Two years after Beijing, Bolt still sparking excitement

We are enjoy the Two years after Beijing, Bolt still sparking excitemen

By Karen Rosen, Special for USA TODAY
Usain Bolt can't get back in the blocks fast enough for his sport, which has grown accustomed to his pace.
Since he broke his first world record in the 100-meter dash May 31, 2008, the Jamaican sprint king has generated excitement and awe whenever he's stepped onto a track.

Bolt, who has been sidelined by a slight left Achilles tendon injury, forcing him to miss a meet in New York on June 12, is scheduled to run the 100 on Thursday in Lausanne, Switzerland. His last race was May 27 in Ostrava, Czech Republic, where he clocked the second-fastest time in the seldom-run 300 (30.97 seconds).

"I don't think anybody's ever seen an athlete have this much fun while dominating that much," said television analyst Ato Boldon, a four-time Olympic medalist for Trinidad and Tobago.

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Bolt's charisma and appeal — including dance moves, chest-thumping and striking his famous "Lightning Bolt" pose with a 1,000-watt smile — provide an undercurrent to his success.

"The kid has got the whole package," said Doug Logan, CEO of USA Track and Field. "He sparks a level of excitement that only a few figures do. It has to do with qualities that revolve around authenticity. What you see is what you get."

Bolt, 23, hasn't lost a race since July 22, 2008, when countryman Asafa Powell beat him by 0.01 in a 100 in Stockholm. After winning three gold medals — all in world-record time — in the Beijing Olympics, Bolt became the star around whom the rest of track and field orbits.

And that's fine by some of his fellow athletes.

"We definitely need Bolt," U.S. hurdler David Oliver said. "It's good to see him bringing some good attention to the sport. Everybody knows Bolt, everybody is into him and likes watching him run."

Bolt reproduced his tremendous triple in the 2009 world championships in Berlin — this time with two world records, an eye-popping 9.58 in the 100 and an equally astonishing 19.19 in the 200. The 4x100 relay did not break its own record.

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