Usain Bolt

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt hardly fits the physical profile of most of his peers. At 6-feet-5, he towers over most other shorter, stockier runners. This seems to work for the 23-year-old Bolt, who recently set world records in the 100 meter and 200 meter races at the 12th World Track and Field Championships in Berlin. Why he's faster than his cohorts, despite being significantly taller, is the subject of much speculation among coaches, exercise physiologists and geneticists. "Most sprinters are pretty small people," says Carl Foster, a professor in the department of exercise and sports science at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Ten kids from the Los Angeles-based STAR after-school program accomplished something Tuesday most world-class sprinters haven't done in a while: They outraced the world's fastest man, Jamaica's Usain Bolt, over 100 meters. And the three-time Olympic champion was happy to lose because those kids and others will gain from it. One of Bolt's sponsors, the luxury watch company Hublot, promised to donate $10,000 to his child-focused foundation for each kid who beat him to the finish line on a makeshift track set up at Greystone Park.

The year after a Summer Olympics is supposed to be a time when the stars of the previous Games catch their breath while the likely stars of the next Winter Games give the Olympic world some breathless anticipation. So it was no surprise to see alpine skier Lindsey Vonn emerge as, so to speak, the Michael Phelps of the upcoming 2010 Winter Games, a woman clearly capable of winning four of her sport's five events. But we also saw Phelps being Phelps all over again, saving a sport whose brain-dead leadership allowed decades of history to be washed away by its failure to rein in technology.

Columns are supposed to have a voice. This one has many. In fact, the din echoing around the soccersphere is so loud that it is sometimes difficult to find remarks of substance amid all the hot air being spouted. Take Carlos Tevez, for instance. Just the other day, Manchester City's Argentine striker was sounding quite sincere when he talked about how much he missed his family in Buenos Aires. "No amount of money, no cars and the lifestyle, can make up for the moment when I leave my two daughters at the airport," he said.

The ads being used in German print media to promote ticket sales for the 12th World Track & Field Championships leave no doubt about the main event of the nine-day meet that begins Saturday. " Das Duell über 100m in Berlin, " the ads say, the message next to a picture of the two men expected to duel in Sunday's 100-meter final at the 1936 Olympic Stadium: reigning world 100- and 200-meter champion Tyson Gay of the United States and reigning Olympic 100-200 champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica.

The mayor of Berlin today gave Usain Bolt a piece of political history for the Jamaican sprinter's contribution to sports history at the 12th World Track and Field Championships. It is a chunk of the Berlin Wall decorated with Bolt's image, appropriate for an athlete whose world records in the 100 and 200 meters shattered the apparent limits of human performance in this 20th year since the fall of an enormous barrier to human interaction. This token of the city's esteem for Bolt is 12 feet tall and 4 feet wide and weighs 1.7 tons.

Ten kids from the Los Angeles-based STAR after-school program accomplished something Tuesday most world-class sprinters haven't done in a while: They outraced the world's fastest man, Jamaica's Usain Bolt, over 100 meters. And the three-time Olympic champion was happy to lose because those kids and others will gain from it. One of Bolt's sponsors, the luxury watch company Hublot, promised to donate $10,000 to his child-focused foundation for each kid who beat him to the finish line on a makeshift track set up at Greystone Park.

Usain Bolt ran the fourth-fastest 200 meters in history Friday in Brussels to upstage Yelena Isinbayeva , Sanya Richards and Kenenisa Bekele , who split a $1-million jackpot for winning their events in all six Golden League meets this season. Because of a wet track and cold conditions at the Van Damme Memorial, Bolt never got close to the world record of 19.19 seconds he set in Berlin last month. But when it comes to performing in bad conditions, no one has done better than his 19.57 on Friday.

Tyson Gay beat Asafa Powell in the 100 meters at the World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki, Greece, on Saturday, finishing in 9.88 seconds in his last major race of the season. Gay overcame a slow start to pull away from Powell, who was timed in 9.90. Darvis Patton of the U.S. was third in 10.00. World record-holder Usain Bolt skipped the race. Allyson Felix won the women's 200, beating fellow American Sanya Richards in a photo finish after both finished in 22.29.

Usain Bolt cruised to another victory in the 200 meters at the World Athletics final at Thessaloniki, Greece, on Sunday, and American sprinter Carmelita Jeter became the third-fastest woman ever by clocking 10.67 seconds in the 100. Bolt finished in 19.68 in his last race of the season, coming fast out of the bend as usual but relaxing toward the end. Wallace Spearmon of the United States was second in 20.21 and Brendan Christian ...

