'Greatest athlete of all time' -- Usain Bolt -- sets world record time of an 9.58 second 100M in Berlin

Jamaica's Usain Bolt once again lowered the world 100M record by a full 0.10 seconds from his 2008 Beijing Olympics mark to an astonishing 9.58 in the Berlin IAAF world championships yesterday.  Bolt's startling times ignited world controversies about the legitimacy of his mark.  However, controversy is all naysayers have at this point.  Bolt has never tested positive for PEDs, had never been caught in a buy, and has never admitted to illegal drug use.  Nonetheless, obliterating world marks in the 100M with astonishing regularity is such an incredible feat, doubters are working overtime.  (from the Telegraph)

That's what athletic miracles do today. They bring as much suspicion as awe, as much skepticism as joy. Yet, while Bolt was being hailed by the head of world athletics Lamine Diack as the greatest athlete of all time, the subject of all the frenzy, last seen being pursued by screaming fans down Jesse-Owens-Allee outside the stadium, just ignored it all.

A breakdown of the Bolt run goes like this:

It is the "you never know" bit which he knows tantalises us. Yesterday, the biomechanical analysts from the IAAF produced a statistical breakdown of the final which suggested that what we saw in Sunday was Bolt's Bob Beamon moment, a barrier-shattering, never-to-be repeated annihilation of the sport's blue riband record. But you never know...

Eleven hundredths of a second slashed off the mark in one hit was sprinting's equivalent of the moment in Mexico City in 1968 when long jumper Beamon decided to bypass the 28ft barrier altogether as he took the world record to 29ft 2½in with one leap.

But the IAAF's split times confirmed that Bolt's astounding improvement on the 9.69sec record he had set exactly a year earlier in Beijing was due almost entirely to the fact that this time he did not showboat over the last few of his 41½ strides as he had done in China.

He was actually slower over the first 20m than in Beijing (2.89sec to 2.87sec) but what made the vast difference was his lack of concentration as he covered the final 40m in Beijing in 3.37sec. On Sunday, in contrast, he covered the equivalent stretch in 3.27sec, a whole tenth of a second quicker. Between 60m and 80m, he topped 46kph (28.58mph).

There was one quick look right and a glance left towards the clock, so perhaps he could even have gone a fraction quicker but, realistically, there looks to be no section of the race where he can in future trim off more than the odd hundredth of a second at a time. He has just made those $100,000 (£60,700) world-record bonuses hellishly difficult to annex now.

Until proved otherwise, the Bolt record must be considered legitimate.  The athlete apparently has the neuro-muscular development to produce stride frequency times stride length to generate sprint speeds never achieved in recorded history at sanctioned track meets.

 All the logical arguments in the world about doping hold no merit if the athlete maintains clean testing.  Other factors come into play -- a better track surface, improved shoes, perfect conditions,  high quality competition -- to push these world records into new territory.

There was a Roger Maris to beat Babe Ruth's single season home run record.  There was a Mike Powell to surpass Bob Beamon's long jump record.  It appears the thrust of DNA and technology to lower or lengthen previous marks in performance.  Thus, it is not impossible to go where no man has gone before in history.  Just damn tough to do it twice.

Comments

[UGG Classic Mini]

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[Australia UGG Outlet]

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[blackGREENgold]

all you fucking hyprocrites bashing the guy just cause he beat all the other athletes on the track "fair and square", but consider this, the united states athletes, which I know most of you nay sayers are from, has had the honour of being caught on PEDs and steroids the most on almost every major sport in the world, the truth of the matter is Jamaicans have always been great performers in track (Quarie,Mckinley,Wint all held olympic and world class titles). Jamaicans were simply outshined by all you rhoided up yankees, now that the doping tests have become more sophisticated and rigorous, the playing field is much more leveled, and on a level playing field Jamaicans are simply better, I'm sure when Gay and Gattling had the world records all you buzzards didn't have this fanciful problem with athlete doping... you bastards are simply seeing the product of a sructured tracks program existing in Jamaica for over a hundred years where schools from the pre-school level all the way up to high school, compete with each other all over the country...affectionately dubbed CHAMPS...Bolt has been kicking ass and taking names since grade 7, you telling me 11yr olds are allowed to take steroids? The guy is the fastest in the world, he has not been caught doping (innocent until proven guilty originated in your constitution not ours) deal with it or don't, either way fuck off you southern, ignorant, red- neck imbred biggots.

[blackGREENgold]

and to the idiot that says humans havent changed in 4000 years, your an idiot and also did i mention YOU ARE AN IDIOT, humans have gone through considerable physiological change due to natural selection, and also a major change in the aquisition of knowledge and the revival of learning, a little thing I like to call, whats it called again? oh yeah the RENAISSANCE!!! heard of it? I'll give you a hint you dunce, its not a fair...prior to that people thought the world was flat as i no doubt think you still do moron, your arguement about how humans haven't changed in the last 4000 years, makes you look a like an IDIOT...

[Diogenes]

Was perusing the stats on top sprinters for last six or so years. Interesting to watch the Caribbean, mostly Jamaican, go from, I believe, one, to seven out of the top ten. Now, today, just saw stats on sub-9.85's in 100 meters. Vast majority Caribbean, and the vast majority of that, Jamaican.
Really?
The amount of varied PED's used and available, worldwide, is staggering. To see this sudden onslaught of 'sprintdom' in such a tiny populace is statistically a huge red flag.
Those who post angry comments about this type of observation being evidence of bigotry are sidestepping the real issue: this numerical binge is something real, something that must be examined, not avoided. My own take is that there is too much money and fame to be had. Hence, there won't be much in the way of truth on this until years have passed, and then it will be too late.