Tyson Gay, photo by PhotoRun.net.
A very thoughtful and quite beautiful track fan told me a few weeks ago, ” Larry, it is all about the Match-ups. When the sports has Match-ups, everybody loves it. Focus on the Match-ups!”
Usain Bolt running 300 meters, Photo by PhotoRun.net.
So, in honor of that track fan, and many others, today is Usain Bolt vs. Tyson Gay Day.
In Stockholm, Sweden, about 2 PM EST, Tyson and Usain will run in separate heats to move on to the final, where they will go head to head!
One of the reasons why Usain Bolt is so good is that he knows, no one is unbeatable. He has to run that through his head each and every day. One of the reasons why Tyson Gay is so good and can beat Usain, is because, he knows, no one is unbeatable.
Enjoy, watch, discuss among yourselves!
Today:
WATCH LIVE: Bolt vs. Gay in 100m Sprint Showdown
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It’s
the race we have waited all season to see: Usain Bolt vs. American
Tyson Gay in the 100m. The showdown is part of a star-studded lineup at
the Diamond League meet in Stockholm. Sign up now to watch the action
LIVE at 2p ET today on UniversalSports.com.
Here’s five ways Gay can beat Bolt (but it won’t be easy):
By Matt Stroup
There is one primary question to consider
as this 100m matchup approaches: Does Tyson Gay have a chance to beat
Usain Bolt? Here are five keys to a longshot victory for the man who
once held the title of sprint king, but on Friday plays the role of
considerable underdog:
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1) A fast start is imperative. Gay has made progress in
improving his start, and will need to get off the blocks quickly,
because as you may have heard, Usain Bolt has long strides (more on
that in a second).
2) Ignore the number 27. That would be the combined total of
Usain Bolt’s 100m/200m win streak, with 14 of those victories coming in
the 100m, an event in which he hasn’t lost a final since July 2008.
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3) Pretend like it’s the 200m.
For those keeping score, Gay has lost both career matchups against Bolt
in the 100m, but has posted a better result than Bolt in six out of
eight career meetings in the 200m (including four victories). Granted,
all eight of those matchups took place prior to Bolt’s “I am the
world’s greatest” manifesto in 2008, but we won’t be telling that to
Tyson because admitting facts that could cause concern is not part of
the strategy.
4) Pretend like he’s extremely tall. Okay, realistically this
isn’t so much of a legitimate tactic as it is a means of pointing out
the huge challenge that Gay faces in terms of physical size. Tale of
the tape please: Usain Bolt, 6-foot-5; Tyson Gay, 5-foot-11. He’s not a
small man in real-life terms, but once he steps on the track, Tyson
needs to ignore the fact that he’s seriously outsized and start
thinking big. And speaking of which…
5) He must channel the wisdom of Seal. As the singer/songwriter
so wisely said, “No we’re never gonna survive unless… we get a little
crazy.” And in order to pull off a highly improbable victory in
Stockholm on Friday, Tyson Gay needs to lose it just a little bit.
We’re not necessarily talking sneering and twitching on the starting
block, but it’s imperative that he gets out there and plays it like he
has no idea what he’s going to do and in fact doesn’t care (even though
we all know that he does). After all, there’s nothing to lose here
except for a race in which he’s expected to finish second. Yet if all
of the above (and a little bit more) goes his way, there’s something
very memorable to be won.
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Larry Eder has had a 51-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.
Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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