The Beijing Olympics are a little more than two months away. And despite the conflicts and political unrest we can only hope that this piece of commercial extravaganza lives up to all the hype that has been promised.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica wins the 100m in a world record time of 9.72 shaving 4/100ths of the previous record held by his countryman Asafa Powell. Finishing second was the current world champion at 100 and 200m Tyson G*ay of America with fellow countryman David Patton finishing third. picture courtesy of afp/getty images/ Hayden Roger Celestin .............
On Saturday night for those of you who weren't aware. The 100m world record for men was broken by a 21 year old Jamaican by the name of Usain Bolt. His last name conjuring up no doubt exactly what may well have taken place on the track. This was the first sprint track world record on American soil since the Los Angeles Olympics. Bolt with his devastating burst of speed demolished a world class field of the event's top stars. And though it can be said that his inexperience wasn't lacking. It doesn't exactly pose a sombering thought for his opponents with the Olympics just a short few weeks away.
Blanka Vlasic of Croatia competes in the women's high jump at the ISTAF Golden League at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin , Germany. picture courtesy afp/getty images/ Michel Pierollellot .............
And inasmuch as one would like to believe that the US has that superiority in the world when it comes to track and field when it comes to the sprint events. It appears to be no longer the case.
The new mark of 9.72 set by Usain Bolt at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York City on Saturday night. picture courtesy of afp/getty images/Hayden Roger Celestin........
The world class facilities are here without a doubt but the athletes are no longer what one would hope that they'd be. If anything other than the Olympics itself and to a lesser extent the World Championships. Track and field no longer holds that lore or grabs the attention of the public here in North America. But there'll be an unabashed coverage of the events in Beijing , China with almost every story being an emotive one when it comes to the athletes there from the United States.
Lashawn Merritt of the United States finishes ahead of his fellow countryman Jeremy Warriner the current World and Olympic champion in the 400m. The even was the ISTAF Golden League meet in Berlin , Germany. picture courtesy of afp/getty images/ Axel Schmidt ......
And whilst I wouldn't be the first to decry what's wrong with the state of track and field athletics. I must admit that I'm not totally surprised that it's not given the sport of exposure here that it get elsewhere around the world. Cheating and the drug and steroid issues not withstanding. I doubt that the public would indeed know who many of today's top stars are in the world of track and field even if their pictures were plastered across billboards up and down the country. The sport just doesn't garner the attention it once did. But yet thousands of scholarships are handed out each year to promising young athletes both male and female whose wish someday other than pursuing an education is to compete at the highest levels of the sport.
Mike Hazel of the United States competes in the javelin at the ISTAF Golden League meet in Berlin Germany. picture courtesy of bongarts/getty images/ Friederman Vogel.......
There's a great deal of money that can be made but it pales into insignificance when measured against what can be earned in the other major sporting endeavors such basketball, football, hockey and baseball. But there are some athletes that've been able to make a living competing on the circuits around the world. The strength in numbers won't be lost on the US when it sends its best and brightest to compete in the summer spectacle. And the patriotism shown by the fans'll no doubt be there.
David Oliver of the United States ekes out a narrow win over the Cuban Dayron Robles and Sergeiy Demediyuk of the Ukraine in the 110m hurdles event held at ISTAF Golden League meet in Berlin Germany. picture courtesy of getty images/ Axel Schmidt ..............
But as it should portend to the sport when it's not a staple for the fans here in the United States. It can be said that it doesn't warrant our interest one iota. But the coverage that'll be dedicated by NBC over the course of the Olympics will be done in such a way that it'll play on our emotions and to all our most sincere of needs.
Hussein Taher Al Sabee of Saudi Arabia wins the men's long jump at the ISTAF Golden League meet in Berlin. Al Sabee of Saudi Arabia is one his country's only true world class athlete in track and field and is considered one the favorites in the event at the upcoming Olympics. picture courtesy afp/getty images/ Mickael Kappeler ..........
The likes of Usain Bolt and other who are no doubt world class athletes are nothing but a long list of athletes who'll garner our attention but for a brief moment over the course of the ensuing months. The Olympics themselves notwithstanding , I doubt that once the events have come and gone we'll have really been concerned with what took place . Unless there's some political unrest or protests along the way that it warrants our attention.
