Jamaica's Usain Bolt won the gold medal in the most attractive athletic discipline, the 100m in a new Olympic record time of 9.63.
The silver medal was won by another Jamaican Johan Blake at the time 9.75, while the bronze American Justin Gatlin won in 9.79 times.Yohan Blake of Jamaica took silver in 9.75 seconds, with Justin Gatlin of the United States capturing bronze in 9.79 seconds. A training partner of Bolt, Blake equalled a personal best with his runner-up time. Also setting or equalling personal best times were Gatlin and Ryan Bailey of the United States, who finished fifth. Of course, with a who's who of international track stars -- largely hailing from the United States and Jamaica -- it was no surprise to see the scoreboard light up with such stellar times. Bolt's training partner and Jamaican teammate, world champion Yohan Blake, won the silver in 9.75, and 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin of the U.S. took the bronze in 9.79.
''It just feels good to be back,'' said Gatlin, who served a four-year ban after testing positive for excessive testosterone.
''To be honest, I went out there to challenge a mountain. I went out there to challenge the odds. Not just myself and everything I've been through, but the legacy of Usain Bolt,'' Gatlin said. ''I had to go out there and be fearless.''Bolt and Blake will be back Tuesday in the 200 meters. Gatlin and Gay return for the 4 x 100 relay Friday and Saturday.
More American disappointment came in the semifinals of the men's 400 meters, where USC's Byshon Nellum and University of Florida's Tony McQuay failed to make the cut for Monday night's final. That meant for the first time in Olympic history (save the boycotted 1980 Games), the U.S. will not have a male 400 finalist. The U.S. streak of seven consecutive men's 400 golds is done, too.
The fastest of all 400 qualifiers in 44.58 was Queens resident Lalonde Gordon, running for Trinidad and Tobago.
The day began with the women's marathon. For most of the race, it was a four-woman duel, but Tiki Gelana pulled away and crossed the line in 2:23:07, an Olympic record performance. "As soon as the rain started, I said to myself, thank God," Gelana said. "I loved running in the rain, I've been doing that since I was a small child."
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