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Usain Bolt's Coach: He Could Have Run 9.52 100-Meter Dash in Beijing

Aug 27, 2008 – 7:06 PM
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Michael David Smith

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Usain Bolt set a new world record of 9.69 seconds in the 100-meter dash in Beijing. But he started celebrating his victory after about 80 meters, and had slowed considerably before he crossed the finish line.

So how much time did Bolt cost himself? His coach, Glen Mills, estimates that it was at least .17 seconds, which means Bolt could have run an other-worldly time of 9.52.
"If he had continued, the slowest he would have run would have been 9.52," Mills told reporters ahead of Friday's Weltklasse athletics meeting in Zurich, where Bolt is due to run the 100.

"This is his first year of running the 100 meters," Mills said. "In two more years he should be peaking at this distance and by then I am certain he will be down to there."

The very idea of a 9.52-second 100-meter dash is hard for me to wrap my head around -- I remember when people thought no one would ever match the steroid-fueled 9.79 that Ben Johnson ran in 1988 -- but I think Mills is right. And at age 21, Bolt will have many more opportunities to shave time off that record. I just hope he doesn't celebrate until the race is run.
Filed under: Sports

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