Sweden's Susanna Kallur earns an easy victory in the women's 100m hurdles over Brigitte Foster- Hylton of Jamaica at the ISTAF Golden League meet in Berlin. picture courtesy of afp/getty images/bongarts.....
The ideals and very essence of what the games' modern day founder Pierre de Coubertin had wished for . Has now been lost as it has become nothing more than another sporting spectacle bereft of any integrity and high moral standards. It has if anything else just become another sporting anathema filled with nothing more than commercialistic values and very little else !
Mean Dovine
What's astounding about this is that the 100m isn't even his best event. He considers himself to be an even better 200m and 400m runner. It'd be something else if he were able to pull of the double at the Olympics and at the same time make a stab at the 400m. But I think that he'll just go for the sprint double myself ! As that's where the glory is said to lie.
Kid is an absolute freak. 21 years old, 6' 5", got out of the blocks ahead of Tyson, and then..........pulled away? Are you kidding me? Dominating victory. The sky is the limit for this kid. Read an article in the USA Today, and they are saying this kid has serious potential towards an unheard of 9.6. Plus his 'best' event is the 200, and he is now training for the 400. Still can't believe he is 6'5" and can run that fast of a 100. One of the most amazing things I have ever seen, and this kid is just scratching the surface of what he might be able to do.
Kid is an absolute freak. 21 years old, 6' 5", got out of the blocks ahead of Tyson, and then..........pulled away? Are you kidding me? Dominating victory. The sky is the limit for this kid. Read an article in the USA Today, and they are saying this kid has serious potential towards an unheard of 9.6. Plus his 'best' event is the 200, and he is now training for the 400. Still can't believe he is 6'5" and can run that fast of a 100. One of the most amazing things I have ever seen, and this kid is just scratching the surface of what he might be able to do.
Nostradomus
Freaks of nature come along like this but once every decade or so. The last person who sent these sort of seismic waves across the sport was Michael Johnson.
And since then there's been absolutely no one that has come close until now !
The unfortunate thing for the public is that once the games are over we won't take much interest in him or the sport as a whole. It's not given the exposure it deserves and at the same time the USATF has been slow in dealing with the drug problems that've plagued the sport here in the US in particular.
It's been the lunatics running the asylum in the case of the athletes. Hence the reason why the public here in the US no longer really takes any real interest in the sport domestically or internationally.
aero13
I'm also looking forward to the Olympics. But I've got to say that these aren't the same type of games that I use to enthuse over years ago.
It's now become too commercialized and a great deal of the integrity has gone out of the games. But still there'll be something there for all of us to enjoy no doubt !
Usain Bolt
Says he is better at the 200 and the 400 but his performance doesn't reflect it. He has only competed in the 100m 6 times or so and has already set the WR. Revelation perhaps to switch from the 200/400m to the 100/200m.
As for Wariner/ Merrit consistency is key. I think only Michael Johnson has run 400m in sub 44sec. more times than Wariner. He also has been dealing with hamstring problems. If Merrit beat him running sub 44 then I am impressed if not then it doesn't really mean much on the grander scale. To beat Wariner at the Trials and at the Olympics will take a sub 44 which means the guy to run it will have to be at peak performance to do what Wariner does almost every time out and that's run sub 44.
Also I still beleive the US has the best sprinters in the world from 100 to 400m. The only other competition are 2 guys from Jamaica Asafa and Bolt who are essentially just filler in the 200m finals and in the case of Bolt in the 400m.
The only race where they are really a threat to win is the 100 and that race is so short that any number of factors can effect who wins from one day to the next.
texasbagger
What's being lost in all of this is the age of this kid. He's only 21 years of age . How many kids do you know that've been prolific as this age and have yet to meet their full potential ?
That's what's being lost here and you yourself don't seem to have taken that into account. Personally I believe that he should just stick to the sprint double. And he'll no doubt be asked to run the relay leg quite possibly in the 4x400m for Jamaica. As well as compete in the 4x100m as well.
texasbagger
That may well be the case with regard to the sprints . But as so often can happen is how one is affixed on the day of the competition that'll really count.
