For
the second time in four days, Usain Bolt held off the challenge of Justin
Gatlin of the United States in the Bird’sNest to complete his world 100/200m
double in 19.55, the fastest 200m time run this year,
and conclude a rare night of athletics that had already been punctuated with a
historic triple jump of 18.21m by Christian Taylor, the second best ever
achieved.
Bolt’s season has
been so undermined and delayed by a lingering joint problem that he had not
even run a single 200m in competition before coming to Beijing. Here, against
an opponent who headed the world lists with 19.57, he was – incredibly – close
to his imperious best. As he crossed the
line he pointed at his chest with both hands and nodded his head, just in case
anyone should doubt that he, rather than the shorter figure in red who strained
two lanes inside him, was The Man. Gatlin looked almost relieved after taking silver
in 19.74, with Anaso Jobodwana of South Africa claiming bronze with a national
record of 19.87.
The Star reports that
when time came for Usain Bolt to celebrate a record 10th world championship
title, a clumsy cameraman got a little too close for comfort. A man riding a
Segway and holding a video camera upended Bolt in the excitement of the
celebrations of his 200-metre victory, losing control after hitting a metal
rail on the side of the track and barging into Bolt from behind.
Bolt tumbled to the
ground, flipped over to get back on his feet and then briefly held his left
leg. He then walked back to the cameraman to make sure he was OK, too. “There was no doubt,” Bolt said after winning
his fourth 200 world title in a row to add to two Olympic titles. “I told you
guys that I would do it.”
Before the start of
the tournament, to the media it appeared that Justin Gatlin was the favourite,
mainly because Bolt has not run much in recent past. All such uncertainty was
put in back burner as Usain Bolt produced his biggest clutch performance to
beat rival Justin Gatlin on Sunday in the 100m final at the World Championships
with a lunge at the line. Bolt was
trailing for almost all the race, the biggest showdown in the sport in years.
But with gritted teeth, the two-time Olympic champion clawed back into
contention and made his giant stride count to win in 9.79 seconds, .01 seconds
faster than the American veteran.Two lanes to his right, Gatlin was as good as
perfect for most of the race, but just
could not finish it off !!
Today, it was not
that close !! With
a time of 19.55 seconds, Bolt set the best time of the season. And despite
slowing down, he still beat Gatlin by 0.19. Even
if Gatlin ran a good bend Thursday, Bolt’s was better and the Jamaican was
clear coming into the finishing straight. His huge stride has made the
difference throughout his career, and it was on full display again. With 20
metres to go, he eased up and started the theatrics as the Bolt of old ran
through the line.
He capped it with
his trademark “Lightning Bolt” pose. Bolt is now 2-0 in
Beijing against Gatlin, who had been unbeaten in two seasons, with only the
4x100 relay to come Saturday. Seven
years ago, Bolt started his amazing run of gold at the Beijing Olympics and has
not lost a major 200 race since. The Jamaican, however, had been
struggling with injury since winning his third straight 200 title at the 2013
world championships in Moscow.
During the 2008
Olympics, Beijing's National Stadium was China's pride, the 90,000-seat
physical embodiment of the country's economic ascendance. "The stadium
lives up to its aspiration as a global landmark," New York Times architecture
critic wrote at the time. "Its elliptical latticework shell, which has
earned it the nickname the Bird's Nest, has an intoxicating beauty that lingers
in the imagination. Its allure is only likely to deepen once the enormous
crowds disperse and the Olympic Games fade into memory." Time has not, in
fact, been so kind. In later years, the Birds Nest is a mostly empty "museum
piece."
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
27th Aug
2015.
Source : www.iaafbeijing2015.com/- photo credit : www.thestar.com
