Usain Bolt 200m record holder and olympic champion

Congratulations to Jamaican Usain Bolt for achieving the sprint double (100m & 200m) along with smashing the world records in those events at the Beijing Olympics. The phenom smashed Micheal Johnson's 12 year old record of 19.32s by two hundredths of a second, establishing a new record of 19.30s.

Bolt, still 21, is the first Jamaican to capture the 100m and thus the first Jamaican to win the sprint double at the Olympics. Additionally, Bolt is the first man since Jamaican Donald Quarrie to hold both sprint records simultaneously.
"Lightening" Bolt is the first athlete since Carl Lewis to achieve this elusive and testing double.
Bolt who plans to take a day off from competition celebrates his 22nd birthday on Thursday, August 21, 2008.

Bolt's mind boggling achievement in the 200m came just minutes before his country woman Melaine Walker won the 400 meter hurdles in a new Olympic record of 52.64s. Walker, a graduate of the university of Texas, followed in the footsteps of Olympian Deon Hemmings as the 2nd Jamaican woman to capture the top position in what is considered one of the sport's most gruelling events.

Here is the Olympic 200m champion's world record effort.

Usain Bolt 100m Olympic Champion

Here is Bolt's first world record performance
Music: Vybz Kartel - Murda dem

Usain Bolt interview before becoming the Olympic 100m Champion

REUTERS post race report

Swimming world records falling like rain drops.

I'm trying to contain myself while writing this so that my thoughts are coherent. However, after the exploits of the swimmers (especially Phelps) at this years inception of the Olympics, I must say that it is challenging.

What does a world record signify?

My understanding of a world record is that it is a mark reached for the first time in history. Someone who attains a world record in swimming is therefore the fastest person to ever undertake that particular distance/discipline in the history of the sport.

With that understood. How are so many records falling in swimming this year? For example. John Brown steps up in heat 1 in the 50m freestyle, finishes the race and smashes the world record! He's elated, extatic (reaches for his cell phone to call his mom at home in timbuktoo).

Heat 2 comes around, and John Hancock establishes a new record! (John Brown didn't even have time to call his mom!)

Heat 3 comes around and Hitorchi Suzuki eclipses that record and is now the new world record holder!

How special is the attaining of a world record if so many people have the ability to break it? Additionally, what of the people who were holders of world records for decades before this Olympics? If still alive, they must feel pretty unhappy seeing Tom, Dick and Harry swim below their mark at will.

According to some experts the pool at the Beijing Olympics has been calibrated to produce less friction enabling swimmers to produce faster times. The pool is three meters deep and in the swimming world, that's a fast pool!

Additionally, the new suits from Speedo have been carefully designs to meet the competitive needs of Olympic level swimmers.

With all of that said, my opinion is unchanged. A world or Olympic record means very little if every jack man has access to it.

Let three people break a record in the heats of a track event and see how quickly the world would scrutinize those performances. The IAAF, WADA, USADA and every other anti doping agency or related firm would be all over those athletes' blood and urine samples. I can only hope the same is being done in swimming.

For example,

Heat 1 of the men's 100m
Asafa Powell runs 9.71s

Heat 2
Usain Bolt runs 9.69s

Heat 3
Tyson Gay produces 9.68s

How believable is that? With 2 - 3 more rounds of competition left in the event not very!

But the swimmers can do it!

Cuban sensation Dayron Robles makes up for his disappointing finish in the world indoor track and field championships by breaking the world record in his pet event the 110m hurdles. Robles looked making good use of the three c's took control of the race from the gun and never looked back. His time of 12.87s erased the previous record of 12.88s held by Olympic Champion Liu Xiang. Only 21, Robles has been touted as the future of Cuban hurdling taking over from his predecessor, Olympian Anier Garcia.

Here's the race

Usain Bolt - 9.76 seconds

On Saturday May 3, 2008 in front of thousands of Jamaican fans at the Jamaica Invitational meet, 21 year old Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt crossed the line in the 100m dash in a world leading and personal best of 9.76 seconds (1.8w) just two hundreths of a second outside of the 100m world record held by countryman Asafa Powell. This was Bolt's second time competing in the event this season and has now propelled himself to the number one spot in the event for this year. Bolt's time is the second fastest wind legal time in the event to date. American, Darvis 'Doc' Patton and Antiguan Daniel Bailey rounded out the top three finishers.

Finals
1 Bolt, Usain Jamaica 9.76 1.8
2 Patton, Darvis Usa 10.08 1.8
3 Bailey, Daniel Antigua 10.12 1.8
4 Rodgers, Mike Usa 10.12 1.8
5 Spearman, Wallace Usa 10.13 1.8
6 Collins, Kim St. Kitts 10.19 1.8
7 Brown, Xavier Athletico Union 10.52 1.8
-- Jones, Garry Usa FS 1.8

For complete results from the Jamaica Invitational meet visit:

Here

http://www.jaaaltd.com/results/int08/