"Lightning" Bolt pulls off fastest half-lap on birthday eve

Source: Xinhua | 08-21-2008 07:15

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Simply no word can describe how the world is admiring Usain Bolt.

Four days ago, the Jamaican "Lightning" blitzed the night sky in Beijing while he showily smashed the men's 100m world record. Tonight on the eve of his 22nd birthday, the childish sprinter stormed away to shatter the widely-perceived unbeatable men's 200m world record at the Beijing Olympic Games.

Wearing the same yellow-and-green track suit, stepping the same pair of golden shoes, with both laces fastened this time, Bolt played with the half-lap world record at his full discretion.

In front of the towering Jamaican, any speed seems irrelevant. The only one that matters is whether the childish man is in the mood of setting new speeds. Just nothing can stop him: not slow start -- he replayed the famously bad start of 0.182 second in reaction time in the 200m race; not the weather -- he ran into a 0.9m/s headwind and chopped down the world record anyway; not his iconic shaking running posture -- he almost swaggered into and out of the curve and dashed across the finish line with his turbo gear roaring. It was scary.

"It is a dream that comes true," Bolt said. "I have been aspiring for the world record for so long."

Bolt trampled flat legendary sprinter Michael Johnson's record of 19.32 seconds, shortening it by two hundredths of a second, which sarcastically made Johnson an green-eyed hall-of-fame celebrity who said, "I don't think he will break it (the 200m record) here."

As an Olympic ambassador, Johnson was invited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to watch Bolt's race on Thursday evening. Five hours before the race, the American, who still holds the 400m world record of 43.18 seconds, said, "In order to run 19.30 he has to run the curve better and hold his speed for longer."