Gay unfazed by Bolt threat to world titles

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By Paul Virgo
ROME (Reuters) - Tyson Gay said he was unfazed by the threat Olympic champion Usain Bolt posed to his 100 and 200 meters titles at next month's world athletics championships.

Gay said he was "100 percent" confident of defending his crowns in Berlin after recovering from the hamstring injury that hampered his preparations for last year's Olympics, in which Jamaican Bolt set world records to win both events.
"I look at him like another competitor," American Gay told a news conference Thursday on the eve of the Golden Gala in Rome, where he goes head to head with Bolt's compatriot Asafa Powell, the former 100m world record holder.

Gay replied "Yes" when asked if he thought he could keep his 100m crown even if Bolt repeated the record time of 9.69 he produced to win the Beijing Olympics.

The American has started the season well, running a wind-assisted 9.75 seconds in the 100m at the U.S. world championships trials and 19.58 in the 200m, the third fastest time ever.

But he conceded that Bolt looked impressive this week in running 19.59 for the 200 in Lausanne in torrential rain.
"Considering the conditions -- it was raining, wind in his face, cold -- he looked pretty good," Gay said.

Powell did not betray any nerves about taking on Bolt.
"It's the same here. Usain is just another competitor," said Powell, who was part of Jamaica's Olympic winning relay team with Bolt.

"He ran 9.69, which showed we can go under 9.70. Once it was me when I ran 9.74. He set a mark for us.
"We know it'll take faster than 9.69. We know what it takes to win."

ANKLE INJURY
Powell said he was not back to his best despite winning the 100m in last week's Golden League meeting in Oslo because of the ankle injury he suffered in training over two months ago.

"It's about 85 percent better," he said.

America's Damu Cherry will not be able to keep alive her hopes of landing the $1 million Golden League jackpot after winning the first two women's 100m hurdles.

She did not enter the Rome race initially and all the lanes have now been taken.

Three women and two men still have a chance of taking the prize shared between the athletes who win their events at all six Golden League meetings.

The men are Ethiopian middle distance great Kenenisa Bekele, racing in the 5000m, and Finnish javelin world champion Tero Pitkamaki.

The women are Sanya Richards of the United States in the 400m, Jamaica's Kerron Stewart, who will take on her compatriot and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser in the 100m, and Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva in the pole vault.

[Islandman]

Man haffe talk tough. Nutten wrong with that.

[Jangle]

How yuh mean.............man haffi talk big in front of him sponsors.

[Jangle]

Thursday, 09 July 2009
Gay is fit and ready for battle with Powell; Rome record under threat? - ÅF Golden League

Tyson Gay in Rome (Bob Ramsak)

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Rome, Italy – Defending double World sprint champion Tyson Gay warned Usain Bolt today not to expect a repeat of his dominance at the Beijing Olympics last year when it comes to the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin, Germany, 15-23 August.

Speaking on the eve of the Golden Gala, the third of six stops on the ÅF Golden League 2009, Gay was adamant that the hamstring injury which ruined his Olympics was completely behind him and that he was poised for a repeat of his 100/200m golden double at the 2007 World Championships, in Osaka.

Bolt beatable
“I’m 100 per cent healthy and I give myself a 100 per cent chance to win,” the 26-year-old Gay said of his Berlin prospects as he prepared to kick-off his European season here after a promising start to his summer at home in the United States.

But supposing Bolt runs as fast as his World record 9.69 seconds in Berlin? It was a question directed not only at Gay but also at Asafa Powell, who faces the American over 100m in the Stadio Olimpico tomorrow. “If he runs 9.69 can we beat him? Yes,” Gay responded without hesitation.

We know what it takes
Powell, the former 100m World record holder before his fellow Jamaican took it from him, added: “We have been talking about beating Usain since the Olympic Games. He ran 9.69 so we know that it is going to take faster than 9.69 to beat Usain and we already said that we want to win the World Championships. So we know what it takes to win.”

Gay failed to reach the 100m final in Beijing, in his first race since pulling a hamstring in the US trials six weeks earlier, and was forced to watch Bolt set his World record 9.69 seconds. The Jamaican went on to win the 200m, in a World record 19.30, and play a part in his national team setting a 4x100m World record of 37.10.

At this year’s US Championships, in Eugene two weeks ago, Gay ran a wind-assisted 9.75 (+3.4m/s) in the opening round but took no further part in the competition, either at 100m or 200m.

Asked today whether, he had been concerned that, by continuing, he might suffer a repeat of Olympic year, and that he might ‘crash’, Gay replied: “No, I was not afraid that I would crash. I had the bye to go to the World Championships (as defending champion) without running all the rounds so that is why I chose just to run one round.”

Prior to Eugene, on 30 May, Gay had clocked 19.58 for 200m at the Reebok Grand Prix, in New York, strengthening his position as the third fastest half-lap runner in history behind Bolt and Michael Johnson (19.32). It remains the quickest of the year but only by 0.01sec after Bolt clocked 19.59 into a headwind (0.9m/s) in Lausanne on Tuesday.

