A Bolt out of the blue »

A Bolt out of the blue

Photos by Ian Allen/Staff Photographer LEFT: Manchester High's Natoya Goule (left) collects the baton from Denesh Morris ahead of Edwin Allen's Ristannanna Tracey, who receives the stick from Shakeeri Cole. Manchester won the event in 3:39.95 ahead of Holmwood (3:41.29). CENTRE: Usain Bolt (second left) wins the men's 100 metres in a world leading, National Stadium record 9.76 seconds at the Jamaica International Invitational meet last Saturday night. Bolt won ahead of American Darvis Patton (second right), 10.08, and Antiguan Daniel Bailey (right), 10.12. Wallace Spearmon (left), also of the United States, was fifth in 10.13. RIGHT: President of the JAAA Howard Aris (left) gives Usain Bolt's coach, Glen Mills, a congratulatory hug after his athlete's performance. Bolt ran 9.76, the second-fastest 100m time ever.

Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer

WOW, WOW, wow ... 9.76? How did he do it? That is the question on almost every track and field fans lips after Usain Bolt's stunning effort at last Saturday night's Jamaica International Invitational (JII) meet at the National Stadium.

Bolt's former high school coach, Dwayne Barnett, said he was stunned.

"Yes, to run so close to the world record and he is not a specialist 100m runner, yes, I was surprised," said Barnett. Barnett, who coached Bolt as a 16-year-old schoolboy to 20.25 and 45.35 at Champs for William Knibb, and 20.13 at the Pan Am Junior Championships in 2003, added: "Knowing the person he is - determined, once he goes into an event, he always gives it his all. I think he is unique because from the age of 15 he has been running fast," he said.

Definitely surprised

Bolt himself admitted: "I was definitely surprised when I saw the time. I was in shape for a 9.85."

American World 200m/400m record holder Michael Johnson also voiced his opinion of the sizzling run. "Usain said he was shocked. I'm shocked too," said Johnson, the man who tips fellow American Tyson Gay to sprint to success at the Olympic Games in Beijing later this summer.

"I never would have predicted he could run that fast over 100m," he added.

Donald Quarrie, the 1976 Olympic 200m champion, was quoted as saying, "no one expected it". Bolt's main rival in the 200m, world sprint double champion Tyson Gay, said: "It (performance) was beautiful. He was very smooth and he executed very well."

However, Bolt's coach, Glen Mills, was the only person who was not surprised at the athlete's cracker.

"I am not surprised because he has been doing well in training ... this is just the beginning," Mills promised.

The run by Bolt very early on the night stole the spotlight from later events at the meet, which had close to 17,000 spectators. After that, anything Bolt did, walk, wave or collect his gear, the crowd would cheer him on.

Fans still upset

Surprisingly, a few boos were heard coming from the grandstand, most of which were aim at Americans Tyson Gay and Sanya Richards. According to some spectators, they booed Richards because they are still upset she chose to represent the US, instead of the land of her birth, Jamaica.

But, Gay, who was among five athletes to achieve world-leading marks on the night, with his 20.00 in the 200m, said: "It (the boos) doesn't bother me ... I got more cheers than boos." Lashinda Demus (54.83) and Kerron Clement (47.79) in the women's and men's 400m hurdles, along with Jamaican Kerron Stewart in the 100m (10.96), also achieved world-leading marks on a night which belonged to Bolt.

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