Changing China
Giant on the move
Three golds, three world records
OK, it’s not Michael Phelps territory, but Usain Bolt clinched his third gold medal and third world record from three events when Jamaica won the 4x100m relay on Friday.
Bolt teamed up with Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell to clock a time of 37.10 seconds and take 0.30 seconds off the 15-year-old record set by the United States at the 1993 world championships.
There was disappointment for Jamaica, however, when their women’s relay team were disqualified for messing up the second changeover between Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart.
Still, five out of six ain’t bad.
PHOTO: Usain Bolt of Jamaica (back) urges on his team mate Asafa Powell during their men’s 4 x 100m relay final of the athletics competition in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 22, 2008. REUTERS/David Gray
Lightning Bolt strikes again — your views
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt completed a breathtaking sprint double at the Beijing Games on Wednesday, breaking the 200 metres world record that many had thought unbreakable to take his second Olympic gold medal.
The contrast between this and his winning run in the 100 could hardly have been more marked, as this time he gave it everything he had to go under the old best mark, Michael Johnson’s 19.32, by two hundredths of a second.
While Bolt had ambled through the final quarter of the 100, and easily lowered the world record to 9.69, this time he was grimacing with effort as he made for the finish.
There was no one within two, three metres of him as he dipped for the line, glanced over at the clock and leapt with joy as the clock stopped at 19.31.
That was soon rounded down to 19.30 – a mark that will surely not be bettered, certainly by no one else, for a long time to come.
It completed an incredible sprint double for the world’s fastest man and cast an indelible mark on the Olympics. None of us in the 91,000 crowd at the Bird’s Nest will forget it.
What did you make of his performance? What does it mean for Jamaica?
on the biggest sporting stage Bolt delivered, big time. An absolutely incredible performance, the 200m world record, has a new worthy custodian.
Isinbayeva’s golden moment
After the shock of Liu Xiang’s departure from the Games through injury, fans in the Bird’s Nest were given a golden moment to compensate at least slightly, as the peerless Yelena Isinbayeva broke her own world record in the pole vault.
The Russian made sure of the gold medal with just two jumps before returning to have a crack at raising her own best mark. After missing twice, she cleared 5.05 metres at the third attempt — with plenty to spare, it must be said.
PHOTO (TOP): Yelena Isinbayeva breaks the world record during the women’s pole vault final of the athletics competition in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 18, 2008. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
PHOTO: (BOTTOM): Yelena Isinbayeva celebrates her gold medal and world record. REUTERS/Mike Blake
Watched this live on TV. My mouth just went wide. I was speechless when it really happened. Wow.
Phelps three in three, joins Olympic elite
There was never any doubt about this one. Michael Phelps won the 200m freestyle, secured his third gold medal of these Games — his third world record, too — and become only the fifth athlete to win nine gold medals at the Summer Olympics.
He joins fellow Americans Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis, Finnish athlete Paavo Nurmi and Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina at the top of the all-time list of gold medal winners.
But the record he really has in his sights is Spitz’s haul of seven gold medals in Munich in 1972. Can anything now stop Phelps going on to win all all eight?
He certainly looks to be swimming better than ever at the these Games, with today’s time of 1:42.96 shattering his own world record by 0.90 seconds. It was an astonishing performance.
Can he manage five more?
PHOTO: Michael Phelps of the U.S. swims in his men’s 200 meters butterfly heat at the National Aquatics Center during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 11, 2008. REUTERS/David Gray
i agree wholeheartedly with “Asher”. Phelp’s cause was assisted by having events closely stacked together- and the fact that if you view history, there’s been a whole bunch of repeat champs and multiple event winners and medalists throughout swimming- due to the nature of the sport. if there was a 80,120,140,160 and 180m sprint and a 4×100, 4×200 and 4xmedley in t&f then usain wouldve won a load too.
Phelp’s effort was great no doubt, but the chasm between Bolt, and the fact that every human born attempts to run fast, puts him in a much tougher grade. Bolt’s performances- even prior to the games put him at the number one athletic freak spot. Phelps is clearly second.