Tyson Gay, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell remained on course for an epic three-way battle in track’s marquee Olympic event, all easily advancing yesterday into the semifinals of the 100 meters.
Tirunesh Dibaba already wrote her piece of history late yesterday, becoming only the second woman in the world to run the 10,000 meters in under 30 minutes to add the Olympic title to two world titles.
The 22-year-old Ethiopian swept past Ethiopian-born Turk Elvan Abeylegesse with 350 meters to go to finish in 29 minutes 54.66 seconds, an Olympic record. Only Wang Jungxia of China has run faster, setting the world record of 29:31.78 in 1993.
The whiff of an Olympic record, even a world record, will be in the air today when the titans of sprinting line up for their semifinal and final races.
Running in ideal conditions, Gay allayed fears that a lingering hamstring strain would affect his performance at the Beijing Games, coasting in both his heat and quarterfinal to go through.
The Americans could use a confidence boost after their shot putters, instead of sweeping the medals, needed a last effort from Christian Cantwell to salvage one, a silver behind Tomasz Majewski.
The Pole threw one lifetime best after another to win the games’ first track gold with a toss of 21.51 meters. Andrei Mikhnevich of Belarus took bronze.
Despite Cantwell’s late surge, the U.S. result was a shocker. Two-time Olympic silver medalist Adam Nelson had three fouls and did not even make the final three throws.
World Champion Reese Hoffa finished a poor seventh.
Gay, the world champion in the 100, injured his hamstring at the U.S. trials six weeks ago and had not run competitively since, raising doubts about his fitness.
He finished second behind Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago in his quarterfinal in 10.09 seconds, easing up well before the finishing line.
No one was as awesome as Bolt, though. At the halfway mark the world record-holder from Jamaica eased up, looked left and right – not once, but twice – and with 9.92 still ran the fastest time ever in China.
“I just ran the first 50 meters. Then I looked around to make sure I was safe and I shut it off,” Bolt said.
Under the Olympic flame and with 91,000 at the Bird's Nest, he felt as confident and loose as his canary yellow shirt flapping in the still, humid air. If ever there was a man to beat for the title, it was this 21-year-old sprinter who burst onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere this season.