Olympic Games Sprint Kings Are Just Different

An Olympic blue-ribbon event, the Men’s 100m sprint comes with a whole lot more than a few pairs of very quick legs – it also comes with a whole lot of showmanship. Just look at Usain Bolt.

Editorial Review

It's the glamour event of athletics and, consequently, the 10 seconds every four years that the entire sporting world focuses firmly on track and field: the Olympic men's 100 metres final.

From the time humans first walked upright, being fast has been a good thing.

It probably wasn't very long after that that the competitive instincts kicked in and those who were quick wanted to know if they were actually the quickest.

And if you're going to be the best at something, it might as well be the most basic of physical pursuits. You don't need very much in the way of equipment, you don't need a purpose-built playing surface or venue, you just need legs and a whole lot of fast-twitch fibres.

So what does it mean to be the fastest human on the planet?

For one thing, you feel like the greatest - both because you actually are and because people keep telling you that you are. There is certainly no shortage of hangers on around the world's super sprinters.

Then there is the cash. You can get it just for turning up, because every promoter wants you on his bill.

So what does it take to become the world's fastest man?

Yes, of course there's physical ability. God-given talent, as most of them would say.

There's dedication to honing the ability to run fast into the complete package that helps you win races and beat others who also have claims to the Sprint King crown.

But perhaps the key ingredient is self-belief. That explains the swagger, the bluster, the bravado and the showmanship that comes with the territory.

You can't be the world's fastest human without believing that you are - and letting the rest of the world, including your major rivals, know that you are totally convinced that's the case.

So when Jamaican Usain Bolt saw that his fellow quick men were floundering, shell shocked, in the jet stream he had left behind, his expressions and his actions were exactly what you would expect.

He was just letting everyone know he is the new King.

Murray Brust in Beijing for Citysearch

View Citysearch's TV guide for details of Olympic Games coverage.

User Feedback