Changing China

Beijing podcast — day 14

Join us for an eight-minute whirl around the Games, taking in baton bungling from the relay favourites, the joys of synchronised swimming and the upcoming closing ceremony. Find out why:

1. The Brits were in a Monty Python training camp

2. Tyson Gay is not a happy man

3. David Beckham may become the first footballer in space

I’m joined by Julian Linden, Simon Evans, Paul Majendie and the debut-making Robert Woodward. Go on, dip a toe in. 

Is this the most fun you can have on two legs?

Jamaica’s sprinters have pulled off a remarkable trick at the Beijing Games by making running look like the most enjoyable thing you can do standing up.

While speedsters from other nations have looked tense on the track at the Bird’s Nest, Usain Bolt and the women who swept the medals in the 100 metres have clearly been enjoying themselves.

Bolt in particular had the look about him of a Brazilian footballer in the 1970s, toying with the opposition, or West Indies cricketer Viv Richards clattering all comers around the ground.

Here’s what Tyson Gay said about Bolt’s 100m victory celebrations in an interview in Time magazine:

The guy is young. And he’s always joking, playing, never taking anything too seriously. You’ve gotta have fun. Obviously, people have just never seen anyone win by such a margin, or celebrate like that in the 100.

Who wouldn’t want to emulate runners like Bolt, whatever Jacques Rogge might think? We should therefore expect a whole new generation of Jamaican runners to come through. My colleague Simon Evans takes a closer look at that prospect here.

PHOTO: Usain Bolt celebrates winning the men’s 200m final, August 20, 2008. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Relay bad mistakes from United States, Britain

On another miserable day for Tyson Gay, the United States failed to make it to the final of the 4×100 metres relay after their latest case of baton bungling.

Britain, the defending Olympic champions, followed them out of the event when a messed up changeover led to their disqualification from a later heat.

The U.S. in particular have been plagued by problems in this area over recent Olympics. You could say they only have themselves to blame but it was impossible not to feel sorry for Gay.

It was his changeover with Darvis Patton that caused all the trouble and it means Gay, the triple world champion, will leave without a medal after failing to reach the 100 metres final, or even qualify to compete in Beijing in the 200.

His disappointment must have been immense but he showed great character in taking responsibility for the mix-up.

 ”The stick was in my hand,” he said. “I think I felt it hit my hand, but I don’t think it was in all the way before I grabbed. It’s probably my fault. I take the blame for it.”

Nigeria were also eliminated after dropping the baton in heat one, meaning all three the teams on the podium in Athens are out. The night got worse for the Americans when their women’s 4x100m team dropped the baton as well.

Usain Bolt wins 100 metres — your views

Usain Bolt of Jamaica won the Olympic 100 metres on Saturday, shattering the world record in the process with a time of 9.69 seconds.

Bolt thumped his chest in celebration as he crossed the line, after leaving Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago (silver) and American Walter Dix (bronze) trailing at the Bird’s Nest Stadium.

Asafa Powell finished out of the medals, while Tyson Gay was eliminated in the semi-finals.

Bolt had looked capable of running an extremely fast time as he ambled through the heats and so it proved in Beijing on Saturday as he pulled off a win that will live long in the memory.

But what do you think of his achievement? Let us know in the comments. We’ll have more on this later, but for now, here’s another photo:

A stroll in the sun for Usain Bolt (Updated)

Until today I would not have thought it possible that somebody could amble 100 metres in 9.92 seconds but that is what Usain Bolt did in his second heat of the event on the first day of athletics action in the Bird’s Nest.

The gods had been kind and produced a clear-skied day hot day with minimum breeze and Bolt enjoyed his time in the sun.

He started off running 10.2 in the opening heat and never appeared to reach full speed, was easing down from about 70 metres yet clocked a time that would have won the gold medal in the Moscow Olympics 28 years ago.

He returned in the evening for a another leisurely stroll around the Bird’s Nest to make it clear that his world record of 9.72 is extremely vulnerable.

The near-capacity 91,000 crowd certainly enjoyed it, and were similarly pleased by the efforts of Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay, Bolt’s two biggest, but by no means only, rivals for the gold in Saturday’s final.

With the Olympic flame burning fiercely from its Cornetto cauldron and the echo of the starter’s gun rippling up through the magnificent triple-tiered stadium, there was no question that the fans were watching something special.

There was not too much local success to get the Chinese supporters going but they let rip when heptathlete Liu Haili made her clearances in the high jump.

Instant expert: the men’s 100m

The athletics is underway, at last, and the three favourites Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay all came safely through their heats this morning.

This is the race everyone will be talking to in the build-up to Saturday’s final so we thought we’d give you the chance to sound like an expert without have to leaf through the record books.

Mitch Phillips, swimming’s favourite reporter , tells you five things you knew but may well have forgotten about the best race in the world. Click on the video above.

The race is on — Bolt confirms he’ll run 100 metres

The big race is on for Beijing, after Usain Bolt’s coach confirmed to Reuters that the Jamaican 100 metres world record holder would run both the 100 and 200 metres at the Beijing Olympics.

As my colleague Gene Cherry reports, neither the coach, Glen Mills, nor Bolt had previously confirmed the Jamaican would run the 100.

“He will run both,” Mills said in an e-mail on Saturday.

It means we can now look forward to Bolt taking on compatriot Asafa Powell and the American world champion Tyson Gay in what will be the biggest race of the Games for most people outside China.

PHOTO: Asafa Powell pulls ahead of Usain Bolt to win the men’s 100 meters in Stockholm, July 22, 2008. REUTERS/Bob Strong