Olympics 2012 – History in the 100 metres Sprints

In a year when, for the first time, the Olympic Games saw female athletes from every participating country; the results of the women's 100 metres was particularly sweet for Jamaica. And as if to repeat Helen Reddy's refrain, "I am woman hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore", Malaysian shooter Nur Suryani Mohamad Taibi competed eight months pregnant.

The women's 100 metres was, by any reasonable measure, historic. Let's start with the winner, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce; not only did she become the first Jamaican woman to win a 100 metres in Beijing, she is only the third woman to repeat the feat and with improved time. Our bronze medalist, Veronica Campbell-Brown with a 10.81 seconds season's best ran 0.16 seconds faster than she did in the Athens Olympics to win that bronze medal. By the way, she's eight years older and this was the fastest 3rd place finish ever.



Picture by Ricardo Makyn - Gleaner Staff Photographer

So what else made this race historic? Six of the eight finalists ran sub-11 seconds.  The London final gave us the fastest times ever in 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th places. Carmelita Jeter's 10.78 seconds would have won gold in every prior year of female Olympic 100 metres, including 2008.  VCB's 3rd place time would have won her a gold medal in every prior Olympic 100 metres meeting except 2008 or a medal in all. 

 

The men's 100 metres in London produced both incredible history and heart rending drama for Jamaica. It was for starters, overall the fastest 100 metres ever. Not since Americans Archie Hahn (1904 and 1906) and Carl Lewis (1984 and 1988) has any man repeated a gold medal run in the Olympic final of this short sprint. Indeed we can proudly declare that it is the first time in this century, it was done outright. Recall that Lewis' 9.92 seconds (upgraded) gold medal in 1988 came as a result of Ben Johnson's disqualification for doping offense and no record was broken. It is also the first time it is being done by someone who is not an American.



Picture from The Gleaner

Let's face it though, our own Usain Bolt doesn't merely win big championship races, he has this little habit of setting records along the way; this time lowering his own Olympic record to 9.63 seconds. As if to make it beyond clear that ownership should never be in question. It is on record that I wasn't prepared to "bet good money" on Bolt taking the 100 metres, but that was on July 3^rd. At the beginning of his heat in London, all doubts vanished as though waved away by a magician’s wand. I saw his face, the fun was back and I saw no signs of the worried and pained look I saw on his face in July at the National Stadium.

 

Yohan Blake, in his first Olympic appearance ran his best, his very best for his well deserved silver medal; we know it because he did it at the national trials to beat Usain. Can't ask for more than your best at 9.75 seconds, for you see, this would have won gold and the record in every year of the Olympic Games since 1896; except those won by Usain Bolt.

Picture from The Gleaner

Our collective Jamaican heart ached as we watched Asafa fall out of the race in agony from his persistent and aggravated groin injury. We'll never know but his chances were as good as any, and better than most of the other men who jostled behind Bolt for a podium spot. Don't forget that Tyson Gay too, who ran a season's best of 9.80 seconds for 4th place, has never won an Olympic medal; both men to this day remain two of the fastest in the history of recorded 100 metres results.



Like the women, the men produced a historic race with the fastest recorded times by 3rd, 4th and 5th place finishers; all from the USA with 4th and 5th having to run season's or personal bests just to place. Not entirely unfamiliar really, when losing to Usain Bolt. In Berlin, Tyson Gay set a national record to take 2nd and Asafa Powell ran a season's best for 3rd as did the 5th, 6th and 7th place finishers.

The history doesn't stop there though, if you exclude Asafa who was injured down the track, every man in that race ran sub-10 seconds. Think about it, just think about it and the one man who didn't has done in at least 78 times; more than any other. In fact, Beijing’s silver and bronze medalists would have placed 6th and 7th in this race, and one of them; Richard Thompson did.

The high tides that are Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce raised all ships in the 100 metres harbour. Every milestone deserves to be marked, and what a way to punctuate 50 years of our nation's independence.

I remain a very proud and hopeful Jamaican.