Impressive? Not really, this is the seventh time the record has been either lowered or met in the last three years (Bolt held the previous mark at 9.72s). Advanced training techniques and equipment technology (and sometimes drugs) designed to enhance elite-caliber athlete's freakish, innate physical gifts all make times that were once unthinkable almost routine.
A new record is neither unexpected nor surprising. BUT, in a world where any stumble, lapse in focus, or change in environment can cost precious hundredths of a second, closer scrutiny of Bolt's race reveals what may be the most remarkable athletic performance in recent history:
- At 6'5" Bolt is a natural 200m runner who was considered too tall and lanky for the explosive 100m event. He had only run one 100m at the senior level before this season.
- In preparation for the race Bolt woke at 11 am, watched TV, ate some McDonalds chicken nuggets, took a three hour nap, ate more chicken nuggets, then warmed up.
- A notoriously poor starter, Bolt had the second slowest reaction time out of the blocks.
- He was running with no tailwind - usually a crucial factor in WR performances.
- 70m into the race, Bolt, sacrificing form and aerodynamics, turned his head to check his competition. No one was there.
- 80m into the race, he spread his hands to his side, slowed, and pounded his chest in jubilation. Percentage wise, this would be the equivalent of a marathoner deciding to finish the last 2-3 miles of their 26.2 mile race at a leisurely jog.
- All of this was accomplished with his left shoe untied and his shirt partially untucked.
Bastards at NBC are squashing YouTube videos of their coverage - here's a French version
Even if Bolt's performance was drug-aided - a distinct possibility given sprinting's recent history of tainted champions - his doctors should be lauded for their efforts; no other human has ever made moving so fast look so absurdly easy. It's like the last scenes of the Incredibles when they finally let Dash compete in a track meet and he dials back his superhuman speed to make the end result look at least remotely plausible.
3 comments:
i saw the race and while i appreciate his absurd speed in theory (whether drug assisted or otherwise) it's so hard to truly appreciate the athleticism of some of the olympic events when seen on a television screen. for instance, the 100m track race Bolt performed in and rowing events and cycling to name some, all lose the impact for me when seen on the television. however - synchronized diving, gymnastics and the marathon are all somehow still impressive regardless of format. i think it can partially be explained by comparing some of these events to nascar = when given a circular track and a group of equally capable performers, it's hard to distinguish impressive speed and skill from what appears to be the norm.
Kutzberg if you're suggesting that the medium of television renders the disparity between Bolt and the rest of the field negligible, you're out of your mind. Having watched my fair share of live track meets and other sporting events in my day, I have to emphatically disagree with you; television's greatest strength is sports(of any kind)broadcasting.
While a television broadcast can never compare to the electric atmosphere and energy of a live event, the sporting action itself is almost always easier to appreciate and observe on television (especially in events where the differences in the skill and technique of the athletes are more nuanced).
Certain sports suffer somewhat in the broadcasts (NFL and MLB broadcasts for example have become increasingly zoomed in, making it impossible to see and understand defensive shifts in both sports) but these drawbacks are vastly outweighed by the positives.
In the case of track and field - and specifically Bolt's race - multi-angle television replays and slow motion analysis only serve to enhance an event that in person would have been impressive to a layman but hardly mind-blowing; a seasoned track and field fan may have been able to process the myriad factors that made his race so impressive in the few seconds that it took to happen, but I can almost guarantee that even they were more impressed when they looked up to watch the replay on the jumbotron.
Perhaps the issue isn't so much the medium as familiarity with what is being viewed. I, for example, only watch maybe half a dozen hockey games a year and find it exceptionally difficult to differentiate between the skill levels of the players and appreciate and understand the flow and strategy of the game.
I'd have to agree about the replay - although, when I saw the race in real-time I think I was just as amazed. I was watching on a 15inch TV set, from six feet away, and still was on my feet after the race in disbelief (I guess partly due to the fact that I was aware of how close this race SHOULD have been, given it was the final).
As they showed the final second of the race over and over I became more and more shocked Bolt was able to run a race with that little concern for form and general conventions of the sport and still produce a world record. If that kid isn't drugging, I can't imagine how low that WR will go - he's only 21!
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