Five reasons why Usain Bolt won the Olympic 100m final

Being free of injuries helped the Jamaican beat his rivals and his calm under extreme pressure helped too. 

Usain Bolt

There're five reasons why Usain Bolt won the Olympic 100m final as below:

1) Size matters ...

It's obvious, sure, but it doesn't make it any less true. Being 6ft 5in tall allows Usain Bolt to take wider (and thus fewer) steps over a 100m race than his smaller rivals. On Sunday night he took 41 steps to win the Olympic final. Yohan Blake took 46 steps and Justin Gatlin took 42.5 steps.

2) ... but it's also about strength and elasticity too

What makes Bolt special is that he also possesses great strength and flexibility, which allows him to accelerate quickly and maintain a very high top speed. As Dr Ross Tucker of The Science of Sport website explains: "I've not seen such an elastic runner before. Bolt's advantages stem from a superior stretch-shortening cycle function, which allows energy to be stored and used more effectively. We know from research that power output is proportional to the amount of energy that can be stored and released from the muscle-tendon junction during the muscle contraction."

3) He was injury free

The news that Bolt had a "slightly tight hamstring" in the run-up to the Games led some to speculate whether the Jamaican would be at his best in London. But those close to his camp insist that he was able to put in six weeks of hard training beforehand. That ensured he was back to peak condition for the Games. And a fit Bolt is an almost unstoppable Bolt, providing he gets his start right.

4) He was more chilled than refrigerated Ting soda

Two scenes, six weeks apart, to compare and contrast. First, Bolt at the Jamaican trials: he had his business-face on, looked fretful before the start and failed to pass Blake, who started like a Lamborghini and finished like a tank. Second, Bolt entering the arena before the men's 100m final on Sunday night: he was smiling while everyone else was stony-faced, pogo-ing down the track in his warmup with the energy of a 70s punk, and then destroyed the rest of the field in the second fastest time in history.

5) Bolt's start

After the race, Bolt admitted that he was worried about a false start and so "sat on the blocks a bit" while he waited for the gun. His reaction time of 0.165sec, however, was actually faster than Blake (0.179sec) and Gatlin (0.178sec). As usual, Bolt was slower to build up to top speed than his nearest rivals, but his fast reaction time meant that although Gatlin was ahead of him early on, he was always within catching distance. Bolt could keep calm, and let his long legs do the rest.


Source: The Guardian