Saturday, 4 August 2012

Bolt eases into 100m semis

Michael Steele / Getty Images
Olympics Athletics News: Usain Bolt, Jamica James Dasaolu, GB



Defending champion Usain Bolt strolled into the semi-finals of the 100 metres on Saturday as Olympic history was made on a lightning fast track in London.
Bolt stumbled out of the blocks in heat four but was soon into his running and looking around at his competitors, the Jamaican doing just enough to win in 10.09 seconds.
But that time looked positively pedestrian after first Justin Gatlin and then fellow American Ryan Bailey broke 10 seconds, a feat never before achieved in the heats of the Olympics.
Gatlin clocked 9.97secs in heat two, only for Bailey to then equal his personal best of 9.88 in the next heat to raise hopes that Bolt's world record of 9.58 could be under threat in Sunday's semi-finals and final.
Bolt said: "I am feeling good, my legs are feeling good so I am happy. I am training well so I feel like I'm back. My start was good, I am only focused on the semi-finals."
Former world champion Tyson Gay eased through in 10.08.
British sprinters Adam Gemili, James Dasaolu and Dwain Chambers all advanced to the semi-finals, with world junior champion Gemili, in 10.11, second behind former world record holder Asafa Powell in his heat.
Chambers, a beneficiary of the British Olympic Association's Games ban for past doping offenders being overturned, had not run quicker than 10.25 in 2012 until today when he clocked 10.02.
He said: "I don't know where 10.02 came from, I've been running 10.2 all summer, but I know that isn't me. I've just put it together at the right time, but I wasn't expecting to run that fast.
"It was difficult because my last Olympic experience was 12 years ago, and I still remember it clearly to this day. The main point is I have become eligible to compete here and I wanted to be sure I made my team, my friends, my family and my supporters proud."
Chambers will be in the lane next to Bolt in Sunday's second semi-final, while Gemili will be alongside Blake in the third race, with only the first two in each of the three semis guaranteed to make the final.

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