The most aptly-named athlete ever starting to take his second best event more seriously (UPDATED)

Going off topic perhaps (to the relief of some, we assume) but something pretty amazing happened over the weekend and that was Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt, just blowing up the world record in the 100m at the Track and Field World Championships in Berlin.

Bolt, uhh... flashed onto the scene last summer at the Olympics by setting the world record in the 100m by running a 9.69 in the Beijing Games, besting his previous world record mark of 9.72. Many, though, wondered what this raw and green (age 22) sprinter who actually considers the 200 his strong suit would be capable of if he dropped the clowning and preening (and that’s all just during the race) and just ran.

Well, we all found out Sunday as Bolt crushed a jaw-dropping 9.58 which represented the largest improvement in world record times since they went to electronic timing in the late 60s.

Poor Tyson Gay, America’s best sprinter, who finished second with a 9.71 which was a personal best and which would have garnered him the title “World’s Fastest Human” if he ran this race just last year.

Here’s Bolt’s performance

and to those who speak Russian…




(UPDATE #1): Another day, another world record crushed. Cementing his place for top contender for Sportsman of the year, Usain Bolt got back to his supposed strong suit and shaved .11 seconds off of his own world record by dropping a 19.19 hammer in the 200m final yesterday at the world track and field championships in Berlin. Enjoy.