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Wind nullifies 100-meter record

2:10 PM Mon, Jun 30, 2008 |
Aaron Chimbel
 E-mail

So sprinters can get penalized because of a tailwind?

Never hear that one before, but Tyson Gay is familiar with it now.

His time of 9.68 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials yesterday doesn't count as a world record, because it was run with the help of a too-strong tailwind.

However, Gay qualified for his first Olympic team.

"It means a lot to me," the 25-year-old said. "I'm glad my body could do it, because now I know I have it in me."

He did it in style too, wearing a royal blue uniform with red and white diagonal stripes across the front, along with matching shoes, all in a tribute to 1936 Olympic star Jesse Owens.

No one ever has covered 100 meters faster. The previous top time under any conditions was 9.69, run in 1996 by Obadele Thompson of Barbados.

Gay's race came with the wind blowing at 4.1 meters a second. Anything above 2.0 is not allowed for record purposes.

"I didn't really care what the wind was," Gay said afterward.

The official world record is 9.72 seconds, set by Jamaican Usain Bolt on May 31 in New York.

So my question now is do you get a reduction in time if you're running into a strong wind? It's only fair right?




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