BOLT OVERCOMES SORE LEGS TO CLAIM ANOTHER CROWN

The sign of a true champion is not how he performs when he is in the best of health and form but how he responds to competition when he or she is not at the peak of their powers.

In the finals of the men’s 100 metres at the 14th IAAF in Moscow, on a rainy night on August 11, 2013, Usain Bolt, his legs sore and lined up against a solid field including three other Jamaican teammates, knew that this one was not going to be easy.

When he blew up in Beijing in 2008, Bolt won the 100m by the widest margin ever in a major championship finals. He won that race in a world record 9.69 seconds beating his chest as he began celebrating his victory from 20 metres out. Trinidad’s Richard Thompson, the silver medalist was two-tenths of a second behind. In Berlin a year later, the gap between Bolt 9.58s and Tyson Gay 9.71, was 0.13 seconds, closer than the field was in Beijing but still a city block away. In London it was Bolt 9.63, Blake 9.75, the gap 0.12. The field has been getting closer.

Bolt had come in silently targeting the world record he set four years prior but after cruising through the first round, Bolt seemed on track to accomplish yet another remarkable campaign. However, after his semi-finals when he sleepwalked 9.92s easing by and staring down with mock disdain at American challenger Mike Rodgers, Bolt seemed unhappy. “My legs were sore after the semi-finals, I don’t know why, but the world record wasn’t on so I came out just to win,” he later told the BBC.

Meanwhile, Justin Gatlin, the biggest threat to Bolt, was looking confident in the lane next to the world record holder. Gatlin had beaten Bolt for the first time in June and felt like he knew how to get the better of him again. What he didn’t realize is that Bolt is no ordinary man. When he beat Bolt, the Jamaican champion, was coming off injury and was not even close to being near his best. He found out the hard way.

When the gun sounded, Gatlin flew out like a rocket but was only slightly ahead at the half-way mark. He could feel it. He was half-way to accomplishing his goal of defeating the big man who in the last five years has never been defeated in the final of a major championships except for when he false started in Daegu two years ago. All he had to do was hold on for about four more seconds. “Then I saw these long legs coming up on my right side,” Gatlin said afterwards. “He’s great. He’s just great.”

Bolt had stormed through to win in 9.77 seconds, a time that was once the world record held by Asafa Powell more than four years before. It wasn’t Bolt’s usual magical time – the margin down to 0.08 seconds – but it was good enough to seal the victory; good enough to further cement the legend that is Usain Bolt. It was a performance and time that demonstrated clearly that Bolt knows how to win even when the ‘big engine’ is not firing on all cylinders.

PS:

Spare a thought for Nesta Carter, who won his first global outdoor individual medal, a bronze,– and for Kemar Bailey-Cole (the next coming of Bolt) and Nickel Ashmeande, the latter who were making their global debuts and set personal bests – 9.93 and 9.90 respectively en-route to the finals.

It was the first time any country had fielded four runners in a world championship 100-metre final. Jamaica did it without Yohan Blake, Michael Frater or Asafa Powell, who were not in Moscow and demonstrated the incredible depth of this small nation that is clearly the sprint factory of the world.

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15 Responses to “BOLT OVERCOMES SORE LEGS TO CLAIM ANOTHER CROWN”

dallo says:

August 12, 2013 at 7:12 am

Well said as usual my reporter. That Gatlin is an outstanding competitor and ran brilliantly, leaving the blocks like a bullet and doing everything he could, and no ordinary runner was gonna beat him yesterday, so kudos to UB on a very nice performance.

It’s apt that Nesta Carter got the bronze and Bailey Cole showed me some things and if not for the slow start was third best in that final. Big up Nickel Ashmeade also and i think he can medal in the 200 for another 1-2-3. That would be special.
Lannate says:

August 12, 2013 at 9:44 pm

Yes,I was mostly impressed with Kemar, coming way from the back. Sorry kid you ran out of real estate.
Roy says:

August 12, 2013 at 11:17 pm

All hail the “BLACK LIGHTENING” !!!!!! And team
Barbara Book says:

August 14, 2013 at 6:25 am

i wish it wasn’t raining for that Men’s 100M final.
dallo says:

August 14, 2013 at 8:32 am

Clearly, our youth was concerned only about the win in this one, so the big fun gonna be the 200. Time to race the clock now – no disrespect to Messrs. Weir, Ashmeade etal – and the time should be interesting. Everything seems ready and if he can overcome that early acceleration problem, then anything is anything. Usain Bolt ain’t leaving Moscow just so and i’m looking for a 19.2x or better.

Good luck son.
sgordon says:

August 16, 2013 at 4:37 am

I am positive ,Jamaica 1,2,3.
Lannate says:

August 18, 2013 at 8:27 pm

In the final of the men’s 200m, Nickel slowed down before the finish line causing the US runner to out dip him.

Note to Nickel, sprinting 101: The race ends when you place your foot or other body parts beyond the finish line, not when you stop in front of the finish line.
mackm says:

August 20, 2013 at 5:57 pm

bolt is the best sprinter in the world
Professor Trevor Hall says:

August 21, 2013 at 6:05 pm

Note, sprinting 101:
The athlete’s torso or chest has to cross the finish line for the race to end for him or her. It is not the hands, head, or feet–it must be the chest!
A .ellis says:

August 21, 2013 at 11:17 pm

I leave Jamaica in 1973 and am so proud of these sprinters, they make me very proud to be a Jamaican ,I love u guys an girls, u all have my full support
Chuck says:

August 25, 2013 at 8:07 am

No doubt that Bolt is in a class of his own. Why is little or nothing written about Weir, the young fellow took Bronze in London and recently in Moscow. I’m in Miami, a US citizen, yet a big fan of the Jamaican track athletes and have wondered how such a relatively small island is so dominant in the sport. It was disappointing to see that several foolish competitors were recently banned
for illicit drug use, an example of selfishness and disrespect to the team and the entire proud country. Yes, we had world class athletes banned here too, that does not surprise me, it’s happened many times before.
Jamaica was pure, their natural superiority
was actually a wonder of the world, now it has unfortunately been tainted. None of us are without fault, life goes on.
winstonbell says:

August 26, 2013 at 2:17 am

What a guy.I know him very,very well.I know some of his family also.He once told me that the word Usain means:Us-are-in.He was born in the parish of trelawny,and when he was just a little Laddie,he used to ride a little donkey,which would always make him happy.His mom’s name is Mrs.Lightning,his Dad’s name Mr.Thunder,and so he became a Bolt.He has a brother name Earth-quake,and a sister name Twister,who gave birth to a son name tornado,who gave birth to a name Storman,and a daughter name Vulcana.Whatb can we expect from this guy?Nothing but D-I-S-A-T-E-R!!!!!!!!!!!!!
winstonbell says:

August 26, 2013 at 2:23 am

Jamaicans don’t need to take any drugs,it’s already in their genes,and if they do,they would die from over-dose!
winstonbell says:

August 26, 2013 at 2:33 am

Just want to say that the two greatest runners of all times are:Shelly-Ann-Bolt.And the Pryce of Bolt is very high.Nuff respect mi bredda an sista!
Colcal says:

September 14, 2013 at 9:59 am

I have every faith in him, hence, there were no other thoughts than him winning.