Until last night there had been no place in athletics for the numbers nine, five, eight.
Not unless you rearranged them into the World record figures for the men’s Long Jump – 8.95m – or let yourself think the unthinkable: that a man could run 100 metres in 9.58 seconds. 958 is a bus route, surely? Or a zip code. Or a finishing position in a big city marathon.
Then along came Usain Bolt.
Eighty years after the world first applauded a 9.5 ‘100’ the figures now stand next to the 100m World record, not the 100 yards World record clocked by America’s Eddie Tolan in 1929. Tolan was the first person to run 9.5 for the 100 yards – but then he only had to cover 91.44 metres.
Bolt was simply untouched on Sunday and his 9.58 improved his own previous world best of 9.69secs, set last year to win the Olympic title. Tyson Gay ran an American record of 9.71 for silver with former world record holder for Asafa Powell taking the bronze in 9.84
“Asafa said there was no nuggets here but I actually found a McDonalds and I had a lot of nuggets for lunch,” Bolt said without a hint of shame…..Read More
