Speed leads to crashes - Oman Daily Observer

18
SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012
Imperious Bolt blazes to sprint double-double
Rudisha takes 800m with stunning world record ♦ American Eaton wins decathlon
JAMAICA’S Usain Bolt celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the men’s 200m final yesterday. From left: Jamaica’s Warren Weir, Bolt, Wallace Spearmon of the US, Netherlands’ Churandy Martina and Yohan Blake of Jamaica. — Reuters
LONDON — Usain Bolt enshrined
himself in the Olympic pantheon
when he won the 200 metres to
complete an extraordinary doubledouble
on Thursday, but for once
he shared the limelight as Kenya's
David Rudisha stormed to a stunning
world record in the 800m.
Bolt, who imperiously led home
a Jamaican medal sweep in 19.32
seconds, is undoubtedly the world's
fastest man and almost certainly the
greatest-ever sprinter but the title of
the world's best athlete belongs to
American Ashton Eaton who won
the Olympic decathlon title.
There were also gold for American
Christian Taylor, who produced
the year's biggest triple jump of
17.81m to beat compatriot Will
Claye, and for Czech Barbora Spotakova
who successfully defended
the women's javelin title.
The field events were a mere
backdrop, however, for Bolt's assault
on the history books as the
first man to win two 200m gold and
the only one to retain both sprint
titles following his world record
double in Beijing
He sent the 80,000 crowd into
a frenzy for the second time in five
days when he followed up his 9.63
100m success, the second-fastest
time ever, with the equal fourthquickest
200m.
Yohan Blake, runner-up behind
his training partner in the 100m,
finished second in 19.44 with Warren
Weir completing a surprise Jamaican
sweep in a personal best
19.90.
Bolt ran a stupendous bend to
put the race in his pocket and with
his eye on the clock he eased down
slightly over the final few metres.
"This is what I wanted and I got
it. I'm very proud of myself," he
told reporters.
"After a rough season I came out
here and did it. I thought the world
record was possible. I guess I was
fast but not fit enough. I could feel
my back strain a little bit."
Pushed relentlessly in dozens of
interviews Bolt declared his "legend"
mission to be accomplished,
tossing in the claim that "I am the
greatest athlete to live."
Few in the stadium would have
argued, though they had already
been treated to another supreme
performance by Rudisha, whose
first athletics world record of the
Games was emphatic both in execution
and result.
Olympic 800m finals are often
tactical affairs but Rudisha, far and
away the fastest man in the field,
decided to take no chances and hit
the front from the start.
RELENTLESS APPLICATION
After a blistering 49.28 first
lap there was no consolidation, no
steadying down, just a relentless application
of power and pace as the
field were strung out in a stretched
single file behind him despite most
of the athletes running the race of
Restless Bolt needs a new goal
LONDON — The Olympic
double-double achieved
and his "living legend" status
in the pantheon of great
sprinters now secure, Usain
Bolt plans to think long and
hard about just how long
he can remain master of his
domain.
A world that has marvelled
and gushed at the Jamaican's
raw speed, world
records and Olympic titles
now waits to see what the
fastest man on earth will do
next.
It is time for reflection in
the Court of Bolt. The great
showman of track and field,
with a passion for sports
and fast cars, is not ready to
hang up his spikes, but he is
restless for a new challenge,
one that can satisfy his great
lust for life.
"I'm not going to retire
yet. I love this sport. I have
got all my success through
this sport. I got all my fans
through this sport," Bolt
said after scorching to backto-back
Games 200 metres
titles on Thursday, completing
the 100-200 sprint
double as he had done in
Beijing four years ago.
"I have made my goal,
now I have to sit down and
make another one."
At 25 and with five Olympic
sprint gold tucked
away in a safe "with some
armed men around them",
and a sixth beckoning in the
relay, Bolt is searching for a
new horizon to conquer, one
that will give him the motivation
he craves.
Time, which catches up
eventually with Olympic
champions and park runners
alike, would still appear
to be on Bolt's side. For
Bolt though, Beijing and
London were "my time".
The future, he said, was
KENYA’S David Lekuta Rudisha points to the new world record he set after winning the men’s 800m final. RIGHT: USA’s Ashton Eaton
celebrates after winning the men’s decathlon event on Thursday. — Reuters/AFP
for compatriots Yohan
Blake and Warren Weir, silver
and bronze medallists in
a Jamaican podium sweep
on Thursday.