If far from demoralised, Gay at least admitted to being impressed. “I have seen the race and it was pretty good considering the conditions,” he said. “It was raining, it was cold, and he looked pretty good.”
At the time of his 9.75 in Eugene, Gay said: “I ran a horrible race. Technically it was horrible. My focus was horrible.”

What should Rome expect?
So what is he hoping for here? “I’m looking forward to really getting into my season and starting to set up the World Championships and stuff like that.”

“My season has been going OK and this is my first meet competing in Europe. I do have high expectations for myself but not necessarily at this meet. I do want to run fast but I don’t want to put a certain time on it. This is my first real competitive 100m dash.”

Reflecting on Beijing, Gay added: “It had a lot to do with race sharpness, I just didn’t have a lot of races going into the Olympics and I think that’s the reason why I didn’t make it.”

Degrees of fitness
While Gay talks of being 100 per cent healthy now, Powell says he is only at 85 per cent after suffering an ankle injury in training two and a half months ago. However, he showed some measure of form in placing second to Bolt at the Jamaican Championships, in Kingston, 11 days ago. Bolt set a world leading 9.86, Powell following in 9.97.

Powell, who shares with Maurice Greene the Golden Gala meeting record of 9.85, said that Bolt’s performances last year had been stimulating rather than upsetting.

“He ran 9.69, which proves to us that we can go below 9.7,” Powell said. “I was the athlete who ran 9.74 and I proved to the world that athletes can run 9.74, so he has set a mark for us that proves that we can do it.”

David Powell for the IAAF

[Gamma]

well not many people i know can remain unfazed when dem getr lick by a lightning bolt so....we shall see what we shall see.

[Jangle]

Powell and Gay ready for Golden race

Thu Jul 09, 2009 By Brian Pinelli / Special to Universal Sports
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He epitomizes the adjectives cool, calm and collective going about his business in workmanlike fashion. Ever since he first cracked the ten-second barrier in the 100m on June 12th, 2004, Asafa Powell has been among the kings of the sprinting world.

Since that monumental day at the Jamaican National Junior Championships, the explosive and elegant sprinter has dipped below the benchmark 48 more times. Only former World and Olympic champion Maurice Greene has accomplished the feat more often, doing so 53 times. On Friday at the Golden Gala in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, the affable Jamaican seeks to go below ten seconds for a magical 50th time.

“I always used to like watching Maurice Greene run – very smooth, very composed and relaxed,” said Powell during an interview at the recent Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway. “That’s the kind of running that I always wanted to do. He is someone that I’ve always looked up to.”

Powell, 26 continues to challenge longevity records despite battling numerous injuries over the years and it seems that these days his countryman Usain Bolt grabs most of the headlines. Factor in the resurgence of American Tyson Gay, who will go head-to-head with Powell on Friday night for the first time since the 2007 world championships, and just maybe the former world record holder from Jamaica is no longer considered one of the lead actors on the world’s stage.

“I like being in a position where I am an underdog, but I don’t like being in a position where people are not talking about me because I’m injured and cannot perform on the circuit at the top,” said Powell. “So I kind of like being in the dark so when I really make my move it’s big and sudden.”

Powell will compete in Rome fresh off victories at the Bislett Games in Oslo and the Athletissima Super Grand Prix in Lausanne over the past week. At both meets he ran 10.07 in less than ideal conditions. In Norway, the 100m final went off less than an hour after a 45-minute rain delay while in Switzerland he dealt with chilly temperatures and a rain-soaked track.

Gay, a double world champion from 2007, makes his 2009 European debut Friday. He’s coming off strong performances at both the U.S. Nationals in Eugene, Oregon two weekends ago, when he ran 100m in a wind-aided 9.75 and at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York in May, when he ran a 19.58 200m.


Last month, Powell ran a 9.97 at the Jamaican National Championships in Kingston, finishing second to Bolt’s 9.86, the fastest wind-legal time this year. He has been hampered by a spring ankle injury, but after Tuesday night’s performance in Lausanne seemed optimistic about the season ahead.

“I hate running in the rain but I am very happy with my performance,” Powell said about the 10.07 in Switzerland. “These were the worst weather conditions in my life but I ran my best race this year, technically speaking. I am definitely going for the world record.”

Bolt’s scintillating 9.69 gold medal performance from the Beijing Olympics still stands as the current world record. Powell, who held the world record from June 2005 until May 2008, but has yet to win gold or silver in the 100m at either an Olympics or world championships, has his radar set on the IAAF World Championships in Berlin this August.

“I am definitely going to be running a lot of 9.7’s this year, but the main aim is to go below 9.7 because I think that’s what it’s going to take to win at the world championships,” he said. “The goal is to go in and win there. I’m really looking forward to them and so far training is coming along smoothly.”

