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This is an archive article published on August 7, 2012
The happy champion
No one can match Usain Bolts unrehearsed casualness and sheer enjoyment on the track
Written by The Indian Express
August 7, 2012 01:34 AM IST
2 min read
2 min read
No one can match Usain Bolts unrehearsed casualness and sheer enjoyment on the track
Over the short 100m journey that created sprint history,Usain Bolt made several statements. Young,in-form pretender,fellow Jamaican and eventual silver medallist Yohan Blake was told that his time hadnt yet come. The American old hands,Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay,were reminded that this was the Bolt era. And to the many who had doubted his form and fitness,Bolt had shouted out loud: Never count me out. When you hold on to the fastest man in the world title for over two Olympics,you can squeeze in a lot in 9.63 seconds.
But it isnt just those shrinking 9s that make Bolt a one-of-a-kind champion. In the past there have been athletes with style,substance and a sense of occasion. But none of them has had the Bolt-like unrehearsed casualness,unwavering calm and that Caribbean coolness as he first pursued and eventually embraced greatness.
During warm-up,the ever-smiling sprinter fools around with fellow runners,at the starting line he makes faces more suited for a funny home video and on track he is like a kid sprinting home after classes. On Sunday,the high-tension hype around the 100m final didnt freeze Bolt. He did his thing. The boom of the starters gun once again proved to be the school bell for the happy child inside him. Bolt outraced others to reach home first and his unbridled joy mirrored in the stands and around the world. As he did his bow and arrow pose,it was a perfect frame of a happy champion and a happier crowd.
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