Walter Dix spoiled Tyson Gay's return. Dix won the 200 meters in the Prefontaine Classic at Eugene, Ore., on Saturday in 19.72 seconds, edging Gay by 0.04 of a second. Gay had not competed since May because of a hamstring injury. The Prefontaine, which did not include a men's 100, was a first step toward challenging Jamaican Usain Bolt's dominance in the sprints. Bolt, the world-record holder in the 100 and 200, did not compete at Saturday's meet, part of the elite IAAF Diamond League series.

The year after a Summer Olympics is supposed to be a time when the stars of the previous Games catch their breath while the likely stars of the next Winter Games give the Olympic world some breathless anticipation. So it was no surprise to see alpine skier Lindsey Vonn emerge as, so to speak, the Michael Phelps of the upcoming 2010 Winter Games, a woman clearly capable of winning four of her sport's five events. But we also saw Phelps being Phelps all over again, saving a sport whose brain-dead leadership allowed decades of history to be washed away by its failure to rein in technology.

Hand-wringing in the new year . . . As we exit 2009 amid a chorus of tsks, whines and whimpers, the cacophony of an SUV slamming into hydrant and tree and the silence of PR-spun website apologies, let's take a look at the year's most memorable moments in the wonderful world of sport. Some were shockers -- 59-year-old Tom Watson was eight feet away from winning the British Open -- and others were stunning only in that so many found them surprising . . . i.e. gazillionaire golfer spends some of his evenings with cocktail waitresses, guy at college party takes a hit off a bong and a handful of baseball players who hit a homer every other trip to the plate were linked to performance-enhancing drugs.

Pau Gasol had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead world champion Spain to an 85-63 win over Serbia in the final of the European basketball championship Sunday at Katowice, Poland. The victory gave Spain its first European title after six runner-up finishes, including a one-point loss two years ago to Russia in front of its home crowd. The Spaniards dominated from the start at both ends of the court, playing pressure man-to-man defense and getting out on the break for easy baskets to take a 15-point first-quarter lead.

Usain Bolt cruised to another victory in the 200 meters at the World Athletics final at Thessaloniki, Greece, on Sunday, and American sprinter Carmelita Jeter became the third-fastest woman ever by clocking 10.67 seconds in the 100. Bolt finished in 19.68 in his last race of the season, coming fast out of the bend as usual but relaxing toward the end. Wallace Spearmon of the United States was second in 20.21 and Brendan Christian ...

Tyson Gay beat Asafa Powell in the 100 meters at the World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki, Greece, on Saturday, finishing in 9.88 seconds in his last major race of the season. Gay overcame a slow start to pull away from Powell, who was timed in 9.90. Darvis Patton of the U.S. was third in 10.00. World record-holder Usain Bolt skipped the race. Allyson Felix won the women's 200, beating fellow American Sanya Richards in a photo finish after both finished in 22.29.

The Cincinnati Zoo says one of its cheetahs has become the fastest land mammal on record -- twice. Zoo officials say an 8-year-old female named Sarah ran 100 meters in just over six seconds Wednesday. That broke the old record set in 2001 by a cheetah in South Africa by a few hundredths of a second. Later, Sarah ran a slightly faster time. The speed translates to more than 36 mph. The cat was clocked at a breeding center on a certified course. Cheetah records are maintained by conservation groups and zoos.

Hand-wringing in the new year . . . As we exit 2009 amid a chorus of tsks, whines and whimpers, the cacophony of an SUV slamming into hydrant and tree and the silence of PR-spun website apologies, let's take a look at the year's most memorable moments in the wonderful world of sport. Some were shockers -- 59-year-old Tom Watson was eight feet away from winning the British Open -- and others were stunning only in that so many found them surprising . . . i.e. gazillionaire golfer spends some of his evenings with cocktail waitresses, guy at college party takes a hit off a bong and a handful of baseball players who hit a homer every other trip to the plate were linked to performance-enhancing drugs.

The Cincinnati Zoo says one of its cheetahs has become the fastest land mammal on record -- twice. Zoo officials say an 8-year-old female named Sarah ran 100 meters in just over six seconds Wednesday. That broke the old record set in 2001 by a cheetah in South Africa by a few hundredths of a second. Later, Sarah ran a slightly faster time. The speed translates to more than 36 mph. The cat was clocked at a breeding center on a certified course. Cheetah records are maintained by conservation groups and zoos.

Usain Bolt ran the fourth-fastest 200 meters in history Friday in Brussels to upstage Yelena Isinbayeva , Sanya Richards and Kenenisa Bekele , who split a $1-million jackpot for winning their events in all six Golden League meets this season. Because of a wet track and cold conditions at the Van Damme Memorial, Bolt never got close to the world record of 19.19 seconds he set in Berlin last month. But when it comes to performing in bad conditions, no one has done better than his 19.57 on Friday.