By no stretch of the imagination could I be considered a fan of track and field. Sure, every four years, I'll pay it some mind, but other than that, it's a little off the radar. But when a man breaks the world record by running 100 meters in 9.76 seconds, well, that'll grab your attention. American Justin Gatlin bested the previous world record (held by Jamaican Asafa Powell) by one one-hundredth of a second yesterday in Qatar.
9.76 seconds. Damn. I can't even fathom how fast that is. I don't think I can go that fast in a car. It's a mind-boggling number, and it's the fastest ever recorded, so, not to go all Daily Quickie on you, but I think you could do a lot worse than bringing up the world record in the 100m in your discussions of most impressive athletic feats in history.
It's been a huge month for Justin Gatlin. There's this world record, and just a few weeks ago, he was on Pros vs. Joes with Brandi Chastain, Herschel Walker, and Darren Daulton. Obviously, the conclusion to be drawn here is that an appearance on Pros vs. Joes can do nothing but help an athlete's career. It's not too late for John Rocker to get himself into the 2006 Cy Young discussion.
Gatlin guns down 100m record [The Age]
Justin Gatlin: 9.76 [Sportolyis]