I was pondering the magnificent performance of Usain Bolt on Saturday (night? day? whatever.) and was struck by the notion that for all Michael Phelps did in the pool, I was more thrilled by what Bolt did on the track and I’m not sure exactly why. Both are exceptional athletes. Both are clearly at the top of their respective sports right now. Both have trained very had to get where they are.
The thing about Bolt was how effortless he made it look. And perhaps that sentence is more indicative of what struck me than it seems. The key word being “look.” Unlike, Bolt, I have a hard time seeing what Phelps is doing under the water and in relation to the rest of his competition. Please do not misconstrue what I’m saying. I know that Phelps’ accomplishments are out of this world. Due to my current living location I have been on a pool hiatus for about two years, but for roughly five years prior to that, I was in the pool three times a week for 30 to 40 minutes swimming laps. I wasn’t training for the Olympics, but that is enough of a representative sample to convince me that Phelps is a serious athlete. Add to that the fact that Phelps’ diversity is greater than just running or, in this case swimming, fast in only one stroke and it is easy to see whose accomplishments should rank higher.
Returning to Bolt and his race into history, I agree with Ato Bolden who, during NBC’s coverage of the 100 meter final, said that Bolt had turned a corner in Track and Field history. What distinguished Bolt, despite his time, was his build. At 6’5”, 190 pounds, Bolt’s long and lean stride stood out in comparison to the shorter efforts of his competitors. In fact, Bolt took only 41 steps over the entire 100 meters (the rest of his competitors took 44). That stride created the appearance of graceful, effortless sprinting and might be the future of sprinting.
I say might be, because the biomechanics are sprinting are likely too complex to be simplified into body type. In fact, Asafa Powell, a great sprinter in his own right, only gives up three inches to Bolt. Plus, Bolt is not a great starter. A sprinter with an unbelievably quick reaction time that is able to get out to bigger lead might be able to hold off Bolt. In fact, an argument could be made that Walter Dix might have caught Bolt if the race were longer. Of course that would disregard the following very important points: a) the race was 100 meters and b) Bolt shut it down early. To say that Dix might have a good shot in the 200 meters is not ridiculous if he can perform at the same level that he did on Saturday.
But Bolt’s performance was so dominant that it astonishes the mind. And the others in the race were no slouches. Nearly the entire field was under ten seconds, it was the first time six of the eight runners where under the legendary time horizon in the Olympics. Additionally, as has been breathlessly mentioned numerous times, he pulled up. He quit the race over the last 20 meters. I would agree with fellas over at The Science of Sport, he likely would have been somewhere around 9.60 seconds. This from a guy who hadn’t run the 100 meters prior to this year.
When you look at the sub-10 second world records, Bolt’s performance is even more astonishing. Using the 9.60 time, he made a 1.25 percent improvement on the previous world record (his own).
The thing about Bolt was how effortless he made it look. And perhaps that sentence is more indicative of what struck me than it seems. The key word being “look.” Unlike, Bolt, I have a hard time seeing what Phelps is doing under the water and in relation to the rest of his competition. Please do not misconstrue what I’m saying. I know that Phelps’ accomplishments are out of this world. Due to my current living location I have been on a pool hiatus for about two years, but for roughly five years prior to that, I was in the pool three times a week for 30 to 40 minutes swimming laps. I wasn’t training for the Olympics, but that is enough of a representative sample to convince me that Phelps is a serious athlete. Add to that the fact that Phelps’ diversity is greater than just running or, in this case swimming, fast in only one stroke and it is easy to see whose accomplishments should rank higher.
Returning to Bolt and his race into history, I agree with Ato Bolden who, during NBC’s coverage of the 100 meter final, said that Bolt had turned a corner in Track and Field history. What distinguished Bolt, despite his time, was his build. At 6’5”, 190 pounds, Bolt’s long and lean stride stood out in comparison to the shorter efforts of his competitors. In fact, Bolt took only 41 steps over the entire 100 meters (the rest of his competitors took 44). That stride created the appearance of graceful, effortless sprinting and might be the future of sprinting.
I say might be, because the biomechanics are sprinting are likely too complex to be simplified into body type. In fact, Asafa Powell, a great sprinter in his own right, only gives up three inches to Bolt. Plus, Bolt is not a great starter. A sprinter with an unbelievably quick reaction time that is able to get out to bigger lead might be able to hold off Bolt. In fact, an argument could be made that Walter Dix might have caught Bolt if the race were longer. Of course that would disregard the following very important points: a) the race was 100 meters and b) Bolt shut it down early. To say that Dix might have a good shot in the 200 meters is not ridiculous if he can perform at the same level that he did on Saturday.
But Bolt’s performance was so dominant that it astonishes the mind. And the others in the race were no slouches. Nearly the entire field was under ten seconds, it was the first time six of the eight runners where under the legendary time horizon in the Olympics. Additionally, as has been breathlessly mentioned numerous times, he pulled up. He quit the race over the last 20 meters. I would agree with fellas over at The Science of Sport, he likely would have been somewhere around 9.60 seconds. This from a guy who hadn’t run the 100 meters prior to this year.
When you look at the sub-10 second world records, Bolt’s performance is even more astonishing. Using the 9.60 time, he made a 1.25 percent improvement on the previous world record (his own).
If you consider the last world record time not turned in by Bolt, he has improved nearly 1.5 percent. The improvement from 9.77, a time turned in by four different performances, three of them by Asafa Powell, is 1.77 percent. All of this in two years. Consider for a moment that it took 31 years for a 1.42 percent improvement in time from the first ten second performance to Carl Lewis in 1991.
Obviously, this raises the question of impropriety. Add to the above the fact that a Jamaican also won the women’s 100 meter dash and you have some interesting circumstantial evidence. Of course, the Jamaican team has been repeatedly tested almost to the point of it being criminal.
So there is no irrefutable evidence pointing to an “enhanced” performance by Bolt and until there is something even remotely solid all we have to ponder are the numbers. And the numbers present one amazing tale. A tale that may never be repeated and likely will change the 100 meter game forever.
Obviously, this raises the question of impropriety. Add to the above the fact that a Jamaican also won the women’s 100 meter dash and you have some interesting circumstantial evidence. Of course, the Jamaican team has been repeatedly tested almost to the point of it being criminal.
So there is no irrefutable evidence pointing to an “enhanced” performance by Bolt and until there is something even remotely solid all we have to ponder are the numbers. And the numbers present one amazing tale. A tale that may never be repeated and likely will change the 100 meter game forever.
