What have we just witnessed? Its all been said before, and is likely be repeated for years to come, but when this guy gets on a track and produces runs of such verve and overwhelming velocity, audiences are purely mystified as to how a human being can perform such feats.
Usain Bolt has just severed his 200m world record, taking 0.11 seconds off it, the same amount he reduced his 100m record by just 4 days previously. He was so determined to break his record, as he puffed and wheezed his way down the home straight, after an impeccable bend, the title became a foregone conclusion, as Bolt strived for perfection.
In the rounds of the 200m, Bolt look fatigued, yet he still won with consummate ease, without a test from him fellow competitors. But 19.19secs seemed unlikely. Bolt refrained from smiles and jovial antics in the heats, indicating that he didn’t have a big 200 metres inside of him, how wrong such assumptions were. Instead, Bolt chose the moments prior to the 200m final as the time to release tension, or maybe nerves, by singing into the camera before the sound of the starters’ gun.
The lack of shock on Bolt’s face as his new world record registered in his brain, demonstrates the sheer confidence the man has in his own ability. Many commentators in the world of athletics had claimed that Bolt wouldn’t break his 200m record, which he set in Beijing last summer, but Bolt had other plans.
Bolt was back to his funny-loving self immediately, posing with ‘Berlino’, the mascot, for the hordes of cameras wanting a shot of the hottest property in world sport. You’ve got to feel for the 7 other guys running today against Bolt, 4 who ran sub 20 seconds, while Alonso Edward, who picked up the silver medal, was 0.62seconds behind Bolt, a country mile in sprinting terms. What can they do to challenge the champion? How can they make up the metres that Bolt crushed them by? Unanswerable questions for sure.
It seems that beyond the male sprinters, all athletes in Berlin are copying the man from the Caribbean. Within minutes of the 200m final, the British 110m hurdler, William Sharman was smiling and joking with the cameras, before his own World Championship final. While the German High Jumper, “Sssssshed” her home crowd, with her very own fingers to lips moment, now a typically Boltesque trait.
It is important to remember that all this has come from a man who was involved in a car crash four months ago; a man who slowed down in the last 40m, didn’t feel 100%, and due to going through the draining process of 100m and 200m heats. World championships follow Olympics years, which is recognised by athletes as a time when they struggle for their top form, due to the strict regime of Olympics preparation. So, taking theses impeding factors into consideration, imagine how fast Bolt is going to run when he’s undergone a full period of training, and has reached his peak performance level. Frightening, simply frightening.
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