American athlete Justin Gatlin and Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, the ‘fastest man on earth’, have both progressed to the finals of the 100m event at the IAAF World Championships held at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing, China today. Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell were among the others who qualified.
Also read: Justin Gatlin unofficially breaks Usain Bolt's 100m world record in 9.45 seconds
Bolt had a final time of 9.96 seconds, unable to break the 100m record which is currently held by him – 9.58 seconds, set in Berlin in 2009. He topped the first heats. Gatlin topped his own set of heats, bettering Bolt’s time by 0.19sec at 9.77, and was followed by compatriot Mike Rodgers, who had 9.86sec.
The third heat also saw iconic names – the top two spots were taken by Tyson Gay of the U.S.A who, with 9.96 seconds was tied with Bolt, followed by Jamaica’s Powell, a knonw 100m specialist, who was 0.01s behind, finishing at 9.97.
The United States of America dominated the 100m semis, with 4 of 8 athletes in the finals from the country. Apart from icons Gatlin and Gay, Mike Rodgers and Trayvon Brommell also qualified for the finals, to be held later this evening. Canada’s Andre de Grasse and French athlete Jimmy Vicaut are the other two athletes who will round up the 8 finalists at the event.
