Usain Bolt: Will He Shock Us Again at World Track and Field Championships?

Note: The 2011 IAAF World Track and Field Championships begin today in Daegu, South Korea.

The 2008 Beijing Summer Games was just the prelude.

There, Usain Bolt lowered the world records of both the 100 and 200-meter dash by a few hundredths of a second—which in sprinting terms, is more than a little breathing room.

The main feature unfolded a year later in Berlin at the 2009 World Track and Field Championships.

Now that was a Roger Bannister moment—a Bob Beamon-type effort.

It generated man-on-the-moon attention and spawned a magnitude 9.0 media frenzy.

Bolt reached into the misty realm of what-might-be, grabbed a handful of wonder dust, and we watched in awe as it materialized right there, on good ol' terra firma.

Not that the Beijing prelude was all that bad—it's just that the Berlin main feature shaved from the records tenths of a second, rather than hundredths. In sprinting terms, that's...well, way-in-the-hell-gone.

The Jamaican lowered his 100m world record from 9.69 to 9.58 and his 200m record from 19.30 to 19.19. In a week's time, he accomplished what it might normally take several men decades to accomplish.

Apparently, Bolt saves his best for the big stage. And after the 2010 "off-year" (no Olympics, no World Championships), that stage is once again set. The curtain raises today on the 2011 World Track and Field Championships.

Bolt however, will not have the impetus of the world's second and third fastest sprinters breathing down his neck this time. American Tyson Gay (9.69, 19.58) and fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell (9.72, 19.90) are out with injuries.

Which leads to the question: Does a man who opened such huge gaps in both record runs in Berlin really even need the prodding of rivals to win gold?

Americans Walter Dix and Justin Gatlin and fellow Jamaicans Yohan Blake and Nesta Carter will seek to answer that question with their feet.

UPDATE! - See the shocking 100m results here.

Men's 100m schedule - 

 
Preliminaries, Friday Aug 26, 11:55 PM
Heats, Saturday Aug 27, 8:45 AM
Semifinals, Sunday Aug 28, 5:30 AM
Final, Sunday Aug 28, 7:45 AM

Men's 200m Schedule -

 
Heats, Thursday Sep 1, 10:10 PM
Semifinals, Friday Sep 2, 6:55 AM
Final, Saturday Sep 3, 8:20 AM

For some great previews on the other athletes to watch, go here and here

What: 2011 World Track and Field Championships
When: August 27 - September 4, 2011
Where: Daegu, South Korea
Coverage (Online and TV): details here.

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