Bolt has run 9.72 and a 19.75.
Michael Johnson says his record is as good as gone. "I'm ready to kiss it goodbye at this point, because of what's he's doing.
Before the 2004 Athens Olympics, both Johnson and 1996 Olympic 100-meter gold medalist Donovan Bailey virtually guaranteed that Jamaican Asafa Powell, Jamaica (also known as JAM) 
, would win the gold medal. And he had looked mighty sharp in the rounds. But in the final, Powell finished fifth and Justin Gatlin won the gold medal.
Marshavet Hooker and Torri Edwards ran so well in the quarterfinals that they looked certain to make the Olympic team. Then Edwards ran a blistering (and wind legal) 10.78 seconds in the semfinal. Came the final and Edwards ran only 10.90 to finish second. Muna Lee, the closest thing to a journeyman (journeywoman) sprinter you will find, threw down the race of her life and won in 10.85 seconds, a PR by .12 seconds.
The indomitable Lauryn Williams endured an agonizing on-track wait until her name was posted as the third-place finisher. "That was the most nervous wreck feeling I've ever had, said Williams, a beautiful piece of syntax-mashing.
Lee, meanwhile, in the last year has changed coaches, beaten back injuries (three weeks ago she skipped the Prefontaine Classic here with a sore hamstring), and just two weeks ago, was involved in an automobile accident in her training center of College Station, Texas. She was not anybody's favorite to win the Olympic Trials, including her own. She admitted to being terrified in the call room before the race. "Everybody had their serious faces on, she said.
Yet in the final 20 meters, she overhauled Edwards and won the race. Stuff happens on this stage.
In the first round the 100 on Saturday, Gay popped from the blocks and opened a huge lead on an overmatched field. Then, as sprinters do, he dialed back his tempo. But he did it 20 meters from the finish and was passed by three runners, barely making the top-four finish needed to advance to the second round. (Although he would have qualified on time, in any case). Gay says, "I missed the white line on the track. That's possible, but it was embarrassing.
Two-and-a-half hours later, Gay didn't misjudge the finish line. He started aggressively, ripped open his quarterfinal race and floated through the line in a stunning 9.77 seconds. The time broke Maurice Greene's American record of 9.79 (set in 1999) and put Gay alone as the third-fastest man in history behind Bolt and Powell (9.74 best).
Asked after the race how much of the full race he ran hard, Gay said, "Not 100.
Here is the most salient fact to consider in the big picture. In one race, Gay ran his personal best by .07 seconds and sliced the difference between his best and Bolt's down to .05. That's no small margin, but it's seriously smaller than .12 seconds.
Shortly after Gay's race, Bolt ran 9.85 to win the Jamaican Olympic Trials. Powell, still coming back from April shoulder surgery, was second in 9.97 seconds.
I didn't see the race in Kingston, Jamaica. Colleague Gene Cherry of Reuters heard from his sources in Jamaica that Bolt, like Gay, let up slightly at the end. So here is what we have: On the same day, Gay runs 9.77 in his second race of the day (he still has two more on Sunday, assuming he makes the final) and Bolt runs 9.85 in his third race in two days. The times are worth noting.
Bolt is a scary talent. So is Powell. Or was. But running a one-off world record and surviving four rounds at the Olympic Games are two very different things. Gay knows. He has already done it, winning both the 100 and 200 at last year's World Championships in Osaka, Japan. Bolt is no novice, having won the silver behind Gay in Osaka.
But he has never been the Olympic 100-meter favorite, with four rounds to run (never mind the stifling conditions that might exist in Beijing). "The strongest man through the rounds will be the man who wins, Gay told me in Texas in April. That was before Bolt emerged. That was before Powell got healthy. But it still holds.
Beating Bolt is a daunting task, no question. But as of this moment, the coronation will wait for the actual race. Any concession would be premature.
The following content presents raw ideas. This page needs massive edits. Do not quote this material in any source. It is not sanctioned in any way. Rather, this page is more of a place holder for more editing to come.
Lindsay Schnell wrote about 2008 USA Track Olympic Trials in SI[]
- Lindsay Schnell: The highs and lows from the track and field trials - 07/07/08 - EUGENE, Ore. -- With Lopez Lomong crossing the finish line Sunday with the third-fastest time in the men's 1,500, the 2008 Olympic United States (also known as USA)
track and field trials finally came to a close. The trials were, to say the least, a crazy, energetic 10-day adventure. And now, for the highlights.
- CEO recommends paying top Olympic stars - 03/08/09 - The CEO of USA Track and Field recommended paying athletes $15,000 for setting a personal best at the Olympics, along with shortening trials for the games, as two ways of improving the team's performance after a disappointing effort in 2008 Olympics in Beijing.