Usain Bolt! WOW!

First view the videos of Usain Bolt at the World Games in Berlin this week. The first one is in German, but the audio of the race is not important. If you listen to anything, listen to the reaction of the crowds. As Jerry Lee Lewis once said, "Sometimes it's just God-given ability."

http://www.casttv.com/video/6gyxmd1/100m-lauf-mnner-2009-berlin-video

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/video/20082009/58/lightning-bolt-takes-gold-berlin.html

What a performance in Berlin this week by Usain Bolt! The Jamaican sprinter torched the best sprinters in the world and broke two world records in the process in the Olympic Stadium where Jesse Owens humiliated Adolph Hitler in the 1936 Olympic games. How dominant is Usain Bolt? Well, the second place sprinter in the 100 meter race, the USA's Tyson Gay, broke the US record, running the fastest time EVER, other than those run by Usain Bolt. The third place sprinter was only .01 seconds behind him and is a former world record holder. Like his performances in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he seemed to coast at the end of world record performances. Sprints are events that have separations between competitors of hundredths of seconds. They are over in a flash. Watching these videos, especially in the 200 Meter, no one is in the picture with Bolt. He crosses the finish line with ease, usually looking at the clock. How does he do it? Good question. Surely, there is a rigorous training regimen for an athlete like this. I don't know what his is, but an athlete does not do the things he does without some good, old fashioned hard work. Id like to believe that, but maybe it's jsut like Jerry Lee said, "God-given ability."

Looking at him, you can see that he is taller than his competitors by a significant margin. My friend and colleague Greg Bibb would call him an anomaly. Sprinters are short and compact and generate an enormous amount of power in their lower bodies. Bolt is 6'5" and looks more like a college basketball small forward than a sprinter. He generates plenty of power in his lower body all right, but it is effortless and graceful compared to the other sprinters. His long stride uses that power to eat up yardage much faster than his shorter, more compact competition. Is he unbeatable? Right now, I have to say yes. He may break his own records for a while.

But his records are meant to be broken like most are. Athletes of all kinds are bigger, stronger, faster than ever, and I do not believe that trend will end soon. The next phenom will emerge. Prenatal and neo-natal care are improving by leaps and bounds. Nutrition and training, not mention quality coaching at an early age all make the breaking of these records inevitable - someday.

If you want to talk dominance in sports, you have Tiger, Lance Armstrong before the cancer, Roger Federer, and others, but no one dominates their sport like Usain Bolt. Now view the videos again and marvel at the power and grace of this extraordinary athlete.