Gay Anticipates Return to Form
American sprinter Tyson Gay is one of the more humble and diligent athletes to run the 100m in recent years. Never one to take his successes for granted, Gay is aiming to squeeze as many victories as possible out of the current season, hopefully beating his obvious rivals Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt in the process.
In 2007, the then 24-year-old Gay stunned spectators by winning all three events he started at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan: the 100 and 200m sprints, and the 4x100m relay race.
Gay holds the world’s second fastest 100m time and the third fastest 200m time.
Contrary to his rival Bolt, Gay does not rely on an imposing physical stature and long, powerful strides.
At 5’11”, Gay’s speed is derived from an impeccable sprinting technique, with his compact body taking neat leaps over the track to generate speed.
Gay’s sprinting technique was developed during his youth, when he and his older sister Tiffany would compete in sprinting. Gay has later admitted that his sister’s quick reactions inspired him to develop his starting technique.
During his first professional season in 2005, Gay enjoyed modest success. He was chosen to represent his country at the World Championships in Helsinki, where he reached the final in the 200m event.
In the final, he lost to three countrymen: Justin Gatlin, Wallace Spearmon and John Capel.
Later in that year, at the less prestigious World Athletics Final, Gay beat the same three sprinters in the event, claiming 1st place in the final and becoming the first sprinter to beat Gatlin over 200m in 2005.
Gay’s real international breakthrough came at the next World Championships in Osaka, Japan, 2007. He beat world record holder and race favourite Powell to the finish line in 9.85 seconds.
In the 200m final, Gay repeated his 100m feat, clocking in at 19.76 seconds, a new championship record at the time, but 0.44 seconds short of Michael Johnson’s 1996 world record. He won another gold medal in the 4x100m relay.
Like most international athletes, Gay’s primary focus of 2008 was on the Beijing Olympics.
Having sustained a hamstring injury in the US Olympic Trials, though, Gay was able to recover from the injury in time for the event, but had fallen behind on his training schedule.
Fans expecting a showdown between Bolt, Powell and Gay in the 100m final were disappointed by Gay, whose Olympics ended in the semi-finals.
In 2009, Gay showed signs that he had left his modest form from 2008 behind. Clocking a personal best and national record in the 100m final, Gay’s 9.71 seconds were still short of Bolt’s stunning winning time at 9.58 seconds.
The 26-year-old was unable to defend his title, and had to settle for 2nd place.
In September 2009, Gay equaled Bolt’s world record time from the 2008 Olympics at 9.69 seconds in Shanghai.
In 2010, Gay has shown signs of being able to pose a serious threat to Bolt, but he knows he will have to be at his very best to do so.
On July 10 in Gateshead, Britain, Gay beat Powell to the finish line in the 100m event, finishing in 9.93 seconds. After the race, he admitted to still suffering from a stiffness in his hamstring, but remained confident that he could claim his fair share of 100m wins this season.
“I am not injured but also not totally healthy. That is where I have been in these last few weeks," said Gay after the race, before continuing:
“I think I can run fast - real fast. But I don't really want to talk about that now. I just want to do it. [Bolt]’s going to be tough to beat. The challenge is for me to work hard to get to where he is at."