Tyson Gay sprinted 100 meters faster than anyone ever has.
Tyson Gay in the race (www.sina.com.cn)
His time of 9.68 seconds at the US Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, on Sunday however won't be counted as a world record, because it was run with the help of a too-strong tailwind, but qualified for his first Summer Games.
"It means a lot to me," Gay said. "I'm glad my body could do it, because now I know I have it in me."
Wearing a royal blue uniform with red and white diagonal stripes across the front, along with matching shoes, all in a tribute to 1936 Olympic star Jesse Owens, Gay dominated.
Gay's race came with the wind blowing at 4.1 meters per second; anything above 2.0 is not allowed for record purposes. "I didn't really care what the wind was," Gay, 25, said.
Walter Dix, the 2007 NCAA champion from Florida State, overtook Darvis Patton in the final 20 meters for second place. Dix clocked 9.80 and Patton 9.84, as each of the first six finalists turned in times under 10 seconds.
The official world record is 9.72 seconds, set by Jamaica's Usain Bolt on May 31 in New York - with Gay a distant second.
(Agencies via Shanghai Daily July 1, 2008)