Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY 28 AUG,2015
P. 18
SPORTS A19
Friday 28 August 2015
Taking down Bolt is not easy, but a cameraman gives it a try
EDDIE PELLS before, and I hope to do
AP National Writer
BEIJING (AP) — Only when it again,” Gatlin said of
the running stopped and
the picture-taking began a .01-second victory at
did Usain Bolt finally meet
his match. a meet in Rome in 2013.
Bolt blew past Justin Gatlin
and everyone else Thurs- “He’s such a showman.
day night in the 200 meters
to win his 10th career gold You’ve got to give it to the
medal at the world cham-
pionships. guy for staying at the level
What finally upended the
6-foot-5 Jamaican was he stays at. That’s hard to
a multitasking camera-
man riding a two-wheeled do.”
scooter while videotap-
ing Bolt’s victory lap. The Gatlin’s silver added to
scooter ran over the out-
cropping of a metal rail- gold medals won by two
ing bolted to the edge of
the track and bobbled off Americans — Christian Tay-
course — then slammed
into the back of the fastest lor in the triple jump and Al-
two legs on the planet.
Bolt’s legs came out from lyson Felix in the 400. Anita
under him and he went
down hard and landed on Wlodarczyk of Poland won
his backside.
Then, smooth as silk, he the women’s hammer
somersaulted backward
onto his feet, jogged a few throw with a champion-
steps, and reached down
to make sure his left leg ship-record toss of 80.85
was OK.
He was no worse for wear meters.
— reporting just a few
scrapes — but figured he’d When Felix crossed the line,
try to make the evening at
least a little more interest- she tied Bolt for the most
ing.
“The rumor I’m trying to gold medals at the world
start right now is that Jus-
tin Gatlin paid him off,” championships with nine.
Bolt said, while sitting next
to Gatlin in the medalists’ That lasted all of about 10
news conference.
Gatlin’s response: “I want minutes — until Bolt took
my money back. He didn’t
complete the job.” Jamaica’s Usain Bolt races to the gold medal in the men’s 200m final at the at the World Athletics No. 10 in the night’s final
Indeed, it may take more Championships at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015.
than just a motivated op- race.
ponent to finish off Bolt, Associated Press
Both sprinters are point-
ing toward Rio de Janeiro,
who now has five gold didn’t live up to the origi- lier in the week that he was where the Olympics are
medals at the Bird’s Nest, nal. going to bring out some-
including the three he took Running out of Lane 6, Bolt thing special for the 200 only 343 days away.
at the 2008 Beijing Olym- got off to a good start and meters,” Bolt said. “I was
pics when he set world re- worked smoothly into the like, ‘You don’t talk about Something to think about:
cords in the 100, 200 and curve, making up the lag my 200 meters like that.’”
4x100 relay. to the runners to his outside Gatlin came into world Bolt guessed if he’d pushed
The split-second scare with and gathering steam as he championships dominating
the scooter provided what headed into the turn. the sprints while Bolt was hard through the line Thurs-
Bolt’s season-best 19.55 stuck on the sideline.
seconds on the track did Leading at the halfway The American was a favor- day night, he could have
not. point, he opened a three- ite in the 100 meters, and
Namely, drama. body-length lead over Bolt took umbrage to the finished in the low 19.3s.
This was billed as the sec- Gatlin early in the stretch, idea that Gatlin’s stumble
ond round of the Bolt vs. and the last 50 meters were over the last 15 meters He first got there at the
Gatlin series that produced simply for showing off. gave that race away.
the champion’s grittiest win Bolt coasted in and still won “Disrespectful,” Bolt called 2008 Olympics, where he
four nights earlier. Bolt’s by .19 seconds. that notion. “I came out
.01-second victory in the The winner used his thumbs here and got it done.” ran 19.30 to break Michael
100 came despite a year’s to point at himself as he Once the 200-meter heats
worth of injuries and off- crossed the finish line and began, Bolt started get- Johnson’s 12-year-old
form running that contin- flashed his index finger: ting stronger and Gatlin, by
ued all the way through the He’s No. 1 — just in case his own admission, started world record. Bolt has since
semifinals. anyone had any doubts. feeling tired.
Like most sequels, Part II “What I really celebrated “I’ve beaten him once improved that to 19.19.
was, Justin Gatlin said ear-
“But one of my goals is to
run under 19 seconds,” he
said. “So if I want to run
that, I have to really push
myself next season.”
For the short term, his goal
is to grab another gold in
the 4x100 relay on Satur-
day — then get out of Bei-
jing unscathed.
Not always as easy as it
may seem.q
