[Radford]

Have a missed a topic on this? Is everyone watching the tennis? Usain Bolt has just destroyed the field and the world record to win the 100m at the World Championships in a time of 9.58 seconds. Yes, I did say 9.58 seconds! Tyson Gay took silver in 9.71 seconds! Dwain Chambers was a very respectable sixth in 10.00 seconds, a season's best. Bolt almost ran flat out as well! He's remarkable though. Before a race you'd think the athletes should be focusing on the task at hand but Bolt was chatting away to the camera as it panned past the eight runners.

Clicky

[Yoss]

Amazing. 9.58. Fucking hell.

Gay's 9.71 makes him comfortably the second fastest man ever, it would have been sensational in its own right if Bolt had never existed, and he was nowhere.

[The Arch]

Thanks for that Radford. I forgot the final was on. Wish I saw it live, but still good to see it.

He's an incredible talent, as well as a showman. He's impossible to dislike.

I just hope he's not on drugs.

[djchapsticks]

World Athletics 100m final tonight and Usain Bolt's infamous 'slow-jog' World Record of 9.69 has been shattered again by the man, a year to the day after he set it in Beijing.

He destroyed rival Tyson Gay (Who ran an astonishing 9.71) to become the World 100m Champion with a time of 9.58 seconds.

Breaking eleven hundreths of a second off of the time is truly astonishing. Ben Johnson, when he ran his 9.83, shaved a tenth of a second off the World Record and it raised eyebrows the world over.


Bolt, by comparison, is probably the most rigorously drug-tested man on Earth today and is coming up clean every single time, and at only 22 years old, will probably be ready to peak in London.

This post has been edited by djchapsticks: 16 August 2009 - 20:18

[Yoss]

He's not bulked up like the drugtakers that have been known about in the past, more like Michael Johnson he's got a natural athleticism which makes it perfectly plausible that he's clean (unlike whassername that knocked similar lumps off the womens' records back in the day). That's not proof obviously but there's no reason to doubt him.

[lichtie23]

That's absolutely sensational.

When will he go under 9.50? Surely won't be far off.

[Radford]

As either Cram or Dickenson said, 10.00 seconds used to be the mark of a world class sprinter but it's nowhere now. I remember when Maurice Greene knocked a few hundredths of Bailey's mark and the 9.79 seconds figure was almost unbelievable. The Jamaicans have just taken it to a whole new level though, albeit Tyson Gay has put himself in there tonight.

Pleased for Dwain Chambers as well, who is a guy I like. He's conducted himself with dignity over the past few years when he's had a lot thrown at him. He's a guy who admits he's made a mistake and is prepared to educate others so they don't fall into the same trap. We need to be doing all we can to encourage our good athletes and if they make a mistake, they shouldn't be punished for life for it. A British athlete could kill someone and they'd be allowed to compete in the Olympics again before Chambers. That can't be right? I dare say he's far more of a role model than your Tyrone Edgars and Simeon Williamsons as well.

[Gallows Bank]

He still recons he can run 9.4 now that would be special

[Radford]

Yoss, on Aug 16 2009, 21:17, said:

He's not bulked up like the drugtakers that have been known about in the past, more like Michael Johnson he's got a natural athleticism which makes it perfectly plausible that he's clean (unlike whassername that knocked similar lumps off the womens' records back in the day). That's not proof obviously but there's no reason to doubt him.

Yeah, I don't think there's any question of it with Bolt. He has a frame totally unique really to a sprinter and it obviously gives him a massive edge. Bolt and Johnson are both outstanding natural athletes and I'd love to see Bolt have a go at Johnson's 400m world record. I doubted anyone would beat Johnson's 200m time and you have to have the same doubts over his 400m record.

Griffith-Joyner was on something though and evidenced it by retiring just before they introduced mandatory random drug testing. They should just wipe her world records.

[The Arch]

Surely it will reach a stage where records can no longer be broken?

It's possible that he could push it below 9.5, but eventually it will reach a stage that humans won't physically be able to go any faster.

We've probably been lucky to be alive at a time when sportsmen changed their attitudes to health and fitness, and more streamline sportswear has been made, but I'm not sure how far records can actually be pushed.

Maybe people were saying the same 50 years ago, but I'm still skeptical.

This post has been edited by The Arch: 16 August 2009 - 20:43

[Savage Henry]

When someone is that much better than anyone else at a certain sport, questions are raised. I don't think it's necessarily wrong to do so, but it is wrong to become sanctimonious about it.

[Mr. Brightside]

Under 9 anyone?

[orlandoblue]

Yoss, on Aug 16 2009, 21:17, said:

(unlike whassername that knocked similar lumps off the womens' records back in the day). That's not proof obviously but there's no reason to doubt him.

Radford, on Aug 16 2009, 21:39, said:

Griffith-Joyner was on something though and evidenced it by retiring just before they introduced mandatory random drug testing. They should just wipe her world records.

Was it not Marion Jones?

[pantene proV]

This really is astonishing. Just seeing 9.58 next to the winners name is weird having grown up watching Lewis & Christie win medals around the 10 second mark.

He chopped 0.11 off his previous record!!!!!!

100m records are meant to get a little shaved off each time, not a whopping great chunk.

22 years old - who knows what time he can achieve at London 2012

[Radford]

The Arch, on Aug 16 2009, 21:42, said:

Surely it will reach a stage where records can no longer be broken?

It's possible that he could push it below 9.5, but eventually it will reach a stage that humans won't physically be able to go any faster.

