Not One From the Three Reigning sub 9.8 Runners Managed to Clock the Best Time in the Preliminary Heats
By Bidz dela Cruz
Last Friday Morning, track favorites Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, and Tyson Gay all made it through their first rounds of the men's 100 meter-dash at the 29th Olympiad in Beijing. These crowd favorites are all reigning sub 9.8 second-runners. But in their preliminary heats, 2 of them (both Jamaicans) just cruised easily to the finish line while their American counterpart did a lot more work to finish first in his first race since hurting his hamstring at the U.S. trials.
Bolt, the Jamaican world record holder of 9.72 seconds got the ball rolling when he cruised through heat 1 in a time of 10.20 seconds.
The 21-year-old ran all the way in his comfort zone and went even slower with 50 meters to go, beating Antigua's Daniel Bailey, who finished second in 10.24.
Bolt cooling down after the heat was quoted, "Tonight, tonight, tonight!" His fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell got out from the blocks with rocket-like speed and then eased down in final 40m to win heat two in 10.16. Former world champion Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis finished right behind him in 10.17. All three Jamaicans were qualified, as Michael Frater won heat four in 10.15.
Another easy run came from the Trinidad and Tobago camp. Ricardo Thompson, who like Bolt, cruised home in 10.24 in heat three.
And probably due to his hamstring injury, Tyson Gay took heat five in 10.22, running faster than usual in these early rounds and seem to be fighting all the way.
This looked more like a workout than a true test. Either way, Gay made it through the first round of the Olympic 100-meter dash Friday.
Racing for the first time since crumpling to the track with a hamstring injury six weeks ago, America's fastest sprinter worked his debut at the Beijing Games, not really coasting (like the Jamaicans did) to the finish to win his preliminary heat in 10.22 seconds.
"It feels good," Gay said, referring to his left hamstring. "I felt a little sluggish the first round, but my body is woke up now."
On that Friday morning, blue skies were casted above all. It was a rarity in Beijing since the games began last week, and it welcomed the runners as they started the day in the 91,000-seat stadium, with the temperature around 80 degrees. Entering the day there was concern about Gay's status, though he has been assuring everyone in Beijing he's fine. Everyone was really eager to hear some news on his hamstring after his rounding of the first corner of the 200 at the Olympic trials. The world witnessed its 100 and 200 champion as he pulled up, then sprawled out, not finishing the race. He needed to be carted off the track - hardly the setup he was looking for ahead of his first Olympics. Because of this, Gay pulled out of a race in London last month, then skipped the American training camp in China, choosing to come directly to Beijing to march in last week's opening ceremony.
Lining up in Lane 2, this was Gay's first race since the injury. While other commentators said that he had an easy prelims, it was not as easy as the kind of energy-saving start Powell and Bolt did. Bolt needs to go easy because he is eyeing for two individual medals. Even though he holds the 100 record, the 200 has been his better race, and it was due last Monday (3 days after the Opening of the Track and Field). Only after some hemming and hawing did Bolt commit to running the 100 in the Olympic as well.
Holding the 100 meter record at 9.74 before Bolt broke it, Powell simply gave a thumbs up after winning his heat . He also has his share of injuries, overcoming a chest injury that sidelined him for much of the season, but insists that's healed and what fans are most interested in is how he responds to pressure. Never known as a big-race performer, he finished fifth at the Athens Olympics and third at last year's world championships, pulling up at the end.
All three were expected to appear on the Saturday's final - perhaps the most highly anticipated event of the 10-day track and field meet that opened at the Bird's Nest with Bolt running in the first heat.
Americans Darvis Patton and Walter Dix also finished in the top three to advance. Dix also qualified for the U.S. team in the 200 and it is he, not Gay, who has a chance at two individual golds.
"I felt controlled, good start, did exactly what I wanted to do in that race," Dix said after finishing third, in 10.35.
Dix was set to run in the second-round heat with Powell, while Patton was placed in the same race with Gay. On Saturday, the final 16 go in the semifinals, with the final set later that same day.
It was Tyrone Edgar of Britain who had the fastest time of the morning with 10.13.
Of course now we know the results in the 100 meters. Bolt won the race, breaking his own record, chipping .03 seconds from the previous one he set, Richard Thompson finished 2nd at 9.89 and Walter Dix grabbed a medal for America in 3rd place in 9.91.
