Big Race Today: Usain Bolt vs. Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell Backs Out

Why do we torture ourselves this way?

After all, when Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay line up in today's 100-meter final in the Stockholm Diamond League meet, isn't the outcome already a foregone conclusion?

The 0.11-of-a-second gap between Bolt's world record (9.58) and the next fastest time (Gay's and Bolt's 9.69) is an eternity in a sprinter's time-warped mind. And Bolt's rivals haven't finished within a stride of him since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

We torture ourselves because way down deep, no matter what logic tells us, we know that the impossible sometimes happens.

And we know that in our everyday, mortal reckoning of time, 0.11 is quicker than the twinkling of an eye.

The Principals—

Usain Bolt, World and Olympic Champion, PB 9.58, SB 9.82
Tyson Gay, American record holder, former World Champion, PB 9.69, SB 9.89
Asafa Powell, former world record holder, PB 9.72, SB 9.82—scratched due to injury

The Venue—Olympic Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden—DN Galan Diamond League meet.

The Coverage—Universal Sports—live feed 2pm EDT. Re-broadcast 5pm EDT.

Barring injury (or false start), it should be good.

And really...it's not torture after all, is it?

Go to Sports Then and Now for Rojo's recap of the race.