He is now the World record holder, but Usain Bolt’s initial plans did not have running the 100 metres at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.

In fact, he said, he only ran the 100m to avoid having to train for the more gruelling 400m.

“Over the past few years, he has been preparing mentally and physically for the 200m” Glen Mills, Bolt’s coach, said at the time. “It could be foolhardy to abandon all that for one fast time.”

Two nights later, after a rain delay and a false start, Bolt sprinted down the track at Randalls Island in a startling 9.72 seconds, setting a world record in the 100m.

Tyson Gay, then the world champion at 100m, who finished second to Bolt that night, said in an awed voice: “I didn’t realise his stride was so big. I honestly think we were running on the same rhythm, except his stride pattern was so much bigger. He covered more ground than I did.”…..Read More