WRONG TIME
Bolt and Blake, 22, share
the same coach, train together
and have a strong
friendship away from the
track but down in the blocks
they are fierce rivals.
"I said to him (Blake in
2010) 'you came around
the wrong time, these next
two years are mine'. I had
to show him these next two
years are mine."
Britain's Linford Christie
was 32 when he won 100
gold in 1992 in Barcelona.
Bolt will be on the cusp of 30
during the next Olympics in
Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and
may not be in Brazil.
"I think when I get to
30 I will be thinking about
retiring. Track and field is
way too hard," he said.
"Yohan Blake is running
19.4 already, so in the next
four years he's going to be
firing. I think I want to get
out before he starts running
too fast.
"I think it's going to be a
hard mission (in Rio). Both
these guys (Blake and Weir)
are 22 — I'm going to be
30, they are going to be 26.
I think I've had my time. In
life everything is possible,
but for me this is going to
be a hard match."
Like great sprinters Jesse
Owens and Carl Lewis, Bolt
has one eye on the long
jump pit. "That's something
I've always wanted to
try," he said.
Could his sporting future
lie away from the track?
The world's fastest man
often likes to talk up his
prowess as a footballer and
cricketer, letting it be known
again, tongue firmly in
cheek, after his 100 victory
that his dream was to play
for Manchester United.
Bolt, in his own words is
"an accomplished player".
United manager Alex
Ferguson is unlikely to dash
for the telephone before the
start of the Premier League
season but Bolt has reached
the stage in his career where
anything is possible.
"I made a goal to become
a legend. If I can't find
something to motivate me,
then maybe football. I don't
know. Only if I am good, remember
that.
"I'm definitely thinking
about it. After this Olympics
I don't know, so I'll see."
Winter sports, however,
are not on the agenda.
"I'm not going to be in
the Jamaican bobsleigh
team." — Reuters
their lives.
Rudisha, tall and beautifully balanced,
took a tenth of a second off
his own two-year-old world record
with his winning time of one minute
40.91 seconds.
Eighteen-year-old Nijel Amos
collected Botswana's first-ever Olympic
medal and a world junior
record when he finished second in a
time of 1.41.73, which might sound
LONDON — Newly-crowned
"greatest-ever sprinter" Usain
Bolt said on Thursday he had
lost all respect for Carl Lewis,
the man whose on-track exploits
he has surpassed with
his unique Olympic doubledouble
but who still leads the
way in self-regard.
American Lewis is the only
other man to win two Olympic
100m gold medals, the second
coming in 1988 when he was
promoted from second place
after the disqualification of
Ben Johnson.
He won the 200m in 1984
but managed only silver four
years later. He did, however,
have a remarkable run of success
in the long jump, winning
that event in four successive
Games for a tally of nine gold
in all.
In the wake of Bolt's triplegold
record success in Beijing
Lewis was quick to point the
finger of suspicion at him and
Jamaica in general.
"I think there are some issues,"
he said at the time.
familiar to London 2012 Games
head Sebastian Coe as it was the
world record he set in 1981 that
stood for 16 years.
"Instead of just doing enough to
win the race he wanted to do something
extraordinary and go for the
world record as well," said Coe,
who won two Olympic 1,500m titles
but only two silver in his preferred
shorter event.
"Countries like Jamaica
do not have a random (drugs
testing) program, so they can
go months without being
tested. I'm not saying anyone
is on anything, but everyone
needs to be on a level playing
field.
"I'm not saying they've
done anything for certain. I
don't know. But how dare anybody
feel that there shouldn't
be scrutiny, especially in our
sport?"
He has continued to fire
broadsides ever since but Bolt,
now with his sprinting record
unquestionably superior, hit
back.
"I'm going to say something
controversial right now, Carl
Lewis — I have no respect for
him," Bolt said, having cited
1936 quadruple champion
Jesse Owens as a man he held
in the highest regard.
"The things he (Lewis) says
about the track athletes, it's really
downgrading for another
athlete to be saying something
like that about other athletes.
"Rudisha's run will go down in
history as one of the greatest Olympic
victories. I feel privileged to
have witnessed it."
