Saturday, August 22, 2009
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt set a new world record in the 200 metres, Thursday evening at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany.
Bolt sped through the 200m in a time of 19.19 seconds, breaking the 19.32 mark set by Michael Johnson of the United States in 1996.
“I was trying, I was dying,” Usain Bolt said after the race. “It wasn’t a good race I can say but it was a fast one.”
“Unbelievable — a ridiculous race. The bend is unbelievable,” commented the aforementioned former record-holder Johnson while working for the BBC. “No one has ever run a bend like this and probably never will.”
At 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall, Bolt is uniquely tall among sprinters to have held record times.
| I am on my way to becoming a legend | ||
“I definitely showed people that my world records in Beijing were not a joke,” Bolt said on BBC television. “I keep telling you guys my aim is to become a legend. I don’t think about records. I don’t put myself under pressure. I know what to do and I go and execute … I did well for myself and I am on my way to becoming a legend so I am just happy.”
“We call him ‘Insane Bolt,'” commented Wallace Spearmon of the US, the third-place finisher.
Last Sunday, with a time a 9.58 seconds, the Jamaican runner set a new world record in the 100 metres, besting his own prior 9.69 second record, which he set at the 2008 Summer Olympics. In the race, he beat his main contender, Tyson Gay, who was ahead for 10m until the Bolt reached his full stride.
After the 100 metre race, Bolt said, “I was ready. I was feeling good after the semi-finals, feeling good in myself, I felt good. So I knew it was going to be a great race, I just came out here and executed it. It’s a great time, I felt I did well. I just feel good to know that I went out there and executed it.”
Even before his exploits at the World Championships, Usain Bolt was chosen as Laureus World Sports Awards’ Sportsman of the Year for 2009.