'I Blew the World's Mind'

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Day 13: Track and Field

Post reporter Barry Svrluga discusses Usain Bolt's second world-record performance -- a victory in the men's 200 meters -- from the Olympic track and field venue in Beijing.

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To this point, you might find Bolt vain or in danger of getting there fairly soon. But there also is a deep streak of modesty and respect in him. Every fuddy-duddy on NBC has criticized him for his antics in the 100-meter race, but Bolt took no shots back at them. Even three hours before this race, Johnson said that Bolt's 100 was "the most impressive athletic feat I've ever seen in my lifetime. Nothing he does is going to shock me at this point. . . . I think he could have run a 9.62 if he had run through the finish and tied up his shoes.

"But in order to run 19.32, he's going to have to run the curve a lot better, and he's going to have to hold his speed for a very, very long time."

In this did Bolt see disrespect? Far from it. He gave respect.

"A lot of people compare me to Michael Johnson," he said. "I don't compare myself a lot. I'm just trying to be me. He revolutionized the sport. I just changed it a little bit."

And he won't take the Phelps bait, either.

"I won't compare myself to Michael Phelps," he said. "He is a great athlete. I'm on the ground. He's in the water."

That takes care of the whole planet. They're the best.

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