BEIJING 2008:
FASTEST. MEN. EVER.

In Beijing, we're likely to see the fastest 100-meter race ever run.

by Luke Cyphers

As great as the 400-meter duel between Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt promises to be, it has nothing on the 100. When Jamaicans Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell plus American Tyson Gay (hamstring permitting) flock to the Bird's Nest stadium on the first day of track and field Aug. 15, you will believe a man can fly.

The field will be the fastest in history. In May, Bolt ran the 100 in an incredible 9.72 seconds to break the world record of 9.74 set nine months earlier by Powell. And Gay's wind-aided 9.68 at the U.S. trials in June is the fastest a man has ever been timed covering the distance. Yet the event bears intrigue that even the stopwatch doesn't show. Can Gay get healthy after a hamstring injury felled him in the 200 at the trials? Can the 6'5" Bolt overcome start problems, then maintain the forbidding form that propelled him to the record? Can Powell shake the big-race jinx that's plagued him his entire career? And since this is track, this question must be asked: Can the winner prove the victory wasn't tainted by doping?

THE FIELD WILL BE THE FASTEST IN HISTORY. IN MAY, BOLT RAN THE 100 IN AN INCREDIBLE 9.72 SECONDS TO BREAK THE WORLD RECORD OF 9.74 SET NINE MONTHS EARLIER BY POWELL. AND GAY'S WIND-AIDED 9.68 AT THE U.S. TRIALS IN JUNE IS THE FASTEST A MAN HAS EVER BEEN TIMED COVERING THE DISTANCE.

Gay, who came into this year as the favorite to win the 100 and 200 in Beijing, has experience in his favor. He knows how to prep for big meets, and last year grabbed double gold at worlds in Osaka. But his injury at the trials knocked him out of the 200 and opened the window to doubt.

Bolt, 21, was a dominant 200 runner in juniors and planned to run the 100 this year to work on starts. He's obviously a fast learner. He's always had a long stride and quick turnover, and when he stays low out of the blocks he seems unbeatable. But the Games are littered with athletes who peaked too early. Plus Bolt, who is nicknamed Lightning, must battle expectations of his sprinting-mad countrymen, who see potential for a record every time he steps onto the track.

Thanks to Bolt, Powell is nearly an afterthought. But don't count out the former world's fastest man yet; Powell often runs his best when the spotlight shines elsewhere, and in late July he outsprinted Bolt by one-hundredth of a second in a tune-up 100 in Stockholm.

Want a sleeper? Watch American Walter Dix. The recent Florida State grad finished second to Gay in the 100 at the trials (9.8) and won the 200 (19.86), proving he's strong enough to survive the rounds in the Olympics and fast enough to steal gold if the big names stumble.

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