Home  News International News Bolt smashes world record
|
Bolt smashes world record |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, 08 June 2008 |
 NEW YORK CITY, New York – Jamaica’s Usain Bolt smashed the 100-metre world record on Saturday night, when he clocked 9.72 seconds to win at the Reebok Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium.
Bolt erased the previous mark of 9.74 seconds set by fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell last September in Rieti.
The 21-year-old World Championship 200-metre silver medalist, in Japan last year, dominated the event from the start and won ahead of a pair of American sprinters -- reigning World Champion Tyson Gay (9.85) and Darvis Patton (10.07).
Untroubled by a false start by American Mike Rodgers, the 6-foot-5-inch Bolt powered out of the blocks and delivered what he called a "99 percent perfect" race in front of a crowd with very prominent Jamaican support.
His trademark easing up near the end of his races was absent as he sped past the finish line and sliced 0.02 seconds off his compatriot's previous mark with a legal wind-reading of 1.7 metres per second.
"I knew if I could beat Tyson out of the blocks, I could win the race," said Bolt.
"It was a great start. I've been working hard at that. My coach (Glen Mills) said 'concentrate on your drive (out of the blocks) and transition phase, get it right and just take it from there' and I did exactly that,” added Bolt, who was running only his fifth 100-metre race.
The run was not totally unexpected since Bolt had threatened Powell's world record with a blistering 9.76 seconds at the Jamaica Invitational a month ago and followed up with a 9.92-second win two weeks later at the Hampton Games in Trinidad.
Bolt declared that he was not looking for the world record but felt he was in good shape.
"I had an idea (the record was on) because I ran in Trinidad and I ran pretty bad and still ran 9.92, so I was pretty confident coming here," he said.
"I wasn't looking for a world record but it was there for the taking so I just went out there and ran my best race," Bolt said.
But the sprint king is still undecided about the event or events he will run at the Beijing Olympics, even though his superb 100-metre world record run this past weekend sets him up as the early favorite for track and field’s most coveted gold medal.
Antigua and Barbuda's Daniel Bailey was fifth in 10.12 seconds.
Veronica Campbell-Brown completed the 100-metre double for Jamaica when she took the women's event in a world-leading 10.91 seconds.
Campbell-Brown registered a fine win in the women's 100.
|
|
|
|
