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Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008

Not the race Tyson Gay dreamed of

BEIJING — Tyson Gay has remained humble even when he wins.

So imagine how he felt Saturday when, in the semifinals of the men's 100 meters, he failed to qualify for the finals of the Beijing Olympics.

Gay could only watch as Jamaica's Usain Bolt — hamming it up with arms spread and palms out 20 meters from the finish — ran to a world record (9.69 seconds) and a gold medal at National Stadium.

Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago took silver, with Walter Dix taking bronze for the United States.

The race was supposed to have been a showdown between Bolt, who broke his own world record of 9.72, former world record-holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica and Gay.

Gay, out of Lafayette High School in Lexington, is the reigning world champion at 100 and 200 meters. He qualified for the Olympics with the fastest 100 of all time, a wind-aided 9.68, at the U.S. trials. In the quarterfinals of that meet, with the wind calmer, he did get the American record of 9.77.

But a strained left hamstring at the trials sent him crashing to the track during the quarterfinals of the 200-meter dash.

He missed precious training time, did not compete between the trials and the Games, and simply wasn't sharp.

With the top four finishers from each of two semifinal heats qualifying for the finals, Gay placed fifth in his heat and tied for ninth overall in 10.05.

Yet, in the stockyard-like gated area known as the mixed zone — where media from around the world pop one question after another — in the bowels of the Bird's Nest, Gay spent a good half-hour answering questions after his ouster from individual competition. A collective blob of reporters, four and five deep and perhaps a dozen across, pressed up against the fence and strained to hear every word.

Gay could have used his hamstring as an excuse.

He didn't.

”I may have needed more races, but I don't really have any excuses,“ he said. ”I just didn't make it. The hamstring feels good. It's not bothering me.

”I don't have any excuses. I wasn't too overwhelmed with it being the Olympics. It's just one of those things that happened.“

Gay got progressively faster here — 10.22 in his first race since the injury, 10.09 in the quarterfinals and 10.05 in the semifinals. But he couldn't quite recapture the rhythm and confidence that practically radiated from him at the U.S. trials.

”I think I just ran out of time,“ he said. ”I was getting better. I was feeling more comfortable each round. But it just didn't come together.“

Gay kept it together in the mixed zone, though.

”I'm pretty upset,“ he said in a calm voice. ”When I get back to the (Athletes) Village, I guess it will probably set in. My family's here. Everyone at home's supporting me, praying for me. And I'm disappointed because I let them down a little bit. But, at the same time, I gave it my best.“

Teammate Darvis Patton edged Gay for fourth by two-hundredths of a second.

”I just didn't have nothing in me today. I ran as fast as I could. I gave it 100 percent,“ Gay said. ”I focused on the Olympics, so I'm disappointed. I thought I would get into the finals.“

Former world record-holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica won Gay's heat in 9.91. Then came Thompson, Churandy Martinia of Netherlands Antilles, Patton, Gay and Portugal's Francis Obikwelu, silver medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Gay, starting in the outside lane, had Obikwelu in the next lane.

Gay's reaction time to the starting gun was 0.145 seconds, third-best in the heat.

”I felt I got a good start,“ he said. ”I couldn't really "feel' anybody on the side of me except for Obikwelu, and I got tight a little bit because I was trying to make it to the finals. And I really couldn't see anybody. Toward the end I seen everybody.“

By then, it was too late.

”The injury was a setback to my training, but that's no excuse because my hamstring feels fine,“ he said. ”I feel great, I feel strong, I feel relaxed. It just wasn't there.“

Gay still has the 4-by-100 relay to run here, then some post-Olympic competition.

”I think I'm going to run in Europe and get some more races under my belt,“ he said. ”Because I know my speed will come.“

If only it had come Saturday.