Bolt Sets New World 100m Record

LIKE lightning out of nowhere, Usain Bolt is now the world's fastest man. The Jamaican sprinter, who does not even consider the 100 meters his best race, set the world record on Saturday night with a time of 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix, 0.02 seconds faster than the old mark held by his countryman, Asafa Powell. Bolt was using the 100 metres as "speed work" to get better for his favorite race, the 200 metres, and also to avoid having to run the more grueling 400 metres. Then, unexpectedly, he ran the world's second-fastest time a few weeks ago at 9.76. Even with that, he said he was not sure if he would switch the 400 for the 100 metres at the Beijing Olympics. "I think that will change today," Bolt said. "It doesn't matter if I have the world record if I don't have the Olympic medal." Springing from the starting block and unfurling his lanky frame - listed at 6-foot-4, but probably more like 6-5 and, either way, considered too tall for this kind of speed work - he created a big-time gap between himself and Tyson Gay at about the halfway point, then routed America's top sprinter to the finish line. "I wasn't really looking for a world record, but it was there for the taking," Bolt said, while Gay, who finished in 9.85, added: "Obviously, I have some work to do. Right now, it's hats off to Bolt. Today was his day." As he crossed the finish line, Bolt spread his arms out wide and let out a yell. A few moments later, the 21-year-old from Kingston was hoisting the Jamaican flag and a crowd with several hundreds of Jamaican fans was going wild. Then, he knelt down and posed next to the scoreboard that recorded the fastest time ever - "9.72." "Just coming here, knowing a lot of Jamaicans were here giving me their support, it meant a lot. I just wanted to give them what they wanted," Bolt said.