Bolt blitzes to new 100m world record in Berlin
Jamaican Usain Bolt added the world crown to his Olympic title as he scorched to victory in a world record 9.58 seconds in the men's 100m final at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin on Sunday.
Billed as the first of three potential duels between Bolt and American reigning world champion Tyson Gay, the 22-year-old show-boating Jamaican crushed the field.
Gay claimed silver in 9.71sec, a good couple of metres off Bolt, with former world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica clocking 9.84sec for bronze.
"I said anything could happen and it did," said Bolt. "It was a big target but I got 9.58sec and I'm really happy with myself. Now I plan to do even better in the future."
Click here for photo highlights from the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The Jamaican, who took the Beijing Olympics by storm last summer, winning three sprint golds all in world record times, had overcome a nervy semi-final in which he false started for the first-ever time. But this time around he enjoyed his normal start, his head staying down over the first 40 metres before slowly bringing his towering 6ft 5in frame fully upright and lengthening out his stride to attain maximum velocity.
After having enraptured the crowd with his trademark bow-and-arrow posing, his pull was exemplary and he was soon away from his rivals and celebrating another new world record.
"I can run faster than that. I just didn't do it today," said Gay.
Powell added: "To come here and get third place I feel very proud."
For Gay and the rest of the US team, there now lies in wait a highly-anticipated 200m run-off and a 4x100m relay against Bolt and his Jamaican team-mates over the coming week.
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Billed as the first of three potential duels between Bolt and American reigning world champion Tyson Gay, the 22-year-old show-boating Jamaican crushed the field.
Gay claimed silver in 9.71sec, a good couple of metres off Bolt, with former world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica clocking 9.84sec for bronze.
"I said anything could happen and it did," said Bolt. "It was a big target but I got 9.58sec and I'm really happy with myself. Now I plan to do even better in the future."
Click here for photo highlights from the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The Jamaican, who took the Beijing Olympics by storm last summer, winning three sprint golds all in world record times, had overcome a nervy semi-final in which he false started for the first-ever time. But this time around he enjoyed his normal start, his head staying down over the first 40 metres before slowly bringing his towering 6ft 5in frame fully upright and lengthening out his stride to attain maximum velocity.
After having enraptured the crowd with his trademark bow-and-arrow posing, his pull was exemplary and he was soon away from his rivals and celebrating another new world record.
"I can run faster than that. I just didn't do it today," said Gay.
Powell added: "To come here and get third place I feel very proud."
For Gay and the rest of the US team, there now lies in wait a highly-anticipated 200m run-off and a 4x100m relay against Bolt and his Jamaican team-mates over the coming week.
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