So don't count your chickend before all of their eggs have been hatched. Once a fox gets into the henhouse then anything is possible. And at this juncture it's not just Powell and Bolt that the US'll have to worry about.
Did you hear about the relay team including Michael Johnson returning their medals because one of the runners admitted to doping...With all the the American's who have been nailed for doping, especially Olympic runners, I wonder if the US was ever really dominant. Have we been dominant in anything other than basketball which is no longer the case? Baseball is somewhat considered America's sport, and the Mitchell report destroyed all of those "heroes". My question to you and anyone else who wants to answer, who are, will be, and have been our true American sports heroes? Are there any left?
I see the 200m as a 1-2-3 finish for the US in the Olympics regardless of who makes the team. The difference between the 100 and the 200 is the time to recover if a mistake is made.
As for his age yeah, it's impressive but it's not like his speed and strength in the race will continue to improve with age just because. There are so many mitigating circumstances that can occur: fatigue, overtrain, injury, virus.
The key in track and field is consistency. This is really the first time he has stepped up and won a big race it just happened to be a WR and he has been competing in the pros for a while now. Tyson #### and Asafa Powell are consistently 1-2 where as Bolt has been all over the place.
texasbagger
Bolt has only been racing top flight for the past two years if that. The experience is on the sides of Powell and G*ay. But it's how one peaks in the run up to the Olympics that'll predicate what may well happen. What's best for him to do now is to get his technique down pat and not race too often between now and the beginning of the games. The trials for the Jamaican team is coming up and no doubt he's already a shoo in for a berth on the team.
And as to a US 1-2-3 in the 200m once again you're counting your chickens before they're hatched.
It's never as predictable as you think.
SRMgenius
The athlete in question was Antonio Pettigrew who was a known associate of Trevor Graham whose since been indicted by the Feds for perjury as well as trafficking in narcotic and the distribution of steroids. That ought to tell you all you need to know.
Disgraced Olympic athlete Antonio Pettigrew who admitted knowingly taken steroids as well as HGH when he competed .
However his sentence is not as harsh as first thought. As it'd appear that he's also cooperating with the Feds to name names.
Johnson is a class act and has always decried the use of illecit substances within the sport. And is an outspoken advocate against its use.
JOKERSWILD
What seems to be lost on a great many people is that the kid is only 21 years of age and has yet to reach his full potential. That's what's so staggering in all of this.
We've not seen anyone with this sort of allround ability in men's athletics since Michael Johnson was at his peak.
During our power outage my dad drug out a battery operated radio from the garage and news and sports radio is mostly what we listened to for two days.
This 100M guy one show said took 42 steps compared to the second place's 45 steps. Now if you're tall AND fast it seems like 42 steps is going to get you there faster than 45 steps. LOL\
You're right. I'm looking forward to the Olympics but I never heard of any of the people you put up pictures of. You almost make me feel guilty but it's not like we're exposed to any of these people if you're not a diehard fan right?
The twins Calvin and Alvin Harrison (if I remember correctly) were the other 2 members of the 4 x 400 that ran in the finals. They 2 also got caught doping later on which brings to question if they were clean at that time. I think there was also an alternate who ran some of the qualifying heats for them that also tested positive named JErome Young.
So 4 out of the 5 guys probably cheated. 2 for sure and in all liklihood the twins just didn't get caught.
Bolt beat the clock, not the field. Unfortunately, with all the drugs and accusations, we're suspecting of any records broken.
WADA will be testing Olympic athletes using tests not known until the Olumpics. This will be interesting. I hope we don't see cheating like Chia pulled entire sports teams out so they wouldn't be caught cheating.
As for sprinters, it's been open to anyone for a decade. The Jamaicans have consistently put a strong group together. There are plenty of great sprinters on the Islands, Mon!
---retired sprinter
slshusker
Jamaica has been producing great sprinters over varying distances for the last forty years plus. But it's now gotten to the stage where they're a serious threat as to the so called dominance of the United States at verious levels from the 100m, 200m and 400m .
