Stunning Blow to Bolt at Stockholm track meet.. Gay wins

Stunning Blow to Bolt at Stockholm track meet.. Gay wins

August 6, 2010




American Tyson Gay did something at the Stockholm Diamond League track and field meet that he's never done before: topple the world's fastest human. Tyson Gay gave himself an early birthday present on Friday.


Gay, who turns 28 on Monday, shocked the Swedish crowd as he defeated Jamaican Usain Bolt to win the 100-metre race in 9.84 seconds, setting a new meet record. this afternoon.

Usain Bolt, the world-record holder in the 100, ran a pedestrian 9.97. It's his first loss in more than two years. The victory was Gay's first over Bolt in three attempts. Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago was third at 10:10.

The highly anticipated showdown was run much slower than expected. Bolt currently holds the world record in the 100 after he smashed his own mark en route to a breathtaking 9.58 time at last year's Berlin world championship.

With the Jamaican absent in Shanghai in September 2009, Gay blazed to a 9.69 time, tying Bolt's effort at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Start delayed twice

But Friday presented a far different race. The start was delayed twice due to crowd noise. Still, Bolt showed his usually joyful demeanour, while Gay's expression remained intense.

Once the race began, Gay stormed out to the lead with a labouring Bolt lagging behind. As the sprinters hit 50 metres, Gay continued to hold onto a sizeable lead. Bolt, who normally blows by the competition at this point, couldn't find his extra gear, enabling Gay to pull the upset. "I'm really happy with the win, even though Usain Bolt isn't in the best shape," Gay said. "It was very important to beat someone like that for the fans and the sport. "My body worked well today, I was excited and motivated."

Bolt dealt with an Achilles tendon strain in May, forcing him to miss part of the track season. He did come back after recuperating by posting a 9.82 victory on July 8 in Lausanne, Switzerland. However, the Jamaican  just 15 days shy of his 24th birthday looked sluggish in the preliminary heat, a problem he couldn't correct in the final.

"I think [today] showed that I wasn't in the best of shape," Bolt said. "I'm not unbeatable. I can be beaten and it showed today. "This is my easy season. If you don't beat me this season it's not going to happen next season because next year is a championship year."

Gay, meanwhile, has been battling hamstring problems and also didn't compete in June.
The matchup could've been even more intriguing but fellow Jamaican and former world record holder Asafa Powell pulled out of the event on Wednesday with a back injury. Bolt's last loss came in July 2008 in Sweden to Powell.

Powell's absence ruined any chance for the first showdown between the three sprinters since their blazing Berlin world championship performance last August when Bolt set the new mark, Gay ran a 9.71 and Powell finished in 9.72.