The puns must all have been made a thousand times, but last night lightning really did strike twice for fastest man in the world Usain Bolt. Only a failed drugs test from Ben Johnson granted Carl Lewis the upgrade for a second consecutive gold in Seoul 1988, for Bolt to do it in such style confirms his status as a true great of the sport.
And he could hardly have done it in more spectacular fashion, blazing across the line in a stunning 9.63 seconds, the second fastest time in history. Indeed it was a blisteringly fast race altogether, with seven of the eight sprinters breaking the 10-second barrier for the first time ever.
Bolt, the toast of Trelawny Parish, Jamaica, shook off being a self-confessed 95% fit, proving 95% was all he needed to cruise past the field to repeat his spectacular performance from Beijing four years ago. In fact, although short of his own world record, this run was actually faster than the time he clocked up at the event in 2008. Despite gifting his seven fellow competitors a whole metre start in the race, due to a poor exits from the blocks, Bolt more than made it up in the following 99, powering past the other runners to clinch the title by a huge margin in 100 metre terms – an impressive 0.12 seconds.
The victory couldn’t have been more perfect for those celebrating one of their most famous sons, back on Bolt’s beautiful island home of Jamaica. With a modest area of 4,244 sq miles and a population smaller than that of Wales, it seems to be with surprisingly regularity that Jamaica throws up such high profile sporting success. Indeed fellow Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce also retained her women’s 100m gold to much jubilation.
But this race in particular was extra special, as Bolt was hounded to the line by training partner and compatriot Yohan Blake, the man he likes to refer to as ‘The Beast’. The pair completed an ecstatic Jamaican one-two on the eve of the island’s celebrated national independence day. Not just that, but this independence day is particularly remarkable, marking as it does 50 years since the island’s liberation from British colonial rule. It’s almost so perfect it could have been scripted that way, I’d wager that celebrations, and not a few Jamaican rums, went down pretty late into the night back in Kingston.
So why such sporting prowess? Maybe it’s something in the water over there? Why not see for yourself, or sample the festive atmosphere that is by no means confined to celebrating athletic achievements! Kenwood travel offers a range of luxury holidays to Jamaica, so enjoy the warm climate, gorgeous beaches, delicious food and laid back vibe of this beautiful Caribbean island with one of our great getaway deals.
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