Bolt, Gay Or Powell? A Preview Of The Men's 100m

Nick Johnston by Correspondent Written on August 13, 2008
Tbg_feature

With the excitement in the Olympic swimming pool drawing to a close, attention now turns to the Bird's Nest Stadium and the action on Track and Field. For many, the highlight will be the men's 100m, featuring three supreme talents.

Usain Bolt, 21, Tyson Gay, 26 and Asafa Powell, 25 are all competing for the title as the fastest man on earth. But which of the three, if any, holds the advantage?

Experience

At just 21, this is obviously Bolt's first Olympics. He burst onto the scene earlier this year with a new world record of 9.72 seconds, but in spite of this, he may lack the big event experience needed to shine at an Olympic Games.

Asafa Powell definitely has the experience, having reached the Olympic final in Athens, finishing fifth, but subsequent failure in Osaka at the World Championships in 2007, finishing third, brought questions about his mental strength. Powell, who has been at the top of his field for four years now, insists that he is mentally able to compete on the biggest of all stages.

Tyson Gay broke 10 seconds for the first time in 2006 and the following year beat Powell in the 100m to complete a sprint double in Osaka, with Bolt finishing second in the 200m.

Attitude

Bolt is renowned as a very relaxed and laid-back athlete who tends not to feel the pressure. The Olympic Games is different and with the 100m coming before his preferred 200m, he may take time to find his feet.
Although questions marks remain over Powell's ability to perform at the top, he is the most outwardly confident, even arrogant perhaps, of the three men. Whilst arrogance can be a weakness, the record of Maurice Greene proves that it is far from a barrier from success.
Gay's attitude is remarkable. Many pundits have noted the awe with which he approaches these games and his child-like enthusiasm. He has been described as 'self-effacing' and 'humble', a distinct contrast from his predecessor at the top of US sprinting, Maurice Greene. It's hard not to like Gay and you can be sure that he can deal with whatever pressure he may face.
Form
Bolt has broken 10 seconds five times this year and gone under 9.80 twice, including his world record run. Since his remarkable debut, he has never disappointed and is likely to continue to impress in Beijing.
Powell appears to be an athlete on his way down from the top, having lost his world record and failed to break 9.80 this season. But, at only 26, he is still able to pull out a great time and the question is merely whether he can do it at the Olympics. Powell comes into these games on the back of a convincing win in Monaco at the end of July.
Until recently, Tyson Gay was still a doubt for the Games. His hamstring injury has hit his preparations hard and he is yet to compete since returning from injury. He insists that he is 100%, but only he knows if that's true. He has performed well this season, running a personal best of 9.77 at the US trials, before running a wind-assisted 9.69.
What about the rest?
For the purposes of this article, I have, until now, ignored all other athletes, but do any of them have a chance?
Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas has a PB of 9.91, but is yet to break 10 seconds this year.
Single Page
(0)
...
Share This  
Crop_45x45
or to post this comment

2 Comments

There are no comments yet. Get the conversation started by leaving the first comment

Loading more comments...
posted just now
  • Loading...
  • Nobody has liked this comment yet
Cancel

This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete

591
reads

2
comments

written on August 13, 2008 Preview/Prediction


CBS Sports Official Partner
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Getty Images.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Getty Images is strictly prohibited.