Seriously, get it watched again. If you’re in the UK.
Then watch Michael Johnson’s reaction. Nearly as awesome.
I have now just about pulled my eyes away from Bolt for long enough to know who else medalled. I have also been looking at the history of the 100m record. I was just slightly young to have been gutted by Ben Johnson’s cheating (though I remember the race happening), but how upset must athletics fans have been at that time: a decade after that most controversial of races, and the record was only 9.84, compared to Johnson’s steroid-filled 9.79. The wait for Greene, then Powell, must have been agonising when millions had already watched a man run that fast.
How insane was it that, even though Johnson destroyed the field on that fateful day, once he was stripped, Carl Lewis’s relatively meagre 9.92 silver medal performance was still the new world record. Fast race.
And even though Bolt essentially walked to the finishing line of his 200m heat today, I still don’t see him breaking that magical 19.32. Mainly because he has said he would rather win than get a record. Increments, people.
throughsilver in blog 
I too predicted that he would canter to the 200m gold but miss out on the WR.Mainly because MJ’s 19.32 was such an incredible physical feat that the only way someone could get close would to give it maximum effort and hope for a good day.I’m glad we were both wrong.19.30, into a head wind, in the smog of Beijing.Greatest race of all-time.
I too predicted that he would canter to the 200m gold but miss out on the WR.Mainly because MJ’s 19.32 was such an incredible physical feat that the only way someone could get close would to give it maximum effort and hope for a good day.I’m glad we were both wrong.19.30, into a head wind, in the smog of Beijing.Greatest race of all-time.
I look forward to your comments with regards to the 200m final – what a performance.
I look forward to your comments with regards to the 200m final – what a performance.