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Bolt, Seeking Gold, Dresses the Part
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"I love the 200," he said. "The 200 is closer to my heart. I've been doing the 200 forever."
The 100, he said, actually needs work, hard to figure since he also ran the distance in 9.76 seconds this year. The 200, in which his personal best of 19.75 seconds is well off Michael Johnson's 1996 world record of 19.32 seconds, he considers far more refined.
So, apparently, does Johnson.
"It's pretty ridiculous what Bolt is running," Johnson said during the U.S. Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore., last month. "I'm ready to kiss it [the 200 world record] goodbye at this point."
Bolt has already taken Powell's place as a world record holder, bettering his best of 9.74. Immediately after Bolt surpassed him, Powell seemed to realize he had passed some sort of mantle. Or, perhaps more accurately, an albatross. As the world record holder last summer, Powell faltered thoroughly and famously in the 100, not only losing to Gay, but also fading to third.
"He told me 'thanks,' I took the pressure off him," Bolt said.
Bolt insisted Tuesday he welcomes the pressure and thrives on it. Because of that, he said, he sorely hopes for a return to full health of Gay, known for his big-time performances. Gay suffered a muscle cramp at the Olympic trials in the 200, causing him to pull up lame and preventing him from qualifying in that event.
Gay's handlers say he is ready to contest for the 100 gold medal, and that, Bolt said, is the way he wants it.
"I wish him all the best," Bolt said. "I want to beat him when he's 100 percent."