Gay and Powell take to the blocks on Friday with the Jamaican seeking his 14th all-time victory in Golden League meets. It will be the first time that the two sprinters face off in a final since they battled at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan. Gay accelerated in the final 50 meters of that race overtaking a fading Powell to win in 9.85. Powell settled for third at 9.96.

“When Tyson came on and gave me a little bit of pressure I just panicked,” said Powell after the disappointing performance in 2007. “When I saw I wasn’t in gold medal contention, I gave up in the middle of the race. I just stopped running.”

Perhaps the best race between the two occurred in Zurich, Switzerland in August 2006. Powell equaled his then world record winning in 9.77. Gay finished second in 9.84, a personal best at the time. Powell also defeated Gay that same year with victories in Stockholm, Berlin, Rome and Stuttgart. The Jamaican leads the American 5-1 in head-to-head 100m races.

Powell has often been criticized for below average appearances at world championships and Olympics. He arrived at last year’s Beijing Games having won three consecutive races in Stockholm, London and Monaco, but then finished a disappointing 5th, the same result he had at the Athens Games four years earlier. Powell redeemed himself anchoring Jamaica’s gold medal relay team running an 8.70 split time and helping the team set the current world record of 37.10.

Other achievements by Powell have included running below 9.80 legally seven times, more than anyone else in history. Bolt is second with four. He has also been under 9.90 seconds, 24 times, well ahead of Maurice Greene’s 17. Powell has garnered two golds and a silver from the Commonwealth Games.

Over the past decade Powell has also amassed numerous honors and awards. In 2005, ’06, and ’07, he was both Jamaican and Caribbean/Central American Sportsman of the Year. In 2006, he was named Men’s Track and Field Athlete of the year and in 2007, his world record of 9.74 set in Rieti, Italy earned him IAAF Performance of the Year.

Powell also continues to be one of the most well-liked personalities on the circuit, often inspiring his fellow athletes.

“Recently I’ve been very impressed by the sprinter from Jamaica, Asafa Powell,” said Kenya’s 22-year-old distance running sensation, Augustine Choge during a recent interview in Ostrava, Czech Republic. “I really like that guy – when I see him running I feel like I need to go [faster] also. He inspires me by the way he socializes with people, the way he talks and the way he laughs with people is really great.”

Powell and Gay are expected to line-up for the 100m final when the gun goes off Friday at 9:03 pm local time. The Jamaican currently shares the Golden Gala meet record of 9.85 along with Maurice Greene. He set it during his victory in 2006 and also won in 2007 going 9.90.

[Baddaz]

all now mi still a search fi what tyson gay seh weh get people so up in a bungle... i think he is saying all the right things as a competitor...

him cannot display a lack of confidence... whether words or actions...

[Islandman]

Results of the 2 Heats. Finals to come in under an hour.

Men - 100 Metres - Heat 1 - Wind : -0.1 m/s Pos Athlete Nat Mark Pts

1 Tyson Gay USA 9.96
2 Travis Padgett USA 10.08
3 Michael Frater JAM 10.11
4 Michael Rodgers USA 10.11
5 Churandy Martina AHO 10.22
6 Mark Jelks USA 10.23
7 Emanuele Di Gregorio ITA 10.37
8 Andrew Hinds BAR 10.39
9 Jacques Riparelli ITA 10.52

Men - 100 Metres - Heat 2 - Wind : +0.4 m/s Pos Athlete Nat Mark Pts
1 Daniel Bailey ANT 9.96
2 Asafa Powell JAM 9.98
3 Richard Thompson TRI 10.04
4 Yohan Blake JAM 10.05
5 Steve Mullings JAM 10.05
6 Marc Burns TRI 10.15
7 Fabio Cerutti ITA 10.27
8 Simone Collio ITA 10.29
9 Shinji Takahira JPN 10.37

[Islandman]

Womens heats

1 Shelly-Ann Fraser JAM 11.13
2 Kelly-Ann Baptiste TRI 11.18
3 Sheri-Ann Brooks JAM 11.25
4 Aleen Bailey JAM 11.37
5 Ebony Floyd-Broadnax USA 11.42
6 Muna Lee USA 11.45
7 LoLo Jones USA 11.49
Bianca Knight USA DNS


Official Results - Women - 100 Metres - Heat 2 - Wind : +0.6 m/s Pos
Athlete Nat Mark Pts

1 Kerron Stewart JAM 11.01
2 Chandra Sturrup BAH 11.08
3 Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie BAH 11.09
4 Carmelita Jeter USA 11.10
5 Stephanie Durst USA 11.15
6 Torri Edwards USA 11.27
7 Anay Tejeda CUB 12.04

[Baddaz]

whappen wid jeter, muna lee and tori edwards... seems like dem ongle can run wid de wind at their backs...

[Mosiah]

4 Yard Man in finals!

YAY!

[Gamma]

dem a play possum!

[Mosiah]

4 Yard Queen in the finals!

YAY!

[Mosiah]

well, some of them eat it, so...

[Islandman]

LOL! Poor possum get blame fe everyting these days. Must be cousin mangoose bring down dem crosses pon him.