Zurich 2008 Bolt 100m

Never has an athlete made the 100m look like such a stroll. Just enjoy seeing the big man Bolt ease away to take his first post Olympic win :

Gay takes the blame for team failure

The US were heading cleanly for their rightful place in the 4x100 Olympic final and why not with what looked like a great team.

Even Tyson Gay had a role to play he after all was still one of the fastest men in Beijing, and who would deny him shot at redemption and a medal of some sort after his botched 100m semi-final.

He admitted later that this was due to him relaxing at the end of the run and also can be attributed to his failure to watch action in the other lanes well enough; something any half decent sprinter can normally manage to do let alone a man at his level.

Then came the post relay disclosure he had not been at the pre-Olympic training in China

"I don't know what happened," he told reporters.....

"The stick was in my hand. 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."

Quotes from story By MARTYN HERMAN in Beijing | Friday, 22 August 2008 Reuters

He should have known what happened, he should have been with the team and was not, he cannot possibly do anything but take the blame for this no matter what happened as he was supposed to get the baton and blast off into the distance.

It's not "probably" his fault that the whole team went home empty handed and why take the blame unless it is your fault.

This athlete needs to take a long hard look in the mirror; and whoever put him on the relay team in the first place has no place in sport. And the person who did had this to say:


I have received emails from people across the country, particularly about the relays. They all say more or less the same thing: the dropped batons were reflective of a lack of preparation, lack of professionalism, and of leadership. I agree. Dropping a baton isn't bad luck, it's bad execution. Responsibility for the relay debacle lies with many people and many groups, from administration to coaches to athletes. That's why, when these Games are completed, we will conduct a comprehensive review of all our programs. It will include assessments from inside and outside the USATF family, and included in the assessment will be the way in which we select, train and coach our relays.

Ultimately, the athletes on the track are the only ones who can successfully pass the stick around the track. But they need the proper leadership and preparation. These are professional athletes who are the best in their field, and anybody who ever ran a high school relay cringes when that baton hits the track. It reminds me of NBA players who have horrendous free-throw percentages. All it takes is repetition, preparation and focus to make a free throw. The same goes for baton-passing. As an organization, we owe it to our athletes to provide the preparation they need to succeed. We will do everything we can to figure out what went wrong and to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Well Gay was NOT PREPARED as he did not take part in the preparation and that is the sole fault of who decided he did not need to be there.

Come forward and take the blame for goodness sake.... Americans love to share yet when it comes down to it they have a lot to do before they mature into adulthood and sharing the blame on this one is denial.


As for Tyson Gay he has the talent to run fast and it's run out for the moment; sadly the loss this time is not only his own but that of the whole team; he should have simply said "I'm not prepared for the relay" and let someone who was prepared run it; thats the mark of a great sportsman as opposed to simply a man who can run fast and thought he had a right to a medal.

Bolt takes easy 100m

ZURICH, Switzerland -- Usain Bolt wins easily over 100 meters in 9.83 seconds


Bolt, with his WR 100 (9.69), 200 (19.30) and 400 relay (37.10) in China was the star turn at "the Olympics in one night."

Well clear of Walter Dix of the United States by the 60-meter mark he didn't pull up like in Beijing.

Beijing bronze medalist Dix ran a 9.99 for second and silver medalist Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago third in 10.09.

"You can't really compare it to the Olympics...The Olympics bring so much pressure. It was easy here." said Bolt

Tyson Gay was absent much as expected; keeping his head down no doubt after the team USA 4 x 100m relay debacle in Beijing that has been laid at his door and his Olympian relaxed semi-final meaning he didn't make the 100m final he was in the running for.

Time will tell when he will come out of hiding as the lure of the post Olympic money must be attractive to him and the exposure expected by his sponsors.

A bit of lightness on the Bolt 100m Olympic glory

Given the lack of any real ability to see Bolt in action, we at 100m think this hits the spot.

Frankie puts Rogge in his place

The head of the International Olympic Committee's athletics commission Frankie Fredericks blasted Rogge, the IOC president who was out of line when he told the Jamaican sprint superstar to show more respect for his rivals ...

Fredericks who knows a thing or two about the Olympics being a four-time Olympic silver medallist sprinter was elected to his new role this month.

'It's the moment athletes have trained for so long and he's making history.'

'It's not like a thing you have planned or you have rehearsed. Usain is such a relaxed guy. That's his way of expressing himself, to say I've done something that nobody else has done.

'We cannot tell a guy who's run 9.69 seconds how he needs to react.'

Rogge said Bolt needed to mature. Rogge just demonstrated that he is so out of touch with the world and the Olympics.

'He should shake hands with them after the finish line. However, he is only 21 and he will learn. It would be good not to have a repeat of the 'catch me if you can' gesture.'

Come on Mr. Rogge .. they don't even do that in cricket these days.

British media on Friday quoted Bolt's manager Ricky Simms:

'We know how the other athletes feel about Usain, so we're not worried. What you see from Usain is just happiness.'

At 100m.com we are sure any one of the guys who came in behind him would have done the same.

American Olympic 4 x 100m relay disaster(s)

AFP

"World 100m champion Tyson Gay botched the final exchange with Darvis Patton to eliminate a stunned US 4x100-meter relay in Thursday's qualifying heats as American Olympic athletics misery continued..........The failure left Rodney Martin and Travis Padgett's leadoff efforts foiled and added to American frustration."



So Tyson Gay was involved for a second time in controversy as he participated in the botched handover that cost the USA any chance of a 4x100 relay medal.

Questions are being asked as to why he decided to skip (or was allowed to skip) team practice in China and a review of the US athlete selection process is looming.

The American individual selection system on the surface seems fair as what you do in selection determines if you go to the Olympics; it can also equally conspire to leave some better athletes at home who were not good enough "on the day" - its time for a change.

As for team selections .. if you cant train with the team you shouldn't be on the team.

Should a Tyson Gay whose focus was clearly way off have simply packed his bags after admitting relaxing in the 100m semi and not bothering about what was going on in other lanes?

Who thought he was someone who could be relied on to anchor anything but perhaps a toy boat in a bathtub..........

Someone let him skip class and America paid the price.


The American women also bungled their final exchange from Torri Edwards to Lauryn Williams.

Williams came in last; in the 2004 final she went beyond the safety zone on the final exchange when Marion Jones was handing the baton on.

100m final Olympic video

Out with the old in like a Bolt

Usain Bolt with Gold in the Men's 100 metres on Saturday .. in a pair of gold Puma spikes no less ... Nike got beat and so did adidas (whose top srint man took it a bit too easy)

Three medals for the women who flew in with Usain in a clean sweep and so only one bronze at 100m for the once all powerful sprinting Americans after Tyson Gay "relaxing" in his semi-final and not paying attention to what his competition was doing.

His real mistake was probably made months ago when he pushed and got injured however not making an Olympic final by "relaxing" at the end of a semi is just careless; "could have done better" will be stamped on his report card after Beijing.

The wonderful majestic run by Usain would have left Gay looking like he was there to make up the numbers even had he made the final.

Will Tyson Gay be too old by London to even come close again or has his moment in the sun been and gone? .. He was the best in the World .. last year.