A Cheetah Unleashed
Usain Bolt reminds me of the young and brash Muhammad Ali who could electrify a crowd with his mere presence. Track & Field needed a shot in the arm; it got more, a lightning bolt. Three gold medals, three world records (100-meter, 9.69s, 200-meter, 19.30s, 4x100-meter relay, 37.10s). What an accomplishment! If anyone had suggested last week that Michael Phelps could be eclipsed in "mindshare" among Olympics viewers around the globe, he would have been laughed off. Yet that is what has happened. The Bolt phenomenon is real and here to stay. He is a cheetah unleashed. Against his grim and "purpose-driven" competitors, Bolt's breezy supremacy is a joy to behold.
Back in Jamaica, Bolt's father attributed his son's success to the nutritional (some say magical) value of the lowly yam, a staple in northwestern Jamaica where the speedster was born. Aspring sprinters here will probably ensure that in grocery stores throughout America there will be no more "silence of the yams."
Showing posts with label Jamaica. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jamaica. Show all posts
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Fastest Man on Earth
In just a few hours, we will know who can claim the title of “fastest man on earth.” The men’s 100 meters final in the Beijing Olympics pits three of the greatest speedsters in history: Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell of Jamaica and Tyson Gay of the United States. Between them they hold the 8 fastest times in the race, under 9.8 seconds.
This is not to say that others cannot pull an upset. Any number of factors could propel an unknown or unheralded sprinter into gold medal and history. But if we go with the record, it is most likely that the winner will be from among Bolt, Powell and Gay.
Men’s 100 meters is the most glamorous track and field event in the Olympics. It is over in a blink but its hold on the imagination lasts for years. Who has not dreamed of running as fast as the wind, outrunning foes real or imagined, outrunning inner demons, outrunning adversity, into a realm of bliss? At some point in our lives, we all have.
My sentimental favorite is Tyson Gay, if only because I cannot shake off his image of collapsing on the track and writhing in pain during the U.S. Olympics trials in Eugene last July. What can be more stirring than coming back from an injury and wearing the crown jewel of the Olympics? In reality, though, Usain Bolt appears unbeatable.
In just a few hours, we will know who can claim the title of “fastest man on earth.” The men’s 100 meters final in the Beijing Olympics pits three of the greatest speedsters in history: Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell of Jamaica and Tyson Gay of the United States. Between them they hold the 8 fastest times in the race, under 9.8 seconds.
This is not to say that others cannot pull an upset. Any number of factors could propel an unknown or unheralded sprinter into gold medal and history. But if we go with the record, it is most likely that the winner will be from among Bolt, Powell and Gay.
Men’s 100 meters is the most glamorous track and field event in the Olympics. It is over in a blink but its hold on the imagination lasts for years. Who has not dreamed of running as fast as the wind, outrunning foes real or imagined, outrunning inner demons, outrunning adversity, into a realm of bliss? At some point in our lives, we all have.
My sentimental favorite is Tyson Gay, if only because I cannot shake off his image of collapsing on the track and writhing in pain during the U.S. Olympics trials in Eugene last July. What can be more stirring than coming back from an injury and wearing the crown jewel of the Olympics? In reality, though, Usain Bolt appears unbeatable.
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