Bolt gets Olympic gold as he runs into new 100m dimension (2nd Lead)

By John Bagratuni Aug 16, 2008, 15:00 GMT

Beijing - Usain Bolt ran away from his rivals into a new 100 metres dimension when he gave Jamaica its first ever Olympic gold in the blue riband race on Saturday in a world record 9.69 seconds.

Bolt, 21, looked around far before the finish line and clutched his fist on his chest as the capacity crowd of 91,000 in Beijing's Bird's Nest roared approval before reggae music blared over the sound system.

Bolt took three hundredths off the mark of 9.72 seconds he ran on May 31 in New York.

Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago got silver in 9.89 seconds and Walter Dix of the US took bronze in 9.91 seconds.

It was the first time since Atlanta 1996 that the Olympic final saw a world record run. Donovan Bailey of Canada won that race in 9.84 seconds.

Bolt can now achieve the first sprint double since Carl Lewis in 1984 as he is also the strong 200m favourite with a season-leading 19.67 seconds. Bolt is a 200m specialist who only took to the 100m seriously this year.

Former world record holder Asafa Powell, also of Jamaica, choked again in a major finals as he managed no better than fifth in 9.95 second while American world champion Tyson Gay failed to make the final.

Gay, who was returning from a hamstring injury for the Olympic races, went out in the semis by placing only fifth in 10.05 seconds.

'I am pretty upset. I focussed on the Olympics so I am disappointed ... I just didn't have nothing in me today, I ran as fast as I could. I gave it 100 per cent,' said Gay.

'The injury was a setback to my training but no excuse because my hamstring feels fine.'

Early Saturday, Russian Valeriy Borchin won the men's 20 kilometres race walk in 1 hour 19 minutes 1 second, holding off three-time reigning world champion and 1996 Olympic gold medallist Jefferson Perez of Ecuador.

Perez trailed by 14 seconds in 1:19:15 hours. Australia's Jared Tallent grabbed bronze in 1:19.42, leaving only fourth place for local hero Wang Hao who turned 19 on the day. The 2004 gold medallist Ivano Brugnetti of Italy had to settle for fifth.

Natalya Dobrynska of Ukraine won the heptathlon gold with a personal best 6,733 to take over Sweden's Carolina Kluft, who no longer competes in the event after winning everything 2002-2007.

Lyudmila Blonska, also of Ukraine, got silver as she did at the 2007 world championships with 6,700 points. American champion Hyleas Fountain secured the bronze with 6,619 points.

World champion Valerie Vili added the shot put Olympic gold to her 2007 world title when she shocked the opposition with a personal best opening put of 20.56m. It was the first athletics gold for the Kiwis since John walker won the 1,500m in 1976.

Natalia Mikhnevich of Belarus got got silver with 20.18m the day after her husband Andrei took bronze in the men's event. The bronze also went to Belarus in the form of Nadzeya Ostapchuk with 19.86m.

In the women's 100m, all the favourites from the US (former world champion Torri Edwards, Lauryn Williams and Muna Lee) and Jamaica (Kerron Stewart, Sherone Simpson, Shelley-Ann Fraser) advanced into the semi-finals. Stewart led the way with 10.98 seconds.

In other action, Kenyan world champion Janeth Jepkosgei and compatriot teenage sensation Pamela Jelimo dominated the 800m semi- finals.

The US team made claim to a possible 400m hurdles sweep when the Angelo Taylor led the semi-finals with 47.98 from the 2005 world champion Bershawn Jackson (48.02) and 2007 worlds winner Kerron Clement (48.27).