What kind of a man becomes the fastest person in the world (May 31, 9.72 seconds) and till a week before the Olympic games open says he may not run the 100m? What kind of man slows down 20m before the finish line, and still snips 0.03 seconds off that world record? What kind of man breaks the 9.7 barrier and says a record was not on his mind?

And really, what is it in the Beijing air and water that’s making records break in the pool and on the track?

Usain Bolt — may his name now inspire a million bad puns — did something extraordinary this Saturday night. The 100m race passes in a flash, in less than 10 seconds. Bolt slowed down time to have a conversation with the crowd. He had that conversation, and we actually responded before he sauntered past the finish line — it was nothing faster than that — and the clock recorded a world record. Put on a timer and try replicating that.

This was supposed to be the most open 100m race of recent times. His fellow Jamaican, Asafa Powell, had the record till this summer (9.74 seconds) and had famously exclaimed, “Can a man run 9.6? You should ask if Asafa can run 9.6.” He finished fifth tonight with a time of 9.95, slower than his semi-final time earlier in the evening.

American Tyson Gay had run the fastest, but wind-aided and therefore unofficial, 100m in the US trials this summer (9.68). He failed to clear the semi-finals tonight.

... contd.