Usain Bolt of Jamaica became a hot topic of discussion after his superb performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was not his world record timing of 9.69 seconds in the 100 metre race but the manner in which he crossed the line that amazed the world. Many thought that he could have done better if he didn't slow down towards the finishing line.
Living up to the expectations, he lowered the time to 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championships. He also broke his own record of 19.30 seconds he set at the Beijing Olympics in the 200 metre by lowering to 19.19 seconds in the following year.
Now, the big question is whether he still is the fastest man on the planet. His fitness has been a matter of worry of late with his teammate Yohan Blake beating him in both the 100 metre and 200 metre at the Jamaican Olympic trials this year.
He advanced to 100 metre semifinals winning his heat in 10.09 seconds on Saturday at the London Olympics. Hinting that the competition won't be easy, Americans Ryan Bailey and Justin Gatlin clocked 9.88 seconds and 9.97 seconds respectively in their earlier heats. Jamaica's Yohan Blake and Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay of the United States are big threats too.
Speculations notwithstanding, Bolt seems to be raring to go and believes in himself in spite of his fitness worries. And people have been speculating if he could break 9.4 barrier.
"Everyone has been talking about 9.4 all season," Bolt told CNN in an interview last month. "If it's possible I am the one."
Well, the world will be expecting him to defend his Olympic 100 metre tonight. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, who retained the title of the fastest woman on the planet on Saturday night with a time of 10.75 seconds, could be an inspiration for the reigning fastest man. Carl Lewis is the only man to defend the Olympic 100 metre title.
All eyes will be on Usain Bolt on Sunday night as he takes on the big names in the semi-finals and eventually the final.
Where to Watch Olympic Men's 100 Metre Race Final Live?
The national television channel Doordarshan, ESPN and Star Sports broadcast the London Olympics 2012 events live in India. The Men's 100 metre semifinals will start at 12:15 AM IST (August 6) and the final at 2:20 AM IST (August 6).
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) television give live coverage of the London Olympics through its flagship Olympic channels, BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC HD, BBC One HD, Red Button service on Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat.
NBC broadcasts the Olympic events in the United States. NBC along with YouTube provide livestream of the events. Meanwhile, Nine Network and Foxtel broadcasts in Australia.
ESPN broadcasts the Olympics games in 22 countries in Asia and nine countries in South America. Eurosport has got the broadcasting rights in Europe. China Central Television (CCTV) broadcasts in China while SBS has got the rights in South Korea and North Korea.
