by Larry Eder
Usain Bolt, 2011 WC, 200 meters, gold medalist (shown in qualifying round) photo by PhotoRun.net
Well Usain does like his productions! After false starting in the 100
meters, Usain Bolt had something to prove here, and he did it with style
and some real grace. It is one hour since his race, and Usain is
chatting and encouraging a group of Korean teen agers near the TV
broadcast booths that are located in the Daegu Stadium.
Usain Bolt won the 200 meters in style tonight. Walter Dix took his second silver of the championships and Christophe Lemaitre showed why ASICS just renewed him for five years!
This is how we saw the 200 meters:
Usain Bolt played with the crowd before the start. The crowd of 60,000 plus cheered and applauded his every move.
The runners went to their start positions, and the race was off.
Usain Bolt got one his better starts and started eating up the stagger on several athletes as he just churned up the turn. Coming off the turn into the straight, Usain Bolt was pumping his arms, and his long strides were taking more and more of the track. He separated himself from the field and Usain Bolt ran all the way through the finish, taking the gold and running the #4 time all time, with his fine 19.40.
Walter Dix, 2011 WC, photo by PhotoRun.net
Walter Dix, who noted later that he was watching Bolt, came off the turn and followed Bolt, running a fine 19.70, his seasonal best, for the silver medal. Walter Dix showed, once again, that he is a man of consistency, and at this World Champs, Mr. Dix has two World Championship silver medals. This guy is for real. Mr. Consistency is my new name for Walter. And he did it the old fashioned way, he earned it.
After the race, Walter Dix noted: ” I was watching Usain sweep off the curve, and he beat me at the stagger. I am going to keep on progressing. I can get the Big Guy, I just need patience. Tyson got him. I think I can run 19.19, I wake up thinking of that. I feel good for the relay. I feel great. “
“I was happy to bring home a medal for the U.S.A. There are a couple of things that I can do to make it to the top. I do like the 100 meters more than the 200 meters.” concluded Dix.
Christophe Lemaitre, 2011 WC, photo by PhotoRun.net
Then, the French sprinter, Christophe Lemaitre, who was running out in lane six, just blasted the turn and came running for home, going from fifth, to fourth, to third and he kept going, running a National record of 19.80! C’est vrai! Christophe Lemaitre showed his stuff tonight. No more wondering if the French sensation can run fast, he can!
At the recent press conference with Lemaitre, he made it clear that the 200 meters was his event. He was disappointed about his 100 meter race, but he had to prove that he could run much faster to himself and his French fans. And he did.
After the race tonight, Christophe LeMaitre told Gary Morgan : ” The most important thing is my career, for France and for me. The pressure is on me, but I still run for the French team and for France. I can run faster next year and I am going to run faster in the relay.”
The truth is, Bolt, Dix, and Lemaitre separated themselves from the field. Saidy Ndure of Norway was fourth in 19.95. Nickel Ashmeade of Jamaica was fifth in 20.29. Bruno de Barros of Brazil was sixth in 20.31. Rondel Sorrillo of Trinidad was seventh in 20.34. Alonso Edward of Panama did not finish.
The difference at a championship between medalists and non-medalists is who can handle the stress of not only the rounds, but the final. Bolt, Dix and Lemaitre do it quite differently, but they make three perfect examples of athletes focused on taking their chances in the final. They ran nearly flawless races in all three cases.
Usain Bolt had a lot to clear up with the 100 meter debacle. He did it running and his fans are a forgiving lot. A dq showed that Bolt was human, now he goes back into the stratosphere. Usain Bolt is back on top of the world!
Usain Bolt told Gary Morgan: ” It’s a good day. I did my best. I take everyone seriously in every race. I am talking to myself out there. It was a little difficult running in lane three. I ran hard, I was a little tight. I think I would have run faster if I had been in a further out lane. The short season, I was working on my start. In the final, I did well up to the final. I had a lot of anxiety. I got too excited, anxiety got the best of me…rules on the start are there. It has been there and it was my fault, I have learnt from that. I just need to control my anxiety. Blake deserved to win, he trained super hard, and he is a different type of athlete. He works harder than me, he lives track & field. I can not work that hard. I know my limits.”
