Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt became the world’s fastest man when he clocked 9.72 seconds in the 100 metres in New York City on Saturday, lowering the prestigious mark set by teammate Asafa Powell by two hundredths of a second and defeating current world champion Tyson Gay of the United States. 

 

Bolt told journalists after the race, “I wasn’t really looking for the world record, but it was there for the taking. I knew after 50 meters the race was over.” He also confirmed for the first time that he hoped to compete in both, the 100 metres and 200 metres, at the Olympic Games in Beijing in August. “The Olympics are the big thing for me. It doesn’t matter if I have the world record, if I don’t have the Olympic medal”, he added.