What has been staggering however is the very fact of the age of this kid. At 21 he's got a long career ahead of him if that is he doesn't step over to the Dark Side and the use of illecit substances.
As to the Olympics themselves I'm somewhat now distrustful of the ideals that it once had. It's now become nothing more than a commercialized venture and another pulpit for propoganda for many of the countries that participate andmost certainly for the country that hosts it.
And that was the primary reason that IOC Chairman Jacques Rogge made sure that China was availed the responsibility of hosting the event. It was politically expedient they felt for them to do so. Had the Olympics been awared to an Arab country then there would've been an even bigger outcry !
rampant' aka tophatal ............
Last edited by rampantfanatic on June 4th at 9:03 AM.
vmfan
Man has always likened himself to wanting to achieve the impossible. Whether it means being stronger or faster. What matters is how one goes about achieving that success. In this day and age where cheating has become acceptable in the eyes of many and contemptable to others.
Who can say when we'll determine when enough is enough ?
The one thing I'll commend is if the records are being achieved legitimately then I for one have no problem with it.
Nique
This may well be before your time but there are two athletes that Bolt reminds me of. And they are Michael Johnson and former world record holder for the 400m hurdles Edwin Moses. Both were terrific athletes and as physical specimens they were unsurpassed in their chosen field.
Multiple Olympic champion and world record holder Michael Johnson.
Double Olympic champion and the greatest high hurdler ever ! Ed Moses .......
These two epitomized what track and field was about and are perhaps this country's greatest ambassadors for the sport that are still living.
rampant' aka tophatal ............
Last edited by rampantfanatic on June 4th at 10:54 AM.
texasbagger
I wasn't surprised by any of this. As once it came down to the fact that their trainer Trevor Graham had been indicted for perjury. All of this cr*ap was sure to come out one way or another. Now it makes much of what the US has achieved over the years somewhat suspect.
And at the same time the USATF have been somewhat reluctant to step up to the plate and deal harshly with the athletes that are known to have cheated. It smacks of stupidity on their part when they're decrying other countries of not doing enough to stamp out the use of illecit substances within the sport.
Can we not say how asinine this has all become. Is it any wonder there's no real interest in the sport in N America until the Olympics come about ? Hell women's gymnastics if anything is more popular now than track and field.
texasbagger
That's right probably four out of the give on the 4x400m relay did cheat. But what about the other international events held prior to those Olympics ? This is the dirty little secrer that just keeps on ticking and won't go away at all.
Al- "That was really fast" and the clock doesn't lie.
Now you went and got me thinking about the Olympics already...............Well I guess it is about as commercial as it gets. But I still can feel the patriotic spirit from when I was a kid.
I'll be watching for Usain Bolt and company you can count on that.
evilquacks101
The Olympics itself will either lead to being one great spectacle of fun and excitement . Ot it'll just end up being one great center for drama and political intrigue and propoganda.
At this juncture it's bound to be a toss up between all of the scenarios mentioned.
Never mind the fact that the athletes themselves will definitely have to be on their very best behavior.
No political outspokenness will be tolerated whatsoever by the Chinese under any format or circumstance.
An avid martial artist and fan of Jet Li. Possessing a black belt in karate (2nd degree Black Belt) I'm of Caribbean parentage born in the UK and have lived in the US for the past 14 years. A lover of sports in particular Soccer, NFL, NBA and MLB.
Slowly getting use to NASCAR but I prefer F1 Practices martial arts, karate and wu shu kwan , muy thai -kick boxing) College grad BA in Int'l Fin and BA in Economics.
I've recently received my MBA here in the US
Teams Chelsea (EPL) Patriots,Spur s, Marlins..LaDa nian Tomlinson & Roger Federer favorite sports personalities
Music, Jazz , r & b, hip hop, reggae.....Ou tkast,Jay-Z, Kanye, 50 cent, Alicia Keys & Nelly Furtado, Wynton Marsalis Movies....Hea t, Training Day.... Actors Denzel Washington , De Niro, Salma Hayek, Thandie Newton
Double Olympic champion and the greatest high hurdler ever ! Ed Moses .......
