How much faster could Usain Bolt have gone?

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HOW quickly would Usain Bolt have run the 100 metres at the Beijing Olympics if he hadn't slowed in celebration before the finish line? A team of physicists have calculated an answer: the Jamaican gold medallist could have slashed his time from 9.69 seconds to 9.55 seconds.

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Type: Discussion • Score: 8 • Views: 16,138 • Replies: 17

I'd say their calculations are pretty accurate; he beat the world record, but would have cut more off the ticker if he wasn't so boisterous before the finish line.

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@Robert Gentel,

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How much faster could Usain Bolt have gone?

We'll never know. And neither will he.

His performance was spectacular, but as he gets older I think he may regret not knowing what he could have done in the 100m that day.

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@rosborne979,

since he's just coming into the best years for a runner, I think we're going to have an opportunity to see how much faster he can run

forget about could have - I'm looking forward to Usain Bolt's future runs.

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@ehBeth,

Yeah, me too.

I thought his celebration and general joie de vivre was one of the highlights of the games...

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@ehBeth,

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since he's just coming into the best years for a runner, I think we're going to have an opportunity to see how much faster he can run

forget about could have - I'm looking forward to Usain Bolt's future runs.

I hope you're right, but **** happens, and in a sport where 1mph headwinds or tailwinds make a difference, you hate to see any opportunities wasted. He's a young man, I suspect he learned a lot by watching the tapes of that run. He looked a whole lot more determined at the end of his next few races.

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what got me about the celebration was that if you watch the race at actual speed, not slow-mo, you barely notice what he's doing--after all, if the physicists' calculations are correct, it only slowed him down about 3/20 of a sec. Surprised

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@yitwail,

I saw it as it happened and immediately wondered what he was doing at the end of the race. My first impression was that he was treating it like a qualifier race. I actually think he got so used to just beating the other runners in the qualifiers that he simply forgot (momentarily) that the 100m final was a race against himself, not against others.

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i just hope he's clean...

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@Region Philbis,

He's taken a bazillion tests, right?

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I think it's opportunity lost; can't make it up in the future because all the variables would have changed - even for him. Blame it on his youth.

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He's 22. Over the next several years, he'll get stronger. I think his best is still ahead of him.

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@Region Philbis,

Region Philbis wrote:

i just hope he's clean...

I'm sure HE is. Not so sure about the photographers ('bout 40 seconds in...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By1JQFxfLMM

9.58. Wow.

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Impressive....that boy has so much talent....and Tyson was flying as well, makes me proud.

I had forgot how much I enjoyed watching last years olympics....I really, really did.

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http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x336/RegionPhilbis/bolt.jpg

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@rosborne979,

Well its been difficult to give the answer of this question but Usain Bolt is one of the finest Athletics to watch ever on the ground and talking about the record I don't think he knows he can do much better than this 9.63 seconds.

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@Region Philbis,

Where was that picture taken from mate? That is amazing to see! Thanks for sharing!

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@XXSpadeMasterXX,

not sure -- found it on FB during the summer olympics...

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How much faster could Usain Bolt have gone?

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