The Olympics Blog » Jamaica

Video: Usain Bolt’s Olympic Gold Medal Run

bill — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 23:02:00 +0000

Beijing_2008_UsainBolt World Record
Uploaded by DailyBaller

Update: Youtube deleted the previous video but this new one should work.

This is the best video of Usain Bolt’s gold medal winning run I can find at Youtube. I think the IOC and its ilk are preventing the uploading of better videos. Damn them.

Anyways, congratulations to you Usain. What will that crystal ball gazing Michael Johnson say now that his bet Tyson Gay didn’t win the gold medal? But in fairness to Michael he merely predicted that Tyson will beat Asafa Powell in the 100 meters; both turned out to be non-contenders for this event.

Merlene Ottey: Is She the Next Dara Mama?

bill — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 02:48:00 +0000

Merlene Ottey is 48 years old — 4 years older than Dara Torres — but she just might make it to her 8th Olympic Games if she manages to qualify before the qualification deadline on Wednesday. Merlene has been participating in the Olympics since 1980 representing Jamaica and Slovenia [in 2004]. She boasts of three gold medals from the World Championships but is less successful in the Olympics where she bagged three silvers and five bronzes.

Merlene will be joining our Dara Mama Club if she makes it to Beijing. Go Merlene.

Photo source: virginmedia

Olympian to Watch: Veronica Campbell, Jamaican Sprinter

bill — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:50:00 +0000

Will Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell win a sprint double in the Beijing Olympics? She is the defending champion in the 100 meters and she won a gold medal for the 200 meters in the 2007 World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan.

PHOTO CREDIT: AFP/Getty Images

Usain Bolt, Second Fastest Ever

bill — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:03:00 +0000

Is he a doper too? I know it’s unfair but that’s the first thing that came to mind when I read this:

Usain Bolt was on fire at Saturday night’s Jamaica International Invitation, posting a sizzling 9.76sec, the second fastest 100m time ever.

Following the doping scandals involving Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery, Antonio Pettigrew, and the endless lists of athletics cheats, it is tragic that youngsters are left with no models to look up to these days. It is also tragic that honest athletes are cheated of their victory. But maybe the greater tragedy resulting from the recent drug scandals is that the record-setting achievements of guys like Usain Bolt are met with questions like, “Is he a doper too?” It is unfair, yes. But that’s what it is. For his sake, and our sake, and the sake of athletics, I surely hope he’s not.

By the way are you, like me, wondering what Michael Johnson, our crystal ball gazer, will say of Usain? What will he say now that Jamaica has a one-two punch who could outrun his bet, American sprinter Tyson Gay? Michael, maybe you should bring out your crystal ball again, eh?

PHOTO SOURCE: IAAF