Maybe someone needed to wake him up and tell him that in his sleep-affected state he did win (3:32.94).

Nineteen-year-old Asbel Kipruto Kiprop had kept up the lead with fellow Kenayan Augustine Kiprono Choge, but had to settle for silver (3:33.11) after Ramzi ran a blistering last 200m. Nicholas Willis surprised everybody, including by all evidence himself, by cheerfully taking bronze (3:34.16). In a track press room that sounds more and more like a cricket conclave, with Jamaican reporters dominating it as charismatically as their sprinters have Beijing’s Bird’s Nest, Willis said his win showed the growing geographical spread of competitors in middle-distance races.

But clearly everybody wants to be Jamaican these days. Estonia’s Gerd Kanter, who had taken the discus gold earlier in the night and so is obviously a big man, grabbed his national flag and suddenly ran the 100m, finishing it up with an Usain Bolt-like archer’s gesture. By the crowd’s cheer, it is obvious they want more.

And they may get it on Wednesday. In his 200m semi-final Bolt too appeared to be running just the 100m, slowing down dramatically in the second half. Of course, he won his race, making his 200m final Wednesday night exceptionally awaited.

The Bird’s Nest has not hummed like it did when Bolt ran his oddly comical 100m world record. What he would do if he did deliver on expectations and break the 200m world record is difficult to imagine. If you have to choose just one event to watch in the remaining days of the Beijing Olympics, it should be Bolt’s race.

... contd.