Gay picks Bolt as winner of 100m

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Tue, September 26, 2023 | 20:55

2011 IAAF World Championships Daegu

Gay picks Bolt as winner of 100m

Posted : 2011-08-25 19:02

Updated : 2011-08-25 19:02

DAEGU — Since Tyson Gay of the United States announced he wouldn’t be able to run in the Daegu world championships due to a hip injury, the 100 meters has been viewed by many as a two-horse race between Usain Bolt and his Jamaican teammate Asafa Powell.
But Gay is here in town, not to participate, but to give his take on Daegu giving his predictions for the 100, 200, and 4x100-meter relay.

U.S. sprinter Tyson gay speaks at a press conference in Daegu, Thursday. Gay, the 2007 world champion in the men’s 100 and 200 meters, has pulled out of the world championships due to a hip injury. / Yonhap

By Yoon Chul

DAEGU — Since Tyson Gay of the United States announced he wouldn’t be able to run in the Daegu world championships due to a hip injury, the 100 meters has been viewed by many as a two-horse race between Usain Bolt and his Jamaican teammate Asafa Powell.

But Gay is here in town, not to participate, but to give his take on Daegu giving his predictions for the 100, 200, and 4x100-meter relay.

“I think I am leaning toward Usain Bolt to win (the 100 meters),” Gay said at the Adidas Media Center in Daegu, Thursday. He was invited by Adidas to come to the host city of the 13th IAAF World Championships that will be held in the city 300 kilometers south of Seoul.

“The reason behind that is because he may not have ran fast this year ... but he is a championship performer and I think he has a lot of confidence.”

The 29-year-old Gay also named Bolt’s training partner and compatriot Nickel Ashmeade as one to watch.

In the previous world championships in Berlin, Gay set a new U.S. record of 9.71 seconds but Bolt stole the spotlight, winning with the current world record of 9.58 seconds.

Gay then broke the U.S. record again, running 9.69 in the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, on Sept. 20, 2009.

The American athlete said that in the 4x100-meter relay his countrymen would give the Jamaican relay team a run for their money.

One of strongest sprint nations, the United States was disqualified in the men’s 4x100-meter relay in the semifinal of the 2009 world championships, missing out on the chance to rake on the Jamaican quartet.

Gay also thinks that Bolt will be too strong for the rest of the field in the 200 meters. The Jamaican is the reigning Olympic and world champion after setting a new world record of 19.19 seconds in Berlin in 2009.

On missing the worlds, Gay revealed that he is concentrating on the 2012 London Games and expects to start training soon.

“It is very important ... I thought about it a lot. My mind is everywhere.

“Right now I am assuming for November just easy training, and for hopefully December I will be in full training” Gay said.

He also predicted the limit of humans in the 100 meters saying, “I think it is possible for human being to run 9.4. I don’t know when and where but I think it will be the limit.”

The American will have a chance to change his mind on the potential winner for the men’s 100 meters, as he and former sprint-great Maurice Greene will be speaking once again before the event begins Sunday.

yc@koreatimes.co.kr