Bolt and Powell mount the pressure on Gay in Olympic sprint

By John Bagratuni Aug 15, 2008, 13:13 GMT

Beijing - Usain Bolt jogged to the finish line and Asafa Powell also slowed down as the two Jamaican sprinters issued a stern warning to American rival Tyson Gay in the second round of the Olympic 100 metres races on Friday.

The world record holder Bolt had enough shortly after the halfway mark, looked left and right and eased up. He still led all times with 9.92 seconds.

'I just ran the first 50 metres ... I am ready for my best, I think I did well,' said Bolt.

The former world record holder Powell clocked 10.02 without giving it all, while the world champion Gay only came second in his race with an unimpressive 10,09 seconds.

So Gay had to explain himself to reporters while Bolt and Powell walked through the mixed zone chatting more or less only to one another after having done most of the talking on the track.

'My leg was ok,' Gay said in reference to a recent hamstring problem at the US trials which cost him an Olympic berth in the 200m where he is also the world champion.

'I just took it easy. I felt good and relaxed, just wanted to make the next round.'

Gay has the experience of a major title and ran a personal best 9.77 seconds this year. But he was beaten fair and square on May 31 in New York when Bolt stormed through in world record 9.72 seconds. Powell's former world record is 9.74.

It adds to the flavour of Saturday's semi-finals and final that Jamaica has never won the blue riband sprint at the Olympics.

In other action, the 2005 world champion over 800m and 1,500m Rashid Ramzi led 1,500m qualifying in 3 minutes 32.89 seconds, a result that drew a loud 'wow' out of reigning world champion Bernard Lagat of the US who had watched the race after his heat.

But Lagat, who won bronze and silver for Kenya in 2000 and 2004, respectively, before changing nationality, said he had ambitions of his own despite being caught in traffic on the bell of his heat.

'I want to win. I wanted to make sure of a good position but it wasn't good at the bell. I have to avoid this in the semis. But I was confident I would get out,' said Lagat, who got a rare 1,500m and 5,000m double at the worlds last year.

Lagat qualified in fourth place of his heat and the other two US runners also went through, Sudan-born US flag-bearer Lopez Lomong and Mexico-born Leonel Manzano.

Set for later Friday were the first two athletics finals in the National Stadium, the men's shot put and the women's 10,000m. Heats were also planned in the inaugural women's 3,000m steeplechase.