Jamaicans proved they are the world’s fastest humans yesterday when Shelly-Ann Fraser won the women’s 100 metres at the Olympics on the heels of Usain Bolt’s record-setting victory.
Fraser led a unique Jamaican triple, already celebrating with her fist pumping the air as she crossed the line with two team mates in canary yellow in her slipstream.
Fraser finished in a season-leading 10.78 seconds, with Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart sharing silver with in 10.98.
In the battle of sprinting powers it was Jamaica 2, USA 0 after the 100s, and 4-1 overall in the medal count. It was stunning domination.
Lauryn Williams was the first American in fourth place in 11.03, with Muna Lee a disappointing fifth.
As extensive a tradition of stellar sprinting as Jamaica has, the Caribbean island of about 2.8 million people never had won an Olympic gold in the 100 until this weekend.
Minutes earlier, Gulnara Galkina-Samitova set the second world record in as many days at the Olympic track, running the first sub-nine minute steeplechase in history to take the gold medal.
The Russian steadily stretched the field with her long, elegant stride until she was all alone and only had the clock to beat.
She did so, too, improving her own world record to 8 minutes, 58.81 seconds amid the cheers of the 91,000 fans at the Bird’s Nest.
While Bolt’s 100 record came in the most fabled event, Galkina-Samitova got hers in the Olympic debut of the 3,000-metre steeplechase.
Eunice Jepkorir of Kenya took silver, almost nine seconds back, edging another Russian, Ekaterina Volkova, in a sprint finish.
The women’s steeplechase made its debut at the world championships in 2005 and Russians have dominated the early years.
In the 1,500, world champion Bernard Lagat was eliminated in the semifinals, finishing sixth in his race with only five getting a guaranteed spot. On best time, he missed out by .02 seconds.
Lagat was chasing a 1,500-5,000 double but now only has his least favorite event left to make amends.
After a 7 a.m. start, a 38-year-old mother Constantina Tomescu-Dita of Romania won the first gold of the day. She beat reigning world champion and pre-race favorite Catherine Ndereba of Kenya to win a marathon that started at Tiananmen Square and never faced the haze of the city’s notorious pollution.
The day would be capped at the buzzing Bird’s Nest, where two of the greatest African long-distance runners were to face off in the 10,000 metres – veteran Haile Gebrselassie against Ethiopian compatriot Kenenisa Bekele.
Primoz Kozmus won Slovenia’s first athletics gold medal in Olympic history, taking the hammer throw with his season’s best throw of 82.02. He edged two Belorussians.
Vadim Devyatovskiy, who was fourth at the 2004 Athens Olympics, took silver this time with 81.61. Three-time world champion Ivan Tsikhan won bronze with 81.51.
Other finals during the busy evening program included the women’s triple jump.
Casting an early pall, however, reigning women’s 400-metre hurdles champion Fani Halkia of Greece tested positive for a banned drug and will not defend her title.