I've been so impressed these last few days with Usain Bolt's performances at these Olympics, finally I just had to write something about it. I've been focused in on the Track & Field competetions since they began and Jamaica has really been stepping it up. As a former athlete and coach of the sport, I see this young man's accomplishments as more stunning than some other casual spectators might, but allow me to put this into perspective more.
This man, or should I say kid (just turning 22 years today), has broken two of the most intense sprinting world records in a single games! Speculation has risen as to his capabilities as a possible 400m dash phenom as well, but we'll have to wait and see as the career progresses. Winning both the 100m and 200m dash in one games hadn't been accomplished since Carl Lewis in 1984, and hopefully we all remember or at least have heard about his astonishing career...but two world records in the events at the same time?!! Never accomplished until now.
But even more amazing than the records themselves might be the manner in which the Jamaican sprinter won these finals races. If you haven't seen video of any of the races, I'd suggest checking out the NBC Olympics website for the footage (YouTube has been flooded with fakes and slideshows due to distribution rights violations). I was personally astonished in a jaws-on-the-floor kind of way. In a nutshell, he blatantly slowed down with 20m left in the 100m dash and still broke his world record!!! He just sells himself to the crowd and they love him for it. The 200m dash was all business though. Michael Johnson's world record of 19.32 seconds was thought to be unbeatable (I thought it would be stuck in the books for generations, since that is just blazing!). The man himself was in attendance and watched as Bolt shattered not only the former sprinter's predictions, but also that prestigious record. Bolt recorded a time of 19.30 seconds and with almost a 1mph headwind!
With one more relay to go, I'm looking forward to seeing a potential sweep in his competetions...with that same style and flare that only his "lightning" speed has provided within the Bird's Nest. As much as I love rooting for our American guys and want them to just crush the competition, I just have to think that if Bolt has gone this far, why not root for him to set the bar even higher for future competetors in the sport I love!