NEW YORK -- Like lightning out of nowhere, Usain Bolt is now the world's fastest man.
The Jamaican sprinter, who doesn't even consider the 100 meters his best race, set the world record Saturday night with a time of 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix, 0.02 seconds faster than the old mark held by his countryman, Asafa Powell.
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| Usain Bolt sets a world record with a time of 9.72 seconds in the 100 meters. (AP) |
Even with that, he said he wasn't sure if he would switch out the 400 for the 100 at the Beijing Olympics.
"I think that will change today," Bolt said. "It doesn't matter if I have the world record if I don't have the Olympic medal."
Springing from the starting block and unfurling his lanky frame -- listed at 6-foot-4, but probably more like 6-5 and, either way, considered too tall for this kind of speed work -- he created a big-time gap between himself and Tyson Gay at about the halfway point, then routed America's top sprinter to the finish line.
"I wasn't really looking for a world record, but it was there for the taking," Bolt said.
Gay finished in 9.85.
"Obviously, I have some work to do," Gay said. "Right now, it's hats off to Bolt. Today was his day."
As he crossed the finish line, Bolt spread his arms out wide and let out a yell. A few moments later, the 21-year-old from Kingston was hoisting the Jamaican flag and a crowd with several hundreds of Jamaican fans was going wild. Then, he kneeled down and posed next to the scoreboard that recorded the fastest time ever -- "9.72."
"Just coming here, knowing a lot of Jamaicans were here giving me their support, it meant a lot," Bolt said. "I just wanted to give them what they wanted."
But who could have expected this?
Bolt has long been considered one of his country's top, up-and-coming runners, but his height and running style seemed to make him much more fit for powering through turns in the 200, the distance he considers his best, and persevering in the 400, which he doesn't love as much.
