Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay ready to duel for 100m supremacy
It’s rare that we will write about track and field here at WagerWeb.com unless it’s an Olympic year, but Sunday’s 100 meter final at the world championships in Berlin is a special occasion.
Why special? Because both Tyson Gay and Usain Bolt will be in the race (presuming they make it through the qualifying races).
Bolt, from Jamaica, is the Beijing Olympic champion and the world record-holder in the 100 and 200. Gay, an American, was the 2007 world champion in the 100 and 200 and the holder of the year’s fastest times in both.
The Bolt-Gay showdown never materialized in Beijing last year after Gay pulled a left hamstring muscle in the U.S. Olympic trials the month before the Games. He was then a non-factor at the Games, faltering in the 100 semifinals. The last time the two met was May 2008 in New York, where Bolt set the first of his two 100 world records, 9.72 to Gay’s 9.85.
Some are calling this the most anticipated duel in the 100 meters since Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson faced off in the 1988 Olympics.
“I think you’ll see some of the best sprinting ever,” says Gay, who considers Jamaica’s Asafa Powell, the former world record-holder in the 100, another contender. “You’ve got three guys in the finals capable of running 9.7 or faster. That’s why it could be the most exciting race ever.”
So how fast is the winner going to have to run on Sunday?
“You have got to run 9.59 to beat (Bolt). That’s how I look at it,” Gay said. “I have the mechanics. I have the coaching. It’s all there.”
Bolt, for his part, is focused.
“The level of expectation (in his home country is even higher than before Beijing, but I am ready,” he said. “I am confident, but not too confident. Just confident in my ability.”
The first and second round of the men’s 100 meters will be run Saturday with the semifinals and final on Sunday. Bolt and Gay will run in the men’s 100 and 200 meters. The opening round of the 200m is on Tuesday.
By the way, the world championships are held in the same Berlin Olympic Stadium where Jesse Owens became a legend in the face of Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Olympics.
Bet on track and field at WagerWeb.com
#1 by Sean Weatherby on August 16, 2009 - 8:57 pm
is “Bolt” his real name? or has he earned that nickname from his amazing speed, i wonder
#2 by becker on August 17, 2009 - 10:19 am
Bolt is actually his real last name, which makes him even cooler