs gave him a technical advantage in starts and acceleration.
Bailey, who lives in Oakville, Ont., said the short-man model never rang true for him. After the first few steps, his long strides ate up the track and he reeled in the front-runners before the wire.
“Uncoiling long legs was a so-called issue for Carl and for me and for Linford Christie, yet we all won the Olympics,” he said.
“I knew the record could go much lower than it was when I set it. I'd run 9.7s in practice, so Usain's 9.72 wasn't far-fetched. When I set the world record of 9.84, I knew there was more in the tank, that men would be able to run faster. But it was running 9.84 under the conditions and pressures of an Olympic Games that made it special.”
The Olympics will be special for Bolt, too. No 100 metres gold medalist has ever won in Jamaica's colours.
Bolt is a homegrown talent from the farming hamlet of Sherwood Content in the parish of Trelawney in northwest Jamaica. His father, Wellesley, is a coffee production manager and his mother, Jennifer, a dressmaker.
Bolt has resisted invitations to train in the United States. He has stayed in school at the University of Technology, Jamaica and trained with national coach Glen Mills, whose previous charges have included Stewart and former men's 100 metres world champion Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
“Usain is 6 foot 5 and has massive talent,” Bailey said. “He's only started weightlifting and following a nutritional regime this year, so who knows how good he will be.”
“Asafa's still healing his chest injury. I hope he gets over it and gets ready for the Jamaican championships at the end of June and the Olympics. The Jamaican trials could be the best race of the year. Then, I want to see them take on the world and see how that unfolds.”
Bolt ran 9.76 seconds in Jamaica four weeks ago. Saturday's performance defied the skeptics who said he couldn't run as fast outside his homeland.
Powell set his world record of 9.74 in Italy last September.
JAMES CHRISTIE
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
June 2, 2008 at 8:30 PM EDT
He is called Lightning Bolt, and at no time in his career has 21-year-old Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt been more worthy of that handle.
“I'm not surprised,” Canadian track star Donovan Bailey said in the aftermath of Jamaica's latest 100 metres world record. “He comes from an island of champions.”
At the Reebok Grand Prix in New York on Saturday, Bolt beat double world sprint champion Tyson Gay of the United States in a blazing time of 9.72 seconds – bashing down the former 9.74 standard of fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell. Gay ran 9.85 and was left up the track.
Bolt and Powell are the latest tandem in an impressive line of speedsters from the Caribbean island.
Related Articles
Recent
A Bolt out of the blue
Jamaican-born Bailey set the current Olympic and former world record of 9.84 in 1996 while representing Canada at the Atlanta Summer Games.
The Olympic champion in 1992, running for Britain, was Jamaican-born Linford Christie. Before that, Ben Johnson, also born in Jamaica, had run world-record times of 9.83 in 1987 and 9.79 in 1988 at the Seoul Olympics, only to have them expunged for doping offences.
When Johnson's 1987 world record was erased, Ray Stewart, yet another Jamaican, was moved into the silver-medal position at the world championships.
With the world record in only his fifth serious 100-metre test, Bolt is dreaming of a duel with Gay for an Olympic double in the 100 and 200 metres at the Beijing Games in August.
“I am now the fastest man in the world, so I have to run [the 100], Bolt said. “You just tell yourself that you have to do it.
“I don't think there's a comparison between an Olympic gold and a world record. Someone could take the record from me tomorrow. You've got to be the Olympic champion or world champion to really count. I think the Olympics is the biggest thing there is,” he told the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper when he flew home to celebrate his distinction as the new world's fastest man.
Not only are Bolt and Powell the two biggest names in sprinting, they are two of the biggest bodies.
“Somewhere there's a picture floating around of myself with Usain and Asafa, taken in Jamaica,” Bailey said. “I saw them both at the Jamaican high-school championships last year, and talked to them again last March.”
At 6 foot 1, Bailey is the short guy in the picture. Powell is 6 foot 3 and Bolt 6 foot 5.
“We've broke the stereotypes that to be fast you had to be American and had to be short and powerful,” Bailey said.
The trend has been for 100 metres sprinters to be longer and leaner than the powder-keg profile Johnson popularized back when he was beating American star Carl Lewis. The prevailing reasoning cited Johnson's short, strong legs, which had a more rapid turnover than Lewis's long levers.
Steroids aside, Johnson believed his legs gave him a technical advantage in starts and acceleration.
Bailey, who lives in Oakville, Ont., said the short-man model never rang true for him. After the first few steps, his long strides ate up the track and he reeled in the front-runners before the wire.
“Uncoiling long legs was a so-called issue for Carl and for me and for Linford Christie, yet we all won the Olympics,” he said.
“I knew the record could go much lower than it was when I set it. I'd run 9.7s in practice, so Usain's 9.72 wasn't far-fetched. When I set the world record of 9.84, I knew there was more in the tank, that men would be able to run faster. But it was running 9.84 under the conditions and pressures of an Olympic Games that made it special.”
The Olympics will be special for Bolt, too. No 100 metres gold medalist has ever won in Jamaica's colours.
Bolt is a homegrown talent from the farming hamlet of Sherwood Content in the parish of Trelawney in northwest Jamaica. His father, Wellesley, is a coffee production manager and his mother, Jennifer, a dressmaker.
Bolt has resisted invitations to train in the United States. He has stayed in school at the University of Technology, Jamaica and trained with national coach Glen Mills, whose previous charges have included Stewart and former men's 100 metres world champion Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
“Usain is 6 foot 5 and has massive talent,” Bailey said. “He's only started weightlifting and following a nutritional regime this year, so who knows how good he will be.”
“Asafa's still healing his chest injury. I hope he gets over it and gets ready for the Jamaican championships at the end of June and the Olympics. The Jamaican trials could be the best race of the year. Then, I want to see them take on the world and see how that unfolds.”
Bolt ran 9.76 seconds in Jamaica four weeks ago. Saturday's performance defied the skeptics who said he couldn't run as fast outside his homeland.
Powell set his world record of 9.74 in Italy last September.
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