World Championships in Athletics - Berlin 2009

Jamaican bolt

Usain Bolt set new records for 100 metres and 200 metres races and Anita Wlodarczyk in hammer throw. The main dilemma - whether the 800 metres champion is male or female


By RADOMIR ĐUROVIĆ
from Belgrade, SERBIA


The 12th World Championship in athletics was one of the most interesting ever held. At the competition in Berlin last month, three world records were broken, and two of those by Usain Bolt. The Jamaican native stunned the world twice, and pushed the boundaries of human possibilities. When he set the world record for 100 metres at the last Olympic Games, everybody wondered how much is he capable of, because he visibly slowed down the last 20 metres of race, to celebrate the victory. In Berlin, he started the race with full speed and there was no question who will be the next world champion. When Bolt passed through the finishing line, the whole stadium was in shock, because the monitor showed incredible 9.58 seconds, which was 0.11 s better than the Beijing record. The Jamaican was running with average speed 37.5 km per hour.

American Tyson Gay took the second place with phenomenal 9.71 seconds, which is the third fastest result of all times. Another Jamaican native, Asafa Powell won the bronze medal (9.84).

All athletic fans were impatiently waiting for the 200m race and wondered if Bolt was capable to break his own world record again. This time, Gay quit due to his injury. The Jamaican didn't have the adequate competitors again, and the only thing which could beet him was the stop-watch. He managed to beat it as well and set the best time (19.19 sec), which was again 0.11s better than the result he achieved last year in Beijing, when he broke a 12-year old record held by Michael Johnson. Once again, Bolt was running with the average speed of 37.5 km per hour. Later on, it was expected for Bolt to break the record in the 4x100 metres relay. That didn't happen, but Jamaica won the golden medal.

It was obvious that Bolt still hasn't given his maximum and that he slowed down before reaching the finish line. That's why everybody's wondering how fast can he actually run. Scientists claim that a man cannot run 100 meters under 9.50 seconds, otherwise his muscles would snap. Still, Bolt's results show that he could be the one who denies these scientific claims. The most peculiar thing about him that he stands out from other sprinters. Firstly, he is still young for such top results. Sprinters usualy reach their peak around 30 years of age, and he is only 23. The second thing that stands out is his height (1,96m) and he is a lot taller than other sprinters. The experts claim that he has the perfect motorics, considering his height. And finally, he is not as muscular as the other sprinters.

Journalists are trying to discover the secret of his success, and he is telling them different versions every time. Sometimes he says that the secret lays in the chicken wings he eats, and that he sleeps a lot and trains a little, and sometimes he says that he drinks 'black bull', a mixture of 'red bull' and Guinness beer , as well as the fast food. Many take this words as a joke or well-paid advertisement. He didn't get only money and the medals for his results. The city of Berlin gave him a piece of Berlin wall, 3.5 tons heavy.

The only record in women's competition was set by Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk in hammer throw. In the second series, she threw the hammer 77.96 m and broke the old record set by Russian Tatiana Lysenko for 16 centimetres.

Non the less, Wlodarczyk was not in the center of attention amongst female competitors, since all eyes were at teenager from South Africa. 18-year old Caster Semenya won the gold medal in 800 metres race, but she was in no mood for celebration. Even before the finals, the officials of International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), told her that she must undergo a gender test. They were uncertain that she was a woman, due to, as they say, masculine built and incredible improvement of the score in a short period of time.

Semenya is practicing athletics for two years now, and last year in World Junior Championships, she didn't make it into the finals. At the African Junior Championships she ran under two minutes for the first time (1:56.72) and improved personal record for 7 seconds in past nine months. The time she achieved in Berlin (1:55.45) was the best in the season and 13th of all times. Right away after winning the gold in Berlin, she rushed into the women's locker room and refused to show up at the press conference. She almost didn't show at the medal ceremony. The president welcomed her in her homeland.

The world recorder in pole vault, Yelena Isinbayeva, didn't win any medal. The world, European and Olympic champion first time tore down the bar at 4.75 metres. In the next two attempts, she didn't manage clear 4.80 metres. Anna Rogowska from Poland won with jumping 4.75m.


(Published: 12.09.2009.)