by Larry EderMore thoughts on the amazing evening session of August 16, 2008….
EME NEWS (AUG 16, 2008) OLYMPIC DAY TWO EVENING SESSION
Some facts to 9.69 world record:
– first Jamaican 100 m gold (although Christie and Bailey also are native Jamaicans)
– starting reaction 0.165
– with Tokyo worlds finals the best race ever with 6 sub 10 runners
– seventh 100 m Olympic world record (official)
– Bolt has now 8 sub 10 seconds races, Powell already 41, the biggest number Greene 51
– Bolts 9.85 is the fastest semifinal race ever
– His next 100 m race is due in Zurich on Aug 29 where he was confirmed already before the games
– It was only his 13th known 100 m race
– Some his quotes from post race press conference:
About his gesture during last metres: “I just wanted to have fun”
On world record: “I was not thinking about it, I only saw it some metres after the line. My aim was to win, nothing else.”
About possibility to break the 200 m world record: “I will not go into that race thinking about the records. I will concentrate on winining, that is my focus here.”
About his programme during the day: “I woke up about 11 am so no breakfast. Then I watched some TV, had lunch some nuggets, went back to my room, had another three hours of sleep, some more nuggets and went to track.”
About what he could run if not easing up: “I did not watch the replies yet, so cannot comment. But some people are saying it could be 9.60.”
800m semi-finals women
All three semi-finals were won by those who set the pace from the start: Svetlana Klyuka from Russia clocked 1:58,31min and the two fastest times come from the Kenyans Pamela Jelimo (1:57,31min) and Janeth Jepkosgei (1:57,28min). Maria de Lourdes Mutola from Mozambique qualified with a season’s best of 1:58,61min and Yuliya Krevsun with a new personal best of 1:57,32min.
100m semi-finals men
Tyson Gay did not make it to the final as he was only fifth in his semi-final in 10,05s! The Jamaicans Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell showed again how fast they are at the moment dominating their races with 9,85s (Bolt slowed down on the last 10 metres and looked again to his left and right – the fastest semi ever) and 9,91s respectively. In the final there will be three Jamaican sprinters (Michael Frater – 10,01s), two Americans (Walter Dix – 9,95s and Darvis Patton – 10,03s) and two athletes from Trinidad and Tobago (Marc Burns – 9,97s and Richard Thompson – 9,93s = PB). Churandy Martina from the Netherlands Antilles ran another national record with his 9,94s.
100m quarter-finals women:
Kerron Stewart from Jamaica clocked the fastest time of the quarter-finals with 10,98s. Her two teammates Sherone Simpson (11,02s) and Shelly-Ann Fraser (11,06s) also won their races. All three Americans will also be in the next round: Muna Lee – 11,08s, Lauryn Williams – 11,07s and Torri Edwards – 11,31s as well as two sprinters from the Bahamas: Chandra Sturrup – 11,16s and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie – 11,21s. Belgium’s Kim Gevaert qualified for the semi-finals (11,10s), but France’s Christine Arron failed to do so (11,36s).
400m hurdles men semi-finals:
The three fastest qualifiers are from the USA and it looks like they could win gold, silver and bronze again, like in Osaka. Angelo Taylor (47,94s) and Bershawn Jackson (48,02s) even slowed down on the last meters of their race and still achieved strong results (two season’s bests). And also Kerron Clement clocked excellent 48,27s in his semi-final. Two Jamaicans will also be in the final (Danny McFarlane and Ian Buckley with a new PB of 48,50s) where Europe will be represented by European champion Periklis Iakovakis from Greece and Poland’s Marek Plawgo.
Heptathlon
Ukrainian Nataliya Dobrynska bettered her personal best twice in the javelin throw ending up with 48,60m. She is a clear leader (5.878 points) before the last event, 800m. It was her fifth personal best in six events. American Hyleas Fountain lost important points in the javelin with only 41,93m and is now second with 145 points less than Dobrynska. Lyudmyla Blonska from Ukraine who three strong 47,60m is only six points behind Fountain and has a very good chance to get the silver medal as her 800m are much stronger. Great Britain’s Kelly Sotherton is fifth and had poor 37,66m in the javelin.
Despite her 2:17,72min in the 800m, Nataliya Dobrynska was never in danger of losing her gold medal. She established a new personal best of 6.733 points. Her teammate, Lyudmyla Blonska improved to the silver medal (6.700 points) thanks to her strong 800m (2:09,44min) and left the bronze medal to Hyleas Fountain from the USA (2:15,45min and 6.619 points).
Long jump men qualification:
The long jump qualification had a quite moderate results level with only three athletes who achieved the qualification standard of 8,15m: Louis Tsatoumas from Greece (8,27m), Ibrahim Camejo from Cuba (8,23m) and Great Britain’s Greg Rutherford (8,16m). Others struggled like Panama’s Irving Saladino who qualified only with his third jump of 8,01m. Andrew Howe from Italy (7,81m) and Christopher Tomlinson from Great Britain (7,70m) did not make it to the final. There will also be no American long jumper in the final for first time in olympic history (when we do not count Moscow obviously).
Shot put women final:
Valerie Vili from New Zealand is the new shot put Olympic champion. She shocked her competition already in her first attempt of 20,56m which is also a new area record. All her attempts were over 20 metres. Silver and bronze were won by Belarus athletes: Natallia Mikhnevich won the silver medal with 20,28m of her second attempt. Her compatriot and world leader Nadzeya Ostapchuk managed 19,86m in the fifth throw.
100m men final
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt ran the race of his life and probably the race of the century in his golden spikes winning Olympic gold in 9,69 seconds which is not only a new Olympic record but also a new world record. He himself held the old one of 9,72s. Behind him did not cross Asafa Powell the finish line as second but Richard Thompson from Trinidad and Tobago and Walter Dix from the USA who both established new personal bests (9,89s and 9,91s). Powell came only fifth with 9,95s. Churandy Marina from the Netherlands Antilles broke again the national record with 9,93s and was fourth.
Used with permission of Alfons Juck, EME Publisher.
