Jamaica's rise is bad news for US sprint (News Feature)

Beijing - Usain Bolt's awesome 200 metres run into the sprint record books added insult to injury for a battered United States sprint team. Having lost to Bolt in the 100 metres final and also having to swallow an unprecedented Jamaican sweep in the women's dash, Bolt obliterated the field in the 200m and stole Michael Johnson's world record as well with a 19.30-second run on Wednesday night. 'We are the sprint factory of the world,' boasted Jamaica's sports minister Olivia Grange after Bolt completed a unique sprint double with a world record in each event (the 100m in 9.69 seconds). The US required a protest to have at least two men in the minor medals, Shawn Crawford and Walter Dix. One of the disqualified for stepping out of his lane was the original silver medallist Churandy Martina of the Dutch Antilles. 'It is not in the spirit of the Olympics,' said the tiny Caribbean island nation's sports minister Omayra Leeflang. 'It is a pity for a big country like the US to make such a small statement.' A small statement the US has indeed made, on the track in Beijing, and maybe the protest was a visible sign of growing frustration and a desperate move to get medals at all. 'Up to this point it has been a disastrous Games for the US. In the 100m we only won one medal. In the 100m we used to dominate,' said Johnson. But Johnson also admitted that these things happen in the sport of athletics. 'These things are cyclical. From 1992-1997 the sprints were dominated by Linford Christie (Britain) and Donovan Bailey (Canada). These things happen and it is good for the sport,' said Johnson. US sprint has suffered from the drugs issue with the 2004 Olympic gold medallist Justin Gatlin banned and coach Trevor Graham not welcome anymore. In addition, top sprinter Tyson Gay, the three-time 2007 world champion, was not at his best after an injury layoff and crashed out in the 100m semi-finals. At the same time Bolt emerged on the scene as the biggest talent the sprint may have ever seen, which added to the Americans' dismay. 'He's bad. He broke the 100m record, the 200m record. I'm serious, he's bad. The guy came out and made this the best Olympics of my lifetime,' conceded Crawford. 'He has made history and added spirit to the event.' The Jamaican women also have a formidable strike force with the likes of 100m champ Shelley-Ann Fraser. There were three Americans up against three Jamaicans again in the women's 200m later Thursday, and the results so far indicate that another Jamaican sweep is not out of the question and the sprint relays are still to come. The coming-of-age of Jamaica was one big reason reason for the US problems. And in the future the US may see more from that nation which has a rich sprint history but had never delivered on the Olympic 100m stage before. The 1992 winner Christie and 1996 champ Bailey are incidently Jamaica-born as well, which only highlight's the nation's abundance of talent, a good scouting and coaching system. 'Jamaica has dominated sports, athletics, especially, for the last 40 years, but now you have the athletes staying home,' said Bailey. While Jamaicans who have gone abroad have been linked with doping, there has so far been no drugs link around Bolt, former 100m record holder Asafa Powell and others even though the results have led to raised eyebrows. But Grange would have of it. 'We are very proud people, we eat healthy and train very hard. We have a tradition of natural talents,' said Grange.