We've probably been lucky to be alive at a time when sportsmen changed their attitudes to health and fitness, and more streamline sportswear has been made, but I'm not sure how far records can actually be pushed.

Maybe people were saying the same 50 years ago, but I'm still skeptical.

It's always been the same though. When Greene ran 9.79 seconds (at a time when running under 10.00 seconds was still something special), you wondered how much faster someone could go. History (obviously) shows us that they'll always be able to go faster but it'll take someone special to top anything Bolt does. It might be another seven or eight years (like Greene to Powell) but someone will come along. The conditioning and equipment obviously play a big part now and that'll keep on evolving as well. In short I can't see us ever reaching the point that the record can't be broken, despite what I said above about Johnson's 400m time.

Bolt streaking away does remind you of Ben Johnson in Seoul (Clicky) though.

[djchapsticks]

The Arch, on Aug 16 2009, 21:42, said:

Surely it will reach a stage where records can no longer be broken?

It's possible that he could push it below 9.5, but eventually it will reach a stage that humans won't physically be able to go any faster.

We've probably been lucky to be alive at a time when sportsmen changed their attitudes to health and fitness, and more streamline sportswear has been made, but I'm not sure how far records can actually be pushed.

Maybe people were saying the same 50 years ago, but I'm still skeptical.

You could be correct. There is a limit to human achievement, but as lifestyles constantly evolve, so do we (of course, not in the traditional sense of evolution). It's hard to tell whats around the corner.

[MattBairn]

I watched it live on BBC2 but also had the foresight to Sky + it as I thought he might do it again.

He really is phenominal, and I think he can go quicker. He just looked so relaxed when breaking that WR.

[chico]

I bet bolt shattered the porcelain doing his pish for the drugs test.

Can't help thinking Ben Johnson.

[Radford]

orlandoblue, on Aug 16 2009, 21:48, said:

Was it not Marion Jones?

Her too but Griffith-Joyner was about 0.30 seconds faster than Jones even. The Women's 100m record is 10.49 seconds. The record by a clean athlete is 10.73 seconds.

[JMDP]

Magnificent performance. I liked the way he just said "I'm ready" to the camera after winning his semi.

Congratulations to Jessica Ennis too who was excellent over the 2 days and a wee ride to boot.

[Yoss]

orlandoblue, on Aug 16 2009, 21:48, said:

Was it not Marion Jones?

Her too, but like Radford said, Griffith-Joyner was the one I was thinking of. She'd been around for a few years without looking like a worldbeater, suddenly in one season she'd bulked up, her voice had gone husky, and she starts knocking unheard of lumps off all the world records; at the end of that season she promptly retired, just before stricter drug-testing came in. Those records are so obviously bent that it's absurd they're allowed to stand.

[Gnash]

Radford, on Aug 16 2009, 21:39, said:

Yeah, I don't think there's any question of it with Bolt. He has a frame totally unique really to a sprinter and it obviously gives him a massive edge. Bolt and Johnson are both outstanding natural athletes and I'd love to see Bolt have a go at Johnson's 400m world record. I doubted anyone would beat Johnson's 200m time and you have to have the same doubts over his 400m record.

Griffith-Joyner was on something though and evidenced it by retiring just before they introduced mandatory random drug testing. They should just wipe her world records.

Johnson's 400m record is nowhere near as good as his 200m was. If Bolt trained for it, he could take a second off it. I expect him to do a sub 19 second 200m in the next couple of years.

[Yoss]

Radford, on Aug 16 2009, 21:32, said:

Pleased for Dwain Chambers as well, who is a guy I like. He's conducted himself with dignity over the past few years when he's had a lot thrown at him. He's a guy who admits he's made a mistake and is prepared to educate others so they don't fall into the same trap. We need to be doing all we can to encourage our good athletes and if they make a mistake, they shouldn't be punished for life for it. A British athlete could kill someone and they'd be allowed to compete in the Olympics again before Chambers. That can't be right? I dare say he's far more of a role model than your Tyrone Edgars and Simeon Williamsons as well.

My problem with Chmabers is, while he may not be taking steroids any more, no one actually knows with any degree of confidence how long the benefit of having done so lasts. It's perfectly possible that he's still benefitting now. I think lifetime bans are fairer both from that and a deterrent point of view.

[Skyline Drifter]

orlandoblue, on Aug 16 2009, 21:48, said:

Was it not Marion Jones?

No, it wasn't.

Jones is an acknowledged drug cheat who had to hand back all her medals and had her results annulled but she never broke Griffith-Joyner's world record or even got especially near. Somewhat digracefully, given that everyone is well aware she was on drugs when she did it, Griffith-Joyner still officially holds the world records for both 100m and 200m, both set in 1988.

[Skyline Drifter]

Out of interest I was just looking at all the standing world records in athletics. Link

It's pretty noticeable which records are "drugged" and interesting that by and large a lot of standing women's records are more dubious than a Collin Samuel dive whilst the men's, except perhaps in the throws, are probably fairly genuine.

In men's records progression has generally continued. The shot put, discuss and hammer records are two decades old. The high jump, long jump and triple jump are all about 15 years old too but the track events are generally all ten years old or less (apart from the 400m Hurdles).

In women's on the other hand it's clear all the track records from 800m down are false with the possible exception of the 400m Hurdles. The long distance records held by the Chinese are probably bollocks too. Which basically leaves Masterkova's mile record. Any doubt about that one? The field events are mostly dated to the 80's and held by Eastern Block athletes of the time too. Apart from Jackie Joyner-Kersee's record in the long jump of course and there's no known connections in her family to drugs are there?

Generally, the women's world records aren't worth the paper they are written on!