Kenya's Tim Kitum took bronze
as seven of the eight finalists ran
personal bests, including last-placed
Briton Andrew Osagie, whose time
of 1:43.77 would have been good
enough to win the last three finals.
Eaton came into the Games as
"I think he is just looking
for attention really because
nobody really talks much
about him. It was really sad
for me when I heard the other
day what he was saying, it was
upsetting.
"So, for me, I've lost all respect
for him, all respect.
"It was all about drugs,
about drugs stuff for me. For
an athlete to be out of the sport
saying that was really upsetting
for me. As far as I am
concerned he is just looking
for attention."
TESTED POSITIVE
Lewis tested positive three
times for a stimulant before
the 1988 Games but had the
results overturned by American
officials.
He was named "Athlete
of the 20th Century" by the
IOC, the IAAF, and American
magazine Sports Illustrated
and has always seemed uncomfortable
with the idea that
someone from the 21st could
surpass his achievements.
Asked before the London
a similarly hot favourite having set
a world record in the US trials and
the 24-year-old barely put a foot
wrong from the opening 100 metres
on Wednesday morning through to
the concluding 1,500m on Thursday
evening.
He held a 220-point lead going
into the second's five events but
compatriot Trey Hardee cut that to
99 after the 110 hurdles and discus.
Eaton, however, cleared 5.20
in a marathon pole vault in boiling
conditions and threw a personal
best of 61.96 in the javelin as he
ended on 8,869 points, 198 ahead of
Hardee. Cuba's Leonel Suarez collected
bronze for the second Games
in a row.
Results (all finals): Men: 200m: 1
Usain Bolt (JAM) 19.32; 2 Yohan Blake
(JAM) 19.44; 3 Warren Weir (JAM) 19.84;
4 Wallace Spearmon. 800m: 1 David Rudisha
(KEN) 1:40.91 (WR); 2 Nijel Amos
(BOT) 1:41.73; 3 Timothy Kitum (KEN)
1:42.53; 4 Duane Solomon (USA) 1:42.82.
Triple jump: 1 Christian Taylor (USA)
17.81 metres; 2 Will Claye (USA) 17.62;
3 Fabrizio Donato (ITA) 17.48; 4 Daniele
Greco (ITA) 17.34. Decathlon: 1 Ashton
Eaton (USA) 8,869 pts; 2 Trey Hardee
(USA) 8,671; 3 Leonel Suarez (CUB)
8,523; 4 Hans van Alphen (BEL).
Women: Javelin: 1 Barbora Spotáková
(CZE) 69.55 metres; 2 Christina Obergfoll
(GER) 65.16; 3 Linda Stahl (GER) 64.91;
4 Sunette Stella Viljoen (RSA) 64.53.
‘I have no respect for Carl Lewis’
Games what he thought of
Bolt, he said: "It's just... interesting.
"I watch the results like
everyone else and wait... for
time to tell."
Even after Bolt won his
second 100m title, Lewis' congratulations
were wrapped in
barbed wire.
"He repeats and he's tremendous
and he's the second
person to do it and congratulations,"
he said last week.
"The thing for me, what I
really admire about anyone, is
longevity. We still have to have
the longevity and dominance
through the era because for me
performance-wise, you really
have to put longevity in.
"I'm really not trying to
take anything away from his
performance because it was
tremendous, but you've got to
see the consistency over a period
of time because as of now
it's just a four-year period and
you really have to see a continuous
dominance.
"We'll see." — Reuters
US women beat Japan to win soccer gold
TEAM USA poses with their gold medals after defeating Japan in the women’s
soccer final on Thursday. The Americans won 2-1. — Reuters
LONDON — The US women's football
team captured a third successive Olympics
gold by beating Japan 2-1 before
a record Olympic crowd in the final at
Wembley on Thursday.
Carli Lloyd headed the opener in the
eighth minute and scored with a shot from
the edge of the area in the 54th to double
the lead, before Yuki Ogimi pulled one
back for the world champions in the 63rd
minute.
The attendance of 80,203 at Wembley
Stadium to see a repeat of the 2011 women's
World Cup final was also the biggest
crowd to watch a women's football match
in Britain. It is the fourth Olympic title
for the United States following victories
in 1996, 2004 and 2008.
Canada beat France 1-0